SOUTH AFRICA

July 27-Aug 2, 2025

$4000

RETREAT

ONLY 6 SPOTS AVAILABLE

South Africa $4000 - what’s included?

Shared Rooms

6 nights/7 days of lodging in our fabulous home @thekiaathouse

ALL food, wine, and beer in the home. 6 Home made dinners by my chef husband, 4 lunches, 6 breakfasts. Listen up- we love to eat so we don't skimp on the good food. (ex meals- Lamb Tajine, Ostrich Risotto (we also have steak just in case), Durban Curry, and other various local dishes.)

2 safaris with the BEST GUIDE in the biz - (BREAKFAST + LUNCH NOT INCLUDED)

Meet and hug a local elephant 

Sunset happy hour drinky poos by Croc River- we will enjoy watching local wildlife such as elephants, waterbuk, buffalo, lions and more end their day by the river.

Afternoon zebbie, kudu pets in our back yard ( not to mention giraffe, warthog, and various other wildlife hangs).

Late night fire talks

Learn one of our local languages (siSwati) as our dear friends come to teach us basic phrases to mingle with the locals.

24/7 Karstcierge service - WE ARE IN THE HOME AND WITH YOU AT ALL TIMES.

Massage DAY! Local masseuses come to our home to give us all 90 minute massages. IT IS TRULY TO DIE FOR.

Optional add ons - day trip to local village for up close cultural experiences, 4 wheeler treks, bird watching trails, walks in our neighborhood to spot our rhino neighbors and/or dinner in local lodge.

Flights, travel insurance, tips, and car rental not included.

*OPTIONAL PICK UP AND DROP OFF FROM LOCAL AIRPORT ADDITIONAL COST

THE EXPERIENCE

The House

Our home is in a private game reserve. This allows animals such as zebra, kudu, warthogs, and giraffe (to name a few) to freely wander through our neighborhood. Each day you will wake up to a new animal encounter in the privacy of our back yard. MANY of the images above are from our yard.

Our 2500 sq ft home sleeps up to 7 in two large rooms. Each room has a private bathroom and shower.  The rooms are shared. We have 2 queens and 3 singles. We sleep in a 3rd room upstairs. We have an outdoor shower and huge tub that are 100% at your disposal. 

If you would like to share a queen please let us know. We offer a $250 discount each for sharing a bed. No room will have more than 4 people. 

We invite you to look at our instagram for some of the best videos of animal hangs and a more in depth view of our home. @thekiaathouse

*peep the zebbies in our back yard

@thekiaathouse

A FEW TESTIMONIALS

  • Sadie | South Africa 2024

    “My fiance and I recently attended an incredible journey with Karst Retreats, and it was truly a life-changing experience. Christina and Thomas Karst are not just hosts; they're like old friends you've known forever. But what made this journey truly special was how it made us feel. It was a chance to slow down, reflect, and appreciate the beauty of life in its simplest moments. Thank you, Christina and Thomas, for sharing your home, stories, and hearts. We'll cherish the memories of our time with you forever, and start counting down the days to our next retreat.”

    View Sadie’s full review here.

  • Erica | South Africa 2021

    “A friend was telling me about a retreat she was going on to Morocco and I was so intrigued. Of course, as soon as I saw that they also went to South Africa and had wild animals roaming in their backyard I was sold on that retreat instead. Everything was easy peasy as far as booking the trip and talking through the details with them. They are very charismatic and I felt so welcomed into their home. I arrived a few days before the rest of the girls and was lucky enough to join them on a gin tasting. When the rest of the girls arrived it was so lively and we all got on so well. This was truly a spectacular time and I can't recommend it enough!!!”

  • Stef | South Africa 2019 + Morocco 2021

    “I’ve been on two Karst Retreats and I fully trust that Christina and Thomas only choose the best of the best for attendees. One o my avorite things about their retreats is knowing that the trip will be curated beatifully while also providing an amazing cultural perspective specific to that area of travel.”

  • Kirsten | Marrakech 2022 , Morocco Roadtrip 2023 + South Africa 2024

    “I recently went on a retreat to Marrakesh, Morocco with Christina Karst. I've done quite a bit of traveling in my life and I can say hands down, this was the most EPIC trip of my life. On every level, it was so personal and rejuvenating. The Airbnb she selected was exceptional, with each room being unique and representative of the location. Each night and sometimes during the afternoon we would relax by the pool and get to know each other. Christina is a real pro at this and it will be hard for me not to want to go on every trip she has planned.”

    View Kirsten’s full review here.

 Now is 

your time

What are you waiting for? The perfect timing? The money? Permission?  We all know how capable we are of making a million excuses to put ourselves last. 

It's no coincidence that 2 out of 3 of our attendees choose to do a 2nd retreat with us. YUP.

We have witnessed and been told the shift in energy,  rush of emotions, and excitement to refocus is - at a minimum - what everyone has always walked away with. 

We want to see you LIVE your best life. We only get the one. 

JOIN US FOR AN UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE

$4000

00

STARTING AT

GETTING TO US…

AIRLINES

I know we all sometimes want to skimp on the flights. Don't. After years of traveling it’s worth the extra $200 for direct flights. Delta and United have direct flights to JNB from ATL or JFK. Tickets out of CLT are really good as well. Another little trick is flying to CDG or DUB and flying to JNB from there.

Trust us it's worth it. 

AIRPORTS

You have options You can fly to JNB or CPT. We recommend JNB if you don't plan to visit Capetown.

From JNB you have the option to drive ( 5 hrs) to us. Please note you will be driving on the opposite side of the road. Some flights arrived in the late afternoon so you would be driving through the night.

OR 

 Take a hopper flight to MQP 1.5 hours drive from us. We recommend the hopper flight.  

PS We are available to talk all this out with you.

OPTIONS...

Once you arrive to JNB you can either 

  1. Spend the night in on-airport hotel if your flight arrives after 4pm and drive the next am 5 hours to us. 

  2. Spend the night in on-airport hotel and take a hopper flight to MQP and drive 1.5 hours to us. 

  3. Spend the night  in on- airport hotel + take the hopper flight and arrange for us to pick you up (for a fee) and drive you to our home. 

*option 3 is most guests' preference. We will discuss this all of this as a group on our slack group communications once booked.

LIVE THIS LIFE FOR YOU

Add-Ons Available

PHOTOGRAPHY PACKAGE

A bonus of traveling with Karst Retreats is having a professional photographer as one of your hosts. Christina will be documenting the entire journey you take together.

Do you want access to all of the edited photos she takes of the people, places, food, and animals that you see while on this journey of a lifetime? Add it on below

BOUDOIR SESSION

We can’t think of a better way to treat yourself than a private boudoir session with an award-winning photographer in a badass place.

This is not required, but is an add-on option if you’d like to take advantage of a self-empowering experience on your journey of a lifetime.

FAQs

Who are the retreats for?

Someone with an adventurous spirit.

Someone open minded, curious, and ready to experience new places.

Someone ready for a breather. 

Someone who wants to die knowing they have seen more than just pictures of incredible places.

Who are the retreats not for?

Anyone uncomfortable in small group settings and shared living space for up to 9 days. 

Anyone uncomfortable in new environments or traveling internationally. 

Real talk- lots of our locations aren't always just like home and shit happens. If the idea of things not being perfect stresses you out this may not be for you. 

Someone who hates our kid. jk jk We just mean if you don't want a teenager around we get it. It's always possible they may be traveling with us- particularly to South Africa since its our home. 

Will I get close to animals?

ABSOLUTELY!!! Whether on safari or in our back yard. If you are an amateur or professional photographer this place is a dream. All my photos are on 200-600 or 100-500 lenses. Every picture you see of the animals I took personally. You will walk away with Nat Geo opportunities.. 

Do you take groups?

Yeah we do, Boo.

Is it your birthday, anniversary, bachelorette, or any excuse for you to travel with your friends? We absolutely create and host trips for groups of friends or family. 

Are boudoir sessions available here?

UNLESS we are in a country where we would be disrespectful to their culture- duh! We will note when a boudoir isn't available. 

This is an add on option.

Do you recommend travel Insurance?

Si. Oui. Ja. Yebo. YES!

All money paid is non refundable. We always suggest insurance so that should ANYTHING happen you will be reimbursed. We would require it if we could! 

IT’S TIME. STOP WAITING