To Be Announced : LATE 2021, EARLY 2022
If you feel there is a mission or purpose for your life, then join Daniel Piatek as he guides you to discover and actualize your own Personal Legend, and begin living the life you were born to live.
“To realize one’s destiny (Personal Legend) is a person’s only obligation.”
– The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
Just as the shepherd boy in Paulo Coelho’s classic tale The Alchemist found his treasure by daring to follow his dream and venture into the unknown, come journey and discover the treasure which is waiting for you.
Now is the time for those who feel they have a mission, a destiny, or a calling to step forward, discover the depths of who they are, and bless the world with the gifts they came to bring.
You don’t have to know where you’re going, or how to get there. There is tremendous support on many levels available to those who dare to simply take the first step.
Join a small group who are ready to embrace their Authentic Selves and to create their Authentic Lives. Join us on the Alchemist Quest. You will find what you’re looking for.
“People are afraid to pursue their most important dreams,
because they feel that they don’t deserve them, or that they’ll be unable to achieve them.”
― The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
Boarding the ferry in Tarifa (Andalusia, southern Spain) to cross the Strait of Gibraltar, your heart swells with pride knowing you’ve finally taken the step you’ve needed to take.
As the ferry kisses the dock in Tangier (Morocco), your body tingles with excitement, feeling certain that you will find the answers you have wanted for so long.
Walking the narrow streets of the old city, the colors, sounds and smells transport you safely out of the life you have known and into the place where magic happens.
You smile knowing that you have begun a truly epic quest.
Andalusia and Morocco are the PERFECT places
to find what you’re looking for…
… as you’re guided step by step into a life (and a YOU) that you always knew was there, but you couldn’t seem to find.
Imagine boarding a plane with all of the same confusion and concern about your life you have right now … and then FINALLY finding the answers you have longed for.
Do you feel confused, frustrated, or exhausted trying to have the life that you deeply long to have?
Not to fear. Come exactly as you are and we’ll deal with what’s in the way.
Is it hard to imagine how to get past where you’re blocked or stuck?
Imagine getting unstuck NOW, and learning how to keep yourself moving forward in the future.
Do you feel there is something you need to be doing with your life, but are frustrated not knowing what it is?
No worries – there is a way to get your answers.
Are you living your mission but feel there is further to go?
Come and be guided and supported to go further than you ever imagined.
“Don’t give in to your fears. If you do, you won’t be able to talk to your heart.”
― The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
So why should you join us?
Simple. This is the PERFECT environment to step out of the inertia in your life and into a space to discover your Authentic Self and have your deepest questions answered.
You will have extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experiences for 13 days, and return with amazing pictures, stories, memories, and friendships.
And you will discover, learn, and practice how to live the life that was created for you. This will inform and bless every day of the rest of your life.
You will be provided a safe, supportive space to explore who you really are. Living your purpose and fulfilling your mission doesn’t happen without becoming the authentic version of YOU.
Plus we’ll be exploring the most amazing sites, eating delicious food, and taking care of ourselves on many levels. Living your authentic life can be a joyous event!
“If you have a mission this time around, it’s a good idea to step forward and volunteer. It’s so much more fun than if you wait to be drafted.”
– Daniel Piatek
“Everything you need to know you have learned through your journey.”
― The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
The Venue
The Alchemist Quest in Andalusia and Morocco is a personalized, guided spiritual journey — a unique alchemy of tour, retreat, and vision quest.
It will take place in 13 cities/towns/villages over 13 days, as well as the 1,441 miles (2,305 km) of journey by private coach and airplane. All will be used as the setting, the backdrop, and the vehicle for a profound and joyous journey of self-discovery.
The hotels, restaurants, private meals and celebrations have all been selected or designed to provide a premium experience.
This is the stuff of epic tales.
About The Alchemist, Andalusia, and Morocco
Where Europe and Africa almost kiss, at the meeting point of the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, there are two lands where many peoples and cultures have fought, intermixed, repelled and embraced for millennia.
A sun-dappled, fiesta-loving land of guitar-wielding troubadours, reckless bullfighters, feisty operatic heroines and roguish Roma singers wailing sad laments, Andalusia often acts as a synonym for Spain as a whole. Andalusia is a spirited and passionate place where the atmosphere – rather like a good flamenco performance – creeps up and taps you on the shoulder when you least expect it
For eight centuries the region sat on a porous frontier between two different faiths and ideologies, Christianity and Islam. Left to ferment like a barrel of the bone-dry local sherry, the ongoing cross-fertilization has thrown up a slew of cultural colossi: ancient mosques transformed into churches; vast palace complexes replete with stucco; a cuisine infused with dashes of North African spices; and a chain of lofty white towns that dominates the arid, craggy landscape.
Andalusia is famous for its warm weather and leisurely pace of life. The ancient towns and cities of Andalusia are full of beautiful architecture and old towns with narrow winding streets, which you could get lost in for hours. You can get lost in time there exploring all the history.
Seville, the capital of the region of Andalusia, is home to an architectural and artistic heritage which comprises the Cathedral, the Alcázar Arab fortress and the Indias Archive. It has been awarded the World Heritage designation by the UNESCO.
Andalusia is the perfect curtain-raiser to mysterious Morocco, an exotic land awash with vivid color and stunning architecture.
Few countries hold as much dreamy fascination for travelers as the beautiful country of Morocco. For centuries, Morocco has inspired travelers with its colorful energy, fascinating history, and dazzling combination of Arab, European, Berber and African cultural influence.
From the winding alleyways of vibrant and bustling medinas, to the sparse but breathtaking Sahara, to the purple peaks of the Atlas Mountains glittering with snow, the country packs a remarkable variety of adventures into its corner of North Africa.
Kasbahs and mosques offer a glimpse of a more mystical time, while hip cafés and high-design riads reflect Moroccans’ modern, cosmopolitan side. At the hammam, indulge in massages perfumed with scented oils and salt scrubs. Explore the solitude of the desert to count the stars and follow ancient trade routes, then dive into the festive chaos of the souks.
It was into this cauldron of intrigue, romance, and history that Paulo Coelho set “The Alchemist”, a classic tale of a young shepherd named Santiago. With his herd of sheep, he wanders the vast countryside of Andalusia until the day he has a dream which he can’t let go of. He meets a King who encourages him to follow his Personal Legend (destiny, calling) and go in search of his treasure.
Santiago’s journey takes him from the countryside of Andalusia, across the Strait of Gibraltar to Tangier, Morocco, and through the Sahara Desert to finally arrive at his destination — the Pyramids of Egypt.
Along the way, Santiago runs into numerous roadblocks, is assisted by many people and circumstances, meets his true love, and is supported and challenged to become more than he ever imagined he could be. In the final twist of fate, he is beaten and robbed while finally digging for his treasure, only to discover that his treasure is, in fact, waiting for him back at the exact place where he had his initial dream.
Santiago returned to claim his treasure. Little did he know of all the other treasures he would discover on his journey. He returned to where he began, having his life and sense of himself transformed, and having found the love of his life. *
* First published in 1988, The Alchemist has sold more than 65 million copies and has been translated into 80 languages. The book and its author have inspired so many around the world, and the phenomenon continues to grow. In a recent Super Soul Sunday interview, Oprah Winfrey told Coelho that a number of celebrities — Madonna, Will Smith, Julia Roberts and Pharell included—have had life-changing experiences because of The Alchemist.
“The boy reached through to the Soul of the World, and saw that it was a part of the Soul of God. And he saw that the Soul of God was his own soul. And that he, a boy, could perform miracles.”
― The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
The Itinerary
Due to the highly interactive and personalized nature of the Alchemist Quest, individual details may be changed to accommodate the needs of the group.
Day 1 - Arrive Seville
Check in to the truly unique Hotel Las Casas de Juderia in the heart of Seville, the capital of Andalusia, the Spanish province where the shepherd boy Santiago lived and had his dreams about his treasure. The Alchemist Quest begins with a tour and process at the Archive of the Indies, followed by a tour of the Alcázar of Seville. Welcome Dinner and Celebration. Overnight in Seville
Day 2 - Seville to Tarifa
Breakfast in hotel. Ceremony and tour of the medieval Seville Cathedral and tomb of Christopher Columbus. In route to Tarifa, lunch and tour of Arcos de la Frontera, an Andalusian pueblo blanco village in route. Check in and short rest in Misiana Hotel. Typical Andalusian dinner in one of Tarifa’s best restaurants. Individual sessions with Daniel. Overnight in the Mediterranean port of Tarifa, where Europe and Africa are closest (9 miles). It is here Santiago decided to go in search of his treasure.
Day 3 - Tarifa to Chefchaouen
Breakfast in hotel. Take early morning ferry from Tarifa (Spain) to Tangier (Morocco), crossing the Strait of Gibraltar in about 45 minutes. Tangier is where Santiago first stepped onto African soil and into a world and journey beyond his wildest dreams. Lunch and check-in. Afternoon tour and shopping in the old city Chefchaouen, the famous Blue City high in the Rif Mountains. Overnight in one of Chaouen’s most pristine riads, Riad Cherifa.
Day 4 - Chefchaouen to Fez
Day 5 - Fez
Breakfast in riad, followed by a group session with Daniel. Day tour of Fez (one of Morocco’s Imperial Cities), including Fes et Bali (oldest surviving medina in the world, UNESCO World Heritage Site, and labyrinthine medieval city), souks and tanneries, ceramic and mosaic factory, oldest continuously running university in the world. Dinner followed by special event.
Day 6 - Fez to Sahara Desert
Breakfast in riad, and then we will begin our ascent across the Middle Atlas Mountains. Most of the day will be spent winding our way through the beautiful forests, jagged rock faces, and Berber villages as we cross the Atlas Mountains. Stops along the way include Ifrane (the Switzerland of Morocco) and half way for lunch in the town of Midelt, famous for its fossils and rocks, and then begin to descend towards the Sahara Desert. Group process in route. Upon arrival at the northern edge of the Sahara Desert, we will be met by our desert guides for a camel ride out into the dunes to our secluded luxury desert home. Dinner and festivities at camp.
Day 7 - Day in the Desert
Optional wake for sunrise over desert. All meals in camp. A day of profound transformation, joy, insight, play and magic as we commune with the spirit of the desert. Individual sessions with Daniel. A selection of activities will be available. Evening ceremony, music, dance, and celebration.
Day 8 - Sahara Dessert to Ouarzazate
Optional wake for sunrise over desert. Breakfast in camp, followed by optional camel ride back out of the desert. Visit the quintessential south Moroccan souks and market in the village of Rissani (and maybe do a little shopping). Lunch in Tinghir Oasis. Group session with Daniel as we drive through Boumalne Dades and Berber villages in the Todra Valley on the way to dinner and overnight in Ouarzazate, the Hollywood of Morocco, at Dar Kamar.
Day 9 - Ouarzazate to Marrakech
Breakfast in riad. Tour of Ouarzazate, followed by tour of Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou, a spectacular fortified village and UNESCO World Heritage site. Lunch. Drive through gorgeous High Atlas vistas and Berber villages, then through the breathtaking Tizi nTichka Atlas pass to arrive in Marrakech. Group process in route. Check-in, relaxation, and dinner at the stunning and intimate Riad Les Yeux Bleus.
Day 10 - Marrakech
Breakfast in riad. Morning group session with Daniel, followed by a day tour of the Imperial City of Marrakech, including lunch and plenty of time to shop in the bustling medina. Mint tea as we watch the sunset over the infamous Jemaa el Fnaa Square and then dive into the festivities there (snake-charmers, storytellers, witch doctors, monkey handlers, musicians, and who knows what). Festive Dinner.
Day 11 - Marrakech
Breakfast in riad, followed by a day at your leisure, with planned options if you choose: delightful Moroccan hammam and massage experience; visit to local healer and herbalist for an energy treatment. Lunch. Afternoon at leisure with scheduled individual session with Daniel. Special dinner and performance.
Day 12 - Marrakech to Seville
Breakfast in riad. Short flight to Seville, check in at Hotel Las Casas de Juderia where we began our journey. Lunch. Afternoon in Seville at your leisure (with planned options if you choose). Special Evening Celebration and Dinner.
Day 13 - Seville
Breakfast in hotel, followed by final group session with Daniel and Closing Ceremony. Leave for airport, or continue with the optional add-on Andalusian Tour.
What You’ll Get
13 Days and 12 nights of Joy and Adventure while experiencing profound personal and spiritual growth.
A concrete connection with your personal Spiritual GPS. You will be taught, and will practice, tools to keep finding your way to living your purpose.
An intimate, direct relationship with your Hero Self. You will have found and connected to some previously missing pieces to living as your fully formed, Authentic Self.
A lighter load, having left behind the parts of your past that do not support you, and having healed and completed portions of old trauma.
The far-reaching benefits of unplugging and disconnecting from the routines and structures of your life in order to explore yourself.
An introduction to, and 13 days of practice in, living life as your own spiritual adventure. You will have the tools you need to profoundly shift how you experience your life, bringing joy and excitement to your life.
You will come to know that more is possible at all levels of your life than you ever imagined. The profound gratification of truly listening to, following, and speaking with your own heart is truly the gift of a lifetime.
“The boy and his heart had become friends, and neither was capable now of betraying the other.”
― The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
What’s Included
- 12 Nights hotel (double occupancy). Single occupancy may be able to be arranged for an additional supplement
- All meals and beverages for the entire Quest—breakfast, lunch, and dinner
- Six Group Sessions with Daniel
- Three Individual Sessions with Daniel
- Training on the Spiritual GPS Program—Connecting with and practicing using your spiritual compass to be able to navigate safely and truly through life
- All teachings, ceremonies, rituals, trainings, individual and group sessions and processes, readings, coaching, and meditations during the course of the Alchemist Quest
- All excursions indicated on the itinerary and all entrance fees
- All tips for the waiters, drivers, and guides
- Air travel from Marrakech to Seville
- Ground transportation during the entirely of the Quest (excluding airport transfer between Seville airport and hotel in Seville, both ways).
What’s Not Included
- Your round-trip airfare from home
- Transfers between Seville airport and hotel
- Any purchases while shopping in the phenomenal villages, markets and souks along the way
- Other non-included items might consist of souvenir shopping, personal phone calls, extra spa services, arrival and departure transfers in Seville, laundry, bell-boys, and tips for your room maid
- Personal, medical, or trip cancellation insurance.
Flights
You are responsible for your own flights and/or transportation to and from Seville.
The flight from Marrakech to Seville that is part of the itinerary will be booked for you and is included in the price of the Alchemist Quest.
You must arrive into the Seville, Spain (SVQ) to the hotel no later than 1:00pm local time to ensure participation in all events. Before booking your flights please speak with Daniel to discuss the itinerary to ensure that your plans will fit the structure of the Alchemist Quest. Additionally, if you’d like to stay additional nights at the Seville hotel, this can be arranged at a reduced rate.
“But he was able to understand one thing: making a decision was only the beginning of things. When someone makes a decision, he is really diving into a strong current that will carry him into places he had never dreamed of when he first made the decision.”
― The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
Your Guide
Daniel Piatek loves catalyzing others to discover their Authentic Selves and create their Authentic Lives. He loves teaching them tools to find their own way, guiding them to stay on track in their journeys, and inspiring them to keep moving forward.
Daniel has walked this path numerous times over the past 30 years. During his last journey, following his inner guidance through Morocco and Spain for two months, he was reacquainted with Joseph Campbell’s work on “The Hero’s Journey”. Campbell spelled out the process of
overcoming inner and outer obstacles that all heroes of story and myth go through on the way to discovering their gifts and fulfilling their destinies.
Daniel’s own hero’s journey led him to discover and begin living his own destiny—to teach, guide, and inspire others to answer their own deepest calling. And it revealed to him how to “hack” the hero’s journey—how to consciously and deliberately use the underlying process to move joyously and effectively through the process of profound transformation.
It is this process which he calls “The Hero’s Quest”—a conscious, purposeful, joyous, and committed engagement with the Forces in the Universe to become who you were meant to be, living the life you were meant to live.
The Alchemist Quest was born out of Daniel’s own longing to live his Authentic Life. And it was on this very journey that he was guided to help others connect with their own destinies by bringing them to Andalusia and Morocco to have their own Alchemist Quest.
From Daniel: “This Quest was born of my own transformation as I journeyed these lands, being led by my guides and connecting with my spiritual gifts and talents. My life shifted profoundly and I began to finally live the life I was meant to live. My guides encouraged me to create this Quest and to bring others to have their own “journey home”. I am excited and honored to be guiding others on their own Hero’s Quest. I hope you’ll consider joining me.”
Contact
If you would like more information, or to schedule a conversation with me about the Alchemist Quest, please provide your information below.
Tour of Andalusia
Immediately following The Alchemist Quest
There is a separate add-on Andalusian Tour available which will begin with lunch after the Quest concludes, and end early afternoon upon return back to Seville.
This will not be a continuation of the retreat structure of the Alchemist Quest. Instead it will be more of a tourist experience of the beauty, history, and allure of Andalusia.
However the participants will have just been on the Alchemist Quest, providing a phenomenal way to deepen those relationships and to transition out of the profundity of the Quest.
Tour of Andalusia Itinerary
(optional add-on)
Day 1 - Seville
We will begin our joyous Andalusian adventure with an outdoor lunch, enjoying the beautiful weather, food, and people-watching in Seville. Since we’ve already seen some of the sights of Seville, we will have a half day tour of the more intimate parts of this grand Andalusian capital city. Dinner, followed by overnight in Hotel Las Casas de Juderia.
Day 2 - Seville to Cordoba
Breakfast in hotel, followed by a beautiful drive across the Andalusian countryside to Córdoba.
While the rest of Europe was languishing during the Dark Ages, southern Spain, al-Andalus (Andalusia), thrived. Its scholars – Christian, Muslim and Jew – created a society that became the safeguard of Greek and Roman learning. As capital of el-Andalus until its fall in 1236, Córdoba was a city of half a million people, with thousands of mosques and the first street-lighting in Europe. Students and merchants flocked to Córdoba from all over Europe, Africa and even Asia. Its libraries boasted hundreds of thousands of volumes, its palaces and baths were renowned for their opulence, and its luxury goods were coveted all over Europe.
Our tour of the city’s highlights will conclude at the greatest monument of Cordoba: the Mezquita or Grand Mosque, dating from 785. So massive that it contains a Catholic Cathedral within, it is one of the world’s best-known pieces of religious architecture, and is truly magnificent to experience. Dinner followed by overnight at Las Casas de Juderia in Cordoba.
Day 3 - Cordoba to Granada
Breakfast in hotel, followed by a beautiful drive through Andalusian countryside and mountains, with a stop along the way to explore Andalusian village life. Arrive in Granada, check in to hotel. Lunch, followed by afternoon at your leisure (tour, shopping, recreation options will be provided).
In the early evening we will be lead on a walk through the winding cobbled streets of the old Moorish Quarter, the Albaicín, which still preserves many facets of its Moorish heritage. Your guide will tell you about the past, present and future of this district as you walk through some of its most characteristic streets and squares. You will take in a magnificent view of the Alhambra Palaces as twilight falls, the sun casting its brilliant hues on this amazing piece of history, with the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
At the end of the walk you will stop at a typical local bar. In Granada the tradition is that each drink is accompanied by a small snack, the tapa. Not only is this is an introduction into the local cuisine, but it will also give you an insight into local culture, where much of the social life revolves around tapeando – going out for drinks and tapas.
Dinner followed by overnight at Palacio de Santa Inés.
Day 4 - Granada
Breakfast in hotel, followed by a Private Half Day Tour of the Alhambra & Generalife, The jewel of southern Spain, the Alhambra is historic Spain at its finest. Nestled at the top of the old quarter of Granada, and perfectly situated in front of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains, this massive palace is the best preserved example of a Moorish fortress palace in Europe, and one of the world’s most romantic monuments dating back more than 600 years. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, the Alhambra was a courtly city where the sultans of the Nasrid Dynasty – rulers of the last Spanish Moorish kingdom – lived. In addition to the ornate palaces of the sultans, your guide will take you to the military fortress for rewarding views of Granada and the surrounding mountains. Then walk over to the Generalife, the country retreat of Moorish royalty just behind the Alhambra.
Lunch in one of Granada’s spectacular outdoor cafes, followed by an afternoon at your leisure (tour, shopping, recreation options will be provided). Celebratory dinner.
Day 5 - Granada to Seville
Breakfast in hotel, followed by a leisurely Andalusian drive (with stops as the group desires) to return to where we began in Seville.
What’s Included
- 4 Nights hotel (double occupancy). Single occupancy may be able to be arranged for an additional supplement
- All meals and beverages for the entire Andalusian Add-On Adventure
- All excursions indicated on the itinerary and all entrance fees
- All tips for the waiters, drivers, and guides
- Ground transportation during the entirely of the Quest (excluding airport transfer between hotel in Seville and the Seville airport)
What’s Not Included
- Your round-trip airfare from home
- Transfers between Seville airport and hotel
- Any purchases while shopping in the phenomenal towns and villages along the way
- Other non-included items might consist of souvenir shopping, personal phone calls, extra spa services, arrival and departure transfers in Seville, laundry, bell-boys, and tips for your room maid
- Personal, medical, or trip cancellation insurance