Three kinds of retreat promise the same thing at first glance: less noise. They are not the same, and choosing the wrong one is the quickest way to come home disappointed. Here is how we tell them apart at Umnya Desert Camp, in the dunes of Erg Chegaga.
Choose a sleep retreat if your nights are the problem
A sleep retreat is built around the hours before and after you close your eyes. The days are arranged to tire the body kindly: sunrise meditation, slow floor Pilates, a walk with the nomads, sandboarding. The evenings are quiet, with an early dinner, a herbal infusion, a book or a gentle game, and no screen. The place does the rest: a sky rated Bortle 1, no wifi, no network and a real bed in a tent suite with a private bathroom.
It is not a treatment. We treat nothing and diagnose nothing, and anyone living with a sleep disorder should speak to a doctor first. See The Sleep Programme, five days from February 2027.
Choose a digital detox if your phone is the problem
A digital detox is about the device. The point is to put the phone away, feel the urge to check it fade, and rediscover what a day looks like without it. There is no wifi and no network in the camp, and the nearest phone signal is a short walk away, about twenty minutes there and back. Our phone-free desert retreat is built around that.
Choose a silence retreat if your mind is the problem
A silence retreat is about speech and thought. Conversation drops away, days follow a slow rhythm and attention turns inward. It asks more of you than the other two. Read about the silence retreat before you decide.
How to decide
- Waking tired, lying awake or sleeping badly: start with the sleep retreat.
- Reaching for your phone every few minutes: start with the digital detox.
- A mind that never stops talking: start with the silence retreat.
The three overlap, and a sleep retreat includes a real digital detox, because phones are stored on arrival. If you are still unsure, write to us and describe your last month. We will tell you honestly which one fits.
