Sep 2, 2026
Tucked along the North Saskatchewan River Delta, about 60km northwest of Cumberland House and far from any roads, you’d be hard pressed to find a better place for a holistic retreat than Aski Holistic Adventures. Group retreats here are focused on a holistic approach to learning about the land and its stewardship from an Indigenous perspective. But most importantly, they’re focused on the power of gathering and connection with the Carriere family and their Cree-Métis way of life here in the north Saskatchewan backcountry.
Owner Michela Carriere has called this off-grid property home since she was an infant, just like the many generations before her. She grew up homeschooling on the Delta, learning from books and from the land before studying horticulture at Vancouver Island University and Biology at the University of Saskatchewan.
A life on the Delta has made Michela an expert outdoorswoman; she’s skilled in paddling, foraging, tea, tincture and salve making, trapping, hunting, beadwork and much more. Michela was even selected out of more than 40,000 applicants to compete in Season 11 of the survival series ALONE, so if that isn’t proof enough that she knows her way around the wilderness, I don’t know what is.
Michela founded Aski Holistic Adventures to share some of the knowledge and lessons the Delta has taught her with multi-day retreat guests. But a trip here also means you’re being welcomed into the Carriere family home. Michela, her husband, Leo, and their daughter live on the property, as do Michela’s parents, Solomon and Renée Carriere. This is part of what makes Aski Holistic so special–you’re being invited to stay with and share the Carriere family’s home.
There is no road access to Aski Holistic, and it’s only accessible via the North Saskatchewan River. For that reason, Michela runs retreats primarily in mid-winter, spring, early summer and early fall. There’s no cell reception here either, which helps guests unplug and be present for the duration of the retreat. I attended a group retreat in late June, so I’ll only be able to share about summer experiences, but I’d love to return to Aski Holistic Adventures in the winter.
To start, your group will need to drive to a remote boat launch about 45 minutes northeast of Nipawin, where you’ll be picked up in an aluminum boat and travel approximately 30 minutes along the North Saskatchewan River to the property. Michela sends all guests a suggested packing list and overview of the facilities ahead of the retreat, but it’s important to pack light, and bring functional outdoor clothes and gear, like bug nets, leather gloves (for foraging), waterproof shoes, rain paints, a rain jacket, a flashlight, a headlamp and a water bottle. There’s no running water on the property, so outhouses are a given, and Michela’s family provides potable water to guests.
Three shared cabins are on site for guests of retreats, with several beds in each, plus a small living space, stove and rainwater sink—they’re very comfortable and cozy! Retreats are typically a minimum of 8 guests, so chances are you’ll be sharing with a few others in your cozy cabin.
Days on a retreat at Aski Holistic are planned intentionally. When you arrive, Michela will let you know the approximate plan for your visit, but there is no set “schedule” with prescribed times. It’s not that kind of place, which is perfect.
You can build out the type of retreat you’re looking for when you plan with Michela, but here are a few of the activities and experiences we had on ours:
Foraging: Michela took us into the trails behind the property to forage for plants like wild mint, licorice root, wild ginseng, raspberry leaf and several others. She also has an impressive storage room with all of her foraged plants from other seasons and foraging walks.
Tea Ceremony: We all brought our foraged plants back, stripped them from stems and prepared them to make teas for the tea ceremony. Michela led a ceremony where we sampled over 10 teas and learned about the healing and medicinal properties of each plant. During the ceremony, we each pulled medicine and owl medicine cards to learn about something that might be affecting us, and how to approach remedying it for the future.
Canoeing: The Carrieres are all experienced canoeists—Michela’s dad, Solomon, is even a World Champion paddler—so learning their methods of paddling and canoeing some of the smaller rivers in the Saskatchewan River Delta was both an educational and meditative experience.
Archery: Michela used the bow and arrows she took with her when she was on ALONE, and we learned and practiced based on her tips and recommendations.
Shared meals: All meals are made, shared and served family style here by Michela’s family. Depending on their food stores, it’s possible the Carrieres will share some locally sourced meats with you—we tried bear and Sturgeon during our visit. But the Carrieres are also mindful of guests’ preferences and their own food stores, so other proteins (beef and Salmon, in our case) were always served alongside it.
Firepit Gathering: We met around the firepit several times during our retreat, where Michela shared stories about the land and her family, and we even gathered for a drum circle one evening by the fire.
Fat Biking: There are plenty of lengthy trails going into the bush where visitors can take fat bikes. This is a great activity in any season, and the Carriere family even hosts an annual winter race experience (at night, under the stars!) called “Escape the Hooved Man.” You’ll have to hear some of the Carriere family stories to understand how the race got its name.
Sauna Sessions: Michela’s husband, Leo, spent several years living off grid in Norway, where he became skilled in building log cabins. His skills have made their way to the Delta, and a log cabin now houses the property’s large, 10-person sauna. This is such a relaxing way to finish days at Aski Holistic, and there’s even a small shower system here to freshen up before a good night’s sleep.
Unscheduled Time: There’s plenty of free time built into days here to relax in your cabin or around the property, visit with Michela’s family over coffee and snacks, read, journal, hang out with their resident dogs, Suzie and Hobbes, or even take a nap—I surprised myself at how easily I drifted off into an afternoon snooze here.
A retreat here is an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind experience, not only in Saskatchewan but in Canada. To arrange your own group retreat with activities like this and more at Aski Holistic Adventures, you can contact Michela through her website to inquire about availability well in advance of your visit.
Bri Mitchell (@brimitchelltravels) is a travel blogger & content creator based in Toronto. She and her partner Chris Mitchell (@travelingmitch) share travel stories from Canada and beyond about everything from cycling and soft adventures to city guides and unique travel tips on their websites travelingmitch.com, UltimateOntario.com & WeExploreCanada.com. Bri also shares The Weekly Traveller newsletter on Substack each week.
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