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The Guardians of the River Retreat is a four-night immersive experience dedicated to river guardianship, cultural memory, and embodied connection with water. Set in central Portugal during spring, the retreat invites participants into a deep relationship with living rivers through swimming, walking, listening, singing, and learning from both ancient traditions and local landscapes.
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This is not a wellness retreat in the conventional sense. It is a cultural and ecological immersion grounded in river geography, hydrology, ancestral water knowledge, and lived experience—an invitation to remember rivers as beings.
Retreat
Overview
Core themes
Participants will be introduced to the Portuguese tradition of singing from fountain to fountain (cantos e cantigas), a communal practice historically used to honour springs, mark territory, and maintain relationship with water sources.
These sessions will involve walking between springs, learning simple repetitive songs, and understanding how sound and memory have historically protected water.
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The retreat also draws on Aquilógio, an 18th-century Portuguese text that explores water sources, springs, flows, and protection of waters. Through guided readings and discussions, participants will explore how early Portuguese water stewards understood water not only scientifically, but morally and culturally—as something requiring care, reverence, and restraint.
Book now!
Only 10 places available:
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€850 / £740 all inclusive
International flight from within Europe, Accommodation x 4 nights
Airport transfer
Transport and activities
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Proposed Programme
Day 1 – Arrival & Orientation (30 April)
Arrival in Portugal and transfer to Quinta do Chaparrinho (Base, see pic left)
Welcome circle and introduction to the landscape
Orientation walk along the Zêzere river
Evening session: Meeting the River — listening, observation, first immersion
Optional evening swim or river bathing
Day 2 – River as Cultural Memory (May 1)
Early morning river swim or bathing practice
Visit to ancient village of Sardoal (picture): midday walk to local springs and fountains
Introduction to Portuguese fountain-to-fountain singing traditions
Afternoon session on Aquilógio: early Portuguese water stewardship
Reflection circle: what does it mean to “guard” a river today?
Evening sound session by Fontes River Beach
Day 3: River and Landscape (May 2)
Morning visit to Penedo Furado National Park (20 minutes away from the quinta), including walking, bathing, and time at the falls
Group reflection on sound, vibration, and water
Visit to Museum of Fire and Resin and Conheiras (ancient riverside gold mines)
Evening session: Water as Ancestor — storytelling, sharing, integration
Day 4 – Guardianship & Integration (May 3)
Morning swim and quiet reflection
Session: River Guardianship Today — practical, ethical, and cultural dimensions
Small group discussions: how participants carry this work home
Closing ritual with the river
Evening meal and closing circle
Day 5 – Departure (May 4)
Morning departures
Visit to Almourol Castle on way back to airport
Return
Guardians Worldwide is an international non-profit organisation.
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Guardians UK CIO is a Registered Charity (Charity Commission Number 1214169)​​​​
Associaçao Guardians Worldwide is a Registered non-profit in Portugal (NIPC: 518596737)
GWW Africa Ltd is a registered PLC in Nigeria (Reg No: 8272797)
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Guardians UK CIO
20 Grange Lane
Sydenham Hill
London
SE21 7LH
UK
​Guardians Worldwide
Reserva Florestal Portelas
Caminho das Portelas Predio 394
Penamacor
6080-901
Portugal
Mission