Typically, people seeking spiritual upliftment travel to one particular getaway, be it a Buddhist monastery high in the hills of Tibet, a healing lodge in an English forest or a yoga centre in Thailand. The journey, both physical and spiritual, is confined to a single place and purpose where structured daily activities guide the process.

A combination of mainstream tourism and spiritual retreats

Tours to the depths of the Karoo desert in South Africa effectively blend mainstream tourism with the ambience and efficacy of traditional spiritual retreats.

Guests are guided to different desert destinations which gradually become more and more secluded, ending in a secretive valley where there has been little to no development over the centuries, creating a spectacular natural retreat.

Instead of concentrating on the spiritual aspect alone, travel to the Karoo combines a host of interesting, regional-specific attractions.

Fossil land

For one, the Karoo is a significant fossil site, with an estimated 800 billion fossils submerged in the strata of this ancient land. Dinosaurs and reptiles from the dawn of time once marched through this remote desert and palaeontologists have been well rewarded with fantastic fossils finds.

Karoo travel often includes lectures by resident experts who provide an insight into the fossil-rich desert.

The domain of the Bushmen

Vivid examples of well preserved rock art bear testimony to the fact that the Karoo was once the domain of the Bushmen, small groups of indigenous hunter-gatherers who had an intuitive knowledge of nature and its remarkable healing qualities, both physical and spiritual.

A retreat to the Karoo can shed light on these ancient Stone Age people who still live deep in the Kalahari Desert and who manage to sustain themselves in a hostile natural environment.

It is possible to venture a little off the beaten track and catch a glimpse of the naive etchings of these mild people that have been completely preserved by the dry wilderness local climate.

Spectacular star gazing

Just like all world deserts, the Karoo is actually a huge, lonesome terrain that hasn't been overly affected by development or commercialisation.

Aside from the infrequent, quintessential Karoo community and solitary farm properties that are well spread, there is little artificial light to spoil the extraordinary impact of the night heavens, and star-gazing is a preferred Karoo activity to not be forgotten!

Book a spiritual Karoo travel getaway in South Africa

When choosing a spiritual retreat in South Africa, why not combine Karoo travel to enchanting desert locations using the curative qualities of nature?