A fully hosted wellness journey through Boquete, Chiriquí Highlands and Casco Viejo, Panama City

9 – 16 November 2026

8 Days, 7 Nights

Private Group: 6–10 guests

Activity Level: Easy/Beginner

Rediscover Your Nature in Panama

Reserve my place

When did life become so loud?

You spend your days responding: to work, to family, to messages and responsibilities and the needs of people who need you. You care deeply and you give generously. Yet, somewhere beneath all the doing, a quieter question remains:

When was the last time someone took care of you?

Not a spa appointment squeezed between obligations. The kind of care where you don’t have to think. You don’t have to organise. You don’t have to hold everything together. You don’t have decision-fatigue.

For eight days in Panama, every detail has already been arranged. Your meals appear. Your bags are carried. Your guides are waiting. Your transfers are organised. Your room is ready.

The only thing asked of you is to arrive.

Imagine…

A narrow dirt trail through a dense green forest with lush foliage and trees on both sides.
A narrow dirt trail through a dense green forest with lush foliage and trees on both sides.

Waking each morning to birdsong instead of notifications.

Spending an afternoon in a thermal spa without needing to be anywhere else.

Walking through ancient cloud forest beneath trees draped in moss, with no thought of what comes next.

Floating up a river that has sustained generations, guided by people who have never forgotten what it means to live in relationship with the natural world.

Sharing beautiful meals without once reaching for your wallet. Feeling your shoulders soften. Breathing more deeply than you have in months.

Remembering who you are beneath the responsibilities, the roles, and the noise.

A small, cascading waterfall flowing over moss-covered rocks surrounded by lush green foliage in a forest.
A small, cascading waterfall flowing over moss-covered rocks surrounded by lush green foliage in a forest.

Over eight days, you will walk through cloud forest to a waterfall you can hear before you see it. You will sit in a garden where butterflies move between flowers without urgency or agenda.

You will taste coffee grown at 1,500 metres by a Panamanian who worked with nature. You will travel by dugout canoe to a community whose knowledge of the forest stretches back generations. You will drum with a well renowned Panamanian percussionist You will make chocolate.

You will walk cobblestone streets in one of the oldest quarters in the Americas at the pace of someone with nowhere else to be.

 But none of that is why you are here.

Reserve my place
Reserve my place

You are here because… you give generously, care genuinely, and show up fully. Yet, somewhere in all of that, your own restoration quietly dropped off the list. Your true nature is still there, waiting for you to remember.

This retreat does not ask you to fix yourself or become someone new.

It creates the conditions for you to remember who you already are, beneath the schedules, the obligations, and the expectations.

Panama becomes a living teacher. The cloud forest teaches presence. The river teaches flow. The mountains teach stillness. And slowly, almost without noticing, you begin to find your own rhythm again.

A woman with braided hair and sunglasses hiking outdoors on a trail amid green foliage and rolling hills under a partly cloudy sky, holding a walking stick and a hat.

You will go home…

  • Rested in a way that sleep alone cannot give.

  • Clear-headed and emotionally lighter.

  • Reconnected with the part of you that has been buried under responsibility.

  • Replenished, centred, breathing more deeply than you have in months.

  • Reminded of who you are when no one is asking anything of you.

Is this you?

  • This retreat is for generous people who are ready to receive.

  • For women who give a great deal and would love, for once, to have everything arranged for them.

  • For couples who want to be somewhere beautiful together, without one of them having to plan it.

  • For anyone who moves through life caring deeply for others and simply longs for eight days to be cared for in return.

  • You deserve this. It is now your turn.

Yes, I deserve this, hold my space!
Green hillside with white fence, lush trees, mountainous terrain in the distance under cloudy sky.

This might be the retreat for you if:

  • You can't remember the last full week you took entirely for yourself

  • You are the person everyone leans on and you’d love a week where someone holds space for you

  • You crave meaningful travel rather than surface tourism. You want nature, depth, and genuine connection over crowded sights and schedules

  • You want eight days where your meals, your transfers, and your experiences are entirely taken care of, and the only decision you need to make is whether to sit in the garden, or explore your environment

  • You are ready, even quietly, to return to yourself

  • Couples are warmly welcomed. Some of the most quietly profound moments on this retreat happen between two people who have finally stopped managing their shared life together and simply get to be in a beautiful place with nowhere to be, and nothing to arrange.

It is something that will happen slowly, when you stop doing and start receiving.

The transformation is not something you will do.

Where you will stay

Both hotels have been chosen because they feel like the retreat itself: unhurried, beautiful, and quietly attentive to everything you need.

Nights 1-4:

Valle Escondido Resort & Spa, Boquete, Chiriquí Highlands‍ ‍

A scenic view of a large house with a garden, palm trees, and flowers beside a flowing creek with rocky banks, surrounded by green hills and trees.

Set in the lush highlands of Boquete, Valle Escondido is a resort built in genuine relationship with its landscape. Gardens, a river walk, and mountain views form the backdrop for your four nights in the highlands. All guests stay in Deluxe rooms: garden or valley view, single or double occupancy.

The thermal circuit including heated pool, sauna, and steam room, is yours, without limit, for the full duration of your stay. The gardens are always open. The terraces look out over the valley. After your morning in the forest or at the farm, you return to this.

A hotel room with a large bed featuring white linens and brown accent pillows. There is a wooden headboard and matching bedside table with a telephone and a notepad. Two pendant lights hang on either side of the bed, and a window with curtains is on the right side, allowing natural light into the room.
View of a hillside neighborhood with several houses surrounded by lush green trees and plants, with a clear blue sky overhead.
A two-story mountain hotel with a beige stucco exterior, illuminated by exterior lights, surrounded by lush green trees and mountain scenery.

Nights 5-7:

American Trade Hotel, Casco Viejo, Panama City

Interior of a bright hotel lobby with patterned tile floor, large windows, green plants, and a reception desk where a woman is checking in with staff. A woman with a hat and white dress stands at the counter.

One of the most beautifully restored hotels in the Americas, the American Trade sits at the heart of Casco Viejo's UNESCO-listed colonial quarter. Music floats through the plaza right in front of the hotel. The architecture is the art.

Double-occupancy guests stay in a Super Double Room, two queen beds in a room generous enough for genuine rest. Solo guests stay in a King Room with more than enough space for one person to stretch out, or for a couple to rest comfortably.

A multi-story white building with classical architectural details, including columns and balconies, is surrounded by trees and parked cars during dusk.
Two double beds with white linens and blue striped runners, wooden headboards, bedside lamps, and a nightstand in a hotel room with large windows and white curtains, ceiling fan, and wood flooring.
Yes, Sign me up!
A cozy reading room with a wooden round table surrounded by six green patterned chairs, a large built-in bookshelf filled with books on the wall behind, and large glass doors letting in natural light, with a potted plant in the center of the table.
A garden entrance decorated with French and Panamanian flags, surrounded by lush green bushes and trees.
A close-up of a reddish-brown, textured insect on a green plant, with surrounding green leaves and grass.
Flat lay of fresh vegetables, limes, and dried fruit on a wooden surface, with small bowls of syrup and other ingredients.
Group of women hikers standing on a mountain trail with lush green hills and a cloudy sky in the background.
A pink flower with five petals surrounded by large green glossy leaves with visible veins and water droplets.
Group of people hiking on a rocky forest trail surrounded by dense green foliage.
View from an airplane window showing the aircraft's wing with colorful design, clouds, and a city skyline below.
A small orange cup fungus on a log with some soil and green leaves in the background.
Group of seven people, including five women and two men, standing inside a restaurant or cafe, smiling for the camera. They are dressed casually and standing in front of a yellow wall with the partial word 'Brazil' visible. The restaurant has a woode
Two buildings with balconies and potted plants; the left building has a brown wooden balcony with potted plants and black outdoor lights, while the right building is white with dark blue window frames and a sign that says 'Museo de la Mola'.
Two large pine cone-shaped yellow and red tropical flowers growing on green stems surrounded by glossy green leaves in a lush forest.
A display of various straw hats with black and white patterns hanging on a rack at an outdoor market.

Every meal has been chosen with care

Interior of a restaurant with wooden chairs, tables set with white napkins, surrounded by large potted plants, tall windows allowing natural light, and a patterned tile floor.
Interior of a restaurant with wooden chairs, tables set with white napkins, surrounded by large potted plants, tall windows allowing natural light, and a patterned tile floor.

In Boquete, mornings begin at Valle Escondido at your own pace. Lunches are at local restaurants that know their ingredients by name. Evenings, the group gathers in places chosen with care: unhurried tables, good wine, the pleasure of a beautiful meal in beautiful company.

In Panama City, your culinary experience will include one of the top 50 restaurants in Latin America. You will dine at a variety of amazing culinary establishments, where seasonal Panamanian cuisine arrives seasoned with love and time is measured by your enjoyment, not by the clock.

On your final evening, Chef Ana takes you through Panama’s fascinating culinary journey providing one of the most intimate experiences in Casco Viejo.

Nourishment is not fuel. On this retreat, taking your time to savour the flavours and enjoy your meal becomes a form of rest.

This is a fully hosted retreat. No bill will ever be placed in front of you.

No one will ask what you'd like to do for dinner. Every breakfast, lunch, and dinner across all eight days has been selected because it nourishes something beyond hunger. Your only role is to be in the present moment.

Four oranges in a yellow net bag hanging in a market or grocery store.
Plate with rice and beans, fried plantain, pulled pork with sauce, and mashed root vegetables with berries on top, on a decorative tropical-themed plate.
A ceramic cup with a lid containing a yellow-colored soup placed on a white napkin on a green tray.
Fried plantains served with a bowl of vegetable soup on a wooden tray, set on a table with drinks and utensils in the background.
Grilled chicken thigh served over mashed potatoes with gravy, garnished with lime and sliced vegetables.
Seared fish fillet with blackened skin, topped with greens, served on a green puree, with orange sauce and foam, garnished with microgreens.
Chopped green onions, diced tomatoes, sliced jalapenos, and chopped onions on a wooden serving platter, with bowls of salt and a sauce in the background on a colorful, patterned tablecloth.
Fruits and vegetables on display at a market stand under a roof, including oranges, bananas, melons, pineapples, and various greens.
Fresh garden salad with leafy greens, cherry tomatoes, bell pepper strips, and mozzarella cheese on a white plate.
Assorted fresh vegetables including green and red peppers, garlic, onions, green beans, parsley, and chili peppers on a wooden platter.
Fried fish fillets garnished with a sprig of parsley on a white plate.
A plate of food with rice, fried fish, salad with lettuce and carrots, grilled chicken with vegetables, lemon wedge, and banana leaf, set on a table with a sunflower-patterned tablecloth. There is a bowl of beans, a glass of orange juice, and a fork
A fruit stand at an outdoor market with a variety of tropical fruits including pineapples, bananas, watermelons, papayas, and dragon fruits. There are some people shopping and a water dispenser on the right side of the image.
Woman in black shirt pouring hot water from a metal kettle into a coffee dripper on a wooden stand, surrounded by cups, coffee packets, and a map, in a cafe decorated with plants and a mural.
Close-up of green coffee beans on a wooden plate, with roasted coffee beans in the background, on a colorful cloth with patterns.
A man and a woman smiling and standing near a table with various fresh vegetables, fruits, and small bowls of sauces or condiments on it inside a restaurant called Taste Kitchen. The woman is preparing food with a portable cooktop, and the man is wat
A platter of various fried foods, colorful candies, and cookies on a festive green tablecloth.
Six women sitting around a wooden table in a brightly decorated restaurant, with a window and colorful decorations in the background.

Each day holds a single, gentle invitation

You arrive at each experience as you are. The landscape does the rest.

Front view of a historic church with two white bell towers, a clock on the left tower, and a decorative facade with statues and intricate details, under a partly cloudy sky.
Reserve my spot

  • The living farm: where patience becomes a practice

    At 1,500 metres above sea level, Sr. Tito of Finca La Milagrosa grows award-winning Geisha coffee using a roasting machine he built from recycled car parts. The Ngöbe Buglé community have an important role in this process. This is the story of a man who worked with the earth and a quiet reminder that the best things grow slowly.

    The Cloud Forest: The Gift of Forest Bathing

    The Pipeline Trail runs four kilometres through ancient cloud forest to a hidden waterfall. Your private naturalist guide takes you past trees draped in bromeliad and moss as you hear the sounds of a living forest in conversation with itself. If the forest decides, the Resplendent Quetzal, one of the most extraordinary birds on earth, will show itself.

    Butterflies, bees & honey : Interconnectedness

    Walk through a dance of hundreds of butterflies moving between flowers without hesitation or agenda. Taste honeys shaped by the specific ecosystems of the nearby Volcán Barú. Detect the hint of flavour of a particular meadow, a particular season while the garden sets the pace.

    Afternoons in the Art of Rest

    The thermal circuit at Valle Escondido including the heated pool, sauna, and steam room, is available throughout your stay. The gardens are always open. Rest in whatever form your body asks for.

  • A domestic flight from the western highlands to Panama City is all included and arranged. The drive down from the mountains, the small airport, the first view of the Pacific coast from the air: these are not logistics, they are part of your retreat. Your only role is to follow. After a delicious lunch, enjoy an afternoon of rest at the hotel before the evening begins.

  • Returning to source: the Embera community

    You travel by private transfer to the Gatun River, then by motorised dugout canoe into the forest to visit an Embera community. The Embera, Panama's river people, have organised their lives and traditional knowledge around the water and the forest for generations. You are received with music, dance, and a traditional meal of freshly fried fish, plantains, and seasonal forest fruit.

    Cacao, rhythm & Chef Ana's kitchen

    A chocolate masterclass traces Panama's extraordinary cacao from harvest to fermentation to finished bar. It is a process that is slow, patient, and rooted in the land. This is followed by a private drumming masterclass in the rhythms of Panama by a well renowned Panamanian percussionist. On your final evening, Chef Ana's kitchen: a Panamanian chef guides you through a culinary journey as you eat together. Marilyn closes the retreat with a ceremony of gratitude and integration.

    Evening walks through Casco Viejo

    Marilyn will lead the group on a gentle walk to dinner, through cobblestone streets that have been walked for four hundred years. You will move at the pace of someone with nowhere else to be but in the present moment.

  • A slow final breakfast. A leisurely morning in Casco Viejo followed by a private transfer to the airport.

“You’re not the same person who arrived. You don’t need to articulate how. You’ll feel it in the weeks that follow, in how you move, in what you notice, in what you no longer find as urgent as you once did.”

Everything…

is taken care of

This is a fully hosted retreat.

From the moment you land in Panama to the moment you leave, all arrangements have been made for you.

Your only decision is to arrive.

Included in your retreat

  • Domestic flights on Copa Airlines Panama City ↔ David (return flight)

  • Fast-track Immigration & VIP Lounge Service at Tocumen International Airport

  • All scheduled land transfers within Panama

  • 4 nights Valle Escondido Resort & Spa, Boquete

  • 3 nights American Trade Hotel, Casco Viejo, Panama City

  • Unlimited access: Valle Escondido thermal circuit (heated pool, sauna, steam room)

  • Visit to the Boquete Artisan’s Market

  • 3 daily meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner) representing a range of culinary experiences

  • All guided experiences & cultural visits

  • All admission/entrance fees

  • Private Naturalist Guide for guided experiences

  • All taxes and gratuities (e.g. guides, drivers)

  • Welcome circle & closing ceremony with Marilyn

  • Departure guide & trip information pack

Not included

  • International flights Cayman ↔ Panama

  • Travel insurance (strongly recommended)

  • Medical or emergency costs (insurance recommended)

  • Personal items and souvenirs

  • Alcoholic beverages (other than welcome dinner)

  • Hotel and spa extras or any additional services

  • Visa fees, where applicable

Yes, I want the VIP treatment!
A colorful bird with an orange head, green body, and long blue tail perched on a tree branch.
Group of hikers walking on a rocky trail in a lush green forest beneath a large moss-covered rock formation.
View of a town square seen through large interior window with geometric grid pattern, showing parked cars, trees, a statue on a pedestal, and buildings with red-tiled roofs under a blue sky with some clouds.
Lush green mountains with a clear blue sky and scattered clouds, dense foliage, and agricultural fields on a hillside.
A person crossing a small creek in a lush, green forest with walking stick, wearing hat, backpack, blue jacket, and sneakers.
Red tropical flowers with elongated petals and large green leaves in a lush forest setting.
Lush green mountains and forested hills with a partly cloudy sky above, and a distant view of a valley with scattered buildings.
Group of five diverse people walking on a dirt trail in a lush, green forest with tall trees and dense foliage.
Close-up of green fern leaves with intricate fronds and detailed texture.
Smiling woman in red shirt and gray pants hiking in lush green mountainous landscape, gesturing towards the distant mountains and cloudy sky.
A small, rocky stream flowing through lush green vegetation and trees with moss-covered stones in and around the water.
White mushroom with ruffled edges growing on a tree branch among green leaves.

Your Retreat Leader Marilyn Conolly

A smiling woman with curly hair, wearing a brown shirt, sitting outdoors next to some large white pumpkins.

Marilyn Conolly has been walking in wild places all over the world for most of her adult life. She has spent decades exploring the connection between people, place, and wellbeing. A nature immersion facilitator, and lifelong traveller, she has visited more than 50 countries across five continents, not in search of destinations, but as someone genuinely interested in the people, the place and in the experiences that reconnect people to their true nature.

As a UK-trained Reiki Master certified through a traditional Usui lineage and a practitioner of mindful meditation and forest bathing, Marilyn does not deliver wellness. She creates conditions and holds the space so that you can let go.

On this retreat, Marilyn opens the circle on your first evening and closes it on your last. She is present to your needs, weaving in mindfulness exercises throughout your retreat. She is your experience concierge and every detail of this journey has been arranged. You don’t have to manage a single thing.

Do you want to be cared for in the same way that you care for others?

Group of smiling hikers sitting on a rocky mountain trail with greenery and clouds in the background.

From people who've been here

"I loved the hiking and wandering. I loved the community of the other women. I loved the food and coffee experience in Old Town. I loved Jose [our guide] and the authentic experience he brought." - Shannon S.

"Being out in nature was fantastic! Having a knowledgeable local guide was also fantastic. The food and drinks were amazing. Having the opportunity to interact with local people was absolutely wonderful." - Milena C.

Your investment

This is a fully all-inclusive retreat with limited spaces.

Every meal, every transfer, every experience, every gratuity. The number you see is the only number you pay.

US $7,997 per person · double occupancy · fully all-inclusive

*Option to share a room with another solo traveller can possibly be arranged.

Single supplement: US $975

Payment schedule

  • US$ 2,400 deposit secures your place

  • US$ 3,197 by 1 August 2026

  • US$ 2,400 final balance by 1 September 2026

Minimum 6 guests · Maximum 10 guests · Places allocated on a first-confirmed basis.

*Payments by bank transfer only. USD to KYD conversation rate is processed at 0.84

Cancellation policy:

If the minimum spaces are not filled by 1 September you are entitled to a 100% refund.

Cancellations made on or before 31 July are entitled to a 100% refund less a US$25 administrative charge.

Cancellations made between 1 - 31 August 2026 are entitled to a 50% refund.

Cancellations made on or after 1 September 2026 are not entitled to refunds.

Travel insurance is strongly recommended.

Ready to return to yourself?

The group is small. The places are few. Your nervous system has been waiting.

If you feel it, even quietly, this is your invitation.

Reach out directly to ask a question or reserve your place.

Ask a question or reserve my place
A scenic view of a lush green landscape with trees, a lawn, and houses with red tile roofs in front of green mountains shrouded in clouds.

Frequently asked questions

  • The hiking on this retreat is rated easy to beginner. It is mostly flat, unhurried, and led by a private naturalist guide who sets a gentle pace. If you can walk comfortably for three hours with breaks, you are well-equipped for everything on this itinerary.

  • Absolutely. Actually, most guests travel alone. The group is small by design with a maximum of ten people. You will not feel like a stranger for long. Solo guests can have their own room at both hotels (single supplement applies).

  • This retreat is inclusive and is open to all. What matters is where you are: at a point where you need to receive more than you give, and where you are willing to let someone else hold the details for eight days.

  • Please share any dietary requirements or allergies when you enquire. All retreats managed through Roam & Restore work proactively with restaurants and venues to accommodate guests. You will not go hungry and you will not be an inconvenience.

  • Everything on your retreat is optional and the afternoons on this retreat are always free. Valle Escondido's thermal circuit and gardens are all yours without any expectation. If you feel tired on a morning and need to rest rather than walk to the forest, that is entirely honoured. The retreat is designed to nourish, not perform.

  • November sits at the transition between rainy and dry season in the Chiriquí Highlands. Mornings are often cool and clear, with possible afternoon cloud or light rain. Temperatures range from approximately 57°F to 72°F (14°C to 22°C). The mist and greenness are part of what makes the highland landscape extraordinary. Pack light layers.

    In November, Panama City will be tropical and warm during the days with cool evenings. Temperatures will range from daily highs of 84°F (29°C) and comfortable overnight lows near 74°F to 75°F (23°C to 24°C).