Host your own intimate gathering or retreat with us.
We are excited to share our space with people looking to reconnect with themselves, the Earth, and original cultures.
Let’s collaborate.
We are happy to offer our holistic retreat center in the highlands of Lake Atitlán for people looking for a healthy and ecologically-oriented Guatemala getaway. At Casa Awänímä, we like to collaborate with values-aligned leaders and groups and make it easy for hosts to create meaningful experiences.
While we are open to all kinds of creative retreats, these areas would be best suited for our space and most aligned with our values:
Gardening, herbalism & permaculture
Spiritual and ceremonial retreats
Detox & rejuvenation
Cultural immersions
Women’s empowerment
Leadership & entrepreneurship
Natural building training
Self-development retreat
Food & culinary workshops
Art, music & creativity
Community living experiments
Friends or family gathering
About The Space
Casa Awänímä is a 2.5 acre property located on a Tzununá mountainside with breathtaking views of the mountains, volcanoes, and Lake Atitlán. The space has been designed with permaculture principles in mind and is lovingly tended to by local hands.
We are proud that everyone who visits to the land reports feeling an immediate sense of peacefulness and ease upon entering. We work diligently to maintain a clean and uplifting energy field on the land. Beauty and plant vitality abounds.
The Perfect Spot for Serene Retreat
We promote an healthy, wholesome lifestyle, free of substances so you can connect deeply with the elements around. You can expect starry night skies, sunrise and sunsets, birdsongs, and clean, delicious air. The stone terraces and natural waterfalls and ponds support the growth of fruit trees, herbs, and vegetables, which your group is welcome to eat, along with the fresh eggs from our chickens.
It’s the perfect spot to learn permaculture in Guatemala, host a yoga and meditation retreat, or highlight sustainable travel and regenerative living.
Built with community in mind
Designed for group connection & communal living
The space is not too big and not too small: it’s perfect for an intimate gathering of 10-20 people, with unique spaces for different activities.
The accommodations are spread out between the Main House (5 rooms), Tzukasa (the casita) and the Back House (2 rooms).
There are also several communal spaces available for your group to use:
yoga deck
Best used as a yoga or movement platform and outdoor classroom space. It can fit 25 people seated in a circle, and 15 people with yoga mats. We have foam pads available for seating, 5 yoga mats available, and some weights for workouts.
AWANIMA CAFE
Our open-air cafe has a wide-open space for group cooking, hands-on workshops, and a deck that can seat 20. We also have a wood-fired pizza oven!
Tüj (temazcal) and cold plunge
Our earthen sauna fits 8 at a time and can be lit upon request. The cold plunge is always available for people to take a cool dip. The area has many herbs that can be used for plant baths and herbal steams. We also offer a ceremonial sauna, a traditional limpieza led by a local.
grassy areas & fire pit
We have spacious grassy areas in the gardens that can be used as an outdoor classroom, permaculture workshops or activity space. We have woven mats we can put down for seating. The fire pit can be used for fire ceremonies, bonfires, or cooking. It can seat up to 20.
Accommodations
Across our 7 accommodations, we have 15 beds. From December through May, we can also set up a canvas tent for an additional bed. For the most comfort and spaciousness at your Lake Atitlán retreat, we recommend group sizes between 10-15 people.
If you need more space, it’s possible to rent out nearby Airbnb private rooms for additional sleeping arrangements and still utilize the onsite communal spaces for your group activities.
Everything you need in one place
Private chef & meal-planning
washer and dryer on-site
hot water showers, towels, and filtered water on tap
Reliable Starlink wifi
Fully-equipped kitchen for large groups
transportation & operations support
Fresh, nutritious food is a top priority.
Our kitchen team is ready to serve your group with healthy, delicious meals. All of the produce is grown local here in Guatemala and delivered fresh from the market! You can find coffee, microgreens, dairy, honey, eggs, chicken, sauerkraut, kombucha, sourdough bread, and cacao made here in Tzununa and Lake Atitlán, and we can also harvest food that’s abundant in our garden for your retreat. Most consistently available in the garden is malanga (taro root), passionfruit, pigeon pea, lettuces, berries, herbs, and eggs from our chickens.
Available Activities
We love sharing the local culture with guests, and these activities help your group to connect with Place. Thank you for supporting local empowerment and economic growth in this region.
We are happy to help arrange these activities for you.
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Waterfall and mountain hikes
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Ceremonial Limpieza in the Tüj (Temezcal)
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Traditional Mayan Cooking Class
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History of Tzununa & Kaqchikel Basics Class
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Mayan Fire Ceremony
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Traditional Weaving Class
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Deep tissue massages & Mayan abdominal massage
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Marimba Band
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Cacao Preparation Workshop
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Trip to San Juan to visit artisans and buy locally handmade goods
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Trip to the San Marcos Nature Reserve
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Local Trash Pickup
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Delivering corn and basic food items to elders and widows in need
retreat spotlight
OBF Permaculture Immersions
Rooted in permaculture philosophy and designed around its three core ethics, our friends from One Big Family hosted three-week long sessions at Casa Awänímä. People from around the world came to the land to practice communal living and learn alongside practitioners in gardening, herbalism, natural building, wellness, and food.
About Tzununá
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Guatemala is known as the land of eternal spring. The temperature is always comfortable: you can wear short sleeves and linen pants during the days and a sweatshirt at night. Sunny season is from mid-November through mid-May, which means sunny days and cool nights. In rainy season (mid-May - mid-November), the weather is humid and warm, with afternoon rainstorms and lush foliage. Highest temp: 80°F (27 C). Lowest temp: 55°F (13 C). Typical: low to mid-70s (23 C).
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Tzununá has a local produce market in the town center as well as an ex-pat run kirtan and ecstatic dance on Sundays. There are a few cafes to visit, an herbal apothecary, a yoga center, and plenty of mountains and waterfalls to explore. We can advise on which particular activities we’d recommend for your group and find special ways to experience the place and culture.
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Tzununa is a small pueblo and easily accessible by walking. You can hike nearby mountains and walk downhill to the town center. Tuk tuks and boats are easily available to visit nearby towns, and we can help coordinate group transportation.
Mindfulness & Giving Back
It is our mission to make a positive impact for the local community here, which means educating our guests on the customs and culture of the Kaqchikel people, as well as giving back in gratitude for using these ancestral lands. We can explain more about this on a a discovery call and brainstorm ways for your group to be involved in leaving a positive imprint.
Answers to Your Questions
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Yes. If you rent the space, it’ll be reserved just for your group for the duration of your event.
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We are located 3-4 hours away from Guatemala City Aurora Airport (GUA). You can take a taxi directly from the airport to our location, or you can take a taxi or shuttle to Panajachel, then a boat to Tzununa, and then a tuk tuk or car up to the property. Some groups decide to stay overnight in Antigua before coming to the lake, which breaks up the travel day and gives guests some time to enjoy beautiful Antigua. We are happy to help you coordinate arrival and departure for your guests with our trusted travel contacts.
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You may see red alerts online warning of Guatemala’s safety, but it is not the reality on the ground here. Especially in rural areas, like where we are located, it is generally very safe. Of course, it is still recommended to practice normal precaution like not walking alone at night and being aware of your surroundings, as there can be petty theft. The place with the most active crime is in Guatemala City, but we don’t recommend spending too much time there anyway.
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To reserve the entire property at Casa Awänímä, we ask a 25% deposit up front when you sign a contract with us. An additional 25% is due 4 months before your retreat start date and again 8 weeks before your retreat start date. Your final payment of 25% is due 6 weeks before your retreat. For a cancellation made within 8 weeks of your retreat start date, we cannot offer any refunds. Cancellations before 8 weeks out may incur admin fees.
