Wild Bodies
Adventure Travel + Community
Hi, I’m Amber. Since 2015, I have been hosting adventure & yoga retreats that let you challenge yourself, have incredible adventures, make bold connections with nature, and make friends and memories that last a lifetime.
Society constantly tells us stories about what our bodies should look like, what they can or can’t do, and what possibilities are open or closed to us. If you are plus-sized, disabled, older, or a person of color, those negative and limiting body-messages are even louder. But what if all those stories, expectations, and body messages are wrong?
What if your body (the one you have today) actually can do wild, fun, and challenging things? At my trips, folks in their 30s-70s are surfing, hiking, camping, lifting weights, snorkeling with incredible wildlife, jumping off cliffs into water, seeing incredible sights in nature, and making new friends along the way.
Having these powerful, embodied learning experiences while seeing ourselves reflected by other daring & caring humans lets us rewrite the stories we carry about our bodies in an unforgettable, transformative way.
At my retreats, nobody gets left behind and you belong here. Travel with us & change the way you see yourself.
👉 Learn more: how I design my adventure travel retreats
2027 Trips
Zion National Park Road Trip
ideal for nervous, slow, or beginner hikers, no camping required!
Zion National Park, Utah, USA
NOW ENROLLING: March 8-12, 2027
SOLD OUT: March 15-19, 2027
Come see the best of Zion National Park on a road-trip style adventure with short, incredible hikes, and finish it all with a soak at the hot springs. This trip was designed for nervous or slow hikers, or people who are new to outdoorsy stuff. Come make some memories with us!
Valley of Fire Camping & Hiking Adventure
a beginner-friendly camping trip in the Mojave Desert
Valley of Fire, Nevada, USA
ENROLLING SOON: November 2027 Dates TBA
Join Amber & Andrea for for 4 unforgettable days of adventure, nature, and friendship in the otherworldly Valley of Fire. If you want to try hiking or camping without having to figure out all the logistics or buy a bunch of gear, this is the trip for you!
Wild Bodies Surf Camp
Mexico surf camp for adult beginners
Sayulita, Nayarit, México
NOW ENROLLING: FIRST-TIMERS WEEK:
April 27-May 2, 2027
SOLD OUT: ALUMNI WEEK: April 19-24, 2027
Come catch your first waves in the colorful surf town of Sayulita. This retreat is for adults in their 30s-60s (and beyond!) who want to experience the joy of surfing without the intimidation. We break surfing down into simple, doable steps and cheer each other on as we catch our first waves. When we’re not surfing, we’ll practice yoga, dance, eat incredible Mexican food, and have plenty of time to soak up the sun and Sayulita’s vibrant culture.
Unforgettable and Transformative
Amber Karnes is someone I’ve had the pleasure of learning yoga from, attending retreats and collaborating with as a wellness practitioner.
One of the things that’s been a pleasure throughout all of my experiences is the thoughtfulness and impact of her work. She is always there in her students minds or in the retreat participants hearts, creating an unforgettable and transformative experience that is centered around personal and collective empowerment.
And working with her is FUN. There’s a reason why I attended every single retreat she offered one year, trust.
Deb Malkin, The Curiosity Cure
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2026 Trips
💥 SOLD OUT for 2026
Wild Bodies Surf Camp 🌊
the surf camp for adult beginners who have always wanted to try surfing (but never thought they could)
Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
💥 SOLD OUT for 2026
Valley of Fire Camping & Hiking Adventure ⛺️
a beginner-friendly camping trip in the Mojave Desert
October 23-26, 2026 (SOLD OUT)
Valley of Fire, Nevada, USA
💥 SOLD OUT for 2026
Galapagos Adventure Retreat 🌊 with WHOA Plus
an island-hopping trip for plus-size women who are ready for the adventure of a lifetime
November 2-10, 2026
Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
Gauging Interest / Waitlist Forming
These are events I’m interested in making happen someday soon, so I’m currently gauging interest in these concepts. If you want it to happen, join the hotlist for that event or shoot me an email and tell me!
The Weight Room 🏋️♀️
a strength training getaway for women who are ready to lift heavy & take up space
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
If you’ve ever wanted to lift heavy or start strength training but felt intimidated by the weight room, this is for you. The Weight Room is a small-group strength training retreat (just 1-3 women per session: bring your mom, sisters, or besties!) designed to help you build confidence and feel at home taking up space in the gym.
Bring your questions and gym anxiety, and leave knowing the foundational strength moves, how to make them work for your body, how to use all that gym equipment. You’ll also leave with a simple, effective strength training plan that you can build on at home, whether you train solo or work with a coach.
Outer Banks Beach Week ☀️
a wild & unforgettable Outer Banks beach retreat
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina, USA
Sink into summer at Outer Banks Beach Week: 5 days and 4 nights of wild coastal magic. Catch the party bus from the airport and roll up to our cute retro beach house. Spend your days on unspoiled beaches and dunes, pool swimming, exploring ghost towns and lighthouses, and keeping your eyes peeled for pirates and mermaids. Add in fresh seafood, local flavor, laid-back art making, and my silent disco dance party with your new BFFs, and you’ve got the beach week of your dreams.
Wild Bodies Mexico 🥥
a nature, art & yoga adventure retreat for women who want to come home to their bodies
Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
Join us for a creative week on Mexico’s beautiful Yucatán peninsula. We’ll swim in cenotes, visit the legendary Xel-Ha water park, encounter manatees, and make original art collages and prints together. We’ll explore body image through creativity, art, and nature while we make space for the unruly, joyful parts of ourselves.
Fat Beach Week 👙
a Mexico retreat for plus-size women who crave sun, connection, and unapologetic joy
Sayulita, Nayarit, Mexico
Fat Beach Week is a sun-drenched, joy-filled getaway for 12 badass fat babes who are ready to play hard and relax harder. Set in the colorful, hippie surf town of Sayulita, Mexico, our days will be filled with delicious food, culture, movement, and community. Picture yourself floating in lovely hotel pools, practicing Body Positive Yoga in a breezy open-air yoga shala, and making beach memories you’ll never forget. Make friends who get it and remember what it feels like to take up space unapologetically in these wild bodies of ours.
Beloved Past Events / Maybe Again Someday
Body Positive Yoga Summer Camp ⛺️
the summer camp retreat that started it all!
Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains
Change the way you see yourself at Body Positive Yoga Summer Camp. Think 5 incredible days of swimming holes, waterfall slides, rock jumping, headstand party, body image + yoga workshops, and a late-night dance party. Add in unmatched vibes, a private mountain lodge with a hot tub, and sweeping views, and you’ve got yourself the most joyful week of summer. Make new friends, laugh until your face hurts, and build unshakable confidence this summer.
🧠 Pivot Retreat
peer mentorship for solo business owners who are reinventing their workVirginia’s Blue Ridge mountains
Together we will reflect on what’s working and what’s not, give each other support and inspiration, and leave feeling connected, rested, and grounded.
Finally, retreats built for bigger bodies
❤️🔥
My retreats are inclusive adventures made for wild bodies!
I have led over a dozen wellness and adventure retreats over the years, and I design my retreats specifically with fat and plus-size travelers in mind.
My events are open to people of all shapes and sizes who want to explore body acceptance. But I center larger bodies in my work. I want fat folks to feel like absolute royalty at my events.
The tiniest details are important to me so you can have an excellent experience: seating that works for your body, equipment like surfboards or lifejackets being available in your size, and providing lots of information about accessibility and activities so you can self-select what works for you.
When it comes to meeting accessibility needs, I’m not perfect, but I’m responsive as heck. I iterate every retreat based on feedback from my guests, and if there’s a problem that needs solving, I do my level best to solve it for you right away so that you can be comfortable.
At my retreats, I create a supportive environment where no one gets left behind, so you can safely push your limits in a group of other fun, positive folks without worrying about keeping up or fitting in.
We’re gonna celebrate each other when we feel awkward and when we win. And we’ll have so much fun learning and practicing together. My face always hurts from laughing and smiling so much at these events. 😂
Profound force in my life
Body Positive Yoga, particularly the retreats (I attended two), was a truly profound force in my life for several years. Amber crafted incredible gatherings, with great logistics of course but she also has an ability to set a tone and create a space that I know was meaningful for all involved.
These events were over 5 years ago and I still communicate with friends I made there.
Courtney W.
Thinking about hosting your own retreat?
Demystify the retreat planning process
On-Demand Workshop
Planning Your First Successful Retreat
Have you always dreamed of hosting a retreat but feel overwhelmed by the details? Watch this live workshop that will uncomplicate the retreat planning process.
We’ll cover all the essentials — from creating a plan and finding the right venue to managing logistics like food, schedule, and marketing. Amber brings her 25+ years of event planning experience, plus practical advice and real-life stories that will help you begin to create your first unforgettable retreat.
3-hour training
Just one hour with Amber turned me from “I think I want to do a retreat” to “I’m launching my first retreat next year”.
Amber was so encouraging and helpful and shared so much great information that when she talked about something I had been thinking about, I felt like I was on the right track.
Logistics were the things holding me back but Amber really set my mind at ease and helped me with tools and a plan and it changed everything. Highly recommend utilizing her as a resource!
Emily Richman
Licensed Mental Health Counselor