- TRAVEL
6 of the best ancestral wellness practices from around the world
From consulting shamans in Indonesia to Maya cleansing ceremonies in Mexico, these rituals offer travellers a deep connection to culture, tradition and local wisdom.
Published May 5, 2026
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
The idea of a wellness escape is evolving. Today’s travellers are looking beyond traditional spa experiences towards nature, cultural connection and practices rooted in place. A Global Growth Insights report (2024), stated nearly half of wellbeing travellers now choose destinations specifically for their traditional rituals and heritage practices, proving that wellness is increasingly shaped by community. From oracle readings in the Himalayas to horse-led healing journeys in Patagonia and Viking-inspired sauna rituals in Iceland’s wild north, these six experiences invite an alternative approach to wellbeing, one that feels both authentic and transformative.
1. Try a temazcal ceremony on Mexico’s Pacific coast
A cornerstone of Maya culture for more than a millennium, the temazcal cleansing ritual was traditionally performed before and after battles. Its effects are said to be deeply restorative and today, travellers can experience this ancient practice at One&Only Mandarina. Ceremonies are led by a Curandera, a traditional healer who draws on plants, herbs and ancestral knowledge. Curandera-in-residence Linda Mariscalda comes from a long lineage of healers, having learned her craft from her great-grandmother and grandmothers, as well as Indigenous communities that pass knowledge down through oral tradition.
Held within a cave-like stone structure hidden between rainforest, cliffs and ocean, the ritual unfolds as water infused with medicinal herbs is poured onto heated stones, releasing dense, fragrant steam. Participants sit in total darkness as chanting, drumming and prayer reverberate around the dome, guiding a ceremony of purification and reconnection with both the self and the natural world.
How to do it: The temazcal ceremony costs £170 per person. Double rooms start from £950 per night.
2. Experience ancestral rituals in Peru
Peru’s Sacred Valley is steeped in spiritual resonance, but a bespoke journey with operator Machu Travel Peru enables travellers to engage more deeply with Andean cosmology.
One of the most profound experiences is witnessing — and participating in — Pago a la Tierra, a ceremonial offering to Pachamama (Mother Earth). Guided by a local spiritual leader, the ritual begins with an introduction to the Andean worldview, where mountains and landscapes are honoured as living protectors. Seeds, flowers, coca leaves and foods are carefully arranged, with each gesture explained as the offering takes shape, symbolising gratitude and balance with Pachamama.
The ceremony concludes with a traditional meal, offering time for reflection. Travellers can then join local healers on guided walks to sites where medicinal plants are grown and gathered, learning about their uses and how infusions and treatments are traditionally prepared.
How to do it: Bespoke itineraries available in consultation.
3. Saddle up for equine therapy with Patagonia’s baqueanos
For centuries, baqueanos have crossed the dramatic landscapes of Chilean Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park on horseback. Named after baquía, meaning ‘deep knowledge of the land’, these custodians of traditional horsemanship serve as both guides and storytellers.
At Las Torres Patagonia, a historic ranch-turned-hotel within the park, 150 horses roam freely across 14,800 acres of land before being gathered at dawn for guest rides. Suitable for all abilities, the experiences draw on the therapeutic power of spending time with horses, which has been shown to ease anxiety, improve emotional awareness and build self-esteem.
The various experiences include hands-on instruction in stable care and traditional dress, followed by long journeys across trails that wind past granite peaks and glacial lakes. Regular pauses for yerba mate — a shared herbal infusion symbolising friendship and rest — offer moments to slow down, listen to baqueano stories and absorb the sprawling landscape.
How to do it:Two-night all-inclusive packages start from £1,755 per person, based on two sharing.
4. Embrace your inner Viking in Iceland
At Eleven Deplar Farm in northern Iceland, a Viking-inspired sauna ritual offers a powerful way to connect with both the local landscape and heritage. Set in a remote valley framed by jagged peaks and open skies, the former 15th-century sheep farm has been carefully redesigned as an off-grid luxury retreat, where the sauna ritual feels worlds away from the ordinary spa experience.
Guests move between a turf-covered sauna built into a grassy knoll and a nearby open-air cold plunge pool. The rhythmic contrast therapy is said to boost circulation, reduce stress and strengthen the immune system, while helping the body shed toxins. Inspired by Nordic bathing traditions and Icelandic folklore, the ritual unfolds with breath-focused meditation and traditional Viking music, before culminating in cathartic ‘screaming therapy’, where guests release tension by bellowing wholeheartedly into the wilderness.
How to do it:The Viking Sauna Ritual costs £370 for four. Rooms start from £3,000 per night.
5. Dive into the shamanic wisdom of Sumba, Indonesia
On Sumba’s untamed southwest coast, eco-forward Cap Karoso resort offers a seven-night Shamanic Healing Journey rooted in Marapu, the island’s indigenous belief system. Days begin with visits to local villages and private healing sessions with a shaman, incorporating plant-based brews, breathwork and head massages believed to access deep energetic pathways.
Signature therapies draw heavily on ancestral knowledge. The Moro Ndahaka Sumbanese Massage, for example, uses a sacred oil made from a family recipe featuring the bark of an endemic tree found in just one forest on the island. Throughout the stay, guests are also nourished with tonics and infusions made from botanicals grown on Cap Karoso’s regenerative organic farm, each designed to support balance and restore wellbeing.
How to do it: The seven-night Shamanic Healing Journey starts from £9,000 per person and includes a tailored itinerary, full-board accommodation, transfers and wellness consultations.
(This remote Indonesian island is a unique wellness destination.)
6. Spend time with traditional healers in India
High in the Himalayas, one of the world’s oldest surviving medical traditions continues to thrive: the Amchi system of wellbeing, founded on the belief that the body is shaped by five natural elements and that health depends on maintaining their balance. In Ladakh, Shakti Himalaya’s Soul Soother wellness journeys offer travellers the opportunity to experience this philosophy first-hand. Time spent with Amchi healers forms a central part of the programme, creating meaningful insight into practices that have been passed through the generations. Visits to remote villages include traditional pulse readings, during which healers assess circulation and energy before suggesting personalised guidance on diet and lifestyle. You can also consult Ladakhi oracles — revered spiritual figures who enter a trance to answer questions and offer blessings of health and good fortune. These encounters are complemented by daily meditation and yoga sessions, monastery visits and evenings spent stargazing beneath Ladakh’s vast Himalayan skies.
How to do it: Shakti Ladakh Village Experience starts from £5,266, based on two travelling.
(Ready to recharge? These are the best wellness experiences in the world for 2026.)
Published in the Spa & Wellness Collection 2026 by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
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