Silent Retreat at Bliss & Stars, Cederberg

Silent Retreat at Bliss & Stars is a silent meditation retreat in the Cederberg, near Clanwilliam in the Western Cape of South Africa. It is open to everyone and runs for four, six or seven days, with no Wi-Fi and no mains-grid distractions. The group is small, with a maximum of eight guests.

The retreat suits anyone who wants to put down talking, messages and noise for a few days and spend that time in quiet, in a wild valley, with simple practices to hold the days together.

What to Expect

The programme combines meditation, mindfulness and somatic practices with time in nature and stargazing. Silence is the container for all of it. Meditation and mindfulness give the days their structure, somatic work brings attention into the body, and the outdoors gives the mind something larger than itself to rest on. After dark, the Cederberg sky becomes part of the practice.

You can choose the length that suits you. A four-day stay gives enough time to settle. The six and seven-day versions leave more room for the quiet to deepen, once the initial restlessness has passed.

Because the group is capped at eight, the retreat stays intimate. There is space to be alone without being isolated.

The Setting

The retreat takes place at Bliss and Stars, in the Cederberg mountains outside Clanwilliam, a few hours' drive from Cape Town. The property is off-grid, and the same valley is shared by every retreat held there, from stargazing weeks to rest and cooking retreats. Silent Retreat guests have it as the backdrop for walking, sitting and looking up at night.

There is no Wi-Fi, so plan to be properly unreachable for the length of your stay. Let the people close to you know beforehand.

Before You Go

The retreat is open to everyone, and no previous meditation experience is stated as a requirement. Come ready to be quiet and to spend your days with few outside demands on your attention. If you want a gentler first step into silence, the shorter stay is a sensible place to begin. If you already have a practice, the longer formats give it more room.