Looking for the best yoga surf retreats on the globe right now? We’ve got you covered. Our selection focuses in on the places that we think stand out from the crowd and do things a little differently.
So, you wake up. You hit the yoga shala for some poses. Then you mosey down to the beach for two hour’s of guided surfing. Then there’s an afternoon of chilling in the hammock set aside. Followed by a second yoga sesh at sunset and a dinner with your surfing pals.
Sounds like heaven, right?
Yea, we’re with you. Truth is, the team at The Surf Atlas are pretty big yoga buffs on top of being nuts for all things point breaks, reef breaks, and beachies. We’ve done our fair share of yoga-surf camps and are totally paid up supporters of the belief that yoga is the perfect companion to surfing.
Don’t just take our word for it. The folks over at SwimOutlet put it like this: “Yoga and surfing go together like sand and saltwater.” Then you have our friends at SurfMaroc, who cite how yoga increases your strength, flexibility, and balance – all things you gotta’ have to surf a tight session. It’s a match made in heaven.
And that’s why we simply LOVEEEE the array of yoga surf retreats that are currently popping up all around the globe. They’re packages that offer expert yoga teaching and surf tuition in one, and there are some seriously good ones out there.
In our top seven, you’ll notice how some destinations – Sri Lanka, Morocco, Portugal – really stand out from the crowd, but there are choices all over the globe…
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
This is just one part of our complete overall guide to surf camps
Yantara Retreats, Sayulita, Mexico
We talk a lot about the offering from Yantara in our guide to the top surf camps in Sayulita. So, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, here we go again…
These guys are managing something a little different to your run of the mill yoga surf retreat.
First off, they’re based in arguably the best learn-to-surf town in Mexico, with the cruisy Sayulita Sandbar and that river left just down the road, plus access to reliable Bahia Banderas breaks like La Lancha. AKA – you won’t be short on surf that suits at the beginner end of the spectrum.
On top of that, the people who run this really care about the quality of what they offer. Like, they really, really care. They’re always open to tailoring itineraries to suit specific needs, are welcoming to a diverse range of people, and run a space that’s veggie-friendly, female-friendly, just all-round friendly.
Then you have the yoga, which is top, top notch. It’s run by in-house instructor Charlotte. A graduate of acclaimed Frog Lotus International, she’s got know-how in everything from Vinyasa to Hatha yoga. For that reason, expect a very varied yoga plan that includes morning stretching and restorative sunset yoga on the beach.
A note on why we partner with BookSurfCamps.com: Book Surf Camps are probably the biggest online aggregator of surf camps and surf-yoga packages in the world. We sounded out a quite a few potential partners before we affiliated with them. But, in the end, the abundance of choice for beginners, intermediates, and female-only surfing sealed it. We also love the simplicity of their booking system and the trusted brand name, along with the focus on connecting with homegrown local businesses on the ground.
The Salty Pelican, Hiriketiya, Sri Lanka
If you haven’t been to a yoga surf retreat at at least one of The Salty Pelican outlets, than have you even been to one?
No, seriously. These guys have embarked on a mission to single handedly redefine what it means to mingle the two disciplines in a single trip. We, for one, love what they’ve come up with.
They run 4-day, 8-day, and 11-day options. Each of those include unlimited yoga classes. Mhmm…you read that right: UNLIMITED yoga classes.
Here’s how it works: There’s a yoga plan for the whole week, that runs through a whole range of different types of classes and styles of yoga, run by two of the in-house instructors (usually Finnish yoga legend Ida but occasionally Hatha- and Yin-trained Anna from the UK). You can choose to join any of them, whenever you want. That simple.
For the surfing, these guys offer up the services of a Portuguese Surf Federation-trained tutor and the fantastic learner breaks of Hiriketiya Beach (regular readers will know it’s one of our all-time favs in Sri Lanka).
Oh yea, and you’ll be staying somewhere really fantastic. Set amid coconut palms some 10 minutes’ walk from the beach, The Salty Pelican lodge is an oasis of cool, calm, serenity, complete with its own pool and chill-out area. You’ll love it. And you’ll love this part of Sri Lanka!
The Nuga House, Ahangama, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka veterans will know that Ahangama is all the rage right now. We can see why. It’s a long strip of almost three miles of prime surf territory that comes with reef breaks and deep-water points that really lend themselves to learners and longboarders. It’s chill, cool, and easy-going.
So, just about the perfect spot for one of the hippest surf-yoga hangouts on the island then? Yep.
Cue The Nuga House. This one’s been one of our favs for quite some time. They exude a Zen feel that few surf lodges can match. Even the lodge itself has been constructed around a holy nuga tree (hence the name) sacred in Sri Lankan culture.
The yoga shala is a stunner. It’s on the roof and can host up to 30 people at any one time. There, you’ll get to take a daily yoga sessions with either Magali Sasson or Neus Serena Rius, the two in-house yoga masters. Together, they have in-depth knowledge of Ashtanga, Hatha, Vinyasa, and more.
That’s backed up by a daily surf lesson, usually on Kabalana Beach (great for beginners but with an A-frame for more advanced surfers). We like that those sessions are run by local Sri Lankan guides and, at 1.5 hours a pop, last just about the right time for balancing out your days with that aforementioned yoga and deserved chill time in the lovely Nuga gardens and café.
Omassim Guesthouse, Ericeira, Portugal
Omassim Guesthouse isn’t one of those new-fangled, New Age yoga escapes. It’s a proper, earthy, grounded Portuguese retreat that’s full of friendly people.
They resist the urge to get all guru-like about their yoga and stick to the basics: The fact that good yoga practice helps your surf and nurtures a healthy environment for physical improvement in the sport.
That’s the reasoning behind an itinerary that sandwiches daily surf lessons between morning and evening yoga classes. Both yoga sessions are purposely primed with the upcoming surfing in mind, which means good stretch sessions in the early hours (before you go out) and a combo of meditation and breathing work in the evening (to wind down after you return).
The Omassim Guesthouse itself is a charming, honest Portuguese village villa with its own grassy garden and pool. The interiors are simple yet modern. The vibe is like vacationing with a bunch of mates. Oh yea, and the price tag is attractive compared to many of the other yoga surf retreats on this list!
Easy Surf Maroc, Tamraght, Morocco
The guys at Easy Surf Maroc might just have one of the most gorgeous yoga shalas we’ve ever seen. Close your eyes and picture this: A timber-built deck encased in glass and pine wood that opens to sweeping 180-degree views of the dust-billowing mini Atlas Mountains and the camel-spotted coastline of central Morocco.
Well, that’s where you’ll be doing your daily yoga practice if you book onto the highly rated 8-day/7-night package with these guys.
It’s actually really well balanced as surf trips go. You get that yoga each morning or afternoon, there’s a daily 2-hour lesson worked in (and the beaches of Tamraght have the most accessible and easy waves in the region, so it’s great for total beginners).
On top of that, there’s a series of fun extra-curricular activities to pad it out – think visits to the spice-plumed souk in Agadir and hikes in idyllic mountain valleys in the foothills of the Atlas ranges.
TL;DR – this is one of the top yoga surf retreats in Morocco right now and it won’t break the bank!
The Yogi Surfer, Tamraght, Morocco
No guide to the best yoga surf retreats in the world right now could possibly skip out on The Yogi Surfer. This one’s gone – for lack of a better word – viral in the last couple of years. We’ve seen it mentioned in big newspapers and small surf blogs alike. We also raved about the offering over on our guide to the best surf camps in Morocco for 2023.
All the plaudits are deserved. The Yogi Surfer is a doozy of a combo retreat that has almost equal dual focus on waves and pose practice. Its run under the trusted auspices of Catherine of Yoga with Catherine, now a global yoga brand that mentors teachers all over the globe. She’s a veteran of Frog Lotus Yoga International and has some of the most experienced yoga teaching of any camp on this list.
The surfing is daily if you want it and usually happens before breakfast or yoga, leaving the rest of the day for meditation and relaxation. All meals are veggie-friendly, organic, and healthy.
Oh, and then there’s the real plus: That stunning rooftop garden, chillax space, with its infinity pool gazing at the Atlantic Ocean. Niceeely done.
The downside? This one’s so darn popular that it’s almost always booked up, so get your reservations in ASAP, folks.
Surf & Yoga Fuerteventura, Fuerteventura
Veterans of Canary Islands surf camps will know that there’s a heavy focus on basically squeezing in as much damn surfing as you can possibly do from start to finish. While camps in many destinations offer two to four hours of surf per day, the guys here often clock up six or more. That’s muscle-burning stuff, but generally quite good for fitness and improvement.
One camp that departs from such a hardcore model on the pursuit of something a little more Zen is Fuerteventura’s Yoga & Surf. The clue’s in the name, specifically its order. The flagship 14-day package is weighted about 1:2 when it comes to yoga practice and surfing.
Each morning begins with either a Vinyasa class or a Yin yoga session. Then you head off to the beaches of Furete – both west and east coasts are within easy reach of the villa – for two hours’ guided surfing. Returning to the lodge, you can pick to join classes in meditation and mindfulness, which are further backed up by theory workshops on the practice and history of yoga, something we reckon is perfect for beginners who need that meta element to make sense of the why of it all.
Oh, and the villa we mentioned? It’s lush. Think a mishmash of Spanish villa architecture and Balinese cool.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
