In a world where Latinas are increasingly seeking spaces of healing, joy, and cultural reconnection, a new kind of self-care is taking root. From the highlands of Guatemala to the sacred valleys of Peru, Latina-led wellness retreats are redefining rest and sisterhood through travel that nurtures both the self and community.
Studies have shown that wellness, health, and overall connectedness can improve upon attending a retreat. And the number of retreats offered is growing, thanks to a Global Wellness Tourism Industry that’s expected to hit 1.35 trillion dollars in the U.S. by 2028. And Latinas? We are partaking — we’re carving out spaces for intentional rest, away from the noise of hustle culture and toward a more rooted kind of wellness, one that honors culture, ancestry, and community.
For Mexican-Cuban American Anina Monteforte, founder and CEO of sustainable travel company The World Within Us Travels, her retreats were born from lived experience. Starting to travel extensively in 2015, she knew she wanted to create a space where people could foster their love of travel in group settings. And in 2019, her dream company began.
“We work exclusively with women to empower women in the tourism industry, and partner with sustainable, community-focused hotels,” she says. What began as immersive group trips evolved to include retreats — and, after reading the book “Self-Care for Latinas” by Refinery29 Somos deputy director Raquel Reichard, she set out to work with Reichard to create an intentional, Latina-focused retreat. “I didn’t realize the power that an all-Latina retreat could have. The way we connected and understood each other — it was unlike anything I had ever experienced,” she says of the retreat that took place in Guatemala in 2024.
Monteforte and Reichard’s “Self-Care for Latinas” retreats are more than body movement and journaling (though those are included). They’re also about honoring ancestral practices and cultures — partnering with local guides and healers to host ceremonies like cacao blessings, fire rituals, and, in the case of the upcoming October retreat in Peru, an Incan despacho. “Our trips are more than wellness — we also add elements of cultural immersion, which I believe is necessary and also a part of learning the destination,” she says.
It’s a sentiment shared by Black Panamanian Dash Harris, founder of AfroLatinx Travel, which leads educational and community-building trips that highlight Black history, legacy, spirituality, politics, and contemporary life in Latin America and the Caribbean. While her company doesn’t host retreats in the traditional sense, Harris sees how travel often becomes a form of healing and reclamation.
“For some, it does end up being a retreat into oneself and what they are seeking,” says Harris. “For some, it is to gain more information around their own familial or ancestral lineages, some may want a like-minded community to travel with as all of our participants are serious about learning, and others may simply want to visit a country and learn through the lenses of African history and Black contemporaries.”
Her trips focus on confronting and learning from the realities of anti-Blackness, history, and African diasporic presence in Latin America, all while building solidarity across borders. “Descendants of the African Diaspora should be connecting directly with one another, away from distorted dominant narratives,” she adds.
Whether it’s for spiritual alignment or ancestral reconnection, Latina travelers — especially first- and second-generation women — are now approaching travel differently. “We’re the first to do a lot — have financial autonomy, live alone, start businesses,” Monteforte says. “And often we’re also the first to travel like this. So if your desire is to see the world, go. Don’t let fear stop you.”
These retreats are not one-size-fits-all. Across the country — and the globe — Latina leaders are curating spaces that address everything from burnout and ancestral trauma to joy, sensuality, and creative rebirth. Each retreat offers its own signature flavor of healing, but all share a common thread: creating intentional, culturally grounded spaces where Latinas can feel seen and held.
Raquel Reichard, deputy director of Somos, is hosting the second annual “Self-Care for Latinas” retreat in Peru in October as part of a team-up with Monteforte’s The World Within Us Travels. The retreat is focused on connection and self-care, offering a mix of play, reflection, movement, and rest designed for Latinas.
Robyn Moreno, curanderismo practitioner and author of “Get Rooted,” offers spiritual retreats that guide Latinas back to their Indigenous roots. Her “Get Rooted” retreat at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York, in August is a deep dive into ancestral connection, energy healing, and the sacred feminine — designed to help participants reclaim their power through ritual and intuition.
Dash Harris, a historian and multi-media producer, has multiple educational and cultural trips scheduled this year through AfroLatinx Travel — AfroCuba in July, AfroPanama in August, and the inaugural AfroBrazil in November.
Christine Gutierrez, licensed therapist and author of “I Am Diosa,” hosts soulful “Diosa Retreats” that blend psychology with spirituality. Set in places like Puerto Rico and Bali (the next one is 2026 in Puerto Rico), her retreats explore inner child healing, shadow work, divine feminine energy, and sacred sisterhood. “These are not vacations,” Gutierrez has said. “They are rebirths.”
With more retreats on the horizon, this movement shows no signs of slowing. But it’s not just about booking a pretty trip. “Ask questions,” Monteforte urges. “Does the retreat align with your values? Is it locally led? Are women and Indigenous communities centered?”
For Harris, the answer is even more foundational: “Be intentional with your presence in spaces. In many touristic zones throughout Latin America, visitors are intrigued and seek out Black women who may work as public vendors and artists yet they see little return,” she says. “Travel with a purpose that benefits local communities materially.”
This new wave of Latina retreats isn’t just about escape. It’s about coming home to ourselves — and to each other.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Leave a Reply