About the Retreat Centre


Welcome to the Amaravati Retreat Centre website.

Amaravati Retreat Centre has been holding retreats since the monastery was first established in 1984. The retreats are led by monks and nuns trained in the Ajahn Chah tradition originating from the north-east of Thailand, which is part of the Theravada tradition of South Asia.

Although each retreat is slightly different, broadly speaking they focus on the Buddha’s teachings in the Theravada tradition, and include periods of guided and silent meditation, walking meditation, reflections on aspects of the Buddha’s teachings, and an opportunity for questions and answers with the teacher.

There is no charge for attending monastic-led retreats at Amaravati. The teachings are given freely in keeping with the Thai Forest Monastic tradition, but donations are always welcome.


Types of Retreat and Recent Changes

Online retreats

Due to major building projects at the monastery, we have in recent years been offering a programme of online retreats, led by monks and nuns from the Thai Forest tradition, following a similar format to the in person retreats we have held in the past. During 2024 we will be continuing with this online programme for most of the year, and all our retreats except those held in the months of June and July will be online only.

For dates of Online Retreats in 2024 or to book an Online Retreat please go to Retreat Calendar. For General Information about our Online Retreats please see this.

In-Person Retreats

During the months of June and July, we will also be holding a few In-person only retreats at Amaravati, as we did in 2023. Please be aware that the accommodation will be shared and fairly basic, and that places will be limited to 30 per retreat, so there will not be space for all who would like to take part.

If you think you might be interested in attending an In-person retreat during June or July 2024, please first read the General Information on In-person Retreats, to see if this would be suitable for you, before booking. For General Information on the In-person retreats, please see this.

For dates of in-person retreats for July 2024 or to book an in-person retreat please go to Retreat Calendar.

Retreat Centre – meditation room