After exploring the world for a considerable period and residing in an alternative community for the past 6 years, I wish to share my compiled list of cool and conscious places around the world.
By conscious I mean cozy, a bit wild, hippies, friendly, safe, with yoga and meditation places, vegan food, organic farms, and a sustainable living mindset. A place where diversity is celebrated and you’re not a part of the rat race anymore. Instead, you wake up to the sounds of nature in the morning and are surrounded by like-minded souls, spiritual seekers, and explorers… nobody cares about how much money you have in the bank or what your “title” was before.
This list may be useful for those who have realized that life is more than being on auto-pilot in the matrix. I haven’t personally visited every place so use your own judgment. Follow your heart, check in with your rational mind, and have fun exploring! Best wishes for everyone’s onward journeys- physical, emotional, and spiritual 💚
Please drop a comment if you have somewhere else that can go into the list or any updates you may share about these places.
*UPDATED in February 2023
EUROPE
Belgium:
Blankenberghe: fine beaches and vegan friendly
and yoga studios, hippie hangouts.
Crete:
-Preveli: The old Hippie Island
-Aegina (no, for families)
-North part of Chalkida:
There are communities (yoga, detox, permaculture)
– Gavdos (The southest island of Europe)
Italy:
-Valle della Luna, Sardegna
Malta:
-Gozo
Denmark:
-Dalmatian coast:
-Hvar island
Germany:
-Zegg
Greece:
-Eresos
-Lesvos island (Osho Afros)
-Samothraki: really nice community there! Amazing ancient tree, hot spring and sea. Beware: strong energy, not for everyone. Volcano
Corfu Island: Yoga retreats, ecstatic dance
Portugal:
–Tamera
-Praia do Barranco
-Zambujeira do Mar
-Sintra
-Odeceixe
-Colares
-Aljezur
-Algarve
-Area of Alentejo
-Ericeira (many expats, yoga, surfing)
–Merkaba Community
-Mooji ashram in Alantejo region
–Terra Sangha
Spain:
-Orgiva, Andalusia
-Cabo de gata, Andalusia
-La gomera
-Valle del Gran Rey
-Formentera
-Menorca
-Mallorca
-Galice
-Ibiza: North, Mercadillo Las Dalias area
-Fuerteventura
-El hierro
-La palma
Canary Islands:
-Tenerife
– North of Fuerteventura
Turkey:
-Cirali
-Kabak
-Kaz Daglari
-Olympos
U.K.
-Glastonbury
-Frome, Somerset
-Tadley, Hampshire
-Bristol
-Brighton
-New Quay
-Carmarthen in Wales
-Totnes
Scotland:
-Finhorn
ASIA
Cambodia:
-Kampot: a sweet place with a lake where you can swim, yoga and vegan restaurants. Try the playground, Pilgrims, Simple things
-Koh Rong island
Indonesia:
-Bali
-The Nusas
India:
-Patnem in Goa, still quiet
-Palolem in Goa
-Arambol – too touristy, also not safe
-Dharamsala – up in the Himalayas where the Dalai Lama lives. Super shanti place, yoga, buddhist meditation center (Tushita)
-Rishikesh – although I’m hesitant to say it’s peaceful or safe. Stay in the Tapovan area.
-Auroville
-Pushkar
-Manali
Nepal:
-Pokhara lake side
The Philippines:
-Siargao Island
-Bantayan
– Palawan
Thailand:
-Pai: beautiful mountains, hot springs, yoga, live music, hippie community.
-Koh Phangan (my home!): yoga, vegan community, beautiful tropical weather year round, untouched beaches, self-dev workshops, ecstatic dance
– Koh Phayam
CENTRAL AMERICA
Costa Rica:
-Pachamama: it’s a community in the dry jungle, close to Nosara, San Juanillo
-Nosara
-Dominical
-Santa Teresa
-Uvita
-Montezuma
-Puerto Viejo
-Soltara – Costa Rica (London calling documentary)
-Timamaste – vibrant thriving community, vortex of creativity but it’s rainy
-Cauhita, Punta Uva
Guatemala:
-Lake Atitlan
-San Marcos
Nicaragua:
-The southern Nicaragua coast, though as in many places in the world, political turmoil is a factor.
-Inanitah
-Balgue on Ometepe
Panama:
-Bocas del Toro
NORTH AMERICA
Canada:
-Nelson: in the mountains, no sea. Beautiful ashram.
-Salt Spring Island
-Pandor island – next to Salt Spring Island
-Third Beach, BC (not a community to live in)
-Wreck beach, BC: nude beach, not a community.
-Tofino, BC (surf town, expensive)
– Vancouver- stay in Commercial Drive
Mexico:
-Mazunte
-Zipolite, next to Mazunte
-Puerto Escondido
-Tepoztlan – near Mexico City
-San Cristobal de las Casas
-Some parts of Tulum
-Sayulita
USA:
-Taos, New Mexico (Hummingbird community)
-Arcosanti, Arizona
-Mount Shasta, CA
-Sedona, CA
-Ojai, CA
-Ocean Beach, CA
-Nevada City, CA
-Arcata, CA
– Topanga, CA
-Ashland, Oregon (OR)
-Eugene eco community, OR: good feedback
-Breitenbush Hot Springs, OR: intentional community that runs a public Hot Springs/retreat center… (you can stay as a longterm visitor/volunteer/worker on the community side)
-Ithaca, NY
-Asheville, NC- electronic and new age scene
-Vashon Island in Washington state… a 15 minute ferry ride from Seattle. A real artist and activist community.
-Crestone, Colorado (CO)
-Durango, CO
-Nederland, CO
-Carbondale, CO
Hawaii:
-Maui: So beautiful! but very very expensive food and rent
-Kona in Hawaii has an awesome community. They have yoga, drumming, circles, ecstatic dance, etc.
-Big Island: Puna and Pahoa
SOUTH AMERICA
Argentina:
-San Marcos Sierra
-Santa Rosa
-Capilla del Monte
-Córdoba
-Eco yoga village outside of Argentina (Hare Krishnas and farming)
-El Bolson
Bolivia:
-Copacabana
Brazil:
-Chapada dia mantina
-Vale do Capão, Bahia
-Trancoso, Bahia
-Praia da Pipa, North of brazil
-Praia da Rosa
-Piracanga, Bahia
-Ubatuba
-Itamambuca beach (yoga, vegan food, fresh fruits, surf, ayahuasca rituals, retreats…)
Chile:
-Cajon del Maipo
-Valle del Elqui
-San Pedro de Atacama
-Pucon
Colombia:
-Santa Marta/ Parque Tayrona area – Sierra Nevada where the Kogi tribe lives
-Finca sin fronteras, Santa Marta
-Taganga (there was drug problems when I was there and didn’t seem safe)
-Salento (stunning nature, ayahuasca community)
-Santa Helena
-Guatape
Uruguay:
-Cabo Polonio (when I was there in 2013, no electricity, no cars)
-La Juanit
Ecuador:
-Vilcabamba- Family friendly and safe. Tons of fresh fruits and veggies. Yoga and a nice community. Located in a sacred healing Valley with a beautiful river.
-Canoa (yoga and surf)
-AyampePeru:
-Sacred valley, esp Pisac (check out my blog about it)
-Urubamba
AFRICA
Morocco:
-Taghazaut
Egypt:
-Sinai, Dahab (Not so much Yoga, but beautiful snorkeling and desert and amazing energy.)
In the area of Nueiba you have Ras el Shitan that is famous. You have the town Dahab that is really fun and great. From there you can go by boat to Abu Galum, which is a very isolated beach but very special. Recommend season is Sep-Oct, or April-June.
Kenya:
-Kilifi, Mombasa
Mozambique:
-Tofo
AUSTRALIA
-Byron Bay
-Mullumbimby
-Nimbin of NSW
-Airlie Beach
-Cairns
NEW ZEALAND:
-Takaka
Asli in Wonderland 
Awesome list!
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Hi, thanks for the beautiful updated list. Do you know which communities are family friendly as we have a 1yo boy and we’d love for him to interact with other like minded souls.
Namaste
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Hi Thor, I don’t have a kid and haven’t been in all of these places but I can tell Koh Phangan in Thailand, Ubud in Bali and Vilcabamba in Ecuador are pretty family friendly. Sorry I can’t be of much help here. The best is to find “conscious community” pages on FB of the places you’re interested in and search/ask for details. Hope you find a nice place to raise your boy! He’s lucky.
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Great list! on your travels in Europe did you find any settled conscious communities? By that, I don’t mean a hippie commune, but an area with a high proportion of conscious people, events, vegan cafes, and meditation/yoga? And where people live rather than transitory visitors?
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Thanks so much for this list! I`m nomad and I`m looking for a place to settle in for a while. Love!
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