jen johnson, susana planas, sarah elfvinº4
KENYA
NOVEMBER 29- DECEMBER 4, 2025
Intro
Join Jen Johnson, Susana Planas and Sarah Elfvin for a 6-day retreat at Kinondo Kwetu in Diani, Kenya followed by a 3-night optional safari extension to the Masai Mara.
At the crossroads of adventure and deep renewal, you’re invited on an 8-night journey through Kenya—5 nights at the soulful Kinondo Kwetu on the shores of the Indian Ocean, followed by a 3-night optional extension in the untamed beauty of the Masai Mara. Life is richer when we step into the unknown, when we move, when we challenge ourselves, when we give in to curiosity. Through yoga, movement, and exploration, this retreat is designed to restore, inspire, and awaken.
This is an immersion in renewal—a journey into what’s possible.
The Offering
Galu Beach
Beachside Accommodation
Two Pools
Movement
Meditation
Midday Optional Activities
Full Board Including Drinks
DAILY PROGRAMMING:
Awaken to hot water, lemon, juices, tea, coffee, fruit, rusks
Guided meditation into long-form class
Nourishing breakfast and seaside lunch
Afternoon activities
Immersive practice/ workshop
Sea-to-table dinner
Evening bonfire
Guides
JEN BRIE JOHNSON
Jen views mindfulness practices as an opportunity to spark curiosity and deep connection in oneself. With an astute eye and intuition for alignment, she translates cues to guide students into a keen awareness. Jen is a registered yoga teacher educator with the Yoga Alliance 500ERYT, having received her 200-hour yoga teacher certification from Yoga Medicine under the guidance of Tiffany Cruikshank and completed a 300-hour teacher training with Briohny Kate Smyth and Dice Iida-Klein. Explorations of yoga and movement are methods to more readily notice the changing stream of experience. Her humble knowledge and reverence for pranayama, meditation and philosophy is enchanting and translatable. Jen is the founder of ROOV and when she serves as a guide it is to inspire, empathize and encourage that perhaps the journey inward is the greatest adventure of all.
SUSANA PLANAS
Born and raised in Mallorca, Susana has always been drawn to movement. Her journey into Pilates began in 2008, and after relocating to the U.S. in 2015, she transitioned from a career in Industrial Engineering to become a 600-hour certified Comprehensive Pilates Instructor in New York. A year later, she discovered the transformative power of yoga, earning her 200-hour Yoga Alliance certification in New Jersey and deepening her practice with teachers across the NY metro area and now back in Mallorca. Susana’s vinyasa flow classes focus on precise alignment, fluid movement, and the seamless connection between breath and body. Her sessions offer a dynamic yet mindful experience, helping students cultivate strength, balance, and the liberating essence of yoga.
SARAH ELFVIN
Sarah is a life equilibrist who rarely stays within her comfort zone. Movement and yoga became part of her life early and she studies various styles like Hatha, Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, Meditation, Yoga Nidra and Ayurvedic medicine. She has been an ISHTA Yoga Master for years and holds a 500+ hrs Certificate. “For me, practice is like a profound friendship, it moves and evolves. Just like our practice changes over time, the practice also changes us. The more we invite practice, the more we trust the process and knowledge. It makes us move with grace; trusting that we are pieces in a bigger universal puzzle."
day by day
ITINERARY
Day One
Upon arrival into the Diani (UKA) or Mombassa airport (MBA), you are met by your driver and transferred to Kinondo Kwetu. You are welcomed with a refreshing juice and escorted to your room with time to settle in prior to the first practice.
In the early evening, Jen, Sarah and Susana welcome you to the experience and you encouraged to drop in to a multi-sensory journey interweaving slowness, nature, movement, community and creativity. Sarah will lead you through a post-travel flow with hands on assistance and guidance by Susana and Jen. Freshen up or go straight to the table for some bitings and beverages. The welcome dinner is served under the stars.
Arrival evening practice is based on afternoon arrival of participants.
NOTE: Airport transfers will be arranged and billed additionally according to each participants arrival time and place.
Day Two
Start the morning at your leisure before the morning practice. Hot water, lemon, teas, juices, coffee, rusks and fruits will be available. This morning Susana guides you through a challenging flow with to start the day off strong. A second breakfast is arranged for post practice.
Enjoy the day at your leisure. Get to know the property, spend time unwinding at the pool or down at the beach. Sundays are for a curry lunch, perhaps our favorite meal at Kinondo!
In the late afternoon, we take a look at each participants personal practice. We then workshop certain alignments and suggestions for progressions, Take a sunset swim and shower before dinner around the pool.
Day Three
Get the morning started with what you need for nourishment pre-practice. Susana will lead you in an energizing flow. Jen and Sarah will assist with adjustments throughout the practice.
After breakfast with your feet in the sand, set out on your own adventures. Kinondo has a variety of activities and options to explore. If a group wants an ocean adventure, we highly recommend Paradise Lost which involves a drive to a boat launch to explore mangroves into the open ocean. A picnic and scene will be set for you on a private island. Enjoy this beautiful otherworldly place searching for sand dollars in the sand until your captain advises that it is time to get back to Kinondo.
Take a late-afternoon nap sunbaked and happy. Arouse to an early evening practice as the sun sets led by Sarah. Dinner will be taken in Mama Tao or under the night sky.
Day Four
Awake to the necessities, dive into a vigorous vinyasa and reward yourself after with a scrumptious breakfast of homemade bakes, bread, granola, green juice and fresh eggs and veg.
There are options to venture out – hike, swim, snorkel, paddleboard, surf, kiteboard, soak up local culture as well as enjoy a casual snack of samosa or nachos by the pool.
An evening restorative practice and meditation will sort and unwind you from the activity of the day. You have time to freshen up before jumping into a tuk tuk or transfer into Diani for dinner out. For those wanting to head back to Kinondo for a sleep, an earlier transfer will be arranged. For those wanting to light up the night, we'll see what is happening and set out to explore.
DAY FIVE
Take a sunrise swim in the ocean and jump into the pool before dressing for the morning practice. The session centers on you – what you’ve learned and how you incorporate it into your practice. Jen and Sarah mindfully assist you to your centerline.
Indulge in brunch after an activity filled morning. Enjoy the midday at your leisure and take time to unwind with a book while you top up your suntan. An afternoon horse ride or game of tennis can be arranged.
The evening practice is led by Sarah and centered on intentions forward. A goodbye bonfire on the beach is complete with drinks and bitings under the moonlight. Dinner follows under the baobab trees.
Day Six
Enjoy the last morning with the usual setup and morning practice. Pack up for a midday departure. Say your goodbyes to this incredible journey and head home.
NOTE: Airport transfers will be arranged and billed additionally according to each participants departure time and place.
Accomodations
Home to Ida and Filip Andersson and their three children, a Swedish family related to the famed Baron Blixen, Kinondo Kwetu is often described as a ‘home away from home’ - a paradise for those wanting a more personal experience on the Kenyan coast. Located on a tranquil private beach on a 16 acre plot south of Diani Beach, distanced from residential neighbours by rocky cliffs and endless beach, Kinondo Kwetu is classified as a ‘Kaya’ area (protected by the National Museum) due to its surrounding holy forests and sacred land.
Every room and cottage has its own personalized charm, as it is furnished and decorated with Swahili culture handicraft and antiquities. Although Kinondo Kwetu is the ideal place for simply doing nothing at all, it offers exciting possibilities for all adventurers, big and small, from one spectrum to the other, from peaceful yoga to adrenaline sky diving. Some activities are seasonal, depending on winds and tides.
The Kinondo Kwetu Trust Fund has enabled the lodge to give back to the local community and village. The Trust founded the Kinondo Kwetu Health center, a clinic for medical treatment for the inhabitants of Kinondo, and the clinic was awarded "best clinic in the district," catering to over 100,000 patients annually and welcoming over 1,700 babies yearly. The Trust also supports the primary school in Kinondo village, created the “Kinondo Kwetu Sponsorship Programme," and sponsors the Whale Shark Trust and the Colobus Trust.
Food
All meals are made with locally sourced ingredients, supporting nearby communities including from the Kinondo edible garden.
Hot water, lemon, teas, juices, coffee, rusks and fruits will be available prior to morning practice.
Breakfast consists of an assortment of granola, cereals, yogurt, fresh seasonal fruits, cheeses, bread, juices, smoothies, coffee, teas, freshly laid eggs and veggies from the organic garden onsite as well as more hearty regional specialties and options.
Lunches are healthy and fresh; juices and afternoon tea is provided.
All dinners are farm-to-fork or sea-to-fork with a local emphasis and set under the moonlit night; they are a time to gather, share and connect. Health is encouraged and so is balance. Should you feel the need to imbibe, you can sip handmade cocktails or a glass of crisp white wine as you watch sun-dappled palms sway in the ocean breeze.
Rooms & Pricing
Please read below carefully and make your rooming selection on the booking page.
All Prices are in USD.
OPTION 1 - SHARED ROOM PRICE
SHARED ROOMS AVAILABLE NOVEMBER 24- DECEMBER 4, 2025
The fee for this trip is $3993 per person, paid in two separate installments.
Deposit due immediately to secure your place on the trip: $1000
Final Payment due August 31, 2025: $2993
Room Notes: Shared rooms have separate beds. You will share a room with one other guest for the duration of the trip.
OPTION 2 - PRIVATE ROOM PRICE
1 PRIVATE ROOM OPEN NOVEMBER 7- DECEMBER 4, 2025
The fee for this trip is $4493 per person, paid in two separate installments.
Deposit due immediately to secure your place on the trip: $1000
Final Payment due August 31, 2025: $3493
Room Notes: You will have a private room for the duration of the trip. The private room will have an en-suite bathroom.
*First come, first serve room allocations
What's Included
Inclusions
10 yoga classes - 2 x daily practices, morning and evening
5 nights accommodation at Kinondo Kwetu
Full Board - 5 dinners, 4, lunches, 5 breakfasts
Provided juices and afternoon tea
Non-motorised water sports, tennis court, sauna, gym
Professional production and program
Exclusions
Flights
Arrival and departure transfers; to be provided and billed per each participants specific arrival and depature
Premium beverages and champagne
Optional tours or activities such as PADI center activities, kiteboard and windsurf courses, deep sea fishing, Hoby Cat Sailing, excursions with motor boats, safari to Shimba Hills Safari Park, horseback riding, massage and beauty treatments
All items of personal nature
Any outside activities and transfers non included in the itinerary
All statutory increases beyond our control
Gratuities
Post-retreat safari extension
Please note, depending on your place of origin, you will likely need to depart one day prior to the retreat start i.e. depart Palma de Mallorca or Denver, Colorado on November 28 to arrive at the retreat start on November 29, 2025.
International air is to/ from MBA (Mombassa, Kenya) or UKA (Diani/ Ukunda, Kenya). Arriving via Mombassa is generally the easiest and most fluid option. One can arrive to NBO (Nairobi) and then connect to UKA (Diani/ Ukunda, Kenya) which is the closer airstrip to Kinondo Kwetu but it often requires a forced overnight as well as an airport change in Nairobi from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to Wilson Airport.
Group size: Minimum 10 guests and maximum 16 guests
A $1000 deposit is required to confirm your reservation
The remaining is due 90 days before the start date
Terms and conditions are detailed upon booking
Email info@roovproductions.com with any questions
ROOV does not offer refunds for the deposit for any reason. If you should need to cancel prior to the August 31, 2025 deadline, you will not be responsible for the remainder of your payment. Travel insurance is recommended and facilitated. Should you need to cancel on or after August 31, 2025, the remainder of your payment must be paid in full. ROOV is not responsible for your expenses in preparation for any cancelled Experience, such as airline tickets, loss of work, and/ or other cost associated with preparing for your trip.
