“Award winning surf, yoga, and awaken purpose”
7 Day Bodhi Sessions: Adult Surf Camp and Yoga Retreat in Uvita, Osa
The Bodhi Lodge, 500 meters south of La Fogata Restaurant, Bahia Ballena, Osa, Puntarenas Province, Costa Rica
Blissful Costa Rica Surf Camp and Yoga Retreat
Awaken your purpose in Bahia Ballena-Uvita, Osa, Costa Rica! The pinnacle of Bodhi Surf and Yoga is the holistic surf and yoga camps, week-long, set-date, semi-inclusive vacations that invite you to surf, stretch, breath, and sweat while learning about the environment, engaging with the community, and having a whole lot of fun. The Bodhi Sessions will provide you with a unique travel experience, one that leaves you feeling enriched and rejuvenated after a one-of-a-kind adventure in a pristine area of the world.
Meet the instructors
Travis & Pilar
Read more
Read more
Highlights
- 5 yoga classes
- 5 fun surfing lessons
- Walking tour of Bahia Ballena and waterfall visit
- 6 nights accommodation
- 5 delicious breakfasts, 3 dinners, and snacks at surf lessons
- Round trip transportation from San Jose and Bodhi Lodge
- Shuttle service from San Jose airport to San Jose hotel
- Yoga mat and prop use
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
Yoga styles
5 days with instruction in English
The organizer also speaks: French, Spanish
Group size: Maximum of 10 participants
Airport transfer included:
Juan Santamaría International Airport
Accommodation
During this retreat, you will be accommodated in San Jose and Bodhi Surf and Yoga Camp lodge.
In San Jose, you'll be staying the night at the Adventure Inn Hotel (or something similar). It's located in the quiet and safe neighborhood of Ciudad Cariari, only 10 minutes from the SJO airport.
Bodhi Lodge
The Bodhi Lodge has been designed as a homey place that is consistent with a vision of simplicity and environmental consciousness. Bodhi Surf and Yoga has worked to create a space that encourages fun, relaxation, education, and cultural exchange. This vision does not include modern adornments (such as flat-screen TVs) but rather a mellow vibe, quaint setting, and warm personalized service.
Bodhi Surf and Yoga’s owners live on the lodge premises and are available 24/7 in the event that you need anything. During the day, the Bodhi Surf staff is on-site helping ensure that the lodge is running smoothly and likewise, is happy to help you practice your Spanish or answer questions about the local community.
The lodge is equipped with a kitchen or kitchenette for preparing your own meals, secure parking, Wi-Fi, common area Alegria (day beds, hammocks, and chairs), yoga studio, hot water, and therapeutic mattresses in every room.
The common area is a social area that contains a kitchen and dining area, located on the ground level of a two-story structure, with Room Armonia and Room Amistad located on the top-level. The yoga studio (Bodhi Shambala Yoga Studio) is located at Rancho Serenidad, a two-story structure on the top-level. Rancho Serenidad also contains a relaxing reading area on the ground level.
Bungalow Gratitud
Bungalow Gratitud is the largest of the accommodation options, housing up to four adults and one child. It is ideal for groups of three to four people and can also be a good option for two people.
It is a raised wooden structure with a spacious deck, kitchenette, private bathroom, a master bedroom, a studio-style room, and a large open space that can serve as another sleeping area or a living / dining room.
It has large windows for maximum light and airflow, and ceiling fans in each of the rooms. For sleeping arrangements, the bungalow has two queen-sized beds (with therapeutic mattresses) and a daybed that can also serve as a regular bed for a smaller individual.
The bungalow has a fully equipped kitchenette with all the necessary kitchen utensils for you to prepare your own meals, hot water, and Wi-Fi.
Bungalow Espiritu
Bungalow Espiritu is a smaller version of Bungalow Gratitud. An independent unit with a queen-sized bed, ceiling fan, full private bathroom, basic kitchenette set-up, and spacious deck. It is a great option for a couple or single traveler who desires more privacy.
It has hot water, Wi-Fi, and a kitchenette which includes a small refrigerator, sink, blender, and toaster oven to prepare simple meals. The structure is built out of wood and sits slightly raised. The deck outside provides a great place to sit, relax, and drink your morning coffee.
Inside, the single room contains a queen bed along with the kitchenette, followed by the private bathroom. The large windows provide great lighting and combined with the high ceilings, allow for excellent airflow to keep the unit cool.
Room Armonia
Room Armonia is a hotel-style room with a private bathroom. The room is ideal for either a solo traveler or a couple who doesn’t require an independent unit and plan on being active during their stay, be it surfing, practicing yoga, hiking in the mountains, or simply relaxing at the beach.
It contains a double or full-sized bed comfortably suiting one or two people, a ceiling fan, and has Wi-Fi access. The full private bathroom is attached and has hot water. The room is located on the second floor, above Cocina Alegria, and next to Room Amistad.
The view from the shared deck of Room Armonia and Room Amistad is the most enjoyable on the property and simply a great place to sit and take in the sights and sounds that surround the Bodhi Surf lodge. The room is accessed via the wooden staircase that leads from Cocina Alegria on the ground floor to both Room Armonia and Room Amistad.
Guests staying in Room Armonia are welcome to make use of the centrally-located common area Alegria.
Room Amistad
Room Amistad (Spanish for friendship), a room with two individual beds and a private bathroom, is the ideal room for two friends. Bodhi Surf and Yoga knows that traveling with friends makes for great memories and they hope that this room will provide surf and yoga camp buddies a comfortable lodging option.
Amistad is best suited for friends joining the Bodhi Sessions surf and yoga camp. The room has two individual beds and is simple but spacious and maintains the homey and comfortable vibe present in the rest of the lodge.
It does not have what some consider to be necessities (air conditioning or television), the intention of the Bodhi lodge is to promote comfort, simplicity, sustainability, and harmony, with nature and between guests.
It also has hot water, Wi-Fi, a ceiling fan, and roomy, lockable cubbies for securing your belongings. Guests staying in this room are welcome to make use of the fully-equipped kitchen in centrally-located common area Alegria and its ample corresponding dining / social / hang out area located on the ground floor.
The entry to Room Amistad is by-way-of a wooden staircase. The staircase leads from the common area Alegria on the ground floor to a spacious second-floor deck from which you can access both Room Amistad and Room Armonia.
The deck offers what is perhaps the best view on the Bodhi lodge property, making it a great place to enjoy a cup of coffee, read a book, or simply sit and take in the sights and sounds that encompass the community.
Program
A different kind of vacation
Bodhi sessions will provide you with a unique travel experience, one that leaves you feeling enriched and rejuvenated after a one-of-a-kind adventure in a pristine area of the world.
In the spirit of experiential learning, you will both learn and do, be active in an outdoor classroom, and achieve personal goals. Sessions also exemplify an off-the-beaten-path kind of tourism that focuses on community engagement, cultural exchange, and immersion into the local way of life.
Bodhi Surf and Yoga provides just enough structure to keep you active and just enough flexibility to allow personal growth, friendship-building, and some much needed R-and-R! You will have time to unwind and reconnect with yourself, nature, and other people in a safe and nourishing way.
Bodhi Sessions also exemplifies an "off-the-beaten-path" kind of tourism that focuses on community engagement, cultural exchange, and immersion into the local way of life.
Surfing and yoga are better together
At Bodhi Surf and Yoga, they have discovered a secret that many camps have overlooked: Surfing and yoga are mutually beneficial - theoretically, practically, physically, and mentally. The two practices complement each other so perfectly, which is why they have equal weight in their weekly camps.
Their instructors are not only patient and competent teachers, they are also nerds in their respective domains, and are eager to share what they know (and their passion) with students.
Their surf and yoga camps are designed with the knowledge of over 10 years of being operational that the two activities complement one another greatly, and especially in the learning process. When done together, the body is more relaxed, and the mind more open.
With a minimum of five surf lessons and five yoga classes, they have enough time and opportunity to really teach both activities, help build strong foundations, and impart the many valuable lessons to be learned both on the mat and in the ocean to their guests.
What to expect
With Bodhi sessions, their flagship yoga and surf camp option, they've considered everything - all that is included (or not) is deliberate and aims to provide you with the "best of Bodhi" experience. During each Bodhi sessions week, you will participate in a total of 10 activities - 5 surf lessons and 5 yoga classes.
On top of your surfing and yoga sessions, you will also have the opportunity to take a guided walking tour to learn about the community of Bahia Ballena; visit a local waterfall and take in the lush jungle scenery; and enjoy a day off to either rest and recharge or participate in another activity or tour!
They follow a teaching curriculum so it's important to arrive on the scheduled day. Otherwise, if you miss a day of lessons, you will be behind one full day. The camps are designed for beginner and intermediate level surfers and yogis. No previous experience is necessary.
Disconnect and reconnect
Bodhi Sessions is a community engaged surf and yoga camp designed for travelers who want to disconnect from their routine and spend time "recharging their batteries" in Bahia Ballena - a quaint community with vast, sandy beaches, and stunning viridescent scenery.
The main aim of the week is to keep you actively experiencing the area so you may return home feeling physically fit and mentally rejuvenated. As well as to provide you with a variety of opportunities to meet new people and have different experiences, so that upon your departure, you will have many new connections and wonderful memories to take home with you!
Schedule
On the Saturday of arrival, you can arrive to San Jose, Costa Rica anytime on Saturday as you’ll be staying that night at the Adventure Inn Hotel (or something similar) located in the quiet and safe neighborhood of Ciudad Cariari, only ten minutes from the SJO airport. Please note that your shuttle from the airport to Adventure Inn Hotel is included.
At 9 am on Sunday, your transportation provider will pick you up from the Adventure Inn Hotel and you’ll make your way to Bodhi Surf and Yoga.
At 3:30 pm on Friday, you will depart Bodhi Surf and Yoga for San Jose, Costa Rica. They recommend that you spend that Friday night at the Adventure Inn Hotel.
Please note that your return flight home can be for any time the following Saturday as you will depart Bodhi Surf and Yoga around 3:30 pm on Friday.
Included excursions
- Walking tour of Bahia Ballena
- Waterfall visit
Instructors
Travis Bays
1 Certificate
Show
Travis is very involved in Bodhi Surf & Yoga's community, active in several committees and projects that aim to preserve or improve their home. He focused on small-business development and helped guide local community members in the creation of their own micro-credit bank during his Peace Corps service. He wears many hats for Bodhi and it is agreed that he has a tireless work ethic; he leads the charge in business development and Bodhi’s corporate responsibility.
Pilar Salazar
Pilar is the grounding energy for Bodhi; her calm composure and “Pura Vida” vibe are evident to all who meet her. She works hard to incorporate fluid breath, graceful movement, and self-reflection into all of her classes. In addition to leading the Bodhi Sessions yoga classes, Pilar is in charge of the administration, staff, bookings, and logistics at Bodhi.
Retreat location
Located in the heart of the community of Bahia Ballena, Bodhi Surf and Yoga Camp lodge is within walking distance to most everything you could need during a week-long stay with Bodhi Surf and Yoga.
The beach, a marine national park, is a 20-minute walk from the Bodhi base, grocery stores are about a 15-minute walk, and restaurants are anywhere between a 5 to 20-minute walk.
Uvita
Uvita is a small town located on the Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica, a 3.5-hour drive from the capital city, San Jose. Although the area is much less developed than the Nicoya Peninsula, it is gaining more and more popularity among tourists who come to see its gorgeous natural beauty, experience the “Pura Vida” way of life, and get away from the crowds.
Bahia Ballena is commonly grouped with Uvita (people will refer to it as Bahia Ballena - Uvita) because each town is small and they are across the river from one another. Here, you can enjoy the beach and slow pace of life in Bahia Ballena, and the conveniences of the more populated town of Uvita.
Distances
- Grocery stores - 15 minutes walk
- Beach, marine national park - 20 minutes walk
- San Jose - 3.5 hours
Unique features
Activities
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
General
- Dining area
- Environmentally friendly
- Garden
- Kitchen
- Multilingual staff
- Special menu request
- Yoga studio
Services
- Free Wi-Fi
- Parking lot
- Tour assistance
Food
Their food aims to check all of these boxes: Filling, nutritious, healthy, locally-sourced, home-made, fresh, and delicious. Their team members are also avid foodies and strive to serve food that exceeds guests' expectations.
Daily breakfast (except on your free day) and three dinners are included in your week-long stay in Bahia Ballena. Meals are made with love and are hearty, healthy, and have locally-sourced ingredients. They can accommodate dietary restrictions! You also have plenty of opportunity to sample the local fare and support our community's economy.
Meals at Bodhi
Adrianne, one of the co-founders of Bodhi Surf and Yoga, is the on-site cook who ensures each guest is well-fed and fully-fueled during their stay at Bodhi Surf and Yoga.
Sticking with the Bodhi Surf and Yoga's vision of environmental awareness and living a healthy lifestyle, Adrianne has worked to find the finest ingredients in the area and deliver delicious meals for guests, all while keeping packaging and food waste to a minimum.
All meals at Bodhi are family-style buffet. This means there is always enough to ensure all guests are satisfied and at the same time to help avoid food waste. Most of the ingredients utilized in the Bodhi kitchen are sourced within a three-hour drive of Bahia Ballena and the majority of dishes prepared are made from scratch.
Here are the examples of meals prepared at Bodhi. Specific dietary restrictions can be accommodated, examples below are simply for descriptive purposes as the actual menu will vary according to guest needs:
Breakfast
- Fruit
- Natural yogurt
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Gall pinto (Costa Rican rice and beans)
- Toast with tomato and avocado
- Coffee
Dinner
- Green leaf and mango salad
- Hummus dip and chips
- Rice with heart of palm
- Sangria or non-alcoholic beverage
There are many restaurants in the Bahia Ballena - Uvita area, with several delicious options within a 10-minute walk. There are also more places to eat popping up every year. If you don't feel like walking, you can also look into renting a bike or opt to take a taxi.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Snacks
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
- Other dietary requirements on request
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
Things to do (optional)
- ATV tour (half day)
- Chiropractic
- Cupping work
- Guided nature hike (half day)
- Hike up a local mountain to capture a view of the Whale Tail (this is not low-intensity)
- Hiking at Corcovado National Park (all day)
- Horseback riding tour (all day)
- Kayak tour (half day)
- Snorkeling tour to Cano Island Biological Reserve (all day)
- Stand-up paddleboard tour (half day)
- Take a hammock to Playa Colonia and enjoy the sights and sounds of the local beach
- Thai massage
- Visit any of the 5 beaches within the Marino Ballena National Park
- Visit other local beaches not within the national park (Playa Tortuga, Playa Hermosa)
- Walk the whale tail
- Waterfall rappelling (half day)
- White-water rafting (all day)
- Zip lining (half day)
What's included
- 5 yoga classes and 5 surf lessons
- Walking tour of Bahia Ballena
- Waterfall visit
- 6 nights accommodation (5 nights at Bodhi Lodge and 1 night in San Jose)
- 5 breakfasts, 3 group dinners, and snacks during surf lessons
- Round trip transportation from Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)
- Round trip transportation between San Jose and Bodhi Lodge
- Yoga mat and prop use
- National park fees
- Travelers' Philanthropy donation
What's not included
- Airfare
- Cost of optional activities
- Transportation to optional activities
- Lunches, 1 breakfast, and 4 dinners
- 13% VAT
How to get there
Recommended Airports
SJO
Juan Santamaría International Airport
105 km
Transfer included
Arrival by airplane
Please book your flight to arrive at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO). Transfer from and to the airport is included. Bodhi Surf and Yoga will pick you up from the airport.
You will have hassle-free logistics. All in-country logistics are arranged by Bodhi Surf and Yoga. From the Saturday when you catch the transport to Bodhi until the following Friday when you have to be back at the airport for your return flight home.
Your only job is to get yourself to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), Costa Rica's airport, and follow the instructions to the meeting spot outside the airport.
Once you're on the transportation to the Bodhi Lodge, you can sit back, focus on your surfing and yoga classes, and enjoy a week of experiential learning. If at any point you need assistance, Bodhi Surf and Yoga's team is available via phone or email to help you along the way.
Airport: Juan Santamaría International Airport
Airport transfer included: Juan Santamaría International Airport
No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 50% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookYogaRetreats.com. All major credit cards supported.
5862
Similar Yoga Retreats you might like
Why choose BookYogaRetreats.com
Best Price Guaranteed
7469 Yoga Retreats Worldwide
Friendly and Fast Customer Service
Offers for every budget