Name of the tour
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Mindful Reset in the Hidden Shangri-La
Digital Detox & Mindfulness Journey in
11 Days / 10 Nights
Experience a deep, restorative journey in Bhutan — the Hidden Shangri-La — where mountains, monasteries and mindful living shape each day. Away from screens and digital noise, this 11-day retreat blends sunrise yoga, breathwork and forest bathing with Bhutanese wellness rituals, hot-stone baths and sacred quiet. Through guided mindfulness, silent practices and simple, nourishing meals, you reconnect with clarity, presence and inner balance. From Thimphu to Punakha, Phobjikha and Paro, each day supports your mental and digital detox, helping you slow down, reset and realign. Return home grounded, renewed and more connected to what truly matters.
Day 1 - Arrival & Grounding (Paro → Thimphu)
Letting Go – Entering the Silence
Your journey begins in the peaceful Paro Valley, where crisp mountain air and quiet temples signal a shift into a slower rhythm. After a warm welcome and herbal-tea ceremony, you participate in the Digital Surrender Ritual — a symbolic release of screens, urgency and distraction. In the evening intention circle, you gently set your purpose: to breathe deeper, live slower, and make space for inner clarity. Bhutan’s philosophy of Gross National Happiness is introduced, grounding your journey in a culture that values presence over productivity.
Hotel: Termalingka Resort or similar (no TV, no in-room internet)
Included: Airport ceremony · Car & driver · Guide · Lunch · Herbal massage · Snacks, tea, coffee · Dinner · Accommodation
Day 2 - The Art of Disconnection (Thimphu)
From Noise to Stillness
Your first full day in Bhutan begins at sunrise, when the city of Thimphu is still wrapped in quiet light. You travel to the magnificent Buddha Dordenma, a golden statue overlooking the valley, where you start your morning with gentle yoga and simple mindfulness techniques. At this early hour, the air is cool, the surroundings are calm, and the mind is more receptive — an ideal moment to step deeper into your digital detox.
Late in the morning, you join a workshop on “Why We Burn Out.” Through guided reflection, you explore how constant connectivity, multitasking, comparison culture and screen fatigue affect the nervous system. The session offers practical mindfulness tools designed to interrupt these patterns and create emotional space.
In the afternoon, you head toward the forested hills near Cheri Monastery for forest bathing — a quiet, immersive practice that reconnects you with nature through stillness, slow walking and sensory awareness. This leads into a riverside silent walk, where each step and breath becomes a reminder of how presence replaces pressure when digital noise is removed.
Mindful Insight – Why Forest Bathing Regulates the Nervous System
Forest bathing — known as “shinrin-yoku” in Japanese but deeply resonant with Himalayan mindfulness traditions — activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps reduce stress hormones and slow heart rate. The forests around Thimphu are rich in cypress and pine, trees that release natural aromatic compounds called phytoncides. These compounds have been shown to support immune function, calm the mind and enhance emotional clarity.
For travellers experiencing digital overload, this combination of altitude, clean air and natural aroma creates a gentle but profound reset — something that is difficult to replicate in urban environments.
As the sun begins to set, you return to Thimphu for an evening reflection session, integrating insights from the day. With the noise of screens gone, thoughts become quieter, emotions soften and a new rhythm emerges — one shaped by presence rather than pressure.
Hotel: Termalingka Resort or Thimphu Deluxe or similar
Included:
Breakfast · Car & driver · Tour guide · Meditation specialist · All entry fees · Forest bathing · Snacks, water, tea & coffee en route · Lunch · Evening reflection session · Accommodation & dinner
Day 3 - Mind–Body Reconnection (Thimphu – Punakha)
Listening to the Body
Your morning begins in quiet awareness with breathwork and mindfulness, allowing your nervous system to soften before the day opens. After a silent morning hike, you travel towards the Punakha Valley—one of Bhutan’s warmest and most fertile regions, known for its terraced rice fields, purple jacaranda blossoms and gentle rivers. The landscape naturally invites relaxation; many travellers describe Punakha as the “breath” of Bhutan because of its calmer climate and soothing energy.
Upon arrival, you enjoy herbal compress therapy, a traditional practice where warm herbal pouches ease tension in the muscles and help circulation flow more freely. Later, a guided body-scan meditation teaches you to sense physical signals—tightness, fatigue, ease—without judgment. This simple practice is a cornerstone of mind–body reconnection, especially for those accustomed to digital overload.
Your afternoon is intentionally unstructured: journaling, resting, reading or simply watching the valley light shift across the fields. An early evening yoga and breath session supports grounding and prepares the body for deeper rest.
This day gently establishes a new rhythm: slower, warmer, more connected to your physical presence.
Hotel: Zhingkham Resort or similar
Included:
Breakfast · Silent morning hike · Professional yoga trainer · Car & driver · Snacks, water, tea & coffee en route · All entry fees · Traditional farmhouse lunch · Herbal tea at the hotel · Afternoon free time · Evening yoga & breathwork session · Bhutan–Indian fusion dinner · Accommodation
Day 4 - Breath & Balance (Punakha Valley)
Balance in Simplicity
The morning in Punakha Valley begins with a softness that is rare elsewhere in the Himalayas. At 6 AM, guided pranayama helps you ease into the day with slow, intentional breathing — a practice that stabilises the nervous system and prepares the mind for clarity. The warm air, the valley’s gentle river and the quiet surroundings make early-morning breathwork especially grounding here.
Following the session, a journaling workshop invites you to explore the ideas of balance and simplicity. Through simple prompts, you reflect on what supports your wellbeing and what drains it, creating a mindful link between internal patterns and the calm environment around you.
Mindful Insight – Why Punakha Is Ideal for Breathwork
The Punakha Valley is known for its mild climate, lower altitude and slow river flow — conditions that make breathing practices particularly effective. In the Himalayan region, early-morning air is rich in negative ions, which support oxygen absorption and help regulate heart rate and stress levels. This creates a natural synergy with pranayama, allowing travellers recovering from screen fatigue and digital overload to experience a deeper reset than in urban environments.
Its gentle climate and open valley landscape have long made Punakha a place associated with clarity, grounding and emotional quiet.
In the afternoon, you enter a space of deep rest with Yoga Nidra, a guided practice that carries you into a state between wakefulness and sleep — ideal for releasing accumulated tension. Afterwards, you enjoy a traditional Bhutanese hot-stone bath, where river stones are heated until they crack and infused into a wooden tub with local herbs. This soothing ritual, set against the backdrop of Punakha’s riverside, calms both body and mind.
The day closes with an evening guided reflection, integrating breath, intention and the balanced simplicity that Bhutan teaches so naturally.
Hotel: Zhingkham Resort
Included: Breakfast · Car & driver · Tour guide · Professional yoga trainer · Snacks, water, tea & coffee en route · Traditional Bhutanese meal in a local home · Entry fees · Yoga Nidra session · Hot-stone bath · Evening reflection · Accommodation & dinner
Bhutan in Moments — Faces, Rituals, Stillness
Even a single journey through Bhutan offers countless moments that stay with you — the warmth of a smile, the colours of ancient festivals, the quiet presence of monks, and the deep stillness of nature. These four images are just a glimpse into the memories, emotions and simple joys that shape every mindful journey through the Hidden Shangri-La.
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Day 5 - Simplicity & Stillness (Punakha → Phobjikha)
Finding Peace in Pauses
As you leave the warm terraces of Punakha and ascend into the highlands, the landscape shifts noticeably — the air cools, the light softens and the mountains open into the wide, bowl-shaped Phobjikha Valley. Known for its silence, spaciousness and natural purity, Phobjikha offers an immediate sense of calm that gently slows the rhythm of the day.
Upon arrival, you begin a mindful walking meditation, learning to place each step with awareness and to observe the valley’s quiet details: the wind over the meadows, the distant prayer flags, the way sound disappears into open space. This simple practice strengthens presence and helps you rediscover the beauty of doing less.
A workshop on “The Beauty of Simplicity” follows — an invitation to explore how clarity grows when life becomes quieter: fewer digital inputs, more intentional choices, and a gentler pace that mirrors the valley itself. As the evening approaches, you enter a space of monastic silence, inspired by the contemplative traditions of the region’s temples and hermitages.
Mindful Insight – Why Phobjikha Feels So Still
Phobjikha Valley is a rare glacial valley in the Himalayas, shaped by ancient ice movement rather than river erosion. Its open wetlands, broad horizons and natural quiet create an atmosphere that travellers often describe as “light” or “uncluttered.” The valley is also the winter home of the Black-Necked Cranes, a revered species in Bhutanese culture symbolising longevity and balance.
This unique blend of ecology, light and cultural reverence makes Phobjikha an ideal place for mindfulness practices that require space, silence and emotional clarity.
The evening unfolds gently, allowing the quiet of Phobjikha to settle in. Without digital distractions, conversations soften, movements slow and the valley itself becomes part of the practice: a reminder that peace is often found in the pauses, not the activity.
Hotel: Gakiling or ABCG Lodge or similar
Included:
Breakfast · Car & driver · Tour guide · Professional yoga trainer · Coffee, tea, water & snacks en route · Lunch · Accommodation · Dinner
Day 6 - Integration & Community (Phobjikha)
Serving Self & Others
Your morning begins with a mindful cooking experience, using seasonal ingredients from the valley. In Bhutan, cooking is not only nourishment but a meditative act — a way to slow down, use the senses consciously and appreciate the simplicity of local life. Guided by your host, you prepare dishes in a calm rhythm, noticing aromas, colours and textures as part of your mindfulness practice.
Later, you join a compassion meditation led by a Rinpoche, a respected teacher in Tibetan Buddhism. The practice focuses on softening the heart, recognising shared humanity and cultivating gentle awareness — essential elements for anyone recovering from overwhelm, burnout or emotional fatigue. The peaceful surroundings of Phobjikha enhance the feeling of openness and presence.
In the afternoon, you meet Bhutanese monks for a group reflection. These conversations often offer simple yet profound perspectives on balance, purpose and the value of community. Their way of living — structured, quiet, attentive — provides a grounded contrast to digital-age lifestyles. The day ends with a soothing hot-stone therapy session and a cultural dinner rich in local flavours and stories.
Mindful Insight – Compassion Meditation & the Role of a Rinpoche
Compassion meditation, known in Bhutan as part of lojong (mind-training), trains the mind to shift from self-focus to shared awareness. It is widely used by monks to stabilise emotions, reduce reactivity and build mental resilience — making it especially helpful for travellers experiencing digital fatigue or stress.
A Rinpoche is an honorific title in Tibetan and Bhutanese Buddhism given to highly respected teachers who have completed advanced spiritual training. Their guidance offers visitors an authentic, culturally rooted introduction to Buddhist principles, making the practice more meaningful and accessible.
The evening unfolds in quiet warmth: a shared cultural heritage dinner, gentle conversation and time to reflect on how serving others begins with understanding oneself.
Hotel: Gakiling or ABC Lodge
Included:
Breakfast · Car & driver · Tour guide · Yoga trainer · Cooking class · Water, tea, coffee & snacks en route · Picnic lunch · Hot-stone therapy · Cultural heritage dinner · Accommodation
Day 7 - Healing Through Tradition (Phobjikha → Thimphu)
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Healing
Leaving the wide quiet of Phobjikha, you travel back toward the capital region, where the rhythm of the journey shifts into deeper inner work. Today introduces you to Sowa Rigpa, Bhutan’s traditional medical system — a holistic approach that integrates diet, behaviour, herbal knowledge, breath, and emotional balance. It has been practiced across the Himalayan region for centuries and continues to shape Bhutan’s understanding of wellbeing.
You begin the day with an introduction to Sowa Rigpa philosophy, learning how imbalance shows up in body, breath and mind, and how small lifestyle practices can restore harmony. This sets the foundation for the experiences that follow.
In the afternoon, you enjoy herbal steam therapy, a warm and purifying treatment designed to support circulation and release tension. Later, a chakra-based yoga session focuses on aligning the body’s energetic centres — using gentle movement and breath to reconnect physical awareness with emotional stability.
As the day progresses, you make silent visits to nearby spiritual sites, taking time to sit, breathe and absorb the quiet atmosphere. These pauses mirror the ancient Bhutanese idea that healing is not only physical, but also spiritual and relational — a balance between inner stillness and outer environment.
Mindful Insight – Sowa Rigpa & the Meaning of Chakra Balance
Sowa Rigpa, the “Science of Healing,” is one of the world’s oldest holistic medical systems, rooted in Himalayan traditions. Unlike modern symptom-based approaches, it views wellbeing as the balance of three elements: lung (wind/energy), tripa (heat/transforming energy) and beken (earth/structure). Bhutanese healers use herbs, diet, behaviour and breath practices to restore these forces — making it especially relevant for travellers who feel overstimulated or digitally overwhelmed.
Chakra-based yoga, often misunderstood, is not mystical but practical: it uses breath and movement to regulate emotional centres along the spine. When combined with the gentle climate of Thimphu and traditional herbal steam, it supports nervous-system reset in a grounded, accessible way.
The evening unfolds calmly, giving space to integrate what you’ve learned and felt — a quiet transition from ancient wisdom into your own mindful rhythm.
Hotel: Termalingka Resort or Thimphu deluxe
Included:
Breakfast · Car & driver · Tour guide · Professional yoga trainer · Snacks, water, tea & coffee en route · Lunch · 120-minute aroma therapy session · Silent site visits · Accommodation & dinner
Day 8 - Playfulness & Inner Child (Thimphu → Paro)
Rediscovering Joy
After several days of deep inner work, today invites you to reconnect with lightness. You begin with laughter therapy, a gentle practice that releases tension stored in the body and stimulates the nervous system in a way that naturally lifts mood. The session encourages spontaneous joy — something many travellers rediscover only when digital noise and daily pressures fall away.
Later, you join a creative nature-art session, using leaves, stones, colours and textures found in the natural surroundings. This simple form of expression helps unlock curiosity and reconnects you with a more intuitive, playful way of being. When the mind quiets, creativity often rises naturally.
A silent tea ceremony follows, guiding you into a slower rhythm and reminding you of the beauty found in small rituals. Gentle stretching and mindful movement complete the afternoon, allowing body and breath to soften into stillness.
The rest of the day is open for reflection, journaling or quiet rest — an important step in integrating both joy and peace before the journey reaches its final days.
Mindful Insight – Why Playfulness Supports Emotional Reset
Modern neuroscience shows that laughter and creative play activate areas of the brain associated with emotional flexibility and stress release. When people experience burnout or digital exhaustion, these regions are often under-stimulated. Playful practices — such as laughter therapy, spontaneous creativity and simple movement rituals — help reset the nervous system, strengthen resilience and restore a sense of curiosity.
In mindfulness traditions, reconnecting with the “inner child” is seen as a return to natural joy, openness and presence — qualities essential for sustainable wellbeing.
Hotel: Lhayul Resort or Tashi Namgay Resort or similar
Included:
Breakfast · Car & driver · Tour guide · Professional yoga trainer · Entry fees · Snacks, water, tea & coffee en route · Lunch · Laughter therapy · Nature-art session · Tea ceremony · Gentle stretching · Accommodation & dinner
Bhutan in Spirit — Life, Rituals & Everyday Beauty
Bhutan reveals itself in quiet scenes and simple details — the warmth of local smiles, the colours of traditional festivals, bowls of fresh organic food, riverside prayer flags dancing in the wind, and the deep silence of temples surrounded by forest. These images offer only a small glimpse of the country’s spirit: a place where rituals, nature and everyday life blend into moments that stay with you long after you leave.
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Day 9 - Connection & Compassion (Paro – Tiger’s Nest Hike)
Triumph & Transcendence
Today marks the spiritual peak of your journey. Before sunrise, you begin your silent ascent to Taktsang Monastery — the legendary Tiger’s Nest, perched dramatically on a cliff 3,000 metres above the Paro Valley. The trail winds through pine forests scented with juniper, prayer flags flutter in the morning wind, and each step becomes an invitation to let go of old patterns and enter a clearer state of mind.
The climb is intentionally quiet. As the elevation increases, distractions fall away, and breath becomes the natural guide. Reaching the monastery feels less like arriving at a destination and more like completing an inner pilgrimage — a reminder that transformation happens gradually, step by step.
Mindful Insight – The Symbolic Meaning of Tiger’s Nest
Taktsang Monastery is one of the most sacred sites in Bhutanese Buddhism. According to tradition, Guru Rinpoche — the founder of Himalayan Buddhism — meditated here after flying to the cliff on the back of a tigress, symbolising the overcoming of fear and the taming of the mind.
For Bhutanese pilgrims, the ascent represents the journey from distraction to clarity, while the monastery itself symbolises rebirth after inner transformation.
In mindfulness retreats, Tiger’s Nest is often seen as a living metaphor: the higher you climb, the quieter the mind becomes, and the more space there is for renewal.
After descending, the afternoon invites rest and integration with a gentle spa session, followed by a warm community fire ceremony in the evening. The flames, chants and shared silence create a powerful sense of connection — to others, to the land, and to the inner journey you’ve walked so far.
Hotel: Lhayul Resort or Tashi Namgay Resort or similar
Included:
Breakfast · Car & driver · Tour guide · Professional yoga trainer · Water, snacks, tea & coffee en route · Lunch · Spa session · Evening fire ceremony · Accommodation & dinner
Day 10 - Integration & Closure (Paro)
Renewed Purpose
Your final full day in Bhutan is devoted to gathering the threads of your journey and gently weaving them into everyday life. The morning begins with a self-compassion yoga session, designed to help you meet yourself with kindness after days of inner work. Movements are soft, breath-led and grounding — ideal for reconnecting body and heart.
You then join an integration workshop titled “Returning Home Mindfully”. Here you explore how to carry new habits, insights and emotional clarity into a world filled with noise, speed and digital demands. Through simple reflective prompts, you identify what truly supports you and what no longer serves your wellbeing.
Mindful Insight – The Meaning of Integration After a Retreat
Integration is the most overlooked phase of any mindfulness or wellness journey. Research shows that insights gained during retreats only become transformative when they are consciously woven into daily routines.
In Bhutanese practice, this process is called tsewa, the cultivation of gentle warmth toward oneself and others. It encourages travellers to return home slowly, with intention — replacing old autopilot habits with mindful choices, one step at a time.
In the afternoon, a Bhutanese blessing ceremony marks the spiritual closure of your journey. Surrounded by the smell of incense and the soft sound of prayers, you pause to acknowledge everything you’ve released, received and transformed.
The day ends with a farewell dinner, a warm gathering that celebrates the friendships, moments and quiet shifts that have shaped your time in Bhutan.
Hotel: Lhayul Resort or Tashi Namgay Resort
Included:
Breakfast · Car & driver · Tour guide · Professional yoga trainer · Snacks, water, tea & coffee en route · Forest bathing · Lunch · Blessing ceremony · Farewell dinner · Accommodation
Day 11 - Departure from Paro
Gratitude & Gentle Return
Your final morning in Bhutan begins in quiet reflection. Before breakfast, you join a short gratitude meditation, taking a few mindful breaths to acknowledge what has shifted during your time in the Land of the Thunder Dragon — the calm you found, the clarity that emerged and the softness that has returned to your inner rhythm.
A mindful breakfast follows, prepared with the same intention and simplicity that have shaped your journey. There is no rush, only presence — a final moment to enjoy Bhutan’s peaceful pace before you step back into the wider world.
After a closing circle with your group and guide, you transfer to Paro International Airport, carrying the warmth, insights and stillness of Bhutan home with you. What began as a digital detox has become something deeper: an invitation to live more intentionally, more gently, and with renewed purpose.
Included:
Gratitude meditation · Breakfast · Closing circle · Airport transfer
The Unforgettable Essentials of Our Mindful Bhutan Journey
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A complete digital detox, allowing your mind to slow down, reset, and rediscover clarity.
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Daily sunrise yoga and breathwork, practiced in sacred spaces overlooking valleys and mountains.
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Forest bathing and silent walking rituals, reconnecting you with Bhutan’s pure Himalayan nature.
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Traditional wellness therapies such as hot-stone baths, herbal steam, and body-scan treatments.
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Workshops on mindful living, self-awareness, balance, and sustainable inner rhythms.
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Compassion meditation with a Rinpoche, offering genuine insight into Bhutanese wisdom traditions.
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Meaningful community encounters, shared meals, and reflective dialogues with monks.
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Healthy, organic, farm-to-table cuisine, prepared with local ingredients and mindful intention.
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Tiger’s Nest pilgrimage hike, the symbolic summit of personal renewal and transformation.
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Blessing ceremonies and gentle integration practices, helping you carry Bhutan’s stillness home.
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Inclusions
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10 nights of accommodation in premium boutique lodges and wellness-focused resorts
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All meals included, featuring organic and seasonal Bhutanese farm-to-table cuisine
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Daily guided mindfulness practices: yoga, meditation, breathwork and silent walking rituals
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Traditional Bhutanese wellness treatments, including hot-stone baths and herbal steam therapy
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Compassion meditation with a Rinpoche and reflective sessions with monks
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Workshops on self-awareness, balance, mindful living and integration
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Forest bathing and nature-based healing activities in pristine Himalayan landscapes
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Fully guided Tiger’s Nest pilgrimage hike with mindful pacing and silent ascent
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Professional English-speaking guide throughout the entire journey
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All private transfers with car and driver, including airport pickup and drop-off
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All entry fees for monasteries, cultural sites and natural attractions
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Daily purified water, herbal teas, coffee and mindful snack breaks
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All ceremonies included: digital surrender ritual, blessing ceremony and community fire ritual
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Dedicated yoga trainer for morning and evening sessions
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Bhutan visa fee incl. SDF (Sustainable Development Fee)
Exclusions
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International airfare to and from Bhutan
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Visa fees and required travel insurance
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Personal expenses such as laundry or gratuities
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Alcoholic beverages and items not specified under meals
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Optional add-on activities (e.g., private wellness consultations, additional guided hikes)
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Any services not explicitly mentioned under “Included”
