The Guide to Retreats in Rarotonga & the Cook Islands: Yoga, Wellness & More

If you’ve found a retreat too amazing to resist or are looking for destinations where you might be able to find one, then chances are, you’ll be taken to one of the Cook Islands' most-visited islands.

Wellness and Yoga Retreats on Rarotonga

A volcanic island of verdant greens jutting out of the deep blue Pacific Ocean, Rarotonga is the largest island of the Cook Islands. Almost the entirety of its perimeter is white sandy beaches sloping into an encircling turquoise lagoon.

Needless to say, there are many stunning settings for yoga retreats on Rarotonga, yet the main town, Avarua, is never too far should you crave a little cosmopolitan convenience.

Rarotonga not only has a few resorts and boutique accommodations set up for yoga retreats, but there are also several weekly yoga classes and yoga tutors available on the island to provide private yoga sessions.

Find out more about the latter in 5 Best Places to Experience Yoga in Rarotonga & the Cook Islands and discover more about Rarotonga itself in The Complete Travel Guide to Rarotonga.

Wellness and Yoga Retreats in Aitutaki

A coral atoll made up of one large island and 15 smaller motu (islets), Aitutaki is often described as one of the most beautiful lagoons in the world. The relaxed pace of life, placid lagoon waters and balmy climate offer the perfect blend of elements for wellness and yoga retreats, of which there are several taking place per year.

While the atoll doesn't have its own offerings of yoga classes and instructors, Aitutaki is still a top destination for yoga retreats. Discover more about the yoga destination in The Complete Travel Guide to Aitutaki.

Of course, wellness and yoga retreats take place in the Cook Islands on a year-by-year basis. Here are some of the top yoga tutors and companies that offer yoga retreats in the Cook Islands the most regularly.

Raro Yoga Retreats (Skuha School of Yoga)

Rarotonga's only yoga retreat, Raro Yoga Retreats, is based on Rarotonga and is run by the Skuha School of Yoga (see the 5 Best Places to Experience Yoga in the Cook Islands).

They offer several one to three-day retreats throughout the year, usually with meals, yoga sessions, umu and cultural shows, meditation sessions included. Retreats take place at Raro Yoga Retreat's purposefully made yoga centre among the verdant gardens of Matavera.

Tropical Island Yoga

Everything is organised for you in this effortless six-day yoga retreat with Tropical Island Yoga.

On the island of Aitutaki, enjoy all airfares included, six nights at the Tamanu Beach Resort, daily sunrise yoga sessions and a comprehensive pranayama and meditation programme, daily fresh nu (drinking coconuts), four dinners, a lagoon cruise and second lagoon excursion, as well as gifts of an ei katu (head garland) and a sarong.

Marie Andrews Yoga

With more than 40 years of experience facilitating retreats across the South Pacific, Asia, New Zealand and Australia, you're in good hands on one of Marie Andrews' yoga retreats. In the Cook Islands, Marie Andrews Yoga typically hosts yoga retreats at Tamanu Beach Resort on the island of Aitutaki.

Week-long retreats typically include accommodation, morning meditation sessions, morning and afternoon yoga, breakfast, four evening dinners, two private lagoon excursions, a cultural show and airport transfers.

Whakaora Yoga

Specialising in retreats in New Zealand and the Cook Islands, Whakaora Yoga offers a week-long yoga retreat on Rarotonga each year. Retreats not only include a sunrise yoga session and other yoga mat practices each day, but you'll also join in on turtle swimming tours, island hikes and off-roading buggy tours.

With accommodation in a twin-share or double room, those who want to bring their partner along are more than welcome to.

Anandi Greene

Another stellar option for a yoga retreat on Aitutaki is Anandi Greene, offering six-day yoga retreats at the Tamanu Beach Resort. Practice yoga with daily sessions on the beach, by the pool or on a beachfront deck, while entertainment of cultural shows and island buffets are also part of the retreat.

Enjoy some dinners by the bonfire on the beach, five dinners of which are included in the retreat, as well as daily breakfasts. You'll also get to experience two lagoon excursions during your stay.

As you have seen, there are resorts and boutique accommodations ideally set up with yoga and wellness in mind. Whether you want to organise your own wellness vacation, book these accommodations independently, or join one of the retreats that these accommodations regularly host, we've listed the stays in Rarotonga and Aitutaki to keep an eye on for the perfect wellness escape.

1. Tamanu Beach Resort, Aitutaki - The chosen resort for most, if not all, of Aitutaki's wellness retreats thanks to its several locations on-site for practising yoga, even undercover should the day be a little drizzly.
2. Ikurangi Eco Retreat, Rarotonga - With a healthy homemade breakfast and an eco-centric location inland, Ikurangi Eco Retreat is an obvious choice for yogis looking for a gorgeous space for independent yoga, or you can hire a private yoga instructor as listed in the 5 Best Places to Experience Yoga in the Cook Islands. They also host the occasional yoga retreat.
3. Magic Reef Beachfront Bungalows, Rarotonga - This eco-resort offers yoga classes (when yoga instructors are available) on their beachfront pavilion.
4. Kiikii Inn & Suites, Rarotonga - This budget accommodation on Rarotonga's east coast has a waterfront shala that Skuha School of Yoga typically uses.

Yoga is not the only way to unwind and rejuvenate in the Cook Islands. Combine your yoga and wellness retreat (or curate your own) with spa treatments, touring the factories where natural coconut oils and cosmetics are made, practising sustainable living at an eco-resort, swimming with majestic turtles (or humpback whales), learning about natural health foods on an island discovery walk and much more!

And discover more ways to relax in the 10 Most Relaxing Things to Do in Rarotonga & the Cook Islands.