Return to the Wild with David Whyte

“….And thought of the future I could make in the world if I walked toward it like this, with my face toward the hills and my eyes full of light and the earth sure and solid beneath me.” – David Whyte

These words describe how I feel when I am at Segera, the sacred place in Kenya where I spend so much of my time. With the sun on my face in the mornings, I stare in awe at Mount Kenya, who briefly appears before ducking back behind the puffy white clouds that enrobe her. No matter what happens, when I’m here, the earth is sure and solid beneath me. In these moments, I often return to David Whyte’s poem “Learning to Walk”, which speaks so beautifully to the mechanics of our consciousness, those inner yearnings we all share, drawing us towards the light, the natural world and feeling whole. Drawing us towards awe. 

Our bodies need nature. Our guests, who trust us to craft the most meaningful trips of their lives, understand that. As one guest explained to me, she wanted to feel “the depths of being”. In other words, to be lifted out of the daily grind into another realm. Isn’t that why we travel? Certainly, it’s why I travel. It’s what propels ROAR AFRICA forward to create and design these singular experiences. 

The awe we seek is found in the wild, from blood-red sunrises to psychedelic pink sunsets; the swish of the palms in the Okavango Delta to the cry of a fish eagle to its lifelong mate, and perhaps even to the laugh of a hyena piercing the early morning air. These moments shape our depths of being. They bring us alive in the purest, most natural way.

Finding awe in openness

In the months since our Into the Wild with David Whyte retreat, I’ve spent time reflecting on the profound shifts that took place during that trip. Honestly, I’m still trying to digest the sheer wonder of it all. Those days spent on the plains of the Laikipia Plateau felt like a shower of golden light. I shall forever remember the closing circle – during which we sat in communion together and so vulnerably and joyfully shared the discoveries that cut to the depth of our collective being – as one of the most defining moments of my life. We laughed. We cried. We left Africa revived, uplifted and hopeful; buoyant with pure joy. A group of people who met as strangers parted as friends. David’s vast wisdom and words had given voice to our collective emotions, and gifted us a new understanding of our place in the world. 

And so, as I stretch for that golden light once more, we will Return to the Wild with David Whyte at Segera, June 12–17, 2024. Again, we will embark on a journey towards ourselves, answering, as one guest said, “the questions that won’t go away”. 

The power of stillness and surrender

The wild holds the power of all that’s unspoken, untouchable and invisible. This trip is about tapping into that power and finding the words. It’s about finding the space to find ourselves. We’ll surrender to the healing hands and tangible energy of world-renowned bodyworkers like osteopath and massage specialist Christophe Marchesseau and breathwork therapist Anne Beauregard, among others. 

We’ll rise with the sun and walk, with eyes full of light, towards Mount Kenya, feeling, as the opening lines of David’s poetry so presciently said, “the earth solid beneath us”. We’ll sit in stillness and contemplation before the dancing flames of the fire or the beat of a drum with David’s words weaving together the beauty of life and our connection to it.

Together, we may agree with David’s wise counsel: “Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.” 

To learn more about Return to the Wild with David Whyte, taking place June 12–17, 2024 at Segera, please email welcome@roarafrica.com. This retreat costs $24,410 per person sharing or $41,280 for solo travelers (based on 24 travelers).