Hi! we are mandolin + melissa…
And we’re excited to offer you a once in a lifetime experience in Colombia, a place Mandolin has lived & worked for many years.
we’ll be your retreat leaders, translators and connection to all the best local secrets. We are here to take care of and pour into you. this is an inclusive adventure to nourish your mind, body & soul while empowering the local community & nature we visit. We aim to operate in symbiosis with this land & ITS people and in return we are granted access to ANOTHER world money can’t buy.
WHAT MAKES nourish RETREAT A once in a lifetime EXPERIENCE?
from the moment you land until you board your flight home, you are excellently taken care.
On NOURISH retreat, you have the responsibility of an 8 year old, with a team inviting you into a new world. One of our local drivers will welcome you at the airport and escort you to our retreat center. From there, your only job is to enjoy and give your adulting a break.
nourish was co-created with locals + Indigenous elders to ensure sustainability & respect for the land and ITS people.
Meet Haba Teresa, who is a Matriarchal Mamo (healer) for the local Kogi Tribe. Spanish is both our second language and our relationship was built over many years while I lived with a local woman on land sacred to her people. I have learned over time how to offer these retreats only with guidance from mentors like her.
nourish your nervous system with a week living inside a SACRED NATURE vortex
Every piece of your experience in intentionally planned out to balance your nervous system and allow you to feel safe, present and whole in your body. Our home for retreat is known as ‘The Heart Of The Universe’ to Indigenous People. Nestled in the the tallest coastal mountains on earth, we can see Carribean seas and snow peaks from our retreat center. The air smells like mangoes, the jungle is alive with parrots and monkeys, and the air is so clean you will never want to leave. There are 15 ecosystems on this one mountain! There are more endemic (from here and only here) plants and animals per capita than anywhere else on Earth! Just coming and staying in this Nature alone is life changing.
sacred ceremony + circle with the most closed indigenous tribe in south america
You are one of a handful of people ever allowed into a cleansing, blessing, and welcoming ceremony with the oldest and most culturally closed Indigenous Tribe in South America. The Kogi’s consider themselves guardians of Nature and are powerful wisdom keepers. As an addition, you will be able to ask questions of elders in circle post ceremony. You will also have the opportunity to book a private healing session with Haba Teresa, the powerful medicine woman pictured above. This experience is an incredible honor and we appreciate the opportunity.
All the best local secrets
By choosing this retreat you are given access to all the best local secrets that you can not book or find online. Just like anywhere, the big tourist traps are worth checking out but they aren’t what makes a place truly special. It’s the hole in the wall restaurants that will blow your mind, the secret waterfalls only a few locals know of, or the old witchy woman in the jungle whose healing massage feels like a spiritual experience. These are just a few of the experiences that await you in this paradise.
Your ticket donates $100 to support a local school and THE INDIGENOUS KOGI people.
We give in gratitude and exchange for all that we receive from the people and land here. The school we support was started by a good friend of mine in the home I lived in for 4 years. This school offers Montessori classes to local children for free. The Kogi Tribe are the amazing Indigenous elders we learn and receive from on retreat. You will see and experience first hand where your donation goes and the impact it makes.
digital detox to refresh your brain, body & soul
Disconnecting from technology and going deep into Nature creates room for real world connection and literally changes your brain chemistry after just 3 days! You can look forward to going home with less anxiety, more energy, clearer thoughts, new inspiration and lots of healthy dopamine! We will be doing it together and by the end of retreat we will see if you even want your technology back! Read below for research on “The Three Day Effect” as dubbed by Utah’s professor David Strayer!
What it’s like to take a digital detox
this retreat is for you if…
…you love the idea of not having to plan anything and being taken excellent care of
…you appreciate and know the healing power of majestic nature
… you prefer local secrets over tourist traps
…You want to taste the love put into your 3 locally sourced, delicious meals a day
.. you are ready for the flow state that comes with feeling in alignment
if you said yes to any of these, than this retreat might be for you!
what to expect
We work exclusively with locals
From our accommodations to our guides to our drivers to our healers, everyone we work with is local. You can trust that your dollars are boosting the local economy and in return you get a cooler experience than you could ever imagine.
Delicious Food Prepared With Intention
If you have ever had anyone cook for you with love, you know the difference. We consider ourselves foodies and the food we eat will blow your mind. Our meals are delicious, nutritious and sourced from the land we are visiting!.
Morning Circle & Evening Event
We gather in circle to practice mindfulness, move our bodies and regulate our nervous systems. In the mornings we also hold space for one another to share about your experience in circle.
Incredible Nature Walks
There is more endemic flora and fauna per capita on this mountain than anywhere else in the world! You will be picking avocados off trees to the sound of thrumming life as you explore.
Nourishing Free Time
This retreat won’t leave you packed with activities and overwhelmed. You’ll have plenty of time to chill, integrate, and let your body come into a flow state.
Private Healing Sessions with Haba Teresa
This matriarchal leader for the Kogi Tribe is offering you the opportunity for private healing sessions that words can not express.
New friends from around the world
Connect with like minded people who also care to travel sustainably, uplift local communities and always try to leave a place better than we found it. It takes a certain kind of person to go explore a country many still fear, are up for an adventure, are curious about the world around them, value nature, and want to really experience another culture.
So Many Waterfalls
There are 3 glacial fed waterfalls near our retreat venue. A day trip to one of these local secrets is going to leave you in awe.
Holotropic Breathwork + Art Therapy with Alejandro
Spend one day on a deep inner practice in breathwork that will open and nourish your mind in a myriad of powerful ways. Our teacher Alejandro is our good friend and personal mentor in breathwork. Together we practice in the rainforest, followed by art therapy and a delicious lunch prepared by his wife, Katarina.
our activities & LOCAL healers can not be found in lonely planet.
Your retreat experience INCLUDES:
✅ 6 nights private or semi private accommodation
✅ 3 delicious, locally sourced & nutritious meals a day (prepared with love)
✅ Daily restorative yoga + guided meditation
✅ once in a lifetime cleansing, blessing, & welcoming Ceremony with the Kogi tribe
✅ regenerative coffee farm tour
✅ holotropic breathwork with alejandro
✅ secret waterfall day adventure
✅ you are welcomed at the airport by a local team member and taken directly to our retreat venue.
✅ Private car will deliver you to the airport on our final day
✅ donation to Kogi Tribe + local motessori school
✅ $50 donation to Montessori school
✅ 1:1 call with mandolin and melissa prior to retreat
✅ travel specialist support with booking flights and travel details
✅ Rest areas overlooking jungle, mountains and the caribbean sea
✅ laundry services
✅ massage services available on request
Explore La Poema
a cocoon in the sierra nevada junglw
our stunning retreat venue
diversity, equity and inclusion
inclusive spaces are better for everyone
We are a home for all curious explorers who care for our planet, themselves and one another.
We believe diversity and inclusion is broader than race, ethnicity and culture. It’s invisible or visible disability, neurotype, gender, sexuality, age, religious beliefs and politics.
As a white woman, I am always learning to be a better listener. As a TBI survivor who is bisexual, neurocomplex and from a low income family… I know what it’s like to feel left out from wellness spaces I would like to be in .
I am passionate about creating optimal environments for us all to come together and enjoy. I created this retreat for those who need special accommodations to be in the mix with everyone else and have their needs met. Inclusive spaces are better for everyone.
-Mandolin Badger (Founder)
what about the rooms?
semi private eco huts overlooking the caribbean sea, jungle & snow capped glaciers
these eco huts were built in partnership with indigenous elders to honor the land & feed your soul
Each eco hut contains 2 floors with a bed and dresser on each floor. Accommodation is 2 people per hut in semi private accommodation. We have 1 remaining single story private for a couple!
What about the food?
Foodies welcome! Enjoy our first night together in the coastal city of Santa Marta with a celebration dinner at a local treasure. Then we head into the mountains where everyday you will be served a delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner as part of your stay. Breakfast is 9am, Lunch is served at 1 and Dinner is served at 6:30 with a variety of delectable options. Everything you eat is made with love by our local retreat staff who welcome you like family. If you love being fed delicious, nutritious, ethical and locally sourced meals, this retreat is for you.
i just feel like this entire experience was a gift AND I’M really GRATEFUL.
- CARLA AVRUCH
THIS TRIP UNLOCKED A LOT OF DOORS FOR ME THAT I DIDN’T KNOW NEEDED UNLOCKING.
IT’S CHANGED MY LIFE AND IT’S SOMETHING I’LL ALWAYS KEEP WITH ME AND BE GRATEFUL FOR. - ZACH SMITH
I am feeling the call and ready to learn more!
Dream it
〰️
Do it
~
Dream it 〰️ Do it ~
FAQ
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We fly in and out of Santa Marta, Colombia. (SMR) A private car will escort you on the 1 hour drive between the airport and retreat center. Arrival and deparure is included!
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Yes. You will be in a very peaceful, nature based region surrounded by locals very appreciative for you to be there. Crime exists in Colombia just like everywhere, but we will not be close to areas of poverty in cities where crime exists.
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You can go phone free and get excellent photos. Bring a camera or just let us handle it! Melissa will be capturing photos throughout the week :) There is wifi available for emergencies.
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A private car will collect you at the airport and deliver you to our retreat center. Upon departure a private car will return you to the airport for your flight.
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No. There are no vaccines suggested for this region of Colombia.
check out this video from past retreats!
