Personalizing the Retreat Experience one retreat at a time
Host your retreat at Istmo, and we will support you as you create a transformational experience for your friends, family, and community. Istmo is designed to host groups of 8 to 22 people in their transformational work.
At ISTMO Yoga and Adventure Retreat, we believe that group travel with an inspirational leader has enormous transformational power.
We built our facilities and designed our services to support you, the inspirational leader, as you enable exploration, connection, and transformation in your guests.
ISTMO'S JUNGLE AND BEACH LOCATION IS IDEAL FOR INTIMATE AND EXCLUSIVE RETREATS.
Our Retreat Venue in Panama has eight (8) comfortable bungalows/rooms full of hidden luxuries, including air-conditioning, pillowtop mattresses, luxury linens, private bathrooms with hot water, private balconies, and wi-fi.
ALL OF OUR RETREAT PACKAGES INCLUDE ACCESS TO ALL OF OUR FACILITIES.
Facilities include a Yoga Studio nestled in the jungle, a Walking Labyrinth, a Nature Trail, a Family Dining Area, and areas throughout the property for meetings, relaxation, and meditation. Our Retreat Center has been designed to support groups of 8 to 22 people in their transformational work.
ALL OF OUR RETREAT PACKAGES INCLUDE THREE MEALS PER DAY.
Our farm and sea-to-table tropical fusion cuisine are created with love by Sean Davis, the owner, and professional chef. He can accommodate gluten-free and vegan and will happily provide substitutions for food allergies.
ALL OF OUR RETREAT PACKAGES INCLUDE airport TRANSPORTATION, AN INTRODUCTORY SUP CLASS ON OUR LOCAL BEACH, AND AN EVENING BONFIRE ON THE LAST DAY.
Additional activities include surf lessons, hiking the cloud forests and waterfalls, visiting the Panama Canal, exploring an indigenous community, visiting an artisan market, SUPing on a mountain lake, exploring the mangroves on a SUP, and of course, massages and plenty of hammock and beach time!
“...they treated our group like family. Their generous hospitality is unforgettable.”
- Kali Kennedy, Retreat Leader, Arizona, USA
As the retreat leader, you show up and share your gifts with your community. We take care of all the details, ensuring you and your group are comfortable.
Hosting a retreat at Istmo guarantees an exclusive and personalized experience. You can rent our entire facility for 5 nights or longer retreats.
Our facility has 8 rooms in total with 22 beds.
Room/Bed distribution:
- 2 bungalows, each with two (2) full beds.
- 3 bungalows, each with two bunk beds. The bottom bunk has a full bed, and the top bunk has a single bed - 4 beds in each bungalow.
- 1 ground-level jungle studio apartment with two bunk beds and a kitchenette. The bottom bunk has a full bed, and the top bunk has a single bed - 4 beds total.
- 2 bungalows, each with one full bed and a kitchenette.
Considering the above, your retreat can have anywhere between:
- 8 people in single occupancy, or
- 2 people in single occupancy + 12 people in double occupancy (14 people in single/double occupancy), or
- A maximum of 22 people in shared occupancy.
The above numbers include you, the retreat leader.
If this sounds perfect for your group, please fill out the following form. We will send you availability, pricing, and our retreat booking policies.
Enter your text here...
* Before you press "Send me pricing details," please know that Istmo will use your email to communicate with you about our services and other content of interest. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time.
What Others Say
"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
Six Easy Steps to Hosting a Retreat at Istmo.
Request pricing, AVAILABILITY, and detailed Information about hosting a retreat at Istmo
* Before you press "Send me pricing details," please know that Istmo will use your email to communicate with you about our services and other content of interest. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time.
check availablity and pricing
Once you submit the form, we will immediately send you an email with a link where you can check availability and see our group retreat pricing.
You can reply to this email if you have any questions or need to make adjustments to our standard package. Each retreat is unique, and we are here to work with you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us; we will tailor the retreat package to your needs.
Agreement and support material
After we have agreed on the best retreat package and pricing for your needs, we will send you an Agreement where payments and service terms are clearly outlined. This serves as a guide for us to ensure we are always on the same page.
Your credit card will be charged for the agreed-upon first small payment to reserve our facilities for your dates.
Soon after you sign-up, you will receive Marketing materials and photos of Istmo so that you may promote your retreat.
start filling your transformational retreat
If your retreat is open to the public, we would love to help you promote your retreat using our website, social media, and mailing list. Please send us all your marketing material so we can help you promote it.
Final details
You will be able to reach out to us throughout the process. We will be available to answer any questions and send you any information you need.
Three months before the start of the retreat, you send us a progress payment, and one month before the beginning of the retreat, you will send us the final payment. These payments can be made with a credit card or bank transfer.
One week before the start of your retreat, we jump on a Zoom call to set up all the final details. During this call, we will review the retreat daily schedule and each participant and their personal needs to ensure all details are covered.
Board your flight to Panama, relax, enjoy, and do your thing!
Our Private Transportation will be waiting for you at the airport with a big smile and an "Istmo Retreat" sign. It is time to enjoy your retreat, do your thing, and leave the details to us.
You will be supported as you lead a transformational retreat. You and your guests will be in caring and loving hands from when you land in Panama to when you leave.
It will be amazing!
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!
Request Retreat Pricing Information:
* Before you press "Send me pricing details", please know Istmo will use your email to communicate with you about our services as well as other content may be of interest to you. You may unsubscribe from these communications at anytime.
While at ISTMO, you will spend your nights in a picturesque stand-alone bungalow.
ISTMO's accommodations are simple, comfortable, and full of hidden luxuries
Our accommodations are designed to support you in your retreat experience without the distractions of televisions. Our guests are always surprised by how cared for and comfortable they feel from the second they arrive. The rooms at ISTMO are an oasis of comfort and tranquility. Truly unwind when you enter our stand-alone air-conditioned bungalow that blends seamlessly into the natural backdrop of the jungle surrounding the property.
