A New Year Nature Retreat in Central Portugal
Forest Bathing, Fungi, Herbalism, Gongs, Fire & Rest
As one year draws to a close and another begins, we invite you to step away from the usual New Year rush and spend these days differently.
Five days in the quiet winter landscape of Central Portugal. Forest and river walks. Fire and candlelight. Seasonal plants and fungi. Nourishing food cooked slowly on the wood-burning stove. Gong journeys, herbalism, mindful practices and time simply to rest.
This New Year retreat is for those who want to enter 2027 with a little more space—to listen, reflect, reconnect with nature and allow intentions for the year ahead to emerge without forcing them.Optional second paragraph — delete if not required.
Based at Blue Morpho House, our rustic farmhouse retreat in a peaceful valley near Pedrógão Grande, our days unfold between the winter landscape outside and the warmth of the hearth within.
Mornings begin slowly, with gentle somatic movement and mindful practices to awaken the body and settle the mind. Days take us outdoors to explore the surrounding forests, river and land, noticing the fungi, plants, herbs and seasonal life that winter offers.
There will be opportunities to learn about wild fungi and seasonal herbs, ethical foraging and simple herbal preparations. What we discover will depend on the land, weather and season. Rather than arriving with a fixed harvesting agenda, we follow what nature actually offers.
And between these experiences, there is space.
Space to sit beside the fire, journal, read, wander, drink herbal tea, talk around the kitchen table or simply do very little.
This is not a packed retreat. It is an invitation to slow down, reconnect with your own rhythms and experience a different way of crossing from one year into the next.
New Year’s Eve: Crossing into 2027
Rather than rushing towards resolutions, we’ll make space to reflect on the year that is ending—what we want to honour, what we are ready to put down and what we may no longer need to carry forward.
As evening arrives, we’ll gather for a celebratory meal and a special New Year’s Eve gong immersion, allowing sound and stillness to accompany us towards midnight.
As the New Year arrives, we’ll step outside and gather around the bonfire beneath the winter sky.
Fire, warmth, sound and celebration will accompany a simple ritual of transition—a moment to welcome 2027 together and make space for whatever intentions are beginning to emerge.
There is no pressure to reinvent yourself by midnight and no list of resolutions to complete.
Simply an opportunity to cross into the New Year consciously, surrounded by nature and in the company of a small group of people who have chosen to spend this moment differently.
New Year’s Day: Beginning Slowly
The first morning of the year will be deliberately spacious.
There is nowhere to rush.
We’ll begin with a late breakfast and allow the day to unfold gently, with time for rest, nature, reflection and a simple practice exploring what each of us would like to nurture in the year ahead.
There may be a quiet walk, gentle movement or time with seasonal herbs—perhaps creating a personal tea blend or herbal preparation to take home.
Something small and tangible to carry into everyday life.
As the New Year arrives, we’ll step outside and gather around the bonfire beneath the winter sky, warming our hands around mugs of mulled wine made from our own organically grown grapes, harvested here at Blue Morpho House and made into wine each year.
Fire, warmth, homemade wine, sound bath and celebration will accompany a simple ritual of transition—a moment to welcome 2027 together and make space for whatever intentions are beginning to emerge.
Forest Bathing in Buçaco Forest
One of the highlights of our winter retreat will be a special day journey to the extraordinary Buçaco Forest.
Among its remarkable diversity of trees and plants, we’ll experience a guided forest-bathing practice inspired by shinrin-yoku—slowing down, opening the senses and reconnecting with the living landscape.
This is not about walking a particular distance or reaching a destination.
It is an invitation to pause, listen and breathe. To experience the forest through sight, sound, scent, touch and presence.
A day to leave ordinary demands behind and allow the forest to become a place of connection, restoration and deep rest.
Because this is a winter retreat, the exact day of our Buçaco visit may remain flexible so that we can respond to weather conditions.
Your Winter Forest Immersion
Find Your Way Back to Presence
Chanan’s background as a Buddhist psychotherapist infuses the retreat with gentle mindfulness and embodied awareness.
Through mindful walking, somatic practice and quiet invitations to notice what is happening within and around us, you’ll be encouraged to slow your pace and reconnect with your own rhythms.
These are not simply walks through beautiful surroundings.
Nature is not just the backdrop for this retreat. It is part of the practice.
Discover What Winter Offers
Winter brings its own kind of abundance.
Together, we’ll explore the surrounding forests, garden and land, discovering the fungi, wild plants, herbs and seasonal foods that are present at this time of year.
Depending on the weather and growing conditions, we may find winter mushrooms to identify and forage. Evergreen and seasonal plants offer other possibilities for teas, food and simple herbal preparations.
Rather than following a fixed list of species, we’ll let the land and season guide us.
Part of the experience is learning to remain curious about and connected with nature throughout the year—not only during the obvious abundance of spring and autumn.
You’ll learn about ethical harvesting, identification and ways of preparing and working with some of what we encounter.
Work with Seasonal Herbs
Herbalism at Blue Morpho House is practical, sensory and connected with everyday life.
We’ll work with seasonal herbs through simple preparations that you can recreate at home, exploring some of the ways plants can become part of our daily relationship with the natural world.
You might encounter herbs growing in the garden, drink teas made from plants gathered locally or notice familiar plants differently after learning more about them.
No previous herbal knowledge is needed. Curiosity is enough.
You’ll leave with a simple herbal preparation of your own and, we hope, a deeper relationship with the plants around you.
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Gather Around Food and Fire
Food is part of our relationship with the land.
Seasonal produce, herbs, homemade teas and, where available, ingredients gathered during our explorations will find their way into the kitchen.
Much of our food is slowly cooked and baked on our wood-fired Aga, making the kitchen-diner one of the natural hearts of Blue Morpho House.
In winter, it is especially welcoming.
The stove burns, something is simmering or baking, herbs and teas fill the room with their scent, and people naturally gather around the kitchen table.
Meals are vegetarian, nourishing and prepared with care.
Cooking and eating together are not simply practical parts of the retreat. They are another way of experiencing a slower, more connected rhythm of life.
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Rest Deeply
This is deliberately not a packed retreat.
There will be mindful and somatic practices, forest experiences, herbalism and foraging, gong journeys, our New Year gatherings and the Buçaco Forest experience.
But there will also be genuine unstructured time.
Time to sleep.
Time to sit beside the wood burner.
Time to journal or read.
Time to walk down towards the river.
Time to have a massage.
Time to drink tea and talk.
Or simply time to watch the winter landscape outside and do nothing at all.
Your Winter Sanctuary: Blue Morpho House
Blue Morpho House is our rustic home and retreat space nestled in a quiet valley in Central Portugal, surrounded by woodland, with a river only a short walk away.
Winter brings a particular atmosphere here.
Outside, the valley grows quiet. Mist can settle between the hills. The air carries the scents of earth, herbs and woodsmoke.
Inside, life gathers around the fire.
Wood-burning stoves warm both the living room and our practice studio, creating a cosy space for movement, meditation, gong journeys and rest.
The kitchen-diner has its own character. At its heart is our wood-fired Aga, where much of the retreat food is cooked and baked. The warmth of the stove and the aromas of food, herbs, teas and woodsmoke make the kitchen a natural gathering place.
Herbs, handmade smudges and botanical preparations are part of everyday life here, and their scents mingle with the warmth of the house.
Blue Morpho House is not a luxury hotel retreat.
It is something more personal: a warm and comfortable rustic farmhouse, a small group, shared meals, real fires and a few winter days lived close to the land.
Our group is intentionally limited to 12 participants, allowing us to preserve intimacy, connection and spaciousness.
Chanan and Jarek invite you into the winter landscape of Central Portugal—not to escape ordinary life, but to slow down enough to experience it differently and perhaps discover small ways of bringing a deeper relationship with nature back home with you.
“Chanan and Jarek held such a gentle, grounded space. I came back feeling clearer and more myself than I have in years.”
— Anna, past participant
Is This New Year Retreat for You?
You may feel at home here if you:
- Want to spend New Year differently, away from crowded parties and pressure
- Feel drawn towards the quieter, deeper side of nature
- Want time to reflect on the year that is ending and gently welcome what comes next
- Are curious about fungi, foraging, herbalism and wild plants
- Want to experience forest bathing and nature connection in Central Portugal
- Are interested in simple ways of bringing a more nature-connected rhythm into everyday life
- Long for fire, nourishing food, sound, rest and meaningful time with a small group
- Want enough quiet to hear yourself again
You don’t need previous experience of herbalism, foraging, meditation or forest bathing.
You simply need curiosity and a willingness to slow down.
Come for the forest.
Come for the fire and shared food.
Come to learn about plants, herbs and fungi.
Come for the gongs, Buçaco, the river and the winter landscape.
Or simply come because you would like to cross from one year into the next with a little more presence.
Accommodation
Choose the space that feels right for you. Accommodation options vary in privacy and sharing, while all rooms form part of the same retreat experience.
Shared Wild — Double Room
Two single beds, price per person
£449 per person (approx. €540)
Solo Sanctuary — Single Room
Private room with queen bed
£570 per person (approx. €680)
Practical Information
Getting There
Participants can fly into Lisbon (LIS) or Porto (OPO) and travel onwards to Coimbra.
A group transfer will meet participants in Coimbra on 30 December 2026 for the final part of the journey to Blue Morpho House.
Further travel details will be provided after booking.
What's Included
- 4 nights’ accommodation at Blue Morpho House
- All vegetarian meals
- All retreat practices and activities
- Special New Year’s Eve gong immersion and bonfire gathering
- Guided nature and forest immersion
- Seasonal fungi, foraging and plant exploration
- Herbal remedy-making
- Day trip to Buçaco Forest and guided forest bathing
- Group transfer from Coimbra
- A take-home herbal preparation
- A pre-retreat 1:1 connection call with Chanan
What's Not Included
- Flights
- Travel to Coimbra
- Optional private massage sessions
Good to Know
Spaces are intentionally limited to preserve the intimacy of the retreat.
A £150 non-refundable deposit secures your place.
Flexible payment plans are available.
Your Guides
Chanan Tej
Chanan Tej is a Buddhist psychotherapist, community herbalist, yoga teacher and master gong player, with nearly two decades of experience facilitating workshops, contemplative practices and spaces for personal exploration. She brings together deep experience in mindfulness, nature connection and forest bathing, guiding participants into a gentle, receptive relationship with the land. Her approach weaves therapeutic presence with earth-based wisdom, creating space for both learning and deep rest.
Jarek Krzeminski
Jarek is an experienced forager, master gong player and dedicated bodyworker and massage therapist. His intuitive touch and resonant sound work support deep release and integration. He offers gong journeys during our evening gatherings, inviting you into stillness around the fire. Private massage sessions are also available for those seeking additional hands-on support.
Welcome 2027 Differently
Four nights. A small group. Winter forest, fire, food, herbs, sound and space.