Surf, Yoga & Sisterhood: A Women’s Retreat in Cambutal, Panama

Some trips don’t just make for beautiful photos – they crack you wide open, in the best possible way. That’s what happened when a group of women gathered in Cambutal, Panama, for a retreat built entirely around surf, yoga, and girlhood.

We Were Never Meant to Do This Alone

That’s the whole premise behind this women’s retreat, and it’s exactly why I keep coming back to photograph it. Over several days on Panama’s Pacific coast, women who’d mostly just met came together for sunrise yoga, surf lessons, and long nights around the fire – the kind of trip that starts as a getaway and ends as something closer to a homecoming. Healing happens in shared stories, in the messy middle, in the wild laughter that surprises you after tears. It happens in saltwater and firelight, in art that speaks what words can’t, and in the steady hand of someone who just gets it.

Healing Isn’t Always Quiet

Some of the most powerful moments of this trip weren’t the posed ones. It was watching a woman fall into laughter with someone she’d just met but somehow already knew. It was art that said what words couldn’t, and movement and breath that let the body finally set something down and give it back to the earth. Around the circle, everyone carried both the ache and the hope of wherever they’d flown in from, and somehow, neither one felt too heavy here.

Into the Ocean, Together

My favorite frames from this trip are the ones taken in the water – women standing in the surf, unsure but brave, holding each other’s hands anyway. Add in some local culture, a lot of very well-earned dancing, and you get the kind of trip that leaves saltwater in your hair and a little more room in your chest.

If you’ve been craving this kind of connection – this kind of coming home to yourself and to other women – I hope you’ll join us next time. You belong here.

These retreats keep going. The next long one is our Iceland women’s retreat.

Frequently asked questions

Where was the women’s retreat held?

This retreat took place in Cambutal, a laid-back surf town on Panama’s Pacific coast.

Do I need surf or yoga experience to join a women’s retreat like this?

Not at all – these retreats are built for connection first, so all levels and experience are welcome.

Do you travel internationally for retreats and travel photography?

Yes, I love documenting retreats and travel sessions abroad – reach out if you’re planning something similar.

Let’s work together →

If you are thinking about coming on one, here is how my retreats work.