Maasai Village Retreat
A 7- day immersive retreat in rural Kenya | October 17 - October 24, 2025
*****This is a charitable retreat in that 35% of retreat costs go back to the Maasai community*****
For booking and additional information, contact us.
What is it?
Encounter life’s basic needs through this immersive week in the Maasai village. Connect authentically with the Maasai culture while aligning yourself within a rural life experience alongside an intimate group of other adventure and spiritual seekers. Get out of your comfort zone and celebrate with intention. Come as you are — with an open mind, full of curiosity and presence, bearing a current challenge or intention.
Leave as you are meant to be. Transformed.
This will be a life-shifting experience. You’ll get to explore and learn what it means to live sustainably, in a safe space held by the community and guided by experts — through daily eye-opening and breathtaking excursions.
Who this is for
Introspective inquisitors, lifetime learners, conscious and charitable carers, plugged-in philanthropists, and curious culture aficionados — if any of these sound like you, then you are sure to enjoy this retreat.
Want to travel for the greater good? Love more to walk alongside others, swap stories, and create new pathways for all to travel lighter and breathe easier on life’s shared journey? If the answer is yes, then pack your bags. Your journey towards increased authenticity, personal growth, and sustained awareness awaits!
Join 8-12 other intentional souls — brought together by an unknown wave of the universe — on a shared experience to collectively witness simplicity and ingenuity at their core.
Why go
Those who travel often remark on how different they are upon their return. It’s a fact of life: once you are exposed to simple living, you are forever transformed. Add a cultural and personal accompaniment to this truth and prepare to be completely blown away by the changes you will actively seek to make in your day-to-day life.
Giving gives back. It fills that compassion cup! It’s a widely known fact that traveling for good is therapeutic for the soul. When we partake in charity work or donate to a cause — seeing first-hand how our assistance truly helps — we experience an increased release of endorphins, which can give a feeling of euphoria.
Each new experience we encounter is an opportunity to learn. Getting to travel outside our comfort zone allows us to not only learn about these new places but about ourselves, too — and that's when we develop personally. That's when we grow.
When we travel, we experience new places, people, and cultures — opening our minds. We leave these destinations more culturally aware and inspired to incorporate a new sustainable way of living into our lives.
Meet Your Guides
The retreat will be hosted and guided by Institute Sound of Shells’ co-founder and CEO, Angela Sommerfeld, alongside the Maasai’s eldest community member, Ezekiel. Upon touching down in Kenya, Angela invites you to meet yourself anew and experience your call to connect and create beyond your everyday limitations.
“Those who dive far enough into their consciousness encounter the sacred. This is not something we create, but something that is waiting to be discovered. It is possible for everyone, — believers and non-believers alike — to experience mystical consciousness. This consciousness is likely to be the main foundation of religion, a property of the universe, not the brain.”
– Angela Sommerfeld
Retreat Agenda
Investment
This Maasai Village Retreat is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect with a greater good. It’s a chance to give to a tribal community in need — 35% of the retreat costs go back to the Maasai community — as well as invest in your inner wisdom and personal growth.
Investment:
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€2,995/person
What’s included:
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2 nights in Double Room including breakfast only
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5 nights full-pension in the village including water, coffee, and tea in own tent!
What’s not included:
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Flights to/from Nairobi, Kenya
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Dinner Friday, June 07 in Nairobi
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Dinner Thursday, June 14 in Kaijado
Important things to note
Group between 8-12 people
Requirements:
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You should be physically fit enough to walk daily
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Passport valid for at least six months
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Money for personal purchases
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Vaccination certificate
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Malariaprophylaxe vaccine
Packing List:
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Tent
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Sleeping bag
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Sleeping pad
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Mosquito repellent
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Sunscreen
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Water bottle
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Warm jacket in case of cool nights
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Light rain jacket for hiking
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Lightweight hiking boots with firm soles
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First aid kit
General notes:
As a participant in this retreat, you’ll actively experience the everyday life of the Maasai unfiltered. This means that you will be doing as they do, following their lead living simply, sustainably, and systematically. For example, instead of taking hot showers, you’ll be bathing with bowls of fresh water and utilizing the bush (or nature) toilets. Don’t worry, though, they will teach you all the tips and tricks!
It is also important to note that there may be changes that occur around the week’s agenda. This is simply due to local weather conditions, for example. These slight shifts will not change the character and quality of the trip. We will do our best to maintain the agenda as read below but may have to be flexible and go with the flow, weather dependent.
Lastly, for those who are keen, it is possible to book a safari or beach day at Dania Beach post-retreat. If this sounds interesting to you, ask the travel agency for more information as well as to request these additional excursions.
Retreat Agenda
In general, each day retreat goers can expect traditional vegan and vegetarian-friendly Maasai meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) that they help prepare. For the flexitarians and carnivores eaters of the group, there will be meat options.
After breakfast, each day will begin with a morning round, in which the previous day’s activities and learnings are reflected upon and discussed. Then the day’s planned activity will begin. See below for more details on each day’s focused activity.
Lunch takes place midday, upon which there will be relaxing Soul Journeys where Angela will guide participants on spiritual journeys through breath-, visualization- and intentional work.
Every day will close with a cozy bonfire after dinner. Around the fire is where we’ll tell stories, share teachings and continue getting to know each other even further.
It’s important to note that each day will be catered to the group's needs and desires. If an activity needs more time to see through or there’s a shift in weather patterns we might move things around to best accommodate. We go with the flow — where the wind blows and the universe takes us.
Below you’ll find each day’s highlight activity(s) or important notes.
Day 1: Friday, October 17, 2025
Arrival in Nairobi, Kenya. Stay overnight at a hotel close to the airport. The price includes a shared double room and breakfast the next morning. For guests who prefer to sleep in a single room, there’s an additional 25 euros cost. Dinner is not included, but there’s a restaurant on-site and open for guests to purchase meals and drinks at their convenience.
Day 2: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Breakfast will take place at the hotel, after which we will get to know each other (our fellow retreat goers) and Ezekiel, the Massai community leader. At this time, we’ll share a short presentation about the Institute Sound of Shells’ mission and methods of how this immersive retreat will assist participants in the transformation of their personal and spiritual growth.
In a shared caravan, we’ll drive about four hours to reach the Maasai village. Upon arrival, we’ll set up our sleeping quarters (tents) and get to know the Maasai community at their welcome ceremony. This will be the first day where we kick off the Soul Journey sessions.
Day 3: Sunday, October 19, 2025
After breakfast, we’ll have our first morning round where we reflect on the previous day’s activities. Then we’ll take off on the day’s focused activity which is a hike to a nearby seasonal lake. Once at the lake, we’ll get to witness (at a safe distance) the natural environment where cheetahs and leopards typically hideout. Alternatively — or time-dependent, in addition — we will walk to the top of the vulture’s cliff to watch the breeding grounds of this endangered species below. Angela and Ezekiel will be there guiding the walks, but it’s important to carry water and snacks to stay fueled for the journey. The evening will consist of singing and dancing with the Maasai along with the second Soul Journey and bonfire.
Day 4: Monday, June 20, 2025
This day’s focus will be on accompanying the Maasai in their daily chores and activities. Along with the Maasai, we will learn how to prepare traditional dishes, fetch fresh water with the donkeys and how to build a village system within a community through the creation of mud huts and more.
Day 5: Tuesday, June 11, 2025
On this day, we’ll meet with the Maasai herders and follow their lead along with the cow, sheep, and goats to their grazing fields. As these animals are constantly on the lookout for grass and shrubs to eat, our walk is more of a mindful wander. We go where they seek nutrition. When it gets hot, the animals will rest under shaded trees and we’ll all get a chance to take a rest. This is an exceptionally fun day as you’ll even get to learn how to carefully milk a cow! We will be sure to all pack enough water and snacks with us to stay hydrated in the heat.
Day 6: Wednesday, June 22, 2025
Based on the previous days’ learnings and activities, participants can choose what daily chores and activities they prefer to follow along with the Maasai. Later in the afternoon, Angela will host one-on-one spiritual coaching sessions for those who are interested.
Day 7: Thursday, June 23, 2025
Today’s main activity is a fun festivity, which means the day’s focus will be on the preparation of the final gathering with the Maasai. There’s a traditional feast that needs a lot of attention. It starts with taking one of the goats outside the village for a ritual slaughtering performed by the great Maasai warriors. After that, a fire is lit and the meat is barbecued. Depending on their age and social status, each Maasai member (and retreat participant) is assigned a different piece of meat. Note that you do not have to eat the meat. Upon the feast, the festival will involve plenty of singing and dancing. And for all those artisanal lovers, you can support the Maasai women by purchasing their handmade beaded jewelry. When the festivity ends in the late afternoon, we’ll drive to Kaijado to stay at the Enchula hotel. Guests who prefer to sleep in a private room can pay 25 Euros extra.
Day 8: Friday, June 24, 2025
After breakfast in the hotel, we’ll have our final farewell ceremony with the fellow retreat participants. This will be a much smaller version than the previous day. Depending on energy levels, we’ll craft the ceremony from there. Upon the closing of our farewell festivities, we’ll drive from Kajiado to Nairobi Airport to catch our flights back home.