THAILAND
Wellness Adventures
Upcoming Welness Experiences
October29 - December 1 2026
Join us for our 16th year Hosting this trip of a lifetime! More Info
Why should you join this year?!
Step through a luminous portal into the Land of Smiles and join Yoga Instructor and Thai Yoga Massage aficionado Natalie “Thalia Muñoz” Ritenour, alongside her dream team—Mr. Nui, Lar, and Dang—and a circle of beloved friends and teachers, for a journey that feels like another dimension entirely ✨🌿
What makes this journey truly special?
Rooted in over 16 years of lived experience in northern Thailand, Natalie and her trusted lineage of master practitioners share the top secrets of ancient Thai medicine—not as a spa treatment, but as a sacred practice.
✨ OPENING PORTAL INTO THAI MEDICINE
Chiang Mai - October 29-November 8
This year’s journey begins with a very special kickoff celebration near Chiang Mai, joining the Thai Lanna Federation Exhibition of Traditional Thai Medicine—a rare and powerful immersion into the living roots of Thailand’s healing lineage. From the very start, we are held in expert hands. Hong, an extraordinary healer we met during last year’s retreat—whose treatments were a highlight for many participants—returns this year as our Wellness Coordinator, guiding the opening phase of the journey.
With her deep knowledge, intuitive insight, and compassionate presence, Hong will personally guide each participant toward the healing modalities that will benefit them most. Rather than a one-size-fits-all experience, this portion of the retreat is highly individualized—meeting you exactly where you are.
✨ Healing Modalities For your personalized wellness journey may include:
-
Herbal Foot Soaks with deep foot massage using wooden sticks
-
Chi Nei Tsang (Abdominal Chi Massage)
-
Thai Yoga (Rusrei Dat Ton)
-
Tok Sen (Traditional Thai Acupuncture using wooden mallets)
-
Luk Pra Kob (Herbal Ball Compress Therapy)
-
Herbal Steam Saunas with exfoliating scrubs
-
Pa Kao Mah Scarf Massage
-
Kard Cherk (Traditional String Massage)
-
Yam Ka (Fire Stepping Therapy)
-
Yang Ya (Sacred Grilled Herbal Medicine Bed)
-
Natalie lovingly refers to Thai mas “inside work”—a potent blend of Ayurveda, yoga, and Thai bodywork, preserved for centuries in the temples of Thailand. This opening phase lays the foundation for the entire journey, gently recalibrating the nervous system, awakening vitality, and opening the heart.
🐘 ELEPHANT NATURE PARK | COMPASSION IN ACTION
Mae taeng Valley - November 9-13th
From Chiang Mai, we journey into the lush Mae Taeng Valley to spend extended time at the legendary Elephant Nature Park (ENP).
Home to nearly 10,000 rescued animals, including over 80 elephants, ENP is the life’s work of Lek Chailert, whose compassionate vision has transformed animal rescue worldwide.
This year, we slow down and stay longer—allowing time for meaningful connection with:
-
The expansive dog sanctuary (1,000 dogs across 10 acres)
-
The newly refurbished Cat Kingdom (500 rescued cats)
-
The completed disabled dog sanctuary, which was still under construction during last year’s visit
This portion of the journey is a living classroom in compassion, deeply inspiring Natalie’s own nonprofit animal work in Troncones.
⛰️ CAVES, CULTURE & COMMUNITY
Chaing Dao - November 14-15th
Our next stop is the sacred mountain town of Chiang Dao—a classic and beloved part of the journey.
Here we explore:
-
Ancient cave temples nestled deep within the mountains
-
What many swear is the best Thai barbecue in the world
A yearly highlight is our heart-opening hill tribe kids playdate at Makhampom Art Space—a joyful cultural exchange filled with art, laughter, and connection.
🌾 HOT SPRINGS, RICE FIELDS & DEEP REST
Pai - November 16-20th
From Chiang Dao, we wind our way to the dreamy mountain town of Pai.
Here, life slows to the rhythm of:
-
Rolling rice fields
-
Iconic bamboo bridges
-
Mountain air that instantly soothes the soul
We stay at the stunning Phu Pai Art Resort, where private hot spring bathtubs on your balcony invite deep rest and integration.
A visit to Sapaiya Spa offers next-level pampering—leaving you feeling profoundly rejuvenated and nourished.
🏮 Loi Khratong - FESTIVAL OF LANTERNS and Floating baskets
Chiang Mai - November 21-24th
We return to Chiang Mai for the magical Festival of Lanterns, when the skies glow with prayers, wishes, and light.
This is a time of forgiveness, release, and renewal, where ancient ritual meets collective joy—one of the most unforgettable experiences Thailand has to offer.
🌿 INTEGRATION & CLOSING CEREMONY
Doi Sakhet - November 25-December 1
On the final day of the festival, we journey to the countryside of Doi Sakhet, arriving at the serene Maladhara Retreat Center.
Here we close the journey just as we opened it, with the medicine of returning to ourselves.
-
Lemongrass herbal sauna and ice plunge
-
Yoga overlooking expansive rice fields
-
Time to integrate, reflect, and land gently back into yourself
-
Traditional Thai music in the forest with Ploi (retreat founder)
✨ This is not just a retreat—it is a pilgrimage.
A journey through healing lineages, wild compassion, sacred landscapes, and shared joy.
A portal into the happiest place on Earth—and the most grounded version of yourself.
Thailand Wellness Adventures 2026
💛 WHAT’S INCLUDED
Included in the Full Journey Experience
-
Daily physical, mental & spiritual practices
(Yoga, meditation, intention setting, chanting, karma yoga) -
Carefully curated accommodations throughout the journey
-
2 meals per day (often 3), featuring nourishing Thai cuisine
-
One non-alcoholic beverage per meal
-
All ground transportation for excursions and transfers
-
Full program (4 weeks) includes includes eight Traditional Thai healing therapies. For the 2-3 week experiences you will receive 4-6 treatments such as:
-
Herbal foot soaks
-
Chi Nei Tsang
-
Tok Sen
-
Herbal compresses
-
Herbal steam saunas
-
Scarf massage
-
Fire therapy / grilled medicine bed
-
-
Elephant Nature Park immersion
-
Temple tours, markets & festivals
-
Multi-course Thai cooking experience
-
Optional nature adventures: biking, hiking, waterfalls, rafting
✨ WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED
-
Accommodation & meals before the official start date
-
International flights
-
Airport transfers (although we guide you!)
-
Alcoholic beverages & extra drinks
-
Tips for guides, therapists & drivers
-
Optional extra treatments beyond the included therapies
-
Laundry services
🌿RATES - Flexible Length Options
Choose the Journey That Fits Your Life
This year’s Thailand Wellness Adventure is designed as a modular journey. While the full experience offers the deepest immersion, guests may also join for one, two, or three weeks, depending on availability and timing.
Each option is fully supported, intentionally curated, and complete in itself.
✨ ONE-WEEK IMMERSION
A Taste of the Magic
Best for:
Those short on time who want a powerful reset, cultural immersion, and traditional Thai healing without committing to a longer stay.
How it works:
-
Join during a designated week of the journey (most often Chiang Mai or Pai)
-
Receive daily wellness practices
-
Experience select Thai healing therapies
-
Participate in cultural activities, temples, and markets
Pricing:
💫 Starting from $1,650 USD (shared)
💫 Starting from $2,050 USD (private)
📩 Dates are limited and coordinated individually.
🌸 TWO-WEEK EXPERIENCE
The Sweet Spot
Best for:
Guests who want depth without rush—time for healing, exploration, and connection.
How it works:
-
Choose two consecutive weeks within the journey
-
Often includes Chiang Mai + Elephants or Chiang Dao + Pai
-
Includes daily wellness practices, healing sessions, excursions & meals
Pricing:
🌸 $2,950 USD (shared)
🌸 $3,450 USD (private)
🌺 THREE-WEEK IMMERSION
The Full Arc Without the Final Integration Week
Best for:
Those who want almost everything—Thai medicine, elephants, mountains, and spa days—without staying for the final festival and integration phase.
How it works:
-
Join from the opening phase through Pai or start mid-journey and stay through the Lantern Festival
-
Includes Elephant Nature Park and multiple regions
-
Deep immersion with space to rest and integrate
Pricing:
🌺 Starting from $3,500 USD (shared)
🌺 Starting from $3,950 USD (private)
📩 Exact pricing depends on start/end dates and room availability.
🌿 FULL JOURNEY IMMERSION
The Complete Pilgrimage
(Approx. 4 weeks)
Best for:
Those called to the entire transformation—from opening ceremonies through lanterns, elephants, spa days, and sacred closure.
Pricing:
🌿 From $3,800 USD (shared, early bird)
🌿 From $4,299 USD (private, early bird)
💛 IMPORTANT NOTES (CLEAR & REASSURING)
-
Partial stays are not discounted daily rates—each option is intentionally priced and curated
-
All options include accommodations, meals, wellness practices, and transportation to events/locations during your stay
-
One-week and three-week options require advance coordination
-
A $500 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot
-
✨ HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR OPTION
If you’re feeling unsure, ask yourself:
-
Do I want a reset → 1 week
-
Do I want real change → 2 weeks
-
Do I want deep immersion → 3 weeks
-
Do I want the full transformation → Full Journey
📩 We’re happy to help you decide—just reach out.
Accomodations
SUGAR CANE, Chiang Mai:
Located just outside the old walled city near the Chiang Mai (north) gate and its daily and nightly markets. Sugar Cane has a beautiful pool, restaurant with excellent coffee, and a fun casual ambience. Fun fact, the owners are the same at THE NEST! We love their top quality food and good vibes.
PRIPTA, Pai
Located above stretches of waving rice fields and a lazy river. This hotel has private hot springs tub behind each room with peaceful views out over the valley of Pai. Elegant tranquility.
THE NEST, Chiang Dao
Located near the end of the road nestled at the foot of the mountain and a golden cave temple. Rustic and cozy bamboo bungalows amidst lush forest and an incredible restaurant serving delicious Thai cuisine. Pool with mountain views.
THE ELEPHANT NATURE PARK, MaeTang Valley
This is a special new addition to the trip! It's been a dream to add it onto the itinerary. It's our honor to support Lek and her vision to make sure that all animals in Thailand are treated ethically. Especially the way that elephants are "domisticated". Lek has led the movement to ban cruel practices and move toward education. Get ready to have close encounters with rescue elephants, dogs, cats and waterbuffalo. Learn what it is like to be a "mohoot" (elephant caretaker) for a two day, one night adventure. Rustic adventures and single rooms not available.
MALADHARA, Doi Saket
Located in the ancient rice fields 45 minutes outside of Chiang Mai, Doi Saket. This beautiful retreat center offers the ultimate experience of peace and serenity. As close as you can get to "organic", there are no words to describe the "feeling" of bliss when lounging by the waterfall pool or reclinging on the Thai pillows overlooking the duck pond.
✨ A DAY IN THE LIFE
Each day unfolds like a living prayer—structured enough to feel held, spacious enough to feel free.
🌅 Morning | Awaken the Body & Spirit
You wake gently, often to birdsong, temple bells, or mist rising off rice fields. Each morning begins with a mixed-level wellness practice—yoga, qi gong, meditation, or breathwork—designed to awaken energy, balance the nervous system, and prepare you for the day ahead.
After practice, we gather for a nourishing breakfast, usually local, fresh, and abundant—fruits you’ve never tasted before, warm rice dishes, herbal teas, and coffee shared with new friends who already feel like family.
Some mornings include early-bird cultural experiences—such as walking meditation, alms offerings to monks, or chanting—offered as invitations, never obligations.
🌿 Midday | Culture, Healing & Exploration
Late mornings and afternoons are devoted to deep immersion:
-
Traditional Thai medicine treatments guided personally by our wellness coordinator
-
Temple visits, cave explorations, and sacred rituals
-
Creative and cultural exchanges (crafts, cooking, basket making, markets)
-
Nature adventures—waterfalls, hot springs, hikes, bamboo bridges, or cycling through villages
On some days, you’ll receive bodywork or spa treatments that leave you floating for hours. On others, you’ll explore quietly—wandering a market, journaling by a pool, or sipping coconut water in the shade.
No two days are the same, but every day is intentional, balanced, and deeply human.
🐘 Special Days | Heart-Opening Experiences
Some days stand apart as soul milestones:
-
Spending unhurried time with rescued elephants, dogs, and cats at Elephant Nature Park
-
Playing, creating, and practicing karma yoga with hill-tribe children in Chiang Dao
-
Soaking in private hot spring tubs in the mountains of Pai
These are the days people talk about years later.
🌙 Evening | Ceremony, Connection & Joy
As the sun sets, the energy softens. Evenings may include:
-
Temple ceremonies, chanting, or candle lighting
-
Sunset viewpoints and lantern releases
-
Night markets filled with color, music, and street food
-
Group dinners at favorite local spots
-
Foot massages, laughter, and stories under the stars
During the lantern festival in Chiang Mai, nights glow with firelight, wishes, and wonder—an experience that feels both ancient and electric.
🌾 Closing Days | Integration & Stillness
Toward the end of the journey, the pace slows even more—especially at Maladhara Retreat Center.
Days here feel spacious and sacred:
-
Morning practice overlooking rice fields
-
Lemongrass herbal saunas and cold plunges
-
Nature walks, massage, silence, and reflection
-
Closing ceremonies that help you integrate everything you’ve received
✨ The Feeling
A typical day feels like:
-
Held but free
-
Deeply nourishing without being heavy
-
Magical yet grounded
-
Joyful, soulful, and human
This is not a trip you rush through.
It’s one you inhabit—moment by moment—until Thailand feels less like a place you visited and more like a place that lives inside you 🌺
Testimonials
Visit us on Facebook at Thailand Wellness Adventures and watch our video below to get a glimpse of the adventure!
Best trip ever! The trip was a perfect blend of informative and invigorating wellness practices that differed daily. I was one of 3 male participants that signed up along with 10 women. Natalie, our fearless leader, has so much experience putting this trip together that it made every moment seem like it couldn't get any better....then it did! I enjoyed the energy of Gabe the co-host from New Zealand, Mr. Nui, the amazing Thai guide and our drivers Mr. Lah and Mr. Dang (who made us smile daily). I felt really comfortable to participate in whatever activities were calling me, or sit out and enjoy free time to myself around the pool or in the hot springs. The activities were all magical and I can't wait to sign up again. I'm telling all my friends, because I consider this the best retreat I have ever been on. Food, massages, temples, elephants...it doesn't get any better. The buddhist culture of Thailand leaves you with a warm feeling of peace and serenity that will keep coming back. The most unique aspect of this trip, was that I felt welcomed as family, and never felt like a tourist at all. Happy Natalie added an extra week next year! Sawa-deee-kaaaaaa
-Jason Mueller, Laguna, CA -2024
This trip was amazing. The food was fabulous! The coffee... delicious. I loved the daily variations of yoga, meditation and massage. The excursions were wonderful and so different I was never disappointed. I have been asked what was your favorite part? All I think of is... all of it was my favorite. I also love the fact you were free to step away from the group if you needed your own down time. The people of Thailand stole my heart. Our drivers and guide were nothing short of spectacular! Our hosts are precious and the new friendships priceless. I think I have already recruited a few people for 2019! Jump on this adventure before it fills up. Love to you all. I am still reeling from it!
-Amy Brown Sievert, Portland, OR- 2018
If you need some time to breathe, laugh, love, and reconnect with yourself, this incredible yoga-wellness trip to Thailand is the one for you! ❤️ So many wonderful experiences with lovely people, delicious food, awesome yoga and meditation sessions, the best massages, beautiful landscape and architecture … words cannot truly express how much this adventure means to me! Natalie and her team are heartfelt, caring, funny, amazing people and I love that we’re still connected… Thailand Wellness Adventures brought me back to life, and Thailand (truly the Land of Smiles) has easily become one of my favorite places on this planet! 🙏🏽💗🪷🧘🏻♀️🐉PS-did I mention the elephants, birds and butterflies?!?! 🤩🐘
-Lyndsey Nicolas, Astoria,OR -2023
My first Thailand wellness adventure retreat was an incredible and transformative experience. It was perfectly balanced with a daily yoga
wellness practice, restorative treatments, and many wonderful cultural and delicious culinary outings! Just the right balance of time spent in several different regions. Natalie, along with the knowledgeable Thai guides provide everything to make our journey seamless. I was fortunate to meet an amazing group of people and share our daily experiences. I highly recommend Natalie’s Thailand wellness adventure for anyone visiting the country for the first time!
- Alan Diaz 2025
I participated in this wonderful adventure this past November/December. And I'm still on a high! This trip met and EXCEEDED my expectations. The venues we stayed at, the food, the activities, the amazing group of people I met (BEST THAILAND GROUP EVER)! But most of all, our 2 amazing hosts: Amity and Natalie. They are 2 of the most caring individuals I have ever met. I'm already looking forward to joining you again.
-Nathalie Wolfe, Toronto, Ontario- 2018
It had always been one of my dreams to go to Thailand and I think it was fate that led me to Natalie in Mexico
and subsequently to 2 of the most perfect weeks I have ever had. I can't think of anything that would have
made this trip better except to have it last longer. Natalie and Amity were amazing guides, mentors and
friends. They were always upbeat and delightful to be with; had unlimited patience for our endless questions or
requests - or indeed occasional inept tourist issues. The Yoga each morning was a perfect start to the
adventures of the day. Their knowledge of the places we visited was so welcome and made everything seamless.
The places where we stayed were beautiful and the food beyond belief. They really had thought of everything
to make us feel loved and looked after and like a sweet little family.
Sometimes you wonder if the itinerary promised could be as good as it sounds on paper. I practically drooled when I first read about this trip and wondered if it could possibly be that wonderful. It absolutely exceeded my expectations.
I can't thank the heavenly duo of Natalie and Amity enough for giving me the gift of this perfect trip. I truly hope to
return another year and have this become a blissful recurring dream. Sawatdee kha
-Annabel Kershaw-Vancouver BC- 2015
They knew every nook & cranny in Chiang Mai. It was such a luxurious treatment to be with them in Chiang Mai. I’m normally not one for group trips, follow a guide around, etc. But Amity & Natalie definitely have it down & they offer such a unique, down to earth travel experience. I never felt removed from the culture as a tourist, yet I always felt part of it. Waking up to daily yoga was an amazing start to the day and incredibly relaxing way of life for our 2 weeks together. They set us up in the most wonderful yoga studio I have ever practiced yoga in. They both brought their different yoga styles to the studio, so every day was a new practice and we built our practice as the trip went on.
It was such an amazing & unique experience, I feel so lucky to have been a part of. I can’t Thank Amity & Natalie enough for sharing their beautiful Thailand with me!
-Leah Brown, San Francisco, CA- 2012
