Awakened Path - A Vision Quest
11-18 July 2026
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A Return to the Rhythms of Nature
— and to Your True Self
Step away from the noise of everyday life and return to something quieter, deeper, and more meaningful.
Held in a secluded off-grid valley in the mountains of southern Portugal, this retreat is an invitation to step out of the familiar and into a direct relationship with nature, stillness, and your inner world.
This is not a passive retreat. It is a gently guided vision quest experience, held within a supportive and carefully structured space.
Through simplicity, time in nature, and the removal of everyday distractions, you are invited to slow down, listen, and reconnect with what lies beneath the surface.
What to Expect
By removing distraction, stimulation, and comfort-seeking, we create the conditions for true listening to the body, the land, and the quiet intelligence beneath thought.
Throughout the week, you will be supported through >
- A full digital detox
- A simplified, off-grid way of living
- Extended time in nature and silence
- A 24-hour guided fast
- Daily practices to gently challenge habitual patterns
- Kundalini Yoga, breathwork and ritual practices
- A morning spent with a herd of wild horses
- Space for reflection, rest, and integration
The Vision Quest Experience - a Phoenix Moment
A vision quest is not about escaping life, but about meeting it more honestly.
This retreat offers a personal threshold experience — a moment to step beyond the familiar, remain present through discomfort, and allow what is no longer needed to fall away.
This is your Phoenix Moment:
“a shedding,
a turning point,
and a return with renewed clarity, direction, and inner authority.
Insight is not forced here — it arises through direct experience.”
The Journey
This retreat is a deep immersion into your own process of renewal and reconnection.
Each day is structured yet spacious — allowing insight to emerge naturally, rather than being pushed or analysed
Through Kundalini Yoga, meditation, ritual, nature immersion, fasting, silence, and creative practices, you are supported to:
- Reset and strengthen your nervous system
- Release outdated patterns and identities
- Reconnect with your intuition and inner guidance
- Deepen your relationship with nature
- Gain clarity for the next chapter of your life
Connection with Horses
As part of the retreat, we will spend time with Juuna she is the overseer of a herd of rescued horses living freely in nature.
This experience is gently facilitated and offers a unique opportunity to connect through presence, awareness, and intuition. Being with the horses invites a different kind of listening — one that goes beyond words and into feeling, sensitivity, and trust.
It is a space for quiet connection, reflection, and a deeper awareness of both yourself and the natural world.
The Daily Rhythm
Each day follows a gentle and supportive rhythm, designed to balance activation and rest.
- Morning practices focus on vitality, resilience, and inner clarity
- Evening practices support grounding, integration, and nervous system repair
- Time is woven throughout for solo reflection, rest, and nature immersion
All practices are accessible to all levels — no prior experience is needed, only a willingness to be present with the process.
Accommodation & Food
Our accommodation is simple, comfortable, and immersed in nature.
Our accommodation is simple, comfortable, and immersed in nature — designed to help you slow down, rest, and feel at home.
Guests stay in a mix of thoughtfully prepared spaces, including bell tents with proper beds and mattresses, two cabins (Om Shanti – a studio, and Sunrise Lodge with two rooms and a kitchen), and The Shepherd’s Hut. The cabins and Shepherd’s Hut each have their own showers, while the bell tents share two outdoor showers. Across the land, we use eco-friendly compost toilets.
Accommodation is available on a shared or single basis, and spaces are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Please let us know your preference when booking, and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.
There is also a natural swimming pool, offering a refreshing place to cool off, relax, and enjoy the surroundings.
Food
Meals are vegetarian, nourishing, and prepared with care, using ingredients sourced mainly from local farmers’ markets, along with seasonal produce from our own garden wherever possible. We aim to use organic ingredients, and always offer vegan and gluten-free options.
We understand that everyone’s needs are different, and we’ll always do our best to be as flexible and accommodating as possible. If you are following a specific food program or your diet includes meat, you’re welcome to bring or purchase your own — we can stop in Monchique on arrival if needed, and we’ll provide fridge space so you can store and combine it with the meals we prepare.
Living Off the Grid
At Rural Escapes Portugal, we live in harmony with nature — and that’s part of the magic. Our centre is completely off-grid, using the sun for power and sustainable systems for water and waste.
You’ll find compost toilets and outdoor private showers, all clean, thoughtfully designed, and easy to use. Many guests arrive a little unsure — and leave saying it’s one of their favourite parts of the experience.
There’s something surprisingly grounding and even uplifting about showering in a private showers with a view of the mountains and knowing your stay treads lightly on the earth.
This simple, natural way of living helps set the tone for the retreat: slower, more mindful, and gently connected to what really matters.
Investment & What’s Included
Shared accommodation: £920
Early Bird (before May 1st): £845
Single accommodation: £1225
Early Bird (before May 1st): £1150
Payment plans are available.
Please contact us directly to book or enquire.
What’s Included
- Shared or single accommodation
- Airport transfer (please enquire before booking flights)
- Brunch, dinner, and snacks
- Daily Kundalini Yoga & meditation
- Guided breathwork session
- Sound bath
- Cacao ceremony
- Guided Journaling and reflective practices
- Structured solo time in nature
- Guided silent walk
- Visit to connect with horses
Flight Transfer
The flight transfer from Faro Airport is included as part of your package.
11th July (arrival day) Pick up is at 17:00 from Faro Airport
18th July (departure day) drop off is at 10.30am arriving at Faro Airport at 12:00
Please ensure you contact us before booking any flights, so we can confirm timings and make sure everything aligns smoothly1
About the Facilitators
Ashley Jones
With over two decades of experience guiding retreats and group work, Ashley brings a grounded, intuitive presence to the spaces she holds. Her work weaves together Integrated Kundalini Yoga, meditation, ritual, and spiritual inquiry to support deep and lasting inner change.
She creates environments where people can meet themselves honestly and reconnect with their own inner wisdom — not as something to strive for, but something to remember. Ashley has facilitated retreats internationally, including in Egypt, Morocco, the UK, Italy, and Portugal, and is known for holding spaces that are both transformative and warmly human.
Camilla Bergman (co facilitator)
With over two decades of committed inner work, Camilla’s path has been shaped through 26 years in 12-Step fellowships alongside ongoing practice in yoga, breathwork, ritual, and sound.
She has been teaching yoga since 2012 and has guided retreats in Tenerife, Brighton, and Portugal. Recently certified as a Conscious Connected Breathwork facilitator and trained in Sound Healing with Don Conreux, Camilla brings a grounded, intuitive presence to the spaces she holds.
Her work is devoted to supporting honest self-inquiry, embodied awareness, and the gentle unfolding of insight through breath, practice, and connection.
Juuna’s intention is to create a safe and voluntary space for human and horses that both can develop, may reveal themselves and healing can happen.
Being with horses is listening, feeling, intuition, concentration and relaxation. Exploring the essentials and being open to understand, entering carefully the sacred space of the unconditional nature with deep questions and the attitude of marveling and connective touch.
Empowering people and horses to get in contact with their own source and inner strength.
This retreat is for those who feel the call to pause, reset, and listen more deeply.
For those standing at a threshold.
For those ready to let something old fall away and allow something truer to rise.