Wellness
A wellness retreat is a fixed-base program of yoga, meditation, and rest, run from a lakeside, valley, homestay, or monastery-zone setting rather than a moving trekking itinerary. Four retreats run on this site: 5 days beside Phewa Lake in Pokhara (822 m), 4-5 days near Boudhanath in Kathmandu (1,400 m), 6 days in family Gurung homestays in Ghandruk (1,940 m), and 6 days at the Buddha's birthplace in Lumbini (150 m). Because all four stay well below altitude-sickness thresholds, they suit travellers recovering from a trek or those who want the Himalaya without the climb.
Nepal's 2027 Wellness Tourism Year and its 2026 to 2035 certified-wellness strategy are building the country's retreat sector. The pages below cover each location's program, cost, and how they compare.
Routes
Recovery and low-altitude comfort are the two cases: a retreat works for travellers who have just finished a hard trek and want their bodies to reset, and for those who want yoga and meditation without walking days or altitude. Pokhara's 822 m base and Kathmandu's 1,400 m both remove the acclimatization question entirely, Ghandruk's 1,940 m homestay setting needs only the standard Annapurna Conservation Area Permit, and Lumbini's 150 m carries no altitude consideration at all. Optional day excursions, Sarangkot, the World Peace Pagoda, Ghandruk's village walks, add movement without commitment.
Retreats pair naturally with a trek: many of our clients book a post-trek recovery retreat in Pokhara or a homestay retreat in Ghandruk after an Annapurna departure. Travellers who want practice on the move rather than at a fixed base should compare the yoga treks instead.
| Retreat | Duration | Altitude | 2026 group cost | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pokhara | 5-7 days | 822 m | USD 600-1,100 | Lakeside, our most flexible base |
| Kathmandu | 4-5 days | 1,400 m | USD 480-800 | Cultural, near Boudhanath stupa |
| Ghandruk | 6 days | 1,940 m | USD 500-850 | Gurung village homestay |
| Lumbini | 6 days | 150 m | USD 550-900 | Meditation at the Buddha's birthplace |
Kathmandu is the cheapest and shortest of the four, built around cultural immersion rather than a full wellness program. Ghandruk is the only one requiring a permit, the standard Annapurna Conservation Area entry, since it sits inside conservation-area boundaries even though it isn't a trekking itinerary. Pokhara runs the longest and most flexible schedule, and Lumbini is the only retreat built specifically around Buddhist meditation practice rather than yoga.
Pick Pokhara for the broadest, most adaptable program and the easiest logistics, since it's a short flight or drive from Kathmandu and sits directly on Phewa Lake. Pick Ghandruk if a genuine village homestay setting matters more than lakeside comfort. Pick Kathmandu if your schedule is tight and you want a short cultural reset rather than a full multi-day program. Pick Lumbini if meditation, not yoga, is the actual goal, since it's the one retreat built around a specific spiritual site rather than a general wellness format.
FAQ
Pokhara, since it sits at 822 m with no walking commitment and the widest range of treatments and optional activities. Many of our clients book it directly after an Annapurna departure specifically to let their bodies reset before flying home.
Only Ghandruk, which needs the standard Annapurna Conservation Area Permit since it sits inside conservation-area boundaries even though it's a fixed-base homestay rather than a trek. Pokhara, Kathmandu, and Lumbini need no permit at all.
Yes, this is a common pairing, particularly Pokhara or Ghandruk booked directly after an Annapurna region trek. Our team arranges the transfer and can adjust either program's length to fit around your trekking dates.
