Disconnect yourself from everyday life and immerse yourself in the wilder side of the Scottish Highlands. Our retreat takes us to an acclaimed Wilderness Reserve, where we’ve arranged to have exclusivity of this spectacular 23,000 acre property for our groups. Housing will be at the main lodge, an elegantly restored Victorian lodge with a majestic south facing aspect overlooking native birchwood and Caledonian pine forests hundreds of years old. There are two additional houses, each with stunning positions and gorgeous interiors. Chef prepared meals exemplify conscious cuisine, drawing on organic vegetables, herbs, berries and fruits produced in three large greenhouses powered by hydro-turbines; creating a zero waste and zero-emissions ethical food production scheme. Think hearty stews, fresh fish, abundant vegetables and delicious desserts.

We’ll begin each day with a yoga class as our preparation for several guided explorations / excursions included in the retreat package. We’ll start our week with an expertly guided 4 x 4 tour of the reserve, getting acclimated to our home for the week and venturing down the reforested glens to soak up the stunning views. We’ll learn about the restoration work underway, visiting the reforestation areas and spotting native wildlife, all in the company of  skilled and knowledgeable rangers. Look to the skies for golden eagles, search the stony tops for ptarmigan and hares, while keeping your eye out for the native red squirrel and black grouse. Take in the panoramic glens, the untamed rivers, the old-growth and recovering forests. You might spy red deer stags on the mountains or Atlantic salmon leaping in the waterfalls.  Away from light pollution, we’ll be at one of the best places for astrophotography in the UK.  Long haired highland cows roam the property, and we’ll receive a special tour of the Scottish Wildcat enclosures built in partnership with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the European Nature Trust to bolster the
population of this endangered species.

The rest of our week will include (optional) guided hikes and / or biking explorations, a full day trip to the East Coast of the Highlands.

There will, of course, be spaciousness during the week for solo and small group explorations of the reserve.  For hikers, the remote Highland glens offer a wild spectacle for all skill levels. You can walk through the most northerly stand of original old-growth Caledonian forest, take a stroll over to the historic Croik Church, or hike up to the middle ridge for a once-in-a-lifetime view of both the East and West coasts of Scotland. There are recommended walks for different fitness levels, and Highlands hiking trail maps are always available.

For the adventurous, take out a mountain bike (Donna’s partner Nick is an experienced mountain biker and happy to accompany people of any level wanting to venture out), or reset your mind and body with a wild swim in one of the many lochs, or dip in the river.  These waters are some of the purest you will find anywhere in the UK.​

Midweek, we’ll take a day trip to the East Coast of the Highlands.  We’ll journey back in time and experience Dunrobin to enjoy the castle, gardens and falconry display. Watch dozens of seals at Loch Fleet, before passing Embo beach on the way to Dornoch or Tain for lunch. The afternoon can be spent visiting Anta & Tain Potteries, and maybe even a whisky distillery!

Of course, we’ll gather for adaily yoga class  (either morning or late afternoon depending on the days schedule), enjoying the newly built, fully stocked yoga shala near the main lodge.  This is the thread that weaves us together as a unified community for our week creating space to digest and integrate.

The retreat is Sunday to Sunday. The easist international airport to travel to is Inverness (INV)  in Northern Scotland.  From here, our retreat property is approximately 90 minutes drive.  Some may choose to share a rental car for convenience, but also our hosts can arrange pick ups and drop offs from the airport or local hotels. A shared car is about $225 each way and can hold 4-6 people.

If you are planning an extended stay in Scotland with a rental car or using other transportation, the other international airports are Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The retreat begins with dinner on the start day of the retreat and ends with breakfast on the last day of the retreat.

We will start collecting travel plans from participants several months in advance of each retreat.

Donna Farhi

Donna Farhi is a Yoga teacher who has been practicing for almost 50 years and teaching since 1982.  As a post-lineage pioneer, Donna has been at the forefront of generating a new model for teaching and practice that fosters self-inquiry through the cultivation of each person’s innate sensitivity and bodily intelligence.  She endeavors to create a safe learning environment where her students can investigate, adapt and evolve their practice to honour their individual needs.  Incorporating the rigorous backing of anatomical principles for safe and sustainable practice, Donna offers progressive levels of engagement that allow people of all levels of experience and from all traditions to build their own authentic Yoga practice.

Donna is the author of many contemporary yoga classics including The Breathing Book, Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit: A Return to Wholeness, and Bringing Yoga to Life. Her own experience of healing from a traumatic horse riding accident and rehabilitation over several years, have given her profound insights into the remarkable ability of the body to heal and restore itself. Sometimes referred to as “the body whisperer”, students are often amazed at how Donna’ssubtle, gentle and skilfully guided practices can unlock and unleash new potentials. She particularly enjoys working with older students wishing to maintain and expand their strength, mobility and balance. 
 (www.donnafarhi.co.nz)

We can bring 18 total participants (including staff) to each retreat.  The main house / lodge has 6 rooms upstairs each with ensuite private bathrooms.  A 7th small single room downstairs room can be offered as needed. We also  have a 2nd house on property with 3 bedrooms / 3 bathrooms, full living, dining and kitchen. 

What’s Not Included:

• Flights to Inverness Scotland
• Transfers to the Lodge 
• Alcohol or items of a personal nature / souvenirs
• Optional activities during free time (ex. trout fishing. skeet shooting)
• Gratuities (at your discretion, suggested $20-$40 per day in a pool for staff)
• Travel Insurance (recommended)​

Refunds and Cancellations: Refund less deposit ($795)  before Feb 15, 2026. No refunds after Feb 15, 2026. Due to arrangements made with our vacation hosts, there can be no exceptions to this policy. Participants will be required to sign the application and  liability waiver to participate on this trip.

If you place a deposit, the balance due will be set to charge in equal installments starting the month after deposit through Feb, 2026 unless other arrangements are made.

We HIGHLY recommend that you consider purchasing Travel Insurance. Travel insurance companies like Trawick and Travel Guard offer policies that insure your investment in case you need to cancel (including “cancel for any reason” coverages), coverages for expenses incurred due to to weather & travel delays, personal property loss and emergency travel medical.  Please review policies carefully to choose the coverage you need.

We recommend that you consider purchasing trip insurance to protect your investment. AIG Travel Guard and Trawick International are two providers that we recommend. Please review policies carefully to ensure they provide the coverage you need.

We recommend that you consider purchasing trip insurance to protect your investment. Trawick International and Travel Guard are two providers that we recommend. Please review policies carefully to ensure they provide the coverage you need.