30 Kilometers outside of DULLSTROOM, through 2 farms and up a rocky dirt road that only the most rugged 4X4 can manage, there is a place unlike any other:
TONGLEN RETREAT. Zero electricity Gas, candle, paraffin and AGA stove fuelled you’re surrounded by the most incredible views, views that do not include any evidence of civilization. It’s like being on an island in 1858 on the top of a mountain
surrou. There’s mystical mist-filled valleys most morning and you may gander the odd Eland, Oribi, Caracal or shy Aardvark among sandstone and granite buildings built by hand. When clinical psychologist Antony Tarboton bought this beautiful remote piece of land in the middle of nowhere 18 years ago, there was nothing but the rocky remains of a sandstone and granite kraal that had stood there since the 1800s among the towering trees and rolling green and rocky vistas. He envisioned TONGLEN to be a place that others could come to for healing, a retreat and a place to be more present in the now. Since then Antony and a small handful of people have gradually built TONGLEN from the ground up, shaping and stacking the abundant granite blocks, and schlepping building materials (and everything else) over the rocky face of the mountain in no less than a unimog, because the terrain was so unforgiving and untamed; exactly why Antony (and so many others) fell in love with the place - because it ‘s still wild. There is running water and all the necessary plumbing for a comfortable RETREAT and a fully-functional industrial kitchen attached to the DHARMA CENTRE which is ideal for indoor group work/dance/therapy WORKSHOPS. Most rooms are furnished with a fireplace and a host of creature comforts that will put you at ease without affecting the RUSTIC charm of the place. A Lister Motor Generator that is surprisingly inaudible powers the DHARMA CENTRE and a number of cottages. Friendly and professional staff are always on hand to ensure you have everything you need to have a meaningful experience. TONGLEN RETREAT has hosted an array of successful retreats, one being KAHUNA Workshop and TEAMBUILDING CONFERENCE. It is the ideal venue for challenging and/or powerful workshops or events that require a remote, beautiful, but still comfortable venue.
