Your Retreat, Your Room
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A beautifully appointed shared room with another Pathway Partners Guest.
$1000 deposit to secure your place
REMAINING BALANCE: $2,672
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Your own private room throughout the retreat.
$1000 deposit to secure your place
REMAINING BALANCE: $3,284
Meet Julia
Julia Henze is a Dutch artist, illustrator and educator whose colourful, expressive work has reached artists in every corner of the world.
The founder of Brave Brushes Studio — an online learning community for urban sketchers and watercolour artists — Julia has spent more than a decade helping people discover that they are capable of far more than they think. Her teaching philosophy was shaped, in part, by being told as a child that she had no talent for art. She ignored the advice, attended art school, and built a career that now includes a partnership with Winsor & Newton and a following of thousands.
Her art is driven by the joy of observation: architecture, nature, the small details that give a place its character. Travel is her greatest fuel. "It doesn't have to be a trip to the other side of the world," she says. "Sometimes a bicycle ride to a nearby village is just as inspiring." Bright, expressive colour runs through everything she makes — she jokes that her paintings are happier than she is.
Everything You Need to Know
Seven days at Manyoni. Here's exactly what that looks like, what's included, and how to secure your place.
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Eight days of colour and wonder
Big Five Game Drives
Twice-daily drives through Manyoni Private Game Reserve with an expert ranger. Lion, elephant, rhino, leopard, buffalo — your first-hand reference material, experienced up close.
Daily Sketching Sessions
Guided workshops each afternoon with Julia: colour mixing, composition, simplifying complex scenes, working with strong contrasts. Practical skills, beautifully taught.
On-Location Drawing
Julia's signature approach: sketching in the landscape itself. Learn to capture not just what you see, but how a place feels — its atmosphere, its light, its particular aliveness.
Wildlife as Subject Matter
Learn to simplify complex subjects — animals in motion, trees and texture, birds and insects. Julia teaches you to find the essential shapes hidden within what looks overwhelming.
Luxury Lodge Life
Six nights at Zebra Hills Lodge — private en-suite rooms, exceptional cuisine, sundowners in the bush, and the African night sky as your backdrop. Completely all-inclusive.
Materials Included
All art materials, sketchbooks, and watercolours are provided. Arrive with nothing but curiosity. Leave with a sketchbook full of work that is entirely, unmistakably yours.
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7 nights at Zebra Hills Lodge — private en-suite room on Manyoni Private Game Reserve
Daily workshops with Julia Henze
All materials provided — professional-grade, everything you need
Twice-daily Big Five game drives with expert rangers
The Elephant Connection — meet Rambo and Rachel
South African wine tastings at golden hour
All meals, drinks and snacks throughout
Zulu cultural performance
Return airport transfers from King Shaka International, Durban
Twelve guests maximum — always -
International and domestic flights · Travel insurance · Visas, where applicable · Personal purchases and gratuities
Where You’ll Be Staying
Zebra Hills - Manyoni Private Game Reserve, Hluhluwe, KwaZulu-Natal
Manyoni Private Game Reserve spans 23,000 hectares of KwaZulu-Natal wilderness and is home to the Big Five, over 400 species of bird, and some of the most paintable landscapes in South Africa. It's remote enough to feel like another world. It's comfortable enough that you won't want to leave.
This is where Pathway Partners hosts all its artist retreats, chosen deliberately for its scale, its wildlife density, and the quality of light that artists keep coming back for.
Our Process
Get ready for your retreat
Complete your remaining balance before the retreat, then all that’s left is to pack your bags and get ready for an unforgettable experience
Step 3
We take care of the rest
Once your deposit is received, we’ll email you your booking confirmation, remaining balance and payment schedule.
Step 1Choose your room
Shared (twin share) or single and secure your place with the required deposit.
Step 2Experience Details
April 11-18 2027
Dates
Manyoni Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Location
From $3672 per person
Pricing