7 MENA Retreats for When a Typical Holiday Won’t Cut It

Some people go on holiday to switch off. Others are seemingly more intrigued by the prospect of going on holiday to learn how to bake bread in Fez, ride a motorcycle across Morocco or spend four days dancing underwater with dolphins.

And honestly, fair enough. There’s something nice about coming back from a trip having actually done something, especially when that something involves the Atlas Mountains, Saint Katherine or the Red Sea.

Here are seven MENA retreats that let you spend your time away riding horses, cooking, writing, making art or practising Brazilian jiu-jitsu, with a few options that are considerably more adventurous thrown in for good measure.

A 9-Day Atlas & Desert Guided Motorcycle Tour From Málaga, Spain to Morocco and Back

📍Málaga, Spain to Morocco/Morocco to Málaga, Spain

🗓️October 3rd to 11th, 2026/October 24th - November 1st, 2026

💰From ~USD 2,952

If your idea of a relaxing holiday involves over 2,800 kilometres of winding mountain roads, desert dunes and a motorcycle between your legs, this guided trek might just be your perfect match.

Starting in Málaga, the nine-day tour crosses over to Morocco and takes riders through the Rif and High Atlas Mountains, the Sahara Desert, Dades and Marrakech. Along the way, there are scenic detours through Tizi n'Tichka, Dades Gorge and Todgha Gorge, plus a stop at the UNESCO-listed Ait Benhaddou. There’s also a night in a desert bivouac, with the option to catch the sunset from the dunes before calling it a night.

Leading the tour is João Gomes, who started riding motorcycles young and eventually turned his passion into a career as a motorcycle tour guide. Groups are kept small, with a maximum of six participants, and the tour is beginner-friendly, with rental bikes from Honda, BMW, KTM and Benelli available and the simple requirement that attendees can ride for at least 2-3 hours at a time.

Daily rides range from 200 to 400 kilometres, taking riders from mountain passes to desert roads, with a rest day in Marrakech before the final stretch back towards Málaga.

A 7-Day Horseback Riding and Yoga Retreat Along Morocco’s Atlantic Coast

📍Agadir, Morocco

🗓️Flexible Dates

💰From ~USD 1,063

For seven days, Brava Ranch swaps the usual holiday routine for morning yoga, long days outdoors and plenty of time in the saddle.

Based near Agadir, the retreat takes riders through beaches, sand dunes, mountains and a nearby nature reserve, with routes that include Tifnit beach, ocean-facing dunes and a traditional fishing village where fresh seafood is on the menu.

The retreat is led by Anas Diab, founder of Brava Ranch, who has more than 20 years of experience in equestrian arts. Groups are kept small, with a maximum of four participants, and horses are matched to each rider’s experience.

For all the riding and outdoor activity, there’s still some time set aside for the more familiar side of a retreat, with a camel ride, optional quad biking and a traditional Moroccan hammam and massage.

A 6-Day Visual Arts Residency in the Ancient Landscape of Luxor

📍Luxor, Egypt

🗓️Flexible Dates

💰From ~USD 2,222

If you’d rather spend your holiday making art than simply looking at it, this six-day visual arts residency in Luxor puts the studio work at the centre of the trip.

Based in Malkata, the residency combines dedicated studio time with workshops covering drawing, perspective, colour, geometry and abstract image-making. There are also guided visits to sites including Medinet Habu, where the ancient landscape becomes part of the creative process rather than just something to photograph.

The residency is limited to two artists and is aimed at people with an established practice, with plenty of time for self-directed work in between workshops and site visits.

When you do step away from the studio, the programme includes a Nile felucca trip, museum visits and meals around Luxor, with plenty of time to explore beyond the residency itself.

A 5-Day Writing Retreat Through Saint Katherine’s Mountains

📍Saint Katherine, Egypt

🗓️October 27th to 31st, 2026

💰Upon Request

What if the best way to get back into writing is to stop sitting at a desk?

Papertrails’ Fall Edition heads into Saint Katherine this October, turning trekking through the mountains into part of the writing process. As participants move through the landscape, their writing moves with them, with the group eventually building a collective body of work inspired by the land around them.

The retreat is open to everyone from professional writers and artists to hobbyists and complete beginners.

A 6-Day Food Journey Through Fez

📍Fez, Morocco

🗓️Flexible Dates

💰From ~USD 986

If your idea of getting to know a city involves eating your way through its markets and learning how to make the good stuff yourself, this six-day food journey in Fez might be right up your alley.

Based at Riad Anata in the heart of the medina, the retreat puts Moroccan food at the centre of the trip, with hands-on cooking and baking classes built into the programme. One day takes you to the market to pick out ingredients before turning them into a three-course lunch, while another has you making Moroccan biscuits or bread before baking them in a neighbourhood public oven.

Outside the kitchen, there’s time to explore Fez or head out on optional excursions to places including Chefchaouen, Meknes and the Middle Atlas.

Five nights at the riad, daily breakfast and dinner and, importantly, plenty of opportunities to eat what you’ve made are included.

A 6-Day Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Surf Holiday on Morocco’s Atlantic Coast

📍Agadir, Morocco

🗓️November 23rd to 28th, 2026

💰From ~USD 1,308

For anyone who can’t decide between a surf trip and a martial arts camp, this one lets you do both...

Rip & Roll Camp in Anza, Agadir combines Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ), surfing, yoga and meditation, with eight or more BJJ seminars and two surf lessons with video analysis included throughout the week. You can train in both gi and no-gi, head into the water for a surf or simply sit one out and explore the coast instead.

The camp is based at Blue Waves Surf House, just moments from the beach, with four BJJ instructors and surf equipment available beyond the scheduled lessons.

There’s also a trip to the Tamri dunes, sandboarding, sunset tea and evening activities, alongside Moroccan breakfasts and dinners. Basically, there’s not much chance of getting bored once you’re off the mats.

A 6-Day Family Retreat for Dancing, Freediving and Dolphins in the Red Sea

📍Hamata, Egypt

🗓️October 17th to 22nd, 2026

💰From ~USD 1,889

If your family holiday usually involves a hotel pool and a few rounds of “what do you want to do today?”, this one takes things in a rather different direction.

Blue Mind Molly’s six-day retreat takes families out into the Red Sea, with four days aboard a yacht centred around freediving, underwater dance, yoga and time in the water around Sataya Reef’s resident pod of spinner dolphins.

The retreat is led by Molly Basterfield, a freediving instructor and underwater dancer, alongside Larisa Malykhina, an AIDA-certified freediving instructor and yoga teacher with more than 15 years of experience.

The activities are open to beginners and can be taken at your own pace, with time for yoga, dream sharing, freediving and water-dance sessions during the day, followed by creative activities including sound journeys, painting and singing in the evenings.

The trip also includes two nights at beachfront hotels, with the final stop in Abu Dabbab, where there’s a chance to spot the area’s resident dugong.