EXPERIENCE COSTA RICA
FOREST BATHING * WILDLIFE VIEWING * BEACH THERAPY * SACRED CIRCLES * SPA * MINDFULNESS * CAMPFIRES
May the Forest Be with You
If a forest-bathing walk is the antidote to burnout, this 8-day Costa Rica expedition is a powerful nature medicine to reset your life anew. With a quarter of its land protected, this small Central American country blossoms with extraordinary wilderness and beauty. And as if going to Costa Rica weren’t amazing enough, we will guide you deeper, off the beaten path, to the Osa Peninsula, which National Geographic calls “the most biologically intense place on Earth.” Join us to experience wildlife and nature in a way you’ve never envisioned possible. Deeply. Intimately. Sublimely.
Experience Wonder
We support you wherever you are in your life journey. Bring all of you, authentically, and your guides will lead you to partner with nature in a sensorial, wondrous and imaginative way.
Touch the bark of an ancient tree, listen to frogs over a stream, sense night flowers’ fragrances, gaze at a curious sloth. Your relationship with this tropical wilderness is where your layers of stress melt away, healing takes place, vitality awakens, insights emerge, awe transforms, and a sense of purpose, meaning, and belonging flourish to new heights.
Why is this journey exceptional?
- Intimate group – maximum of 15 participants
- Freedom: no obligation to join guided activities
- Intimacy with primary forest (untouched by humans)
- Wildlife viewing in nature (no animal captivity)
- Two ANFT certified nature therapy guides
- Deeper connections with nature, others & self
- Focus on revitalizing your life purpose
- Sacred space for deep sharing & listening
- Delicious healthful meals
- Yoga, music and more
MEET YOUR GUIDES:
Sylvie Rokab
Fluent in 4 languages, Sylvie is an award winning filmmaker and nature therapy guide whose mission is to inspire others to discover the beauty and intimacy of their relationship with nature…
Manuela Siegfried
Manuela was born and raised in Costa Rica and has worked as a naturalist and forest therapy guide all around the country, helping others connect in an intimate way with this nature intense place…
WHAT THEY SAY:
“WOW! What a incredible experience… All my senses were awaken and I felt so very alive… Forest Bathing is a must do experience… Thank you so very much Manuela in deep gratitude.” San Rafael, California
“Forest bathing allowed me to get in touch with myself and the beautiful sounds of nature. My favorite invitation was allowing nature to speak to me, what a simple yet profound experience. Sylvie is a very gentle and effective facilitator.” Luchino Castagno, Los Angeles, CA
“This was a supremely grounding, nurturing experience that allows one to emancipate themselves from the weight of day-to-day life. Manuela is a wonderful, gentle guide who earned our trust easily and took good care of us. We left the forest feeling calm and refreshed. Highly recommended!” Austin, Texas
ITINERARY:
Day 1: Arrive SJO – Transfer to Alajuela – Meet & Greet
This is your arrival day. A shuttle will take you from the airport (leaving at 12pm, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm) to Buena Vista Lodge – a beautiful Spanish colonial style resort in Alajuela. It is the only hotel in the area atop a mountain with a 360º panoramic view of 3 volcanoes, Poas, Barva and Irazú.
In your welcome package, you will find a folder with travel itinerary, Costa Rica map, and a small gift bag with organic repellent, sunscreen, and lip balm.
After dinner (at 8pm), you will join the group to meet & greet and hear your guides offer a briefing.
Overnight in Alajuela at Buena Vista Lodge.
Day 2: Southbound – Sacred Geometry – Love Thy Nature Screening
After breakfast, you will join us on a bus ride along the Central Pacific coast, arriving in time for a delicious lunch facing the ocean – at La Cusinga Lodge, near Uvita (drive time: approx. 4 hours).
We will take time for relaxation and later gather for meditation and intention setting for the week – at a yoga studio designed by sacred geometry and with a stunning view of the sea and the Marino Ballena National Park.
After dinner, you’re invited to a screening of the award-winning movie Love Thy Nature – narrated by Liam Neeson – plus a Q&A with the film director, our very own guide Sylvie Rokab.
Overnight at La Cusinga.
Day 3: Uvita: From Forest Bathing to Beach Therapy
After breakfast, the guides will lead you on a nature therapy walk – from old forest to rocky beach. This gentle mindful wander is an invitation to open up your senses and commune with this rich rainforest and ancient Ajo trees – arriving at a secluded beach (part of Marino Ballena National Park) for an intimate rapport with the ocean, sand, and sea beings. Two different landscapes in a small area – Costa Rica at its best.
Afternoon at leisure. After dinner, join the group around a campfire to share music, stories, poetry, and drumming.
Overnight at La Cusinga.
Day 4: Adventure to Osa – Indigenous Walk – Sense Awakening
After breakfast, you will join the group for a ride further South, taking in the coast and lush rainforests vistas for a first stop at Aguas Ricas Lodge. There, you’ll meet a Ngöbe indigenous group whose leader Mariano Marquinez will take you on a trail, sharing the tribe’s history and the forest’s edible and medicinal plants. The native group will treat you to a traditional meal.
In Puerto Jimenez, you’ll hop in 4×4 cars for an adventurous ride through the jungle – to arrive at Luna Lodge. Located at the southern part of Costa Rica, Luna is a secluded eco-lodge on 60 acres of rainforest, on the pristine and captivating Osa Peninsula (voted 4th most romantic places in the world by National Geographic) adjacent to Corcovado National Park (voted #1 park in the world).
You will have some time to settle and take in the spectacular views of the dense rainforest surrounding Luna Lodge 360 degrees; inquire on which animals compose the symphony of sounds, and delight on the multitude of scents offered by the forest.
At 4:30pm we gather at the yoga platform for a sense-awakening practice, a sunset meditation and group council (deep sharing / deep listening).
Overnight at La Cusinga.
Day 5: Yoga – Forest & River Bathing – Turtle Hatching Project
After breakfast, guides invite you to “take a plunge” into the primary, untouched forest to discover its textures, shapes, artistry, and aliveness. This is a chance to explore relationships with the beings, some of which have inhabited this forest for millennia.
In the afternoon, join the caravan to Corcovado´s Turtle Conservation (Cotorco), a local project focused on restoring turtles’ populations. You will witness how locals protect female turtles when laying their eggs and encourage healthy hatching of baby turtles so they can make their journey towards the ocean.
PLEASE NOTE: We will be flexible on which day this tour takes place – as the best timing for turtle viewing is up to Mother Nature. Plan B for that afternoon is free flow dance to the sound of world music at the yoga platform.
6:00 pm appetizers
7:00 pm dinner
Overnight at Luna Lodge.
Day 6: Journey through Corcovado National Park
We will drive to the town of Carate and after a half-hour beach walk, you’ll reach the entrance to the park. Guide will take you hiking through tropical lowland rainforest and to the beautiful Madrigal River. Learn about the flora – and witness the wildlife spring into action. Typical sightings include multiple birds’ species like colorful macaws, lizards, sloths, howler and capuchin monkeys etc.
Restorative yoga in the afternoon.
Overnight at Luna Lodge.
Day 7: Waterfall Immersion – Sinking It In – Closing Ceremony
The afternoon is at leisure. Let it all sink in, enjoy the pool, lie in a hammock, walk barefoot on the earthing loop, read your favorite book, or just sit in a rocking chair to let it all sink in.
After dinner, a closing ceremony around the fire gives you an opportunity to share your experience, witness peers’ stories, and anchor the bonds that have been forged with one another and the more-than-human world.
Overnight at Luna Lodge.
Day 8: Carate – SJO – Return Home Revitalized
After breakfast, we drive to the Carate airstrip to fly to the Intl. Airport of San Jose where you will take your flight back home, after a deeply relaxing, connecting, revitalizing, and life changing experience in Costa Rica’s rainforests wilderness.
Domestic flight from Carate to San Jose International Airport (SJO).
What is included:
Lodging 7 nights
3 meals a day (except for day 1: dinner & day 8: breakfast)
All transportation within Costa Rica (ground and air)
Travel assistance during your stay in the country
All activities described in this itinerary
2 group coordinators / guides
What is not included:
- Air fare to and from San Jose Intl Airport
- Alcoholic beverages
- Optional spa treatments (massages, Reiki etc.)
- Supplemental activities
- Gratuities for transport, treatments, or lodge staff
Beautiful accommodations at La Cusinga and Luna Lodge
Booking for the 2019 journey has been closed!
No superior rooms remaining
See pictures above for samples of each room type.
Superior rooms at La Cusinga are elegant with ocean views overlooking the Ballena Marine National Park and include a private bathroom with hot water, ceiling fan, and wood safe trunk with padlock.
The superior bungalows at Luna Lodge feature two double beds, a private deck, and a private bathroom with shower and bathtub. Large windows and a high thatched-palm roof provide for ample air circulation, while walls of white cane add a decorative rustic touch.
No superior rooms remaining
See pictures above for samples of each room type.
Standard rooms at La Cusinga are cozy with Ocean or Forest view count and private or share bathroom with hot water, ceiling and stand fan, and wood safe trunk with padlock.
The standard room option at Luna Lodge features completely enclosed “nature-lover” tents with two single beds or one double bed, a private bathroom with hot water, electricity, and a balcony overlooking the canopy of the rain forest. (Some think the tents have the best view on the property as the majority of them are situated at the top of the hill above the Yoga platform.)
Please note: the above prices per person do not include airfare departing and returning from San Jose Intl Airport, Costa Rica.
Do you have any other questions? Contact us!
CALIFORNIA SELLER OF TRAVEL – REGISTRATION INFORMATION
CST 2136368-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California.
