EXPERIENCES

Karoo Inventures

Inventure with us in the Karoo

Register Interest

Step away from the noise. Rediscover yourself through an inward adventure or Inventure

An Inventure is a five-day guided experience in the remote Great Karoo where the landscape, the people and the tailored experiences come together to create the conditions for you to explore yourself, your life and the questions that feel important in this season.

If you’re ready to reclaim your attention and return with renewed clarity and aliveness, join us!

What has your attention?

The quality of our attention shapes the way we experience the world.

It influences what we notice, the decisions we make, the quality of our relationships, and ultimately the way we move through our days.

Yet very little in modern life is designed to protect it, or nurture it.

An Inventure offers five days in the Great Karoo to step away from the pace of everyday life and discover what becomes possible when your attention is no longer being pulled in every direction.

What has brought you here?

People come on an Inventure for different reasons. Over the years, these are some of the reasons that have brought people here…

  • You may be entering a new season of life.
  • You may be navigating a significant transition.
  • You may be facing an important life decision.
  • You may be feeling burnt out and longing for rest and renewal.
  • You may be feeling overwhelmed, disillusioned, hopeless, or even lost.
  • You may feel drawn to spend time in a wild place.
  • You may recognise that your attention has been on everyone and everything except yourself.
  • You may be seeking a renewed sense of aliveness and joy.
  • Or perhaps something about an Inventure has captured your curiosity.

Sometimes, curiosity is enough.

What is an Inventure?

I have come to believe that the qualities that characterise an adventure also create the conditions for an inward adventure.

Adventure has always involved an element of stepping into the unknown. We don’t know exactly what lies ahead. There is often a mix of anticipation, curiosity, uncertainty, discovery, and challenge. It asks something of us and, in doing so, often reveals something about us.

Inventure grew from a simple question: what might become possible if those same qualities shaped an exploration of ourselves?

An inward adventure or Inventure.

An Inventure is a five-day guided experience in the remote Great Karoo where the landscape, the people and the tailored experiences come together to create the conditions for you to explore yourself, your life and the questions that feel important in this season.

Place shapes us

Every Inventure takes place in the same part of the Great Karoo. Our remote tented camp sits on privately owned land along the Gats River between Graaff-Reinet and Nieu-Bethesda.

For the past four years I have returned to this place because I believe place influences us. There is a different rhythm here.

Days begin with changing light over the mountains and often end around a fire beneath a sky filled with stars.

There are no passing cars, no artificial light and very few reminders of everyday life.

I continue to leave wondering what it is about landscapes like these that changes the way we experience ourselves.

What can you expect?

Each Inventure unfolds through a thoughtfully designed sequence of experiences.

Across five days these may include:

  • Walking through remote wilderness.
  • Crossing the Gats River.
  • Time alone.
  • Shared conversations.
  • Creative exploration and expression.
  • Movement and breath.
  • Swimming in the river.
  • Writing or journalling.
  • Tailored elements to what you need when you need it (personal care and attention).
  • Campfires beneath extraordinary night skies.
  • Delicious Karoo meals.
  • Stretches of uninterrupted time.

The time bound agenda is not shared beforehand but does include the above aspects.

Like every adventure, some of the experience is found in not knowing what comes next, inviting a different quality of presence.

Every experience is designed around the principles of Inventure: creating space, slowing down, savouring beauty, embracing simplicity and cultivating joy.

How we create the conditions

Every aspect of an Inventure has been carefully considered. Before we head to the Karoo, I meet individually with each guest to understand where life has brought them and what has drawn them to this experience.

  • Groups are limited to eight people.
  • Everyone joins an Inventure on their own.
  • Phones, devices and watches are put away.
  • The days follow the rhythm of the landscape rather than the clock.

Together these create a different way of experiencing ourselves, one another and the natural world.

What people often discover

Every Inventure is different.
Yet across the years, guests have consistently spoken about…

  • Seeing their lives and lived experience from a different perspective.
  • Thinking more clearly.
  • Paying attention to things they had stopped noticing.
  • Rediscovering a sense of adventure.
  • Finding the courage to make an important decision.
  • Appreciating the simplicity of everyday life.
  • Experiencing nature in a completely different way.
  • Discovering that they were capable of more than they thought.

Designed and guided by Julie Robinson

For more than seventeen years I have designed and guided experiences that invite people to think differently about themselves, one another and the world around them in various contexts.

Inventure brings together my work as an organisational psychologist, neuroscience brain-based coach, and breathwork practitioner, threaded together with adventure, story and the wonder of the natural world.

Every Inventure is personally designed and guided, beginning with our first conversation before we leave for the Karoo and continuing through to our integration conversation afterwards.

All you need to know

Investment

First time Inventurers R 25 400.00
p/p excl vat

Returning Inventurers R 22 860.00
p/p excl vat

Cost excludes transport to and from our meeting place in Graaff-Reinet.

Location Location

Location

Remote tented camp along the Gats River, Great Karoo, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Included

  • 4 nights’ accommodation in a comfortable tented camp
  • All meals and beverages
  • Pre-Inventure conversation with Julie
  • Expertly guided experiences throughout
  • 5 full days of adventure
  • Post-Inventure integration conversation with Julie
  • Comprehensive safety protocols for our remote environment

Our Inventure experiences in the Karoo are in partnership with Karoo360.

Register Interest

F.A.Q.

We intentionally keep details minimal as the unknown invites presence, curiosity, delight and surprise – key elements of every Inventure. Each experience unfolds naturally and is customised to you and the group. We also believe that adventure begins where certainty ends.

Each day is filled with thoughtfully curated activities designed to inspire creativity, connection, and introspection. Think guided walks, breathwork, clay, sketching, cold immersions, reflective writing, somatic release, guided movement and much more. Each experience holds a creative, tactile and sensory dimension that is tailored to the moment and the group.

The tented camp is rustic yet cosy, intentionally designed to bring you closer to nature. You are provided with a private safari tent inclusive of a stretcher bed, soft bedding, and ample luggage space. To freshen up there is a unique bush shower with warm water under the open sky including the convenience of a eco-friendly bio-toilet and washbasin.

Autumn and spring in the Karoo range from crisp mornings (5–9°C) to warm afternoons (21–25°C). It can be unpredictable, but we’ll send you a comprehensive packing list to help you prepare. In general, expect cold mornings and evenings with warm, dry days typical of the Karoo.

Your accommodation, bedding, towels, meals and beverages are provided. We will send you a detailed packing list after you sign up, but think practical, warm, and comfortable outdoor gear. Just your essentials.

Yes, we cater for special dietary preferences and restrictions. Let us know when you complete the application form and we will ensure you are catered for.

The Inventure is a completely offline experience with no cellular reception. We have a satellite phone, check in twice daily with a contact in the nearest town, and provide next of kin with emergency contact details. We have robust emergency protocols in place, and the nearest town is within reasonable driving distance if needed.

You are welcome to drive directly to Graaff-Reinet or fly to Gqeberha and hire a car or take a transfer to Graaff-Reinet from the airport (approximately 250km). Please note that the cost excludes transport to and from our meeting place in Graaff-Reinet.

We strongly advise against it as Inventure is a solo experience to allow deep personal reflection free from familiar roles and expectations.

If you’re seeking space, clarity, renewal, stillness, meaning or deeper connection with yourself and nature, an Inventure could be exactly what you need. Within this context there is no set outcome, it is all in the arrival.

No, this is not therapy. It’s a guided personal journey of reflection, creativity, and connection to nature. There is no pressure to share. It is a deeply personal experience, held in community.

You will be gently guided by Julie throughout. The experience flows naturally and as such, no prior knowledge or skill is required.

Yes. Solitude is an important part of the experience, and time alone is built into the design. There is plenty of space to be alone, to reflect, walk, create or simply breathe.

Please reach out to us about your medical condition for us to discuss your needs to ensure your safety and comfort and consider whether the experience is right for you.

Yes. The experience is co-created. We will explore your needs and requests in a one-on-one session before you arrive.

At this stage, there are no alternative pricing options. We have intentionally crafted a high-touch, intimate group experience that reflects the true cost of what we offer.

What have other inventurers had to say?

"My Inventure was a 'come back to self,' stripping away all influences to reveal who I am. It sparked a new perspective, with daily reminders to go gently, find joy in simple things, and embrace life differently."

Mary-Lyn Raath

Read more >

"The immersive setting allowed me to disconnect from daily life and reconnect with my creative inner child. This retreat was not just a getaway, but a journey into self-discovery, renewal, and healing."

Simon Kehagias

Read more >

"Slowing down provided me with the space to hear my heart... On my 'Inventure,' I realised that the busyness of life wasn't fostering genuine connections, and that being present is the essence of love."

Tandi Kolbe

Read more >

"Going into this Inventure, I had no preconceived notions about what I thought I might “get out of it”. In fact, I actively chose not to have any - I just wanted to go and experience whatever it was that Julie had planned. It turned out to be a beautifully crafted mix of movement, breath, creativity, thoughtful words and quiet moments enhanced by being completely immersed in the pristine vast openness that is the Karoo"

Tracy Frayne

Read more >

"The speed at which our daily noise disappears was a surprise, and the silence that was left is a truly unique place to be in and experience. This beautiful place allows us to disconnect from our daily lives and reconnect with ourselves, recognising what is truly important at this time."

John Fourie

Read more >

"My Inventure was truly an inward journey, a process of self-discovery and introspection that invited me to explore my own thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and identity. It was about turning inward, rather than seeking answers outside of myself."

Chris Crewdson

Read more >

OFFERINGS

Personal inventuresView of trees from belowCity inventures