Gaia Forest Retreat
A small hostel and retreat centre in the oak forest in Paredes de Coura, northern Portugal, close to the Camino de Santiago. It offers time in nature, creative retreats and homemade food. Guests stay in wooden cabins on a 1-hectare property of oak and cork oak forest.
Gaia Forest Retreat & Eco Hostel has two wooden cabins in an oak forest, with views of the surrounding hills. It's in northern Portugal, near Rubiães and Paredes de Coura, 1 km from the ancient Camino de Santiago route. The retreat gives guests space to step away from daily stress and reconnect with nature and with themselves.
The property covers 1 hectare of oak and cork oak forest. Walking paths run through terraces that show the variety of local plants and wildlife. People come for different reasons: to get away from city life, to rest along the Camino de Santiago, to find calm and inspiration on a creative retreat, to recover from stress or burnout, or to have a safe place during a difficult change in their lives.
A small family team runs the retreat and grows its own food. Meals are fresh, homemade and vegetarian, cooked with ingredients grown on site. The family also practises regenerative agriculture and keeps a food forest. Guests can try painting prompts, oracle card readings and aromatherapy massage.
The retreat builds community through local markets and works with other artists and practitioners from the region. It hosts solo travellers, couples and small groups looking to reconnect with nature and with themselves.
Our Goal
Gaia Forest Retreat wants to offer a quiet place in nature in northern Portugal, where guests can get away from city stress, reconnect with themselves and the land, and heal through rest, creativity and time in nature.
Our Wishes
The retreat welcomes guests looking for rest, creative inspiration or recovery from burnout. It also invites other local artists, healers and small businesses in the region to collaborate with it.
