Personalized Retreat With Counseling

Before arriving you will work together with your El Refugio host in designing the itinerary to meet your needs and desires. You will be able to establish the general structure and intentionality of the time to get the most out of the experience. Our trained and certified staff will facilitate towards healing, restoration, and transformation based on the information shared in advance and a questionnaire that you will be asked to fill out in the planning stages.

These retreats will include some formally guided activities as well as solo times that allow you to process what you are experiencing. The sessions of counseling woven into the retreat are led by our trained staff and facilitators who will lead you through personalized conversations, exercises, and intentional activities that will serve as tools to help you heal and grow. All of our adventure and reflection activities are designed to push you outside of your comfort zone in a safe environment. We invite you to engage with God in a different way than you normally do, which we pray will ultimately lead you into a deeper relationship with Him.

Everything we do includes an intentional time of processing and debriefing allowing you and/or your family to clearly connect the biblical concepts and principles that relate to the purpose of spending this time together. Activities may include the use of our various high and low ropes course elements, time spent at the climbing wall, or prayer and conversational activities, etc.

We encourage you to spend as much time in nature and the outdoors as possible during your stay. However, for additional comfort (and in the case of inclement weather) we do have a variety of covered or indoor spaces available. These include the pavilion, gazebo, chapel, and pergola outdoors, or the Upper Room in the upstairs section of our Dining Hall is also a great space to relax and reflect. Use of indoor spaces should be reserved in advance, prior to your arrival. Please do not hesitate to inquire about prices, locations, and amenities of each space with our coordination team!

Feel free to bring your own food and snacks if you desire or in the case that our dining services are not available. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks are available for purchase in our dining hall when dining services are offered. Choose from a variety of different options and schedule the meals you’d like in advance with our coordination team when scheduling your retreat. The hours of service and menu selection will be based on availability.

Fresh water is always provided from our mountain spring and hot beverages are available for purchase with prior reservation as well. For a more rustic experience, choose to roast hot dogs over the fire for one of your meals and enjoy s’mores made with Ecuadorian chocolate for a sweet ending!

You may choose to participate in the spiritual practice of fasting during your retreat. Alternatively, you may also opt to purchase a food basket, which is filled with simple artisanal food items carefully chosen to nourish your body and to invite you into communion with God during your retreat. Confirm with the Guest Services coordinator what food arrangements are available to you prior to your arrival.

El Refugio offers a variety of options for overnight accommodations. Choose to stay in one of our cabins, dorm-style rooms, or spend the night at one of our campsites. If you’re an individual and would like to have your own cabin for day use, we recommend renting the Cooper Hermitage Cabin where you can light a fire, have a bed to lay on and a comfortable chair to sit in. It’s the perfect location for solitude and reflection.

Dorm-Style Room: Accommodates up to 12 people, all contain bunk beds and one queen bed, and are conveniently located next to our Dining Hall. 

Cabins: These are ideal spaces for an individual, couple, or small family. This option provides a refrigerator, coffee and tea, and in certain cases your own kitchen or kitchenette. 

Camping: Available for those looking for a more rustic experience, enjoy hiking and appreciate being a bit further away from the center of where most activities take place. 

Contact our coordination team to learn more about prices, amenities, and locations to choose the space that will be best suited for your experience and needs. Hours of arrival and departure will be finalized with the coordination team.

We invite you to engage with God in a different way than you normally do, which we pray will ultimately lead you into a deeper relationship with Him. Our hope is that after allowing us to walk alongside you through your selected activities of outdoor adventure, rest, reflection, and simply enjoying God’s creation, you’ll go home refreshed and leave with a greater sense of the areas where you’d like to pursue growth. The intentional times of counseling will illuminate and provide new understanding to biblical concepts that the Lord may be trying to demonstrate to you during your retreat. Our trained and certified staff will facilitate towards healing, restoration, and transformation, helping you to process your experience and identify next steps, to empower you with the tools to face the challenges that await you as you return home and live the abundant life in Christ.

As always, our desire is to work with you to customize your experience to make it what you need. We love personalizing everything we offer! Consider adding some of the following components to your Personalized Retreat With Counseling to make it your own:

+ Add on the use of the Cooper Hermitage Cabin if you’re only coming out for a day
+ Stay overnight instead of just spending the day
+ Arrive early and start your day off with breakfast in addition to any other meals  you may request in advance
+ Purchase our artisan food basket to enjoy during your stay
+ Reserve an indoor space in addition to any lodging you’ve chosen
+ Add a low ropes challenge to focus on teamwork and family/couple dynamics
+ Add a high ropes challenge to stretch yourself personally or as a family/couple, exploring concepts or faith and trust