You have been running on empty long enough to have stopped calling it that. Hiking the trails between these monasteries, and sitting in the silence people have climbed up here to find for centuries, is a different kind of week from the one you usually take.
When was the last time a trip actually rested you? You take the time off, you come home with the photographs, and the tiredness is still sitting there waiting. Another year of that is another year you do not get back. Rest is not something you book. It is something you practice.
May in Greece
YogaSoul’s Hiking and Meditation Retreat in Meteora, Greece runs May 18 to 24, 2027: six nights in eco premium suites in Kastraki, 12 guests at most, hosted by Rachel Cieslewicz and Eric Martin, from $3,179 per person for two sharing, or $3,999 in a private room, with a $500 deposit.
The word Meteora means suspended in the air. Sandstone pillars rise straight out of the plain with monasteries on their summits, and monks have climbed into these cliffs for centuries, in search of the quiet you are looking for now.
That is the whole purpose for the week. You walk up into it. Three to nine miles a day at a pace where you can still hold a conversation, morning meditation before the heat, and a long table with new friends at night.
Meteora, Greece
Kastraki sits at the foot of the towers. Everything here is within reach on foot, which is the point.
Six nights in eco premium suites in Kastraki, each ensuite, with the towers close outside.
Your guides
We have both had seasons where the calendar was full and the tank was empty, and where even the time off did not touch the tiredness. That is why we built this week the way we did, around walking and breathing and silence rather than around sightseeing.
We walked these trails ourselves before we offered them to anyone.
Rachel Cieslewicz · Co-FounderRachel leads the walking practices and the meditation. Eric helps you create ease with the transfer from Athens and everything else between arriving and leaving.
How to join us
Tell us how you are with walking, or with sitting still, or simply that the week has your attention. We read every one ourselves.
Write to usSix nights at the suites in Kastraki, at the foot of the rocks. If a payment plan would make this easier, ask and we will arrange one.
We collect you there on May 18 and drive north through the countryside together. From the moment you arrive, the week is ours to carry.
Six nights, all in
A mindful note. This is the wrong week if you want a beach and a packed itinerary. It is the right one if you are open to walking, sitting, and letting six days change something.
Choose your room
Hold your room with $500, or choose a room below and pay in full.
Comes off your room price. Rachel or Eric will confirm your room personally within a day.
A large private ensuite room (couple or friends) for two in the suites, with the towers outside the window.
Single occupancy in a spacious ensuite room for the whole week. Solo walkers are welcome and there will be several.
The $500 deposit holds your room and comes off your room price. It is not refundable, because your room comes off the list the moment you book. The balance is due 90 days before the retreat begins, on February 17, 2027.
If you need to cancel. After the deposit:
If the retreat does not fill. This retreat runs with a minimum of six guests, out of twelve. If we have not reached that number we will tell you by January 15, 2027 and refund everything, including the deposit. If we cancel for any other reason, you get everything back as well. We strongly recommend travel insurance with trip cancellation cover; there is more on it below.
Secure checkout through Stripe. Checkout takes card, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, Cash App Pay, bank transfer, or Klarna if you would rather pay over time. Payment plans are available, please just ask. A separate $75 fee applies if you need to transfer your reservation.
Fly into Athens (ATH). The drive north to Kastraki is part of the retreat, so there is nothing else to book for the week itself. If you add days on your own, the train from Athens to Kalambaka takes about 5 hours with a change at Palaiofarsalos, and while that line is being restored Hellenic Train runs a connecting bus for the last leg. By road it is about 4 to 5 hours.
Mild days and cool mornings. Daytime highs typically run about 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C), and early mornings on the trail can be about 50 to 55°F (10 to 13°C). Spring showers are common.
A light rain jacket, a small daypack for the trail, trekking poles if you like them on steps, and a hat for the midday sun.
Greece uses the euro, so bring some cash for lunches and gratuities. Sockets are type C and F at 230 volts, so pack a plug adapter; most phone and laptop chargers handle the voltage.
We recommend buying travel insurance soon after you book, with trip cancellation and interruption cover as well as medical care and evacuation abroad, because US health plans usually do not travel. We do not sell insurance and we take no commission. Squaremouth and InsureMyTrip both compare plans from many carriers side by side, which is a better starting point than any single company. Check that guided hiking on marked trails is covered. Meteora sits far below the altitude where policies normally start excluding, but carriers differ on guided activity.
US citizens do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days. Your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond the date you leave the Schengen Area. On your first arrival, passport control takes your fingerprints and photo for the EU’s Entry/Exit System. ETIAS, a short online travel authorization, is not required yet. The EU will announce its start date several months ahead, so check its status before you fly.
Your $500 deposit is not refundable, because your room comes off the list the moment you book. Before January 15, 2027, everything beyond the deposit is refunded. Between January 15 and March 19, 2027, the balance is refunded only if we fill your room. After March 19, 2027, inside 60 days, it is not refundable, because the house is paid for by then. The retreat also runs with a minimum of six guests out of twelve: if we have not reached that number we will tell you by January 15, 2027 and refund everything. If we cancel the retreat for any reason, you get everything back, including the deposit. We strongly recommend travel insurance with trip cancellation cover.
Yes. YogaSoul’s Hiking and Meditation Retreat in Meteora runs May 18 to 24, 2027: six nights in eco premium suites in Kastraki, 12 guests at most, from $3,179 per person for two sharing, or $3,999 in a private room. Rachel Cieslewicz and Eric Martin host the week, with guided hikes of three to nine miles a day on the monastery trails and meditation morning and evening. A $500 deposit holds your room.
If you can walk comfortably for three hours, you can do this. Hikes run three to nine miles at a conversational pace with stops whenever they are wanted. Some trails have stone steps and all have moderate climbs. This is walking as practice, not as a race.
None. Beginners are genuinely welcome, and Rachel is skilled at meeting each person exactly where they are.
Fly into Athens. From there we handle it, with a group ground transfer to Kastraki, about four hours through the countryside. Arrive in Athens the day before.
Many do. Twelve people walking the same trails for six days is a fast way to stop being strangers. If you would rather bring your own people, we also plan private retreats for groups.
Broken-in hiking shoes or stable trail runners, comfortable layers for cool mornings, sun protection, a journal, a reusable bottle. The monasteries ask women to wear a skirt below the knee and men to wear long trousers, with shoulders covered, so carry those in a pack. Wrap skirts are sometimes lent at the door but can run out. A full list comes prior to travel.
Simple, delicious local Greek cooking served family-style. Garden vegetables, local cheese and yogurt, fresh bread, mountain herbs. Vegetarian and vegan at every meal, with other options at the village tavernas.
Yes. This retreat ends May 24 and our Koufonisia yoga retreat in the Cyclades begins May 29, so there are five days in between to explore or rest. Ask us and we will help you plan them.
Who you become
You come home and notice you are not reaching for your phone at dinner. The stillness you found on the rocks turns out to travel home with you: ten minutes before the house awakens, and it is enough. Rest stops being the thing you keep meaning to get around to and becomes something you embody for your well-being.
From our other retreats
Meteora is new for 2027. These are from guests on previous YogaSoul retreats.
Retreats with Eric and Rachel have taught me so much about the importance of taking time out for me.
“I’m so grateful to Rachel and the safe, nurturing space she created for us all.”
“I’ve been on retreats before. This one was different. There was nowhere to hide from yourself, in the best possible way.”
Also at YogaSoul
Rachel has trained teachers for twenty-five years. Two certification levels, small by design.
Bespoke experiences for families, teams and close groups, anywhere in the world.
Rest is not something you book. It is something you practice.
May 18 to 24, 2027. Twelve places. Koufonisia begins five days after this one ends, so you may join both and make one long Greek May of it.
Secure checkout through Stripe, or choose a room and pay in full. Thinking of both? See Koufonisia.