For many, vacations in Türkiye are now taking on a new twist! Many holiday-seekers are now looking to combine some sort of wellness practice with their opportunity to enjoy time off. And it makes great sense, as so many vacation destinations in Türkiye are located in places of spectacular natural beauty and with the season being the height of spring, the weather is perfectly conducive to frolicking in the forest.

The following are just some of the interesting and unique concepts on which vacations are being centered for the upcoming Ramadan Bayram, as known as Eid al-Fitr, which this year falls over the weekend of April 21-23 and the commemoration of the republic's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Youth and Sports Day on Friday, May 19. Granted, the enthusiasm for workshops seems to thrive year-round now in Türkiye, becoming the new trendiest form of vacationing, and why not? Not only do these sorts of holidays offer an opportunity to learn a skill, but you also get to meet new people all well engaging in healthy practices. So, check out this list of retreats available all over the country coming up this month.

Fungi Türkiye in Bolu and Fethiye

Fungi Türkiye is an organization that hosts mushroom-picking events. Led by a skilled expert, these workshops include trips to the forests to learn about and find edible mushrooms as well as the opportunity to stay overnight in proper accommodation, tents or a caravan. Coming up this weekend, on April 15 to 16, will be a Gastro Mushroom Tour in Bolu, in which unique meals centered on mushrooms will start and end the two days of mushroom picking in this Black Sea region known for its spectacular dense forests and plateaus.

Then on the following weekend from April 21 to 23, Fungi Türkiye heads to Fethiye for two days of mushroom picking in Kayaköy and a search for the highly sought-after Kuzu Göbeği mushroom, which in English is called the true morel. The expedition will be led by expert Nazım Tanrıkulu, who will be introducing the different types of mushrooms in the region and how to identify them. This weekend-long event will also include mobility and yoga sessions in the morning. Participants have the opportunity of joining for the day or taking part in the full overnight stay in either retreat and the price is reflected accordingly.

From forest to plate

Ormandan Tabağa is an organization that hosts mushroom-picking events in Bolu every weekend, however, this Saturday, April 15 they head to Urla, for a day of foraging in Izmir’s Urla followed by dining on a scrumptious meal centered on mushrooms and prepared by chefs at the restaurant Manej Urla.

Ayurveda in Antalya

Resident expat and ayurvedic expert Ulli Allmendinger will be hosting a detox, silence and community retreat in Antalya’s Geyikbayırı, which is actually the country’s top rock-climbing destination. Held at the Greenhouse Geyikbayırı from April 26 to 30, this retreat will combine Ayurveda with a variety of wellness practices starting with practicing silence, yoga, meditation and dance. If Antalya is too far, then you can always attend Allmendinger’s online weeklong Ayurvedic Spring Detox from April 24 to May 1.

Surfing and yoga in Ordu

Mellow Türkiye is an organization, hotel and hostel with locations in Sri Lanka and the Black Sea’s Ordu. This holiday week, Mellow Türkiye’s Roksan will be hosting a surf and yoga retreat from April 20 to 23 in Ordu’s coastal Perşembe region. This three-night, four-day retreat will have sunrise yoga and hiking sessions, surf lessons, a surf film screening, sunset treks and yoga sessions and ecological seminar, a surfboard-making workshop and an evening of vegan specialties from Ordu.

While Mellow Türkiye may have started their hosteling and surf school adventure in Sri Lanka, they are now introducing the sport to the Black Sea and Ordu. Their efforts have been featured in the documentary "Dalga," which means "Wave," where they also introduce the bodysurfers of Rize, whom unbeknownst to many have actually been "surfing" the Black Sea for eons now.

Yogacruising in Göcek

As the name suggests, Yogacruising is an organization that combines the Blue Cruise experience with a yoga retreat. Sailing the coves of Fethiye’s Göcek, there are multiple three-day and four-day trips setting sail in April and May on boats that accommodate anywhere between 12 and 24 people. Yogacruising also holds weeklong retreats in Greece and Bali.