Wellness in Furnas

Laughing Orchard

Laughing Orchard is a sacred retreat centre hidden inside the volcanic crater of Furnas, on the oldest island of the Azores — São Miguel, Portugal. Set within a one-hectare fruit garden tucked inside an ancient riverbed, surrounded by wind-sheltering forest, this is a place where the land itself is the teacher. Hot springs bubble underfoot, mineral-rich air fills the lungs, and two hundred shades of green open the eyes. The centre offers immersive multi-day gatherings — Immersions — for small groups of up to 18 people, as well as private retreat hire and organisational off-sites. Practices hosted include yoga, meditation, breathwork, somatic bodywork, sound journeys, and the unscripted gatherings known as Collisions, where strangers become kin and something unplanned always arrives.