SAFARI & DOLPHIN ADVENTURE
Into the Wild
RETREAT
with Rhianne van der Linde, Lolla Odendaal and Courtney Ward
2—12 February 2027
Into the Wild
Safari & Dolphin Adventure
RETREAT
A delicious soul adventure through the wild lands and warm ocean waters of South Africa and Mozambique — a journey of nature, connection, wonder, and deep remembrance.
2—12 February 2027
Shakti Shiva Academy and Halo Gaia invite you to join us for the adventure of a lifetime!
YOU are invited to journey with us on an exploration of inner and outer landscapes over 10 magnificent days — a time to step out of ordinary rhythms and enter the ever-present eternal moment of now. NOW is the time to re-enter the dreaming and rediscover the world we truly long to live in, reconnecting with wonder, presence, and the deeper intelligence of life itself.
One day, we become aware of a calling beckoning us beyond the familiar, inviting us to listen deeply to the voice of the soul. This call grows louder until we finally answer it — walking our own path, falling more deeply in love with ourselves, and returning to our untamed essence. YOUR outside world is an exact reflection of your inner world, and this journey invites both into deeper harmony.
This is a universal law!
"As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul…”
Both our land and ocean safari’s are designed to help you drop deeper into the truth of who you are. Nature is the facilitator, and the quieter and stiller we become, the more she reveals her wisdom to us…
The reimagining of who we are arises through contemplation, meditation, and the embodiment of truths reflected back to us by the wildness of the natural world. Immersed in nature, we journey through inquiry, silence, dreaming, visioning, ceremony, and play — creating space to remember what has always lived within us beneath the noise of ordinary life. Slowly, we begin to reconnect with a deeper rhythm of being and a more instinctive way of moving through the world.
We’ve chosen two diverse outer landscapes to explore as a reflection of our inner reality:
Tembe Elephant Park & Ponta Malogne
The re-imagining of who we are arises out of the contemplation, meditation and embodiment of truth reflected to us by the wildness of the natural environment...
Tembe Elephant Park
A remote and magical place lying deep in the sand forests and wetlands of northern Tongaland. With its non-intrusive approach to wildlife conservation, Tembe is truly a wildlife reserve that will captivate your imagination for years to come.
Tembe is a Big Five reserve - home to an abundance of wildlife - offering visitors a very special bush experience.
Unique to Tembe are the intimate encounters you’ll have with some of the largest elephants in Africa. The 300km2 reserve, located in the Republic of South Africa between Kwa-Zulu Natal and Mozambique, is the ancestral home of the Tembe tribe who own and co-manage both the Park and the Tembe Elephant Lodge.
And of course, Tembe’s abundant wildlife extends far beyond the Big Five – Tembe is home to many antelope species, including the rare and elusive suni, one of the smallest and shyest species of buck in southern Africa as well as giraffe, wildebeest and a host of other small mammals, reptiles, insects and 340 species of birds.
Everything Your Retreat Includes
A thoughtfully curated safari experience blending wild nature, spacious rest, sunrise and sunset game drives, nourishing meals, and slow moments immersed in the beauty of the African bush.
Your Curated Retreat Experience
- 3 nights in luxury en-suite tented accommodation with private deck
- 3 x 3-hour sunrise safari drives exploring the beauty and mystery of nature in the early mornings (we’ll stop for hot beverages & rusks at the Mahlasela Hide and waterhole)
- 3 x 3-hour tranquil afternoon sunset game drive’s (we’ll stop for sundowners at the Mahasela Hide and waterhole)
- Game Drives are conducted in open safari vehicles by Tembe’s expert field guides. Your guide will share their knowledge, passion and stories of this unspoilt reserve offering you unique memorable experiences with nature that you will never forget.
- Early morning continental breakfast with hot tea/coffee
- Hot breakfast on return from early morning game drive
- Late lunch served in the afternoons
- 3 course dinners – enjoy rustic bush cuisine served under the stars, surrounded by the night sounds of the bush.
- Cool off in the pool near the boma in the afternoons
- Optional transfers to and from the Mahlasela Hide during the day
- Enjoy a pampering private massage under a tree canopy surrounded by the sounds of the African bush (for your own account)
We are available to the conversation - noticing and responsive to the reflections and messages we receive and trusting the journeys we are being invited on...
Ponta Malongane
A partially protected marine reserve and home to approximately 200+ Wild Inshore Bottlenose dolphins.
You’ll have several respectful opportunities to observe, meet and encounter these intelligent beings in their natural environment. The un-spoilt beauty of the blue sea, golden beaches, and lush coastal vegetation are the playground for our liquid explorations…
We live in radical times on planet Earth — times of devastation and unprecedented opportunity. The choice is ours: whether to remain in the old paradigm or leap into the next level of who we can be. Dolphin consciousness has an extraordinary ability to help us make that leap. Their movement is an exhilarating funnel of joy, while their sonar sound waves read us inside out and bathe us in healing frequencies. They reconnect us to our unbridled wildness and free spirits, carrying us into a dance of endless play. The sound of their song penetrates the body and can profoundly transform the freedom with which we live our lives.
To encounter a dolphin in the wild, in the open ocean, is a true gift. Their agile, playful spirits awaken joy and childlike curiosity, inviting an immense sense of freedom within the pristine warm waters they call home. To dance with a dolphin is a transmission of pure love — a deeply life-changing experience.
We invite you into an immersion in the world of wild dolphins: to be enraptured by their scintillating aliveness, to have your heart softened by the beauty they radiate, and to feel your own oceanic, liquid nature awaken from within.
The Dolphins are waiting for you to come and meet them. And so are we...
Everything Your Retreat Includes
A thoughtfully curated retreat blending ocean adventure, deep rest, nourishing meals, and slow moments along the wild coastline of Ponta Malongane.
Your Curated Retreat Experience
- 7 nights in luxury beachfront villa with gorgeous sea view (single or shared)
- 3 x 1.5 hour ocean safari launches with the opportunity to encounter and swim with the resident pods of wild bottlenose dolphins (Our Wild Dolphin encounters are deeply respectful and are always conducted on the dolphins terms and natures conditions)
- Snorkelling over shallow coral reefs with turtles, manta rays and an abundant variety of marine life.
- Professional snorkel gear – mask, fins and snorkel (You’re also welcome to bring your own)
- Basic snorkel course, boat safety and dolphin etiquette
- Dedicated boat with experienced skipper and crew.
- Direct access to an exquisite sandy beach – 7km of wild, untouched coastline and warm pristine waters….
- 3 x two-course dinners prepared on site for us by our personal chef (vegan, gluten-free and other reasonable dietary requirements are easily catered for)
- 1 x dinner at Upside Downer restaurant included in your retreat package
- 1 x Braai – a foundational South African cultural tradition cooking food together on the fire is included in your retreat package
- We’ll enjoy 2 x dinner’s eating out at fabulous restaurants in the local village (for your own account)
- 5 x two-course brunch’s prepared on site for us by our personal chef (after our early morning launches or breathwork sessions)
- 1 x breakfast buffet
- 1 x brunch at a laid-back local spot located in the heart of Ponta Malongane (for your own account)
- Teas and coffees (soft drinks and alcohol for your own account)
- Photographs of your ocean experiences
Through guided drum journeys, transformational breathwork, shamanic sound & song medicine and mindful movement, we learn to listen to the subtle messages of our bodies in service of our souls deepest longing.
Feedback from past attendees
It’s time to wake up and return home to yourself – to pull back your projections and expectations and take a good look inside to welcome who is there.
What we're sharing with you
- Two unspoiled wilderness areas – Tembe & Ponta Malongane
- Simple ceremony and rituals to open our senses and honour the elements guided by Lolla
- Transformational breathwork with Rhianne
- Sacred shamanic medicine song & sound journey with Courtney & Lolla
- Drumming circles around the fire
- Subtle body practices opening us to greater stillness and finer sensation
- Subtle movement practices to awaken your liquid body
- Simple rituals, ceremonies and embodied meditations connecting you deeply with your essential nature
- Celebration, play & fun
- Silence, relaxation & deep rest
"May we as a humanity keep evolving to a deep understanding.. we are not superior but unfolding in a communication of life living through us.. through all of creation."
facilitation team
Courtney Ward
About Courtney
Partially based in Ponta Malongane, where it is said that heaven meets earth; Courtney guided Shakti Malan – founder of the Shakti Shiva Academy on her first life-changing encounter with the in-shore bottlenose dolphins of Malongane, Mozambique.
Through her intimate relations with the dolphins, her love of people and her love of the ocean, Courtney offers an extraordinary Ocean Awareness program and together with Shakti Shiva Academy creates a unique annual dolphin swim retreat.
Essentially a performer in the great arts of the divine, Courtney is a talented artist, actor and musician. She is especially gifted in her spontaneous ability to apply her artistic gifts and musical talents to a group dynamic in aid of personal transformation and creativity. Since 1999 Courtney has worked passionately and intensively with the resident pod of Inshore Bottle Nose dolphins of Southern Mozambique as Halo Gaia’s owner, Ponta Malongane`s Ocean Safari guide, leading Dolphin Swim Facilitator and data collector.
Specialities: Wild Dolphin Swim Retreats, Ocean Safari’s, Healing with Music – Medicine Song & Sound Journey’s, Conscious, Respectful & Responsible Eco-Tourism.
To view more about the work that Courtney offers you can view her website, Halo Gaia
Rhianne van der Linde
About Rhianne
For the past 10 years Rhianne has been organizing and co-facilitating retreats in Mozambique. The energy of her many encounters with the dolphins and the vastness of the ocean permeate her being.
Truth as emptiness and Truth as embodiment – as consciousness expressing in form, in beautiful breathing bodies of love…it is this language of the heart, this feminine language of embodiment & feeling that I am most interested in learning and sharing.
Rhianne walked alongside Shakti managing all of her in-person workshops and retreats from 2010 until her death in 2017.
Being in Shakti’s flight path has been one of the greatest gifts in my life and as principal and senior faculty at the Shakti Shiva Academy, I remain totally in-service to the co-creation of intimate online and retreat spaces for vulnerable & embodied sharing.
An avid alchemist and a dedicated dreamer with a depth of knowledge and experience of transforming the mundane into the magical, my personal explorations have led me into working with dreams, as a companion to those busy with their journey of dying, exploring the breath as a thread connecting us directly to source & processing and ritual with groups in wild nature.
Specialities: Breathwork, Dreamwork, Shadow Exploration & Integration, Sexual Awakening for Women, Embodiment and Somatic practices, Body De-armouring.
Go to the Shakti Shiva Academy Faculty page to learn more
Lolla Odendaal
About Lolla
Lolla is a Wilderness Guide who is inspired by her witnessing the simplicity with which nature reveals our true selves. She started her journey as a Nature Conservationist, River Guide, and Mountain Guide, and has been steered on a path deeper into the mysteries of the inter-connectedness of our Human-Nature.
Lolla guides Wilderness Quests, leads sweat lodges and facilitates nature connection. Her exploration of natural landscapes and sacred places focuses on revealing their relevance to modern lives.
Investment
Prices include all accommodation, meals & facilitation
* Prices are per person (sharing or single)
* Space is limited to a maximum number of 11 participants
See click-down options below:
Twin / Couple Sharing
- ZAR 45,000
- $ 3,100
- € 2,750
- £2,350
Triple Sharing
- ZAR 38,000
- $ 2,600
- €2,300
- £2,000
Private Room
- ZAR 60,000
- $ 4,100
- €3,600
- £3,100
Booking Process:
Secure your place with a 50% deposit
- Booking through Halo Gaia Adventure Travel
- Please register your interest and book your place with Courtney Ward directly
If you have any questions, we invite you to schedule a discovery call
Waitlist - 2027
The 2026 retreat has filled, and the pod for this journey is complete. If you feel the call of the ocean, the breath, and the living world — if something in your body recognises this way of meeting nature — we invite you to join the 2027 waitlist.
Those on the waitlist will be the first to receive early access, dates, and priority booking when the next retreat opens. This is not just a place on a list, but an opening — a way to stay in relationship with the work until the moment is right.
F.A.Q
Who is this retreat for?
Open to both male and female bodied beings. Single or partnered. Whatever your relationship status, and however your sexuality expresses, you’re welcome just as you are.
* Please note that you do not need to be a strong swimmer to participate in and enjoy the wild dolphin encounters – please chat with Courtney if you’re at all concerned about your ability in the ocean.
What’s included in my retreat fees?
- x 3 Nights @ Tembe Elephant Park
- x 7 Nights @ Ponta Malongane
- x 2 Daily Game Drives @ Tembe
- x 4 Wild Dolphin Ocean Safari’s
- Catering: x 3 Meals daily @ Tembe
- Group Transfer to Tembe & return to Malongane
- Catering: x 5 Dinners / x 6 brunch’s @ Ponta Malongane
- Snorkel Gear – mask,fins and snorkel Basic Snorkel course & orientation
- Photographs of your ocean experiences
- Teas and coffees @ Ponta Malongane
- Fully facilitated retreat programme with Rhianne, Lolla and Courtney
What is NOT included in my retreat fees?
- Travel from home country to Mozambique – Maputo – return
- E-VISA registration or VISA at the border for Mozambique @ approximately ZAR200 / US$10 / €10 / £10 per person (ONLY for non-South African passport holders)
- Airport transfers to Malongane or Kosi Bay – Return
- Gratuities, gifts, curio’s, holistic treatments, laundry, WiFi & personal sundries.
- All soft drinks & alcoholic beverages
- Gate – community and park fees at Tembe Elephant Park
- 2 x dinner’s out in Malongane at restaurant’s in the local village
- 1 x breakfast out in Malongane at a restaurant in the local village
What is your cancellation policy?
- Deposits are non-refundable
- Balance of payment is due 1 month prior to your departure date.
- In the event of cancellation prior to 3 weeks of the departure date, your full payment will be forfeited.
- In the event of postponing your trip to a later date, two weeks or more before departure date, there will be a handling fee of 50% of the total package price.
- There will be no refunds to clients who choose not to participate in any of the activities that are included in the package price.
- Please refer to Halo Gaia T&C on your booking form
Your Facilitators
Rhianne van der Linde
For the past 10 years Rhianne has been organizing and co-facilitating retreats in Mozambique. The energy of her many encounters with the dolphins and the vastness of the ocean permeate her being.
Truth as emptiness and Truth as embodiment – as consciousness expressing in form, in beautiful breathing bodies of love…it is this language of the heart, this feminine language of embodiment & feeling that I am most interested in learning and sharing.
Read More
Rhianne walked alongside Shakti managing all of her in-person workshops and retreats from 2010 until her death in 2017.
Being in Shakti’s flight path has been one of the greatest gifts in my life and as principal and senior faculty at the Shakti Shiva Academy, I remain totally in-service to the co-creation of intimate online and retreat spaces for vulnerable & embodied sharing.
An avid alchemist and a dedicated dreamer with a depth of knowledge and experience of transforming the mundane into the magical, my personal explorations have led me into working with dreams, as a companion to those busy with their journey of dying, exploring the breath as a thread connecting us directly to source & processing and ritual with groups in wild nature.
Specialities: Breathwork, Dreamwork, Shadow Exploration & Integration, Sexual Awakening for Women, Embodiment and Somatic practices, Body De-armouring.
Go to the Shakti Shiva Academy Faculty page to learn more
Lolla Odendaal
Lolla is a Wilderness Guide who is inspired by her witnessing the simplicity with which nature reveals our true selves. She started her journey as a Nature Conservationist, River Guide, and Mountain Guide, and has been steered on a path deeper into the mysteries of the inter-connectedness of our Human-Nature.
Read More
Lolla guides Wilderness Quests, leads sweat lodges and facilitates nature connection. Her exploration of natural landscapes and sacred places focuses on revealing their relevance to modern lives.
Courtney Ward
Partially based in Ponta Malongane, where it is said that heaven meets earth; Courtney guided Shakti Malan – founder of the Shakti Shiva Academy on her first life-changing encounter with the in-shore bottlenose dolphins of Malongane, Mozambique.
Through her intimate relations with the dolphins, her love of people and her love of the ocean, Courtney offers an extraordinary Ocean Awareness program and together with Shakti Shiva Academy creates a unique annual dolphin swim retreat.
Read More
Essentially a performer in the great arts of the divine, Courtney is a talented artist, actor and musician. She is especially gifted in her spontaneous ability to apply her artistic gifts and musical talents to a group dynamic in aid of personal transformation and creativity. Since 1999 Courtney has worked passionately and intensively with the resident pod of Inshore Bottle Nose dolphins of Southern Mozambique as Halo Gaia’s owner, Ponta Malongane`s Ocean Safari guide, leading Dolphin Swim Facilitator and data collector.
Specialities: Wild Dolphin Swim Retreats, Ocean Safari’s, Healing with Music – Medicine Song & Sound Journey’s, Conscious, Respectful & Responsible Eco-Tourism.
To view more about the work that Courtney offers you can view her website, Halo Gaia