La Tierra — BaanChang, Thailand
A private 12-acre retreat sanctuary near Chiang Mai, Thailand
La Tierra means soil, and the name carries the idea: a 12-acre sanctuary of forest and fruit farm near Chiang Mai, where everything grows. Its hosts say they found profound peace on this land in quiet times, and now share it with groups who want to reconnect with nature, themselves and each other. It sits about an hour's drive from Chiang Mai airport.
Each group has the grounds to itself. Ten Lanna-style wooden cottages sleep up to 24 guests. The Big House sits above the main meeting room and has a terrace for stargazing, and the Double Cottage has an open-air bathroom. That meeting room, the Transformation Room, is roughly 140 square metres with forest views. It holds 28 yoga mats or 50-plus theatre-style seats and is set up for workshops, sound healing, breathwork and movement. Outside are an open-air sala, a shaded dining area and a campfire circle.
Meals are full board from an on-site chef. Dinner is a three-course Thai-fusion meal built on the family's grandmother's recipes, and lunches come from the family's favourite spots in Chiang Mai. Vegan and gluten-free needs are met. The property allows no alcohol, smoking or vaping.
The gatherings vary. Two back-to-back cohorts from a Taiwanese group spent days on yoga, sound baths and one-on-one soul readings, and closed their evenings with paper-burning rituals at the fire. Others have held yoga retreats, a youth ministry camp, a corporate offsite and weddings; day events can reach 250 people. Hosts Pim and Milan arrange rafting, elephant-sanctuary visits and waterfall hikes with local guides. One New Year group was invited into an Akha village festival through the venue's long-standing partnership there. The minimum stay is two nights.
Traditions: Yoga, Meditation, Sound Healing, Breathwork, Thai Massage, Campfire Release Rituals
Programs: Yoga and movement workshops, Sound bath sessions, One-on-one soul readings, Campfire paper-burning release ritual, Sunrise yoga at the sala, Elephant sanctuary care, Whitewater rafting on the Kaengkued river, Guided waterfall and village hikes