Morocco Retreat | Ashtanga Lanka

Experience Morocco, the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara while deepening your practice.

Join us March 29 to April 5 (or 10th), 2024 for a special Ashtanga yoga experience in the Atlas mountains. Following the 7 night yoga retreat you can spend five more days with us and visit the Sahara desert.

Our venue for the week is Irocha, which is located on the southern slope of the Atlas range. Here the high peaks give way to wide canyons with high mesas. Irocha, which means “rock” in the local Amazigh language, is a beautiful venue constructed in the traditional Berber style.

Magnificent mountain views, fresh air, starry nights and plenty of space makes this the perfect place to rest and recharge. This event is limited to 12 students so sign up early.

Details & Schedule:

Saturday, March 29th is the arrival day. If you are in Marrakech that morning we will meet at noon and share a large van to the venue. If you arrive separately please be at Irocha by 4PM. We can also arrange a taxi from the airport directly to Irocha.

We will have an opening gathering at 5:30PM on the 29th followed by dinner. The first Mysore class will be on Sunday the 30th. There will be 6 morning practices and multiple afternoon workshops. The retreat ends after breakfast on Saturday, April 5th.

The morning practice includes meditation and pranayama before the asana practice.

After class a big brunch is served on the terrace overlooking the mountains.

During the week we will organize multiple outings and walks. You can explore the old casbah above Irocha (1 hour), go treasure hunting for gem stones across the river, and for serious hikers you can climb the mesa across the valley (5 hours return).

We’ll also visit the UNESCO heritage site: Ait Benhaddou. This city is located on the ancient caravan route through the Ounila valley that linked sub-Saharan Sudan with Marrakech in the north. The buildings are well preserved and it’s a pleasure to stroll through it’s many historic alleys and lanes. Many famous movies have been filmed here too.

Our wish is to create a nourishing and restorative holiday, while also giving you a real taste of southern Morocco and the Berber culture of the Atlas mountains.

Multiple afternoons we will also have workshops to support your practice. Topics may include breathing, the vinyasa, inversions & arm balances, alignment, pranayama and more. We will customize our offerings based on who joins the event.

This is your week to rest and recharge. We will not take attendance and if you choose to miss something so you can chill by the pool or nap we totally get it. We’re there to support you in any way we can.

Optional Sahara Trip (April 5 to 10, 2025)

Have you dreamed of walking through the Sahara desert and sleeping in traditional nomadic tents? Teh sky is pitch black at night and you will be well taken care of during this magical journey. On April 5th we will depart Irocha after breakfast and drive 5 to 6 hours straight south. We will camp on the edge of the desert that night. On the 6th we will wake up and walk for 10 to 15 km with a guide to the next desert camp.

We will do this again on the 7th and on the 8th have a shorter hike to the vans. On the afternoon of the 8th we will drive back to Irocha. We will sleep at Irocha on the nights of the 8th and 9th. The 9th is a rest day at Irocha and on the 10th we will depart to Marrkach after breakfast. On the mornings of the 9th and 10th we will teach Mysore at Irocha, and during the desert trip we will offer some yoga classes in tents depending on the set-up.

Optional Add-on costs: 800 euros. This includes 3 nights of lodging in the desert (5, 6, 7) and two nights at Irocha (8 & 9). All meals from midday on Saturday though breakfast on the 10th are included.

Price per person (Euros):

Large single room: 1350.
Standard single room: 1050.
Shared Double room: 750.

All bedrooms have an en suite private bathroom. These prices include the classes, workshops, brunch, dinner, Wifi and full use of the venue. We rented the entire hotel so you can make yourself at home.

Double rooms can be shared by friends or a couple. If you’re coming alone and would like to share a room we will try to match you up with another student of the same gender. If you have the room by yourself, however, we will need to charge you the single room rate.

We ask for a 250 Euro deposit to confirm your booking. The balance is due on arrival and needs to be paid with cash.

Cancelation policy:

If you cancel before April 11th we can refund you the deposit minus a 75 euro admin fee.

If you cancel after April 11th your deposit is not refundable PLUS you are 100% responsible and required to pay the full remaining balance that is due.

You can, however, transfer your place to another person. No matter what the full amount is due for any cancelations after April 11.

Getting to Irocha...

The nearest airport is in Marrakech (RAK) airport and we can arrange a taxi pick-up for you. It’s a 2.5 or 3 hour drive to the venue. The cost is approximately 800 MAD (70 euros) for the one-way journey and needs to be paid in local currency to the driver.

If you arrive a day or two early you can also explore Marrakech. There are many nice places to stay in the medina for any budget. You can explore the souks (markets) and discover many surprises in this exotic city.

On Saturday the 11th we will arrange a minibus for people who want to carpool to Irocha from Marrakech. We will depart from the Medina at noon and share the cost of the minibus.

The event ends on Saturday, May 18th after breakfast. On that day we can also arrange taxis to the airport or a shared minibus to Marrakech.

*** Taxi/Minibus transport to/from Irocha is not included and needs to be paid in local currency cash on the day of transport.

Join us May 11 to 18, 2024 for a special Ashtanga yoga experience in the Atlas mountains. Our venue is Irocha, located on the southern slope of the Atlas range where the canyons widen and spread towards the Sahara desert. Irocha, which means “rock” in the local Amazigh language, is a beautiful venue constructed in the traditional Berber style.

Magnificent mountain views, fresh air, starry nights and plenty of space makes this the perfect place to rest and recharge.

This event is limited to 12 students so sign up early.

Details & Schedule:

Saturday, May 11th is the arrival day and check-in begins at 3pm. We will have an opening class at 6PM followed by dinner.

The first Mysore class will be on Sunday the 12th. There will be 6 morning practices and multiple afternoon workshops. The retreat ends after breakfast on Saturday, May 18th.

The morning practice includes meditation and pranayama before the asana practice.

After class a big brunch is served on the terrace overlooking the mountains.

During the week we will organize multiple outings and hikes. We can walk up to an old casbah above Irocha (1 hour), go hunting for gem stones across the river, and for people who want a longer hike we can climb the mesa across the valley (2.5 hours up).

Our wish is to create a nourishing and restorative holiday, while also giving you a real taste of southern Morocco and the Berber culture of the Atlas mountains.

Multiple afternoons we will also have workshops to support your practice.

Topics may include breathing, the vinyasa, inversions & arm balances, alignment, pranayama and more. We will customize our offerings based on who joins the event.

Price per person (Euros):

Large single room: 1350.
Standard single room: 1050.
Shared Double room: 750.

We ask for a 250 Euro deposit to confirm your booking. The balance is due on arrival and needs to be paid with cash.

Cancelation policy:

If you cancel before April 11th we can refund you the deposit minus a 75 euro admin fee.

If you cancel after April 11th your deposit is not refundable PLUS you are 100% responsible and required to pay the full remaining balance that is due.

You can, however, transfer your place to another person. No matter what the full amount is due for any cancelations after April 11.

Getting to Irocha...

The nearest airport is in Marrakech (RAK) airport and we can arrange a taxi pick-up for you. It’s a 2.5 or 3 hour drive to the venue. The cost of a taxi is approximately 800 MAD (70 euros) for the one-way journey and needs to be paid in local currency to the driver.

On Saturday the 11th we will arrange a minibus for people who want to carpool to Irocha from Marrakech. We will depart from the Medina at noon and share the cost of the minibus.

The event ends on Saturday, May 18th after breakfast. On that day we can arrange taxis to the airport and/or a shared minibus to Marrakech.

*** Taxi/Minibus transport to/from Irocha is not included and needs to be paid in local currency cash on the day of transport.