Wisdom of Wintering
Winter Solstice Weekend Retreat at Buddhist Retreat Centre in Ixopo
June 19th-21st 2026
Join Carey and Christie as we return home to the essence of our beings. Through meditation, yoga, and talks exploring the themes of rest and ritual, we will remember what it means to live in a rested and grounded state.
As the winter solstice draws us into the quiet heart of the year, we invite you to join for a soulful yoga retreat to restore. Held during the longest night and the turning point toward light, this retreat offers a pause, a time to slow down, reconnect with your inner landscape, and honour the wisdom that emerges from stillness.
We will offer grounding yoga practices such as fireside yin and mindful slow flows as well as mindful meditation practices and a winter solstice circle, honouring the ritual of being with the season as it is. We will also offer a Rituals for Radiance workshop to explore how we can tend to ourselves in our day to day. This is a space to exhale, to retreat inward and reflect on the first half of the year and what is yet to come.
Whether you’re feeling depleted, curious, or simply called to pause, Wisdom of Wintering offers a deeply supportive container to restore your body, quiet your mind, and rekindle your inner light.
Introducing the Buddhist Retreat Centre Ixopo
Perched on a ridge at the head of a valley in the Umkomaas river system in KwaZulu-Natal, the Buddhist retreat Centre looks out on a vista of indigenous valleys, forests and rolling hills receding like waves in the blue distance. Here, for more than twenty years people of all religions and none have come to experience peace and tranquillity. It is a gentle, sympathetic space where one can be still and get in touch with oneself and reflect on the things that crowd one's life. CNN featured the BRC as one of the 10 finest Meditation centres in the world.
Paths threading the 300 acre property each bring their own revelation: follow the pine-scented path to the dam; walk past ancient cycads to the tracks of early Voortrekker wagons; discover an assegai-sharpening stone on a hillside; or point your feet towards the rocky outcrop that provides a perfect seat for contemplating the valley below. Nearby are the breeding sites of the exquisite, but rare Blue Swallow of which the Endangered Wildlife Trust has appointed the BRC a custodian. Their presence, together with the BRC's commitment to encouraging the indigenous biodiversity of the area, has led to the Centre being declared a Natural Heritage Site by former President Nelson Mandela. The BRC is a birder's paradise, with more than 160 species recorded.
Integrated into this setting are the Centre's buildings, accommodation lodges and cottages, the dining room and office, a shop, a lecture and art studio, a library, and the meditation hall. The labyrinth, the Zen gardens, the deer park and the Buddha Boma invite one in for reflection and contemplation.
What’s Included
2 nights accommodation at Buddhist Retreat Centre
3 wholesome, plant-based, organic, seasonally inspired meals per day
Hot tea station in the main lodge
Use of contemplative and meditative space
Time out in nature, make use of the trail system
Daily yoga & meditation sessions with additional workshops
A curated itinerary designed for wintering
What’s Not Included
Domestic/International Airfare
Travellers insurance (not required, but recommended)
Additional Activities; massages
Transport to and from the centre
Airport transfers
Donation to the centre at your discretion
FAQs
-
The Retreat Centre is well sign-posted. It can be found off District Road D64 which branches off the R56 between Pietermaritzburg and Ixopo, 5 km from Ixopo. At this turn-off there is a sign saying "Buddhist Retreat". Coming from Pietermaritzburg, just before the D64 turnoff, one passes the Mariathal Mission close to the road, on the left. Please ensure that you arrive before dark - arrivals are encouraged between 3 & 5pm on retreat days.
GPS coordinates
30°06'15.4"S 30°02'46.6"E
30.10436S 30.04625E
From Durban:
Traveling on the N3 towards Pietermaritzburg, take exit 61 for R603 toward Umbumbulu/Umlaas Road
· Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Umbumbulu/R603/Umlaas Road
· Continue to follow R603 - 18 km
· Turn right onto R624
· Continue on R624 for approx 26km and at T-junction turn left onto R56
· Follow R56 towards Ixopo
· Turn right at Buddhist Retreat sign, onto gravel road
· Continue for 10km, Buddhist Retreat Centre will be on your right.
From Gauteng:
Traveling on the N3, skirting Pietermaritzburg, carry on towards Durban on the N3, Take exit 61 for R603 toward Umbumbulu/Umlaas Road
· Keep left at the fork, follow signs for Umbumbulu/R603/Umlaas Road
· Continue to follow R603 - 18 km
· Turn right onto R624
· Continue on R624 for approx 26km and at T-junction turn left onto R56
· Follow R56 towards Ixopo
· Turn right at Buddhist Retreat sign, onto gravel road
· Continue for 10km, Buddhist Retreat Centre will be on your right.
From The South Coast:
At Park Rynie, turn off the N2, heading inland on the R612 to Umzinto/Ixopo. At the junction with the R56, turn right towards Richmond/Pietermaritzburg. After 5 km turn left onto D64 at a sign that says: Buddhist Retreat. After 7 km you will find the BRC entrance sign on your right.
-
Of course! You can join alone, with friends, with family, with a partner, or however you like. There are accommodation options to stay in the lodge with other guests or to opt for a private room for some solitude.
-
Accommodation ranges from R975-R1900 per person per night at the BRC. Additionally there is a surcharge to cover teachers’ travel expenses and the cost of materials. (It is not a teacher’s fee.) The surcharge for this retreat is R400pp.
Therefore your costs will most likely work out between R2350-R4200 per person for the weekend.
Dana (Generosity)
In keeping with ancient Buddhist tradition, the teachings of the Buddha (Dharma) are offered at the BRC at no charge. The teachers also receive no remuneration. The surcharges quoted only cover their travel expenses, and the cost of retreat materials. Some teachers rely solely on Dana for their livelihood. We always emphasise that without our Teachers, the Centre would be unthinkable. As enshrined in the Buddhist tradition, we therefore encourage you to offer Teacher’s Dana (Generosity) from your heart at the end of your retreat. Being a non-profit organization, the daily rates only cover running costs such as food, electricity and wages. The BRC Dana enables the Centre to maintain itself and finance further projects.
-
Visit http://www.brcixopo.co.za/how-to-book.html for a full breakdown on the booking process. Essentially you’ll choose your accommodation type, calculate your costs, email the centre and pay the deposit.
-
Deposits And Cancellation Policy
Please call or email the centre to establish if your preferred type of accommodation is available.
Deposits can be paid by credit card or EFT.
Provisional bookings are held for 3 days and are secured upon receipt of a 50% deposit.
If a booking is cancelled within 14 days or longer before the start of the retreat, a refund will be granted less a R250 administration charge.
Cancellation less than 14 days before arrival: No Refund
Cancellation less than 14 days before arrival for a double supplement: Full costs are liable
In the case of exceptional circumstances, a deposit may be “rolled over” once for future retreats, provided it is used within 12 months of the cancellation.
Departure whilst attending a self or conducted retreat: No Refund.
If retreats are fully booked at the time of your enquiry, please request to be placed on a waiting list.
Wait-listed people can often obtain a room at the last moment because of cancellations.