madeira
Mystical Creative Retreat 
MADEIRA 2026
DATES: November 8th - 14th (7 days/6 nights)
HOSTED BY: Lizzy Gadd & Kris Andres
PARTICIPANTS: 6 maximum
PHOTOGRAPHY LEVELS: All levels
PHYSICAL RATING: Moderate
Participants should be comfortable walking up to 5km on some days, often on uneven or muddy terrain, with up to 200 meters elevation gain and some height exposure.
COST: $5400 USD (or $7500 CAD)
+2.9% transaction fee for international payments made outside of Canada.
(payment plan available)
Why madeira?
This magical little island, also known as “The Pearl of the Atlantic” or the “Hawaii of Europe”, is located about 1,000 km southwest of mainland Portugal and roughly 500 km west of the African continent. It is also often known as the “Island of Eternal Spring” for its abundance of flowers, lush vegetation and mild weather year-round.
The first time we (Lizzy & Kris) visited this island was in the autumn of 2021. We rented a small stone cottage and the tiniest car you’ve ever seen, and we spent an entire month exploring Madeira’s many hiking trails, foggy forests, seaside cliffs and misty mountain tops. While our tiny old car chugged (and sometimes stalled) it’s way up the many steep, winding mountain roads, we were constantly overcome by complete awe… the views just kept unfolding around every corner, revealing mountain peaks shrouded in fog and the sun sparkling on the ocean far, far below. Between the endless views, warm sunshine, dramatic cliffs, crashing ocean waves, volcanic black sand beaches, mountain top mists covering the ancient Laurissilva forests with their fairytale-like trees, and of course the Madeiran wine and endless supply of Pastel de Nata (Portuguese custard tarts)… Well, I can easily say that entire month was one I’ll remember for the rest of my life, and I knew we’d be returning to this mystical paradise at our first opportunity.
…which, is now. With you.
After years of planning and waiting for the right timing to align, we are finally ready to bring together a very small group of creatives to join us for a week, here in Madeira. To share in the wonders of this island together, to collaborate and inspire one another. To embrace the magic of creating and capturing ethereal and story-telling images, moments to cherish and remember for a lifetime. It’s going to be very special….
Read on to learn more about our first ever MADEIRA creative retreat!
This creative retreat is open to anyone in any level of photography.
In fact, you don’t even have to be a photographer. You could be a painter, a writer, a musician. You could simply be a nature-loving human looking to hang out and be inspired!
This retreat is not technically advertised as a “photography workshop”, but more of a collaborative retreat experience. We keep these retreats extremely small, 6 participants max, for a reason… (not just to appease our introverted nature, hehe). We find these small retreats make it easier for everyone to connect on a deeper level, often becoming like a little creative family for the week. During these retreats, we really like to take our time exploring locations, letting ideas come naturally and unrushed. And between exploring locations, we all get to relax, eat, edit, learn and bond together at our lovely private villa overlooking the sea.
Our goal is to give you a week you’ll remember forever, while helping you achieve the dream experiences or images you want to create. We will be thrilled to help you out however we can: Whether by demoing how we shoot, helping you set up your own shot, modelling for you, having props available (I will be bringing far to many dresses for sure), as well as image editing sessions together at our homebase. We want this retreat to be an inspiring experience and collaborative effort, and if there’s anything you want to learn from us, please just ask. We’re here for YOU!
MEET YOUR HOSTS
Partners in photography, love and life, we are:
LIZZY GADD
Retreat Host / Peace Keeper
Lizzy is a self portrait artist/photographer from BC, Canada, but now based wherever her suitcase happens to be (which is currently in Banff, Alberta). She feels most at home in the mountains, forests, fields and ocean - all of which are heavily incorporated into my photography.
With her calm and grounding demeanour, Lizzy strives to create ethereal images that evoke peaceful solitude and portray the beauty of matching one's heartbeat with the beat of nature.
When she’s not creating or immersed in the depths of nature, you can usually find Lizzy on a couch somewhere, lost in a fantasy book while eating too much chocolate.
KRIS ANDRES
Retreat Host / Energy Booster
Kristopher Andres is a photographer, storyteller and adventure guide based in Banff, Alberta. Known for his ethereal images of remote and untamed landscapes, Kris loves seeking out the farthest corners of the planet, from the polar regions to the tropics, to document the raw beauty of ice, nature, mountains, and the human spirit. He is always up for endless adventures with a big smile on his face — no matter how “atmospheric” the conditions may be.
When not exploring the polar regions or guiding photography trips around the world, Kris can be found spending time climbing mountains, trekking and camping with his partner and their dog, crafting visual stories through photos and videos, cooking and baking, and practicing yoga.
RETREAT INFO
WHAT’S INCLUDED?
-6 NIGHTS ACCOMMODATIONS
We will have our very own private villa with 4 bedrooms, overlooking the ocean on the south coast. 2 people will be sharing each bedroom - we will pair you with a partner, friend, or a participant of the same sex.
-DAILY BREAKFASTS, SOME LUNCHES & SNACKS, SOME DINNERS
We will keep a large selection of breakfast foods and coffee/tea at our villa for you to help yourself to, as well as some snacks and sandwich materials for you to make your own lunches to bring on our adventures! We will also cover a couple of home-cooked dinners during the retreat.
-ALL GROUND TRANSPORTATION WITHIN MADEIRA DURING RETREAT
We will pick you up at Funchal Airport for the start of the workshop, and then you’re riding with us in our 8-passenger van for the rest of the retreat! We will also drop you off at the airport (or wherever you need to go that’s nearby) at the end of the retreat.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?
-ALL FLIGHTS
-TRAVEL INSURANCE
Participants must have trip cancellation/interruption insurance, as well as emergency medical/illness insurance and rescue coverage.
Please note that we cannot offer refunds for emergencies and trip cancellations (you can read more about our cancellation policy near the bottom of this page).
-SOME SNACKS AND MEALS
Although we will supply breakfast foods and some basic build-your-own sandwich materials and snacks to take with us on our adventures, we will also be eating out for some lunches or dinners. You will be expected to buy your own meals when we eat out.
-ACCOMMODATION BEFORE OR AFTER THE RETREAT
We cannot cover any accommodations outside of the dates of the retreat - however, we do recommend that you arrive to Madeira a day early if possible to avoid any potential flight delays on the day the retreat begins.
HOME BASE
During this retreat, we will be taking over this entire beautiful private villa located on a banana plantation, perched on the mountainside overlooking the ocean and sunsets. Oh, and we have our own private pool. Um… magic, right?
This villa is located on the south coast near Ponta do Sol, which we’ve chosen for being central to easily access both sides of Madeira. All of our favourite locations for exploring and photoshooting will be about an hour drive in either direction from our home base.
The villa includes 4 bedrooms (each room has 2 beds which can be pushed together or pulled apart depending on preference/roommates), a private bathroom for each bedroom, luxurious sitting areas indoors and outdoors, a fully equipped kitchen and dining area as well as a BBQ and dining area outdoors, free WIFI, and of course a beautiful back garden and terrace with views overlooking the sea!
ITINERARY
*SUBJECT TO CHANGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH WEATHER, TIMING AND EVENTS.
THE BEST MAGIC HAPPENS WHEN WE KEEP A FREE FLOWING MINDSET!
WHERE WILL WE GO?
We will plan to explore and shoot at least two locations per day, giving ourselves a few hours at each place to wander and let our creative ideas and inspiration flow naturally. Most days will start with a sunrise location (sunrise is at 7:30am) and will end with a sunset location (sundown is at 6pm), possibly mixing up some days for midday shoots depending on weather and participant energy levels. Between shooting, we’ll have downtime back at our villa where we can relax, connect, edit, eat, swim, sunbathe, you name it.
Some of the locations we will spend time at include the dramatic Pico do Arieiro and surrounding mountain peaks and cloudscapes, Ponta de São Lourenço and Miradouro da Ponta do Rosto with stunning seaside features and cliffs, as well as lots of other lesser known hidden gems throughout the island, and of course… the mystical Fanal Forest.
Note: As of the first week of November 2025, there are new rules and regulations (and fences and boardwalks) recently implemented in some of the main areas at Fanal Forest… a necessary action taken to help preserve the fragility of the ancient trees and eco system. Although we are incredibly sad to lose the complete freedom we previously had to move around and create anywhere throughout the forest, we are still hopeful there will be areas nearby where we can easily feature some of our favourite soulful trees in our images. No matter what, this magical place is still worth visiting, and we will navigate these new changes together while appreciating, acknowledging and protecting the sacred beauty of this ancient forest.
DAY 1
2pm: Pickup time! We will pick you up from Madeira Airport in our 8 passenger van, likely stopping at a cafe to caffeinate/connect/pass time before we continue driving to our accommodations to check in.
Note: If you arrive a day early, we suggest you book a hotel close to the airport or in Funchal so you can easily get a taxi to meet us for pickup!
4pm: Check in at our beautiful villa. Unpack, settle in, and then gather around for our official welcome speech, safety talk, itinerary for the next day, and to learn more about what YOU hope to get out of this week. Oh, and then watch sunset over the ocean (6pm) from our villa with some happy drinks. :)
7pm: Dinner (likely at a restaurant just a few minutes walk away from our villa).
Evening: Relax, bond, and then get to bed early for our first sunrise photoshoot tomorrow!
DAYs 2-6
Wake up between 4-6 am (we’ll let you know the night before what time we plan to leave). Enjoy coffee and breakfast, pack snacks.
Every morning we will leave our villa around 6am to give ourselves enough time to reach our first location at least half an hour before sunrise (7:30). We will decide each “location of the day” the night prior or the morning of, depending on where the weather is looking best on the island.
The rest of the day will flow according to our whims and the weather! On some days we might be chasing magic light all day from sunrise right through the afternoon and into sunset, moving from one location to the next… and other days we might finish a morning shoot early and head back to relax at our villa for a few hours before going to a sunset location.
DAY 7
Morning: Wake up, pack up, and check out of our accommodations. Our checkout time is at 10am, but we might leave earlier if the weather is looking prime for more photoshooting adventures!
10am-2pm: Final photoshoot somewhere, and then a final lunch together.
3pm: Drop offs. We will take you back to Madeira Airport, or to your hotel if you’re staying somewhere nearby.
WHAT TO EXPECT
FOR WEATHER / PHYSICALITY
The average daily temperatures in Madeira during November range from 16°C - 22°C (60°F - 71°F). However, some of the mountain locations we will be exploring are at a much higher elevation, where the temperature can range from 5°C - 10°C (40°F - 50°F), but sometimes feels closer to freezing with wind and rain, especially in the early morning. We suggest you bring warm layers and even light gloves for those early mornings where we shoot sunrise from the mountain tops!
We will likely have a good mix of both rain showers and sunshine during November (technically rainy season) in Madeira, which is the perfect recipe for the ethereal atmosphere we’re looking for. It will be very wise to bring rain-pants and a rain-jacket, as well as water resistant shoes or hiking boots.
As for physicality levels, we have rated this retreat as “easy to moderate”. There will be a couple of locations that involve hiking about 5km round-trip, with an elevation gain between 100-200 meters. Some trails will have several stone steps and mud, so hiking shoes will be helpful. We will take our time on these trails, stopping and shooting along the way.
COST / PAYMENT PLAN
TOTAL COST: $5400 USD (or $7500 CAD)
+2.9% transaction fee for international payments made outside of Canada.
We will send you an invoice for each payment the week before it’s due.
1ST DEPOSIT OF $1800 USD (or $2500 CAD)
DUE WHEN YOUR APPLICATION IS ACCEPTED
2ND PAYMENT OF $1800 USD (or $2500 CAD)
DUE BEGINNING OF APRIL, 2026
FINAL PAYMENT OF $1800 USD (or $2500 CAD)
DUE BEGINNING OF AUGUST, 2026
CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY
No one wants to miss out on a trip of a life time… but we understand these things do happen. In those situations, the following applies…
The first thing to note is that deposits are not refundable, but they are transferable if we can find someone else to fill the vacancy. In addition, all cancellations are subject to a $200 service charge to cover transaction fees.
Any cancellations within 90 days of the retreat cannot be refunded since it is extremely difficult to fill a spot on such short notice. However, IF we DO find someone to fill your spot last minute, only then would you be entitled to receive a refund (minus the $200 cancellation processing fee).
*By submitting your application to attend this retreat, you are acknowledging that you accept these conditions.
APPLICATION
TO ATTEND
This retreat is different from most photography events because not just anyone can sign up. We like to be very careful about who and what kind of energy we surround ourselves with, especially for such small retreats where we’ll all be very close together for the duration of the week.
In particular, we are looking for kind, easygoing humans who can hold a level of empathy for those around them, and who are willing to go with the flow with plans/weather changes. If this sounds like you, we would LOVE for you to fill in this application to attend!
*Please only submit an application if you’re serious about attending. If we approve your application, we will reach out to you within the week! Please note that we might not be able to respond to everyone due to the volume of applications.
*If your application is accepted, you will hear from Lizzy within the week from this email address: lizgadd@gmail.com
Please make sure to check your spam inbox as our application responses often end up there.
