What if getting away from everyday life could offer more than rest and beautiful scenery? A new retreat on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast is inviting participants to explore two journeys at once, one across the landscape and another within themselves.
Taking place from October 12 to 18, the Power of Connection Retreat will be hosted at Villa@Nakai in Trafalgar, overlooking the Indian Ocean. Open to both men and women, the retreat combines The Power of Connection programme with time to walk, explore, talk, reflect and simply be.
Rather than filling six consecutive days with teaching, the programme alternates course days with more spacious days, allowing participants to absorb what they are learning away from the formal sessions. A walk beside the ocean, time beneath the coastal forest, a conversation around the dinner table or a quiet moment of reflection can all become part of the experience.
The retreat explores connection on several levels, including our relationship with ourselves, the people we love, our communities and the wider world. The Power of Connection is experiential rather than primarily theoretical, offering practical tools to help participants recognise familiar patterns in thinking, listening and communicating and explore new possibilities in their everyday relationships.
From unexpected connection to a place to reconnect
The retreat’s setting has its own story.
When Adam and Heide first visited Trafalgar in March 2020, they had no plans to buy property there. Within days, however, they found themselves drawn to a neighbouring site. Then South Africa entered its first Covid lockdown.
Unable to travel, they began imagining what the place could eventually become, somewhere people could come to rest, reconnect and be renewed.
Several years of planning and perseverance later, Villa@Nakai was completed. Today, the intention is for the setting to be more than simply a beautiful place to stay. The coastal landscape and spacious environment form part of the retreat experience itself.
There will be time to walk beside the ocean, watch the waves, spend time in nature, share conversations, keep a journal or simply do nothing. These quieter moments are considered part of the learning rather than interruptions to it, with the hope that some insights emerge naturally when there is space to slow down.
Three practitioners, one shared focus
The retreat brings together Adam and Heide, who have been students, facilitators and leaders within the More To Life community for more than 30 years, and Katy van Haeften, who will travel from the UK to join them.
Adam has worked as a GP and Heide as a physiotherapist, while both have also been involved in personal development. Katy has taught The Power of Connection and other More To Life courses for many years.
Together, they bring different professional and life experiences to a shared interest in the quality of human connection and in creating supportive learning environments.
The hope is that participants will return home with more than memories of the South Coast, taking with them new friendships, fresh perspectives, greater confidence in their relationships and practical tools for everyday life, along with a renewed sense of what matters to them.
The Power of Connection Retreat takes place from October 12 to 18, 2026, at Villa@Nakai in Trafalgar, KwaZulu-Natal. The course fee is R5000 per person, excluding accommodation, food and travel. Participants arrange their own accommodation in Trafalgar, where a range of properties is available.
The nearest airport is Margate, approximately 15 minutes from Trafalgar, with CemAir operating a daily flight from Johannesburg. King Shaka International Airport is approximately a 1½ to 2-hour drive away.
For more information or to register your interest:
Heide on WhatsApp: +27 824 142 090
Email: heideblockwow2010@gmail.com
