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 Gabi
Gabriela is an ex-architect who found her way back to herself through a sketchbook and a few watercolours. She spent years designing buildings and loved it — until she became a mother during the pandemic and hit a wall. Burnout, exhaustion, the whole thing. What pulled her out wasn't anything dramatic. It was drawing. A few quiet minutes a day with a pen and some colour, until she remembered what it felt like to just enjoy something. Now she teaches watercolour sketching through her online community, courses and in-person workshops, and runs TulipART Designs from Rotterdam — a little creative corner where beauty beats perfection every time. She works with fineliners and watercolour, and sketches from life: a leaf, a building, an animal, a bowl of fruit, the vegetables on her kitchen counter. Her favourite thing is taking something that looks complicated and simplifying it until it feels fun and doable
Everything You Need to Know
Eight days at Manyoni. Here's exactly what that looks like, what's included, and how to secure your place.
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Each day moves to the rhythm of the reserve.
Mornings belong to the bush — Big Five game drives that put you close to animals most people only see on a screen.
Then roughly three hours a day with Gabriela and an A5 sketchbook. You'll start with fundamentals: how to sketch what you see, how to simplify it, how to bring it to life with ink and watercolour. That foundation is what gives you freedom to explore in the days that follow.
There'll be a plein air session — sketching outdoors, on the reserve. A landscape, an animal, or simply a tree or a leaf.
Evenings are fireside. Reflecting on the day, sharing what you made, and talking about what tomorrow might hold.
In her words: "The real intention is the pause. The presence. The joy of making something with your hands in a place this beautiful."
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Someone who hasn't picked up a pen in years — or maybe never.
A complete beginner is just as welcome as someone who used to sketch as a kid and lost the habit. If you already work with watercolour or ink and want to go deeper, you'll fit right in too.
What everyone has in common: they're busy, they're craving a real pause, and they're ready for a little art adventure.
Bonus points if you love nature and get excited about capturing what you see — a bird, a plant, a wild landscape — and bringing it onto the paper in your own way.
No experience needed. Just curiosity and a willingness to explore.
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7 nights at Zebra Hills Lodge — private en-suite room on Manyoni Private Game Reserve
Daily workshops with Gabriela Zamfirov
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
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
September 12-19 2027
Dates
Manyoni Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Location
From $3672 per person
Pricing