Craft Your Own Retreat at
Istmo Retreat & Adventures
Curate a one-of-a-kind retreat experience for your group at Istmo's exclusive facilities. Whether you are a yoga instructor, life coach, planning a family or friends reunion, or educational travel leader, Istmo Retreat & Adventure is the perfect destination for your group to unwind, bond, and immerse in nature.
Personalized Retreats for Every Group
At Istmo Retreat & Adventures, we specialize in hosting intimate retreats for groups ranging from 8 to 22 people. Whether your retreat is focused on wellness, adventure, family bonding, or educational travel, our serene jungle setting, just steps from a secluded beach, offers an unparalleled opportunity to create lasting memories.
Our facilities and services are designed to provide a completely customizable retreat experience. Whether you’re a yoga teacher looking to host a wellness retreat, a family looking for a private group vacation, or a team leader seeking a unique setting for a workshop, Istmo is ready to host you.
For Yoga Teachers and Wellness Leaders
Create an intimate, rejuvenating retreat for your group. Our 860-square-foot jungle yoga studio, surrounded by nature and equipped with all necessary props, is the perfect space to lead daily yoga and wellness practices. After a day of deep work, your guests will return to our luxurious bungalows to relax and recharge.
For Family and Friends Groups
Plan your family reunion or group vacation at Istmo and explore Panama’s natural wonders together. Enjoy activities like hiking to waterfalls, paddleboarding on serene lakes, and visiting indigenous villages. Your group will have exclusive use of our retreat center, ensuring that your adventure is private and tailored to your needs.
For University travel abroad programs and homeschooling group
Engage students with outdoor learning through environmental science fieldwork, Spanish immersion, and cultural activities with indigenous communities. Customize your experience to blend education and adventure, ensuring meaningful and fun learning opportunities in the heart of Panama's diverse landscapes.
For Academic and Thoughtful Retreats
Host a philosophical retreat, academic gathering, or contemplative experience. With space for both deep discussions and quiet meditation, Istmo’s jungle setting is ideal for philosophy professors, university travel groups, or anyone seeking intellectual and spiritual exploration.
Exclusive and Comfortable Accommodations
When you book a retreat at Istmo, your group will enjoy exclusive access to our entire facility, which includes:
- 8 air-conditioned rooms with a total of 22 beds.
Here’s how our rooms are distributed:
- 2 bungalows each with two full beds.
- 3 bungalows each with two bunk beds (full bed on the bottom bunk, single on the top) — 4 beds per bungalow.
- 1 ground-level studio apartment with two bunk beds and a kitchenette (full bed on the bottom, single on the top) — 4 beds total.
- 2 bungalows each with one full bed and a kitchenette.
Depending on your group’s needs, we can accommodate:
- 8 people in single occupancy.
- 2 people in single occupancy + 12 people in double occupancy (for a total of 14 people in single/double occupancy).
- A maximum of 22 people in shared occupancy.
The above numbers include you, the retreat leader.
If this sounds perfect for your group, click the link below and fill out our Google Form to receive availability, pricing, and booking policies.
* Please know that Istmo will use your email to communicate with you about our services.
“...they treated our group like family. Their generous hospitality is unforgettable.”
- Kali Kennedy, Retreat Leader, Arizona, USA
What’s Included in Every Retreat Package
When you craft your own retreat at Istmo, you can expect a fully inclusive experience:
- Exclusive use of our entire facility for groups booking 5 nights or longer.
- Access to all facilities, including our yoga studio, walking labyrinth, nature trails, and dining areas.
- Three farm-to-table meals daily, catering to all dietary preferences including vegan, gluten-free, and more.
- Luxurious accommodations, including private bungalows with air conditioning, hot water, and private balconies.
- Personalized activities, such as waterfall hikes, SUP on a mountain lake, surfing lessons, and cultural excursions.
Ready to Craft Your Retreat?
At Istmo, we’re committed to helping you create the perfect retreat for your group. Whether you're a retreat leader, a corporate group, or a family seeking an adventure-filled vacation, we're here to help you design an experience that fits your vision.
Start planning your custom retreat today! Fill out the form below, and we will reach out with more information.
* Please know that Istmo will use your email to communicate with you about our services.
Testimonials
"ISTMO went above and beyond my expectations. I recently hosted a two week-long Yoga immersion training course at ISTMO, and they treated our group like family. Their generous hospitality is unforgettable. In addition to great service, we enjoyed fresh food, locally sourced meals, and comfy and spacious boutique bungalows! ISTMO’s entire property is something special- from the main house to the Yoga studio, labyrinth, and hammock gazebo. Secluded but with easy access to a stunning, quiet beach (both black and white sand) and numerous waterfalls in the area. We felt we were truly enjoying an authentic experience in the Panamanian rain-forest!!"
Kaily Kennedy
@devotional.school.yoga
"Istmo far exceeded our expectations. The rooms were very well kept, clean, had comfortable beds and pillows, toiletries provided and plenty of space. The food was amazing and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The grounds are beautiful and the beach is just a short walk away. All details were thought of and we had everything we could have needed. As a retreat leader, my job was so easy thanks to the amazing support at Istmo. I truly cannot recommend this place enough. I cannot wait to go back again!"
Natalie Davidson
@naturallynourishedbynatalie
"As a yoga teacher with experience leading retreats worldwide, Istmo met or exceeded all of my expectations. The chef was able to create meals to meet everyone's specific dietary requirements AND learned everyone's names (16 people) at our very first meal. Excursions were thoughtfully planned and super fun. It takes a lot for a retreat center to wow me so much that I want to return, but I will be back and CANNOT WAIT! Thanks, Istmo, for a lifetime's worth of incredible memories!"
Julia Paddison
@juliapaddison
Frequently Asked Questions
Mid-December to mid-April is the dry season. It does not rain then, and it is cold up North. Come escape the cold in tropical Panama!
Late April and early May mark the end of the dry season, a transitional season, as the green or rainy season is starting. So you may get dry days or rainy days.
Our favorite time is June through November, when the green/rainy season has settled in, and everything is lush. It usually rains for 2 hours or less in the afternoons. During this time of the year, most of the day is available for outdoor activities, and when it rains for an hour or so, it is a welcome change.
October and November tend to be the two most rainy months of the year, but even then, it is rare that you will have an entire day with rain, just a few hours here or there... And as you may know, tropical rain is delicious, like a cool shower. 😉
The beach (Playa Grande) is a 5 to 8-minute walk along a rural road. It is a black and white sandy beach; if you walk 20 minutes along the beach, you get to a breathtaking rocky beach (so you get both). Most of the time the beach is very safe for swimming, sometimes we get a big swell, and there is a bit of a shore break, on those rare days we are happy to organize a surf tour for your group.
Our location is secluded but not isolated. During working hours, an English-speaking hospital is a 15 minutes drive from our property. After 9 pm, there is a 24-hour Public Hospital, a 7-minute drive away. Owner Sean Davis is a trained EMT. In case of emergencies, we will personally take you to a clinic.
Most of the retreat leaders who chose our location are not looking for places with shopping and restaurants in the close vicinity. They are more interested in providing their groups with a "retreat" environment where the group can connect with nature and themselves and disconnect from the daily consumerism we are bombarded with.
Our location allows teachers and students to delve into the subject matter in a beautiful and comfortable setting while simultaneously allowing for diverse activities and adventures during their time off.
We are blessed to live and run our business in a small safe rural/beach community. Our 3 friendly dogs are our 24-hour security. We have not felt the need to fence our property or hire a security guard. General security precautions, cultural considerations, like not leaving valuables on the beach unattended, and single women not going down to the beach too early or too late are sensible measures we ask our guests to follow.
Panama, in general, is a very safe country to travel to!
We look forward to sharing our slice of paradise with you!
Istmo is located in Playa Grande, a rural beach community on the western edge of the Panama Province in the Republic of Panama. We are 1 hr 15 minutes from Panama City and 10 minutes from the town of Coronado. We are secluded but not isolated. If there is anything you forgot from home, it can probably be found in Coronado, where you will find supermarkets, pharmacies, shops, as well as a modern clinic with English-speaking doctors.
We are a 5-minute walk to a beautiful secluded beach. As you approach the beach, the last 2 minutes of the walk are through a jungle trail with the warm tropical Pacific Ocean waiting for you. Something that attracted the owners to the area is the miles of black and white sand beach with plenty of natural shade from the rainforest that grows close to the water's edge.
We are 30 minutes away from El Valle, a picturesque town nestled in the crater of an extinct volcano. El Valle has some beautiful hikes in the cloud forest, hot springs, horseback riding, a butterfly farm, a zip line, and an artisan and fruit/vegetable market, amongst other attractions.
Istmo is located on 4 acres of land, an acre of which is intact rainforest. You can enjoy the wilderness by taking a stroll on our short walking trail to a natural pond on the property. The pond, home to a family of dwarf caiman, flows into a creek that runs through the property and around the yoga studio, eventually working to the beach.
Our property hosts a variety of fruit trees, some were recently planted, and many are already producing. Fruit trees include mangoes: cashew nut, orange, mandarin, grapefruit, star fruit, guava, soursop, rambutan, avocado, tropical plums, custard apple, sapodilla, jobo, hicaco, dragon fruit, and two varieties of limes. We proudly serve these fruits to our guests and have incorporated them into our menu.
Besides our two children and dogs, we share our property with other wildlife, including tamarin monkeys, iguanas, colorful toucans, motmots, crimson back tanagers, yellow-bellied flycatchers, and blue tanagers, dwarf caiman, amongst others. We are also close to a private forest reserve home to deer, jaguarundis (small rainforest cat), coatis, sloths, agoutis, and other wildlife. You will be awakened in the morning by flocks of parakeets flying overhead and go to sleep to the sound of frogs singing from the creek. Honestly, we think it's the best place on earth!