Sunnataram Forest Monastery

Bad experience for someone with a service/assistance dog. For what I got to see before be asked to leave as dog are not welcome; the place looks nice.
Would I come again; nah, not worth a second visit.

Very interesting experience. Was really surprised to see only two monks at a monastary, except during the see and serve the monks lunch event, which then included 2 other monks.which I believe they said were visiting. Over the retreat, one monk did the speaking. The other sat with him during meditations and took pictures of us over the couple days.which felt strangely off vibe to me as our cameras, phones and taking monk pics were off limits in fab unplugged retreat guidelines and many cultures n private souls are uncomfortable having their images taken and without permission. (Note, nice group photo occurs at end of retreat and included both monks and volunteers.) Food and Qi Gong were great, gardens nice, and nearby towns and countryside are lovely. Didn't care for having black snake slither by. I was up on my chair in a flash (silently! I successfully witheld my squeel). Haha. I thought it was helpful to have at least some introductory level of meditation knowledge and at least some youtube sitting experience prior.as imho they are pretty long mostly unguided sits for a complete novice. Alas, was disappointed nobel silence, which I loved, was only partially respected (I was approached personally twice), often heard others talking, and especially when the bus full of what appeared to be tourists were scheduled in on our only one full retreat day, Saturday. The tourists group brought really great yummy food to serve the monks with, retreat members were required to attend, and then kindly shared remaining food and lunch period with meditation retreat group - but alas talked and emitted a tourist scene vibe imho vs.the silent sequestered monestary spiritual retreat experience I personally was hoping for. Also, fyi, when considering this 3 day retreat, be aware of how well you sleep with others. I was very fortunate, they were kind and graciously offered one of the available women's trailers for me to use, as I am a challenged light sleeper. Alas, was approached by another gal having troubles during retreat due to snoring and ear plugs not sufficient. I gladly offered to sleep in my car, as I had camping gear with me, and give her the trailer, as she snores loudly and thus allow others ability to sleep. However, sleeping in car was not allowed. Very kind souls volunteer offering a lot of their appreciated time and effort, in addition to the monks, into providing this experience to others. May you feel blessed!

Peaceful, artistic and unlike many other forest monasteries I've been to. There is a unique and harmonious blend of the east and west here that will make you feel like you're blissfully walking in a garden of zen as opposed to the austerity that is normally associated with monasteries.

We have been practicing meditation at sunnataram for over 5 years. It is a really important hub for the Bundanoon community. Please pop in for some serenity and love if you are in the area

Calm, serene, peaceful. I could go on and on. Must visit if you are looking for some time away from the rat race we call "life".

Calm and Serene place. Unfortunately could not go in due to open times.check and go. Also were advised to be clear of the pond area for snakes are sighted.care with young and adventurous.bundanoon good small town.last bit of drive on untarred road.get to have good tires

Serene and peaceful place. Beautiful monastery and ideal place to recharge, meditate and contemplate. Monks were friendly and accommodating.

Keen to see this place but it had a retreat on at same time so sections were unavailable for experiencing. Was interesting in gardens.