Host a Journey
For teachers whose communities are ready for a longer silence.
We design the route and the rhythm with you, walk with the same Amazigh team on every journey, and take care of camps, meals, safety and arrival, so your attention can stay with your students.
Groups of 10 to 25 walkers.
7 to 10 days.
The Moroccan desert, from October to April.
A desert retreat designed around your teaching
You hold the teaching. We hold the desert.
How it works
1. A conversation about your community, your teaching and the season.
2. We design the route, the daily rhythm and the budget together.
3. Registration opens to your community, with our page, list and care behind it.
4. We walk.
We have walked with…
Plum Village France
Hosted traversées in 2026 and 2027 Our first hosted traversées were held with monastics from Plum Village, the community founded by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. The teaching was theirs; the route, the camps and the care were ours.
“The Plum Village practice of mindfulness, dharma teachings, sangha sharing and the practice of noble silence aligned beautifully with the overwhelming silence and presence of the Moroccan desert.” — Peter, walker
Our routes cross the Maïdr desert and the great dunes of Erg Chegaga, south of Morocco’s Anti-Atlas: dunes, stony plains and dry riverbeds, far from roads and villages.
Here, the absence of excess becomes its own form of support. Attention sharpens. Perception refines.
For a teacher, the desert does half the work.
What your community receives
Silent walking through the Maïdr desert or Erg Chegaga, 3 to 6 hours a day
Simple nomad camps, vegetarian meals and tea at dusk
The same local team on every traversée
Device-light days and small circles
Nights in Ouarzazate before and after the desert
This may be for you
if you are…
A teacher with a sangha, circle or community that already practices together
Looking for a retreat that is also a journey, held by a landscape
Wanting to offer a longer silence than a retreat centre allows
Ready to lead the teaching while someone else holds the logistics and care
The arc of a traversée
Day 1: Arrival in Ouarzazate, welcome and opening circle.
Day 2: Transfer to the desert and the first walk.
Middle days: Walking 3 to 6 hours a day, with your teaching, mindful meals and nights under the stars.
Last days: Return to Ouarzazate, closing circle and integration.
We shape the exact arc with you.
The shape of a traversée
10 – 25
Walkers
7 – 10 days
October to April
Every traversée is priced with you, according to group size, length and season. Your fee as the teacher is agreed in advance.
What we take care of
Route design and desert camps
Amazigh guides, cooks and camel caravan
Tea ceremonies and ritual design
Registration, payments and participant care
Preparation letters and packing lists
Transfers from Ouarzazate
What you bring
Your teaching
Your community
The intention
Questions
Every traversée starts with a conversation. Here are the questions teachers ask us first.
Write to us at metta@mindfulimmersions.com.
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Usually, yes. Hosted traversées are built around a community that already practices with you. If you are a few places short, we can talk about opening them to our invitation list.
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Between 10 and 25 walkers. Small enough to walk as one circle, large enough to feel like a sangha on the move.
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From October to April, when days in the desert are mild enough to walk. We choose the dates together, around your calendar.
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Seven to ten days, including the first and last nights in Ouarzazate. The number of walking days depends on your teaching and your group.
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Every traversée is priced with you, according to group size, length and season. Your fee as the teacher is agreed in advance, so you never depend on donations to make the journey work.
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You do. We hold the route, the camps, the ritual and the care. Joanna Riquett, founder of Mindful Immersions, accompanies every traversée alongside our Amazigh team, if requested.
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Yes, if they are comfortable walking 3 to 6 hours a day on varied ground. A camel caravan carries the baggage, and a private camel can be arranged for anyone who needs to rest.
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At Riad Dar Daïf in Ouarzazate before and after the desert, and in nomadic tents in the desert, with a private tent option. Basecamp has kitchen, toilet and washing tents.
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Most of our teachers prefer vegetarian meals, prepared fresh each day by our desert team and eaten together. Tell us about any dietary needs ore preferences for your group in advance.
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We do: the registration page, payments, preparation letters and packing lists, so your community deals with one clear place. If you prefer to handle this yourself, we can also just take care of operations and logistics on the ground.
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They travel to Ouarzazate, where we pick them up at the airport or bus station. Many fly into Marrakech and continue by bus or a short domestic flight.
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Write to metta@mindfulimmersions.com and tell us about your community, your tradition and the months you are considering. Every traversée begins with a conversation.
