The Dunagiri Retreat is the most fantastic, enchanting, and wonderful place. The combination of an incredible landscape with beautiful forested mountains and views of snow capped peaks, the amazing facilities and rooms offered, and the most helpful and friendly staff make this the perfect retreat. We travelled all around the world last year and visited New Zealand, Cuba, Canada, drove across the US, and traveled in India, but when we got to Dunagiri we said, “this is the place we have to come back to”. We have now returned and our stay the second time lived up to and surpassed our crazed fantasies of this place. Piyush was a wonderful host and ensured that we had everything we needed. All of the staff have been outstanding and we can not thank them enough. And Panditji, the cook, is a god among men, creating heavenly food and ensuring that our stay was magnificent.

We had a one month retreat at Dunagiri with about seventeen participants. It was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life.

Please don't expect the luxuries of a five star resort. It's a simple place designed for those seeking a genuine, comfortable, friendly and down to earth atmosphere for a retreat.

Here is a note I wrote for Piyush (the owner) while I was there...

Dear Piyush,

I am grateful to you for creating this space. It is a magical, healing and liberating place. The whole environment is perfect for Sadhana and deepening. Thank you for being such a powerful channel of blessings for so many others through your patient and diligent efforts to make such a place a reality.

Thank you and lots of love,

Nithya Shanti

This is a place you should go to if you literally want to 'get away from it all'.....no TV, virtually no internet, erratic cell phone coverage, no Malls or markets, no town...yes it is in the middle of nowhere! Nor is it some fancy shmancy resort (note it's called Retreat, not a Resort) --it's pretty basic. Yes you have your decent beds and linen etc but if you come in the monsoon you may not be able to get a change of towels and sheets daily because there's no sunshine to dry the clothes and there certainly aren't any dryers or washing machines, in fact electricity supply is, well, not bad, but it's there when it's there, that's all you'll get. The rooms are nice enough, mostly old village houses converted into rooms, some have better views, the one I stayed in had windows in place of one wall and I loved the open feeling; some rooms have low or sloping roofs so you have to watch your head when you go to the bathroom or at the corners. The rooms are spread over the fairly large property so there's a walk (a few minutes but if you're health is compromised or you have bad knees -you might be just a trifle upset-) and it's on the side of a hill or mountain really there is a fair amount of going up and down from one location to the other, say, the meditation hall -made as a pyramid, the dining room, other rooms, in and out of the property.
The food is more like home cooked than from a hotel but the best part is that they are pretty accommodative if you have any special needs- say if you are vegetarian, vegan or eating oil free etc.
There are places you can hike to --from a 20 minute walk to a few hours and a small town 30-40 minutes drive away. Some temples and of course the famous Kriya Babaji's cave to which people are drawn from all over the world I'm told.
The best part is being totally in the lap of nature and far away from the pollution and hustle bustle of city life. I was just there in the monsoon this time and I loved the downpours. Took a hold of my umbrella and rubber slippers, turned my trousers up and splashed through the water. the grasses and loved watching the flowers beginning to blossom and the potato crop grow. Another visit I was there in February I think and it was much dryer and not anywhere near as green as this time so it depends on the season when you go. There were a few spiders in my room and I came across a couple of scorpions here and there but I left them alone and they left me alone? Of course the boys who work there can easily take them out for you so there's no problem like that.
Enough said!