A bolo svetlo – Pobyt v tme a ústraní lies at the very end of the road above the Biela hamlet in the municipality of Zázrivá (Dolný Kubín district) in northern Slovakia, in the mountains below Rozsutec in the Malá Fatra range. There are two well-insulated cabins with heating and fans, water comes from a mountain spring and parking is right on the property. The retreats are run by Ivka (Ivanka) and Kamil: on arrival they sit down with the guest over herbal tea to agree on how the stay will go, meals and communication; they bring food every day and are available for a talk. On request they recommend breathing exercises, offer guided meditation with music therapy and, after the retreat, an online homeopathic consultation.
The approach is spiritual and focused on self-discovery – the website describes a dark retreat as a path to self-knowledge, self-healing and inner balance and introduces it with literature on Advaita and Ramana Maharshi. Retreats are booked only in whole weeks (7, 14 or 21 days) from Friday to Friday, so they suit those who want to go into the dark for longer and appreciate personal, family-style care in peaceful mountain surroundings. Besides darkness they also offer a solitary retreat (trips and walks during the day, sleeping in complete darkness at night) and detox stays below Rozsutec.
included in the price, vegetarian, vegan or raw, delivered once a day
Home-cooked food according to the guest's wishes, gluten-free on request; they recommend easily digestible vegetarian food, and some people benefit from a few days of fasting or eating only fruit.
Breakfast: crunchy muesli with nuts; fresh fruit, nuts and biscuits are available.
Lunch and dinner are brought once a day in thermal containers.
With the food they bring organic tea from local mountain herbs; they try to use local organic ingredients, and the water comes from a mountain spring.
After the retreat you can buy herbal infusions (lady's mantle, mint, marjoram) and dried mushrooms.
Length of stay
7 nights (Fri–Fri)
They only book stays of 7, 14 or 21 days, nothing shorter; several weeks are also possible.
Check-in on Friday early evening (16:00 in winter time, 17:00 in summer time), ending the following Friday morning with breakfast before sunrise.
You decide exactly when the darkness begins by switching off the light.
Deposit and payment
200 € (or 5,000 CZK) within a week of confirmation
Available dates are shown in the booking calendar on the website; request a date via the contact form or by email; they confirm the booking by email.
The booking is valid once the deposit reaches their Slovak account in EUR or Czech account in CZK (account numbers are on the website); if you cannot pay the deposit within a week, let them know.
The balance is paid on the day of arrival on site or by bank transfer.
A gift voucher is available on request.
Cancellation
Cancellation or change of date no later than 3 weeks before the stay: the deposit is refunded or the date is moved.
Later cancellation: the deposit is non-refundable.
If the date can be filled by another guest or you find a replacement, the deposit is refunded.
Early departure: The website does not say; ask before booking.
Health restrictions
The website does not list contraindications; ask before booking.
Other conditions
Arrival on Friday early evening (16:00 in winter, 17:00 in summer), departure the following Friday morning.
After arrival you agree over tea on how the stay will go, meals and any other needs.
Bring comfortable clothes, slippers and perhaps your favourite sweet or savoury snacks.
They ask you not to bring chemical cosmetics (shower gels, shampoos, perfumes, antiperspirants) unless you need them for health reasons – the shower water drains back into the ground.
Parking right by the cabins on the property.
Directions: in Zázrivá turn off towards Zázrivá-Biela, go straight for about 1 km, at the first two houses on the right turn right and follow the narrow road to the end (steeply uphill, sharp U-shaped bend); enter the GPS coordinates only once you are in Biela, otherwise the navigation leads over the hill where a car cannot pass.
Couples and sharing a cabin: The website does not say; ask before booking.
Guide
Ivka (Ivanka) and Kamil – the operators, who look after guests personally (their names appear in guests' thank-you notes and in the contacts on the website).
The website does not state any qualification in working with darkness; the operator introduces herself on the website as a professional homeopath and offers homeopathic consultations.
They bring food every day and are ready to help, advise or talk; care follows the guest's wishes and the initial agreement.
On request they recommend breathing exercises and lead guided meditation with music therapy.
Communication in Slovak (the website also lists prices in CZK for Czech guests); English is offered to foreign guests as part of an individual offer.
Information taken from the operator's website abolosvetlo.sk, last checked 8. 10. 2026. Prices and conditions may change; please confirm them with the operator before booking.. Texts are translated from Czech.
Getting to A bolo svetlo Zázrivá:
Location: two cabins at the end of the road above the Biela hamlet, below Rozsutec Parking: 0 km Train: 8 km Bus: 1 km
A bolo svetlo Zázrivá on the map:
Do you own this centre and would like more photos or a different description here? Contact us at info@pobytvetme.com.
A bolo svetlo ZázriváSKLocation: two cabins at the end of the road above the Biela hamlet, below RozsutecParking: 0 kmTrain: 8 kmBus: 1 kmPrice: ≈ 1,394 Kč/night400 € per week (7 nights) including meals, i.e. about 57.14 €/night; sold only in whole weeks
A bolo svetlo ZázriváSKLocation: two cabins at the end of the road above the Biela hamlet, below RozsutecParking: 0 kmTrain: 8 kmBus: 1 kmPrice: ≈ 1,394 Kč/night400 € per week (7 nights) including meals, i.e. about 57.14 €/night; sold only in whole weeks
How to book A bolo svetlo Zázrivá
Book directly with the operator: website abolosvetlo.sk, phone +421 918 313 732 (also Viber and WhatsApp), +421 918 182 210, email iva.zan@gmail.com, hrubykami@gmail.com.
If they are fully booked, you can use these free dates at Léčba tmou near Kutná Hora. These are not dates of A bolo svetlo Zázrivá, but of the centre in Lomec near Kutná Hora (Czechia):
