The Development Goals of GEA Retreat Montenegro

by Andjela Djokic | Dec 24, 2023 | Sustainablity

Being a crazy ant is not an easy job. All of us crazy ants know it, but we usually wouldn’t do anything different even if we could turn back time.

‘…most of the ants in the nest are creatures of habit (workers). They mark their routes with scent trails and only follow routes where another ant once walked. So they obediently finish their work list. They will mainly work harder and harder but do nothing structural about the problem.

Fortunately, there are always several crazy ants (scouts) in a nest. They deviate from the fixed routes and, therefore, find new places that the ant people need to survive. The crazy ant is the one who will find a new place. But how does he convince the other ants to help him move the entire nest?’

Read the full story about the crazy ant here.

Lagant.nl

As many in our surroundings characterised us as crazy when we left the coast and headed up to the Adriatic hinterland of Central Montenegro to develop GEA Retreat, we wished to write this blog and explain our reasons, or better say goals!

dogs-enjoying-nature-gea-retreat-montenegro

GOAL 1 – Local Community Involvement & Development

Seeing the potential and optimal growth in rural tourism development of Montenegro, one of the leading thoughts of our business idea was to include the local community in all that we do.

Offering only local products to our guests and visitors is what we crave, but taking into account that our production is not big enough to cover all the needs yet, we saw an opportunity for everyone in the village to produce anything from fruits and vegetables to cheese, meat, marmalades, juices, rakija, wines and similar.

This goal includes long-term effects that are equally positive to our business development as to the city’s economic empowerment, a larger tourism inclusion and better rural product placement.

We frequently hear how the city of Niksic, where we are located, is not touristically developed, so we want to motivate people from this city to understand the potential of the area and plan their agricultural and other activities following all the possibilities that the modern market offers.

GOAL 2 – Sustainable Environment

The mal-influence of tourism on the environment has become very clear, taking into account massive movements, cruise travel increases and similar. Some of the greatest minds in sustainable tourism development are now finding a way to regenerate the travel market and decrease the negative effects of the travelling crowds that used to happen from the 70s of the 20th century up to today.

From the very beginning, GEA Retreat Montenegro had a clear idea in mind – development in touch with nature! All our efforts to find a remote place and cultivate it further paid off when we landed at the location of our well-being centre. We clicked with this area and saw all the small bits and pieces needed for the puzzle that we started to put together.

Firstly, we were enthusiastic that the village where we are now located doesn’t have a city water supply system. Most of the people we work with and our partners told us – oooh, but the water might be a problem there. We nodded and made it one step closer to our vision.

Most of the people living here collect the rainfall and snowfall in underground containers from which they distribute it further to their barns, houses and gardens. The same is with us. Our property has a 40 m3 water container built underground in the backyard, and it is connected to the house by an electric water pump. So, when you are inside our premises, you can’t feel the difference as it seems the same as in the urban areas. In reality, it is not the same, as we take as much as nature has given us and reuse it in our daily lives. The best part about it is the reaction of our guests and visitors and how fast they learn to collaborate in saving water and protecting natural resources.

Furthermore, we started planning a sustainable irrigation system for our gardens, orchard and future cattle. We dug a pool in the valley of 150 m3 size that will soon be our addition to recreation on the GEA estate, as well as a secure water supply for all the produce.

The system is planned with a SMART addition so that we can control the water flow even remotely.

A solar plant is something we keep for the near future, but it’s been on our list since the very beginning. The reason for postponing it is the investment that it requires. That piece of the puzzle will close the circle of self-sustainability and give us the title of the possibly only self-sustainable place in Montenegro, especially in the commercial market.

Thus, nature will give us:

– electricity from the power of the sun and wind, and

– water from the rainfall and snowfall.

This will shape our small system as a perpetuum motion machine.

GOAL 3 – Diversified Travel Product

As parts of our team have been working in tourism for years, we are aware of the clutter and fuzz that follows travelling. The effects of tourism on nature are not flattering, but luckily, the latest generations of travellers seem to see this problem and react to it.

Even before the pandemic, GEA Retreat Montenegro’s idea was shaped around the fact that nature has a healing effect and that we should let that fact into urban lives that are stale and dusty. We didn’t want seasonal work or to offer the same services as everybody else in the rural areas of Montenegro, so it took us time to shape the whole program and system with our partners and friends. From 2018 up to today, we haven’t stopped working on this idea and shaping it for the market in the best way we possibly saw it could go.

All our programs are based around the benefits and inspiration that nature gives us, and we invest ourselves in the best combination of silent time within the forest, hiking, swimming, outdoor adventures, yoga, fitness, healthy food & nutrition, and mindful workshops. We modestly consider that we crafted a unique travel product for the Montenegrin market, and we are fanatical about the reality that our demand is responding so positively to what we created for them! That gives us further inspiration and motivation to never stop and always introduce novelties to our products and the Montenegrin travel market in general.

Avoiding the short seasonal work, our doors are not open only to travellers and our programs are not crafted just for short-term rentals. We are happy to share that our first winter 2023 was more than successful at our estate, with digital nomads who have chosen coliving stay, entrepreneurs and MSMEs who have chosen our team buildings and workshops and last but not least – our volunteers, who help us and at the same time live the life with us, by applying the same set of rules and goals we crave for GEA Retreat.

We do hope to welcome you here and spread our love for nature and all it gives us with you, introduce you to our elderly neighbours and their delicious products and heal you by being one with our Planet Earth.

We wish that this blog enlightens you in your future travels and motivates you to only travel with purpose!

Why a One-Day Retreat?

Sometimes you feel that something inside you is asking for change. Not a dramatic life transformation, but a quiet inner shift, a moment to reconnect with yourself, to slow down, to understand what your body and mind truly need.

Many people believe that this kind of transformation requires a week-long retreat somewhere far away, stepping completely out of everyday life to find clarity, plus diving deep into so-called spiritualism, and going to the temple to atone for sins. It’s another fairytale of modern society. Unfortunately, many fall for this trick.

But meaningful change rarely happens all at once.

More often, it begins with small and conscious steps. They are deep inside you; tackle them, start working on them, and you will soon feel the necessary change.

This is exactly the idea behind the Soil & Soul One-day Retreat at GEA Retreat.

This day is intentionally designed to create space for reflection, learning and connection. In a calm and supportive environment, participants are invited to pause and explore simple practices that can gently influence their daily rhythm.

During the retreat, we focus on:

stepping away from everyday routines
discovering practical wellbeing tools that can be integrated into daily life
reconnecting with the senses and the body
creating meaningful conversations and connections
nurturing a deeper awareness of the self.

Everything we offer comes from lived experience. As a team, we are also on a continuous journey of mindful living and personal growth. Soil & Soul was created from that process, from our own search for balance, clarity and a more conscious way of living.

For this reason, the retreat is intentionally limited to small groups and teams. We believe in quality over quantity, personalisation over generalisation, and in creating enough space for each participant to feel seen, heard and supported.

What You Will Experience

Depending on the season, the Soil & Soul one-day retreat program slightly evolves, but its essence always remains the same: creating a space where you can reconnect with your body, senses, and the natural rhythms around you. Wellbeing Bazaar style. 🙂

Here is what the experience includes:

Naturopathy Assessment

Through a personalised wellbeing survey, our team gains insights into your daily habits, from how you sleep and eat to how you process stress, move your body, and maintain balance in everyday life.

Based on the results, we provide personalised guidance and practical suggestions that can help you improve your lifestyle and restore balance in simple, sustainable ways.

Each of us has a unique internal rhythm, a system that shapes how we respond to stress, nutrition, and daily routines. Through naturopathy, we aim to better understand that system and gently support it.

(prim.aut.): Naturopathy is the practice of supporting the body’s natural intelligence to restore balance through plants, nutrition, and conscious lifestyle choices.

Reiki – Energy Cleanse & Hygiene

Reiki is a gentle energy practice that supports deep relaxation and emotional balance.

During the session, participants are invited to slow down and experience a moment of stillness while our practitioner, Igor, works with subtle energy to support the body’s natural ability to restore harmony.

Many people describe the experience as deeply calming, a moment where the mind quiets and the body naturally releases tension. This session will give you a sense of how important it is to maintain energy hygiene.

Aromatherapy – The Language of Scents

Aromatherapy invites you to explore how natural plant essences influence the mind and body.

Through carefully selected essential oils, you will experience how scent can support emotional balance, deepen relaxation, and awaken sensory awareness.

In this workshop, aromas become more than pleasant fragrances; they become a pathway to presence, helping you reconnect with your senses and inner state. Some scents you’ll find more calming, others won’t be your ‘cup of tea’, which is valuable wisdom of your body told to you during this session.

In practise, if some energy centre is blocked, you will usually find the scent connected to that centre either too intense or unpleasant to your senses.

Mindful Eating - The Wisdom of Consuming

Food is not only nourishment for the body, but it is also an experience of awareness.

During this workshop, we explore nutrition from a holistic perspective, understanding how food, sunlight, air, environment, social energy, and even our thoughts influence how we feel and how we absorb, process and digest.

Participants are invited to slow down, observe their relationship with food, and discover how simple, mindful choices can bring more balance into everyday life.

Motivational Bio Gardening

Working with the soil has a unique grounding effect on the human mind and body.

Through simple bio gardening principles, participants learn how to plant, cultivate, and care for the earth in a way that supports natural cycles rather than forcing them.

This practice reconnects us with the rhythm of nature, reminding us that growth, both in the garden and within ourselves, requires patience, attention, and care.

And don’t worry, even if you live in an apartment, you can grow your own food. Just if you want to.

Add-on Experiences

Depending on the season and weather conditions, the day may also include additional practices that deepen the connection with nature:

gentle yoga and meditation
barefoot walking and grounding in nature
meditative cloudgazing session
stargazing under Montenegro’s dark skies.

These moments invite participants to slow down even further and experience the quiet intelligence of nature. Throughout the day, participants move through these experiences in small groups, creating a slow and personal rhythm that allows everyone to fully engage with each practice.

I created Soil & Soul because I believe wellbeing should not be complicated or exclusive. Sometimes it begins with a simple moment of awareness, the smell of herbs, a quiet conversation, a meal shared slowly, says Andjela

The Power of Small Groups

To make the experience both dynamic and personal, Soil & Soul is organised in a wellbeing bazaar format (our trademark thing, we are proud of).

Participants are divided into small groups that gently rotate through the different workshops during the day. This structure allows everyone to experience each activity while keeping the atmosphere intimate and interactive.

Instead of listening passively, you engage directly with the facilitators, ask questions, and explore each practice in a hands-on way. The small-group format ensures that every participant receives attention, guidance, and space for a truly personalised experience.

After the wellbeing bazaar rotation reaches its full circle, we gather again together to share a healthy, vegetarian meal, made with love by Biljana and Andjela.

Why It Works for Team Building?

We clearly explained, so far, what you can expect individually. But our team believes that this one-day retreat is such an amazing offer for team building (we tested it on our own skin), and we want to briefly explain why.

Most modern society corporate team buildings are designed around competition, adrenaline activities, and networking that often feels forced. While these formats can be entertaining, they rarely address the deeper reality many teams face today – stress, overload, and a growing sense of burnout.

Soil & Soul one-day retreat offers something very different for your team. Instead of pressure and performance, the environment invites calm. Instead of competition, there is space for authentic conversations and shared reflection. Through mindful practices, nature connection, and simple human presence, participants experience a slower rhythm that naturally reduces stress and allows people to reconnect, both with themselves and with each other.

We believe that companies do not need exhausted teams constantly pushed to perform. They need people who feel balanced, conscious, and supported, individuals who can contribute with clarity, creativity, and energy, and who choose to stay and grow within their organisations for the long term.

Companies benefit because:

employees reset mentally
communication becomes more natural
teams reconnect without pressure.

Book Now

For Whom is Soil & Soul Created?

individuals feeling overwhelmed with the everyday rhythm
people interested in natural wellbeing
professionals seeking balance
companies wanting meaningful team experiences and connections.

What Makes This April Edition Special

Early spring carries a certain unpredictability. One moment, the sun warms the air, and the next, a cool mountain breeze reminds us that winter has only just stepped aside. The same story happens inside of us. But, instead of resisting this rhythm, the April edition of Soil & Soul embraces it.

This gathering will unfold in a semi-indoor format, allowing us to move between cosy interior spaces and the surrounding nature whenever the weather allows. The atmosphere becomes more intimate, slower, and deeply focused, like an early spring conversation with nature itself.

Rather than a large outdoor event, this edition feels more like a warm seasonal gathering, where each workshop takes place in calm, sheltered spaces designed to encourage presence, reflection, and genuine connection.

It is, in essence, a cosy early-spring retreat dedicated to honouring the new season, gently awakening the body, the senses, and the mind after the long winter months.

soil & soul one-day retreat GEA retreat montenegro

Sometimes the most meaningful changes do not require leaving everything behind or travelling far away.

Sometimes they begin with a single day when you decide to pause, listen, and reconnect with yourself.

Soil & Soul is not about escaping life.

It is about remembering how to live it more consciously.

If this moment of pause feels like something you need, we would be happy to welcome you to GEA Retreat this spring.

Soil & Soul One-day Retreat

5 April at noon | GEA Retreat, Niksic

Limited to 15 participants

BOOK NOW