14 Day Rainforest Yoga Retreat in El Castillo, Costa Rica
Yoga Holiday in Costa Rica
This yoga holiday with the tranquility and natural beauty of Essence Arenal provides you with the space to journey inward, renew, and refresh your body, mind, and spirit. Grounding at the organic permaculture farm, pool, and nourish your body with functional organic smoothies or gourmet vegetarian farm-to-table cuisine. With the guidance of certified naturopath and yoga instructors, you will have a transformational stay!
Meet the instructors
Highlights
- Daily 75-minute morning yoga class
- Afternoon yoga classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
- Daily spa circuit access (jacuzzi, steam room, sauna)
- Spa Circuit access per one hour a day (Jacuzzi, Steam Room, Sauna)
- Healthy cuisine (breakfast-lunch-dinner) with coffee, tea or natural juice of the day
- 13 nights accommodation
Skill level
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Yoga styles
13 days with instruction in English
Accommodation
Facilities
- Hot spring
- Hot tub / Jacuzzi
- Spa
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
- Temazcal
- Café
- Environmentally friendly
- Garden
- Luggage room / storage
- Multilingual staff
- Restaurant
- Terrace
- Yoga deck
- Free parking
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laundry
- Tour assistance
During this retreat, you will be staying in a private room with a private bathroom in Essence Arenal.
All beds have orthopedic mattresses and anti-allergic pillows. The eco-hotel has majestic views of the Arenal Volcano, the Arenal Lake, and the El Castillo Valley.
All rooms have free Wi-Fi, hot water in the shower, a small desk, and a safe. They also provide free parking and a laundry service (at an additional cost).
During your stay, you have unlimited access to the organic farm, swimming pool, rainforest trails, volleyball court, and yoga / exercise deck. The on-site restaurant is open daily to serve healthy, organic vegetarian / vegan meals from locally sourced produce and from their farm. Enjoy a range of treatments and therapies in their jungle spa with Temazcal sweat lodge, or consultation with their on-site naturopathic doctor.
Program
Are you ready to enhance your yoga practice, transform your eating habits, and change your perspective on life? Health, mental, physical, yoga, weight loss, and NLP retreats are offered all year round. Imagine practicing yoga in an enchanted Costa Rican jungle, enjoying the present moment while feeling relaxed and less distracted. Treat yourself to a relaxing massage or an organic mud detox in their jungle spa after a magical hike or spend time meditating, swimming, or exploring the area.
The itinerary will be independently developed according to your specific needs. To give you the time and space to heal and connect with the beautiful surroundings, deepen your yoga practice, transform your eating habits and perception of life. To be more mindful, relaxed, and live in the present moment.
Example itinerary
- 07:00 - 08:15 Morning yoga practice
- 08:15 Forest walk
- 08:30 - 09:00 Breakfast
- 09:00 - 12:00 Activities or free time
- 10:00-12_00 Permaculture tour and cacao worshop / nce per stay
- 12:00 - 13:00 Lunch
- 14:00 - 15:00 Spa circuit with Finnish sauna, jacuzzi, and Turkish bath will be open for you every day. You will be able to enjoy this lovely and healing place with a beautiful view and aromatherapy during one complementary hour
- 15:00 Free time: connect with nature, explore their permaculture farm, hike in the rainforest, or book a treatment in their jungle spa
- 16:30 - 17:30 On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they have sunset yoga
- 18:30 - 20:30 Dinner
- 21:00 Early to bed (recommended)
Included excursions
Permaculture tour and cacao workshop
Instructors
Nico Botefur
In 2008, Essence Arenal project began through destiny and universal guidance. Nico ended up in this rainforest paradise, where he immediately knew this was his place on earth to live. It has opened his eyes and he needed that change. He was 80 pounds overweight and had a wide collection of emotional wrecks stored in his soul. In a short time of balancing nutrition, emotions, and bad life habits, through learned techniques, these problems disappeared! Nico has found emotional, physical, and spiritual balance through the creation of this wonderful place. And he wants to share it with you!
Michelle Cordero
In 2018 Michelle realized that there must be others ways of living this life. Little by little, following her intuition, she started to open a path for herself as a yoga teacher, life coach and became a master. Now you can find her teaching yoga classes in the middle of the mountains. She is also a reiki practitioner and thai masseuse, both energy therapies which help to harmonize, relax and release tension in the body. In recent years Michelle has focused on making life beautiful, for herself and others, where one can feel safe and free in one's body.
Retreat location
This retreat will be taking place in El Castillo, close to the Arenal Volcano and Lake Arenal area, Costa Rica.
El Castillo is a small neighboring village to La Fortuna, directly on Lake Arenal atop the hills overlooking Arenal volcano. With 22 hectares of prime hilltop forested pristine land and breathtaking views, the hotel takes pride in giving its guests an experience of a lifetime.
From forest trails down to a majestic waterfall hidden in the rainforest, enjoying mystical free hot springs, horseback riding, hanging bridges, and canopy tours, there is a rich amount of nature activities to experience around Essence Arenal.
This Yoga Retreat is vegetarian-friendly
Click to see more vegetarian-friendly Yoga Retreats
Food
During this retreat, you will be served with three daily vegetarian or vegan meals in our on-site restaurant, with natural drinks.
At Essence, we take pride in our farm-to-table kitchen. They encourage thoughtful, healthy meals that come from the earth. Essence Arenal Wellness Center features an organic, vegetarian, and vegan kitchen from conscious, locally sourced food that supports dedication to the planet and your bodies.
Chef Magali prepares fantastic meals that are absolutely delicious, nutritious, and balanced. Magali has a deep enthusiasm for preparing food. She prepares meals farm-to-table, finding creative ways to create using all the tropical delights that are available in Costa Rica from local farmers, and from their farm. They cater to a range of different dietary requirements and detox needs.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
Things to do (optional)
There are a wide variety of activities and tours available in the area:
- Canopy
- Rafting
- Canyoneering
- Kayak and boating on Lake Arenal
- ATV tour
- Hanging bridges
- Waterfall hike
- Arenal Volcano National Park
- Horseback riding
- Butterfly observatory
- Thermal hot springs
Spa treatments
Spa treatments
Pamper yourself in our jungle spa, located in the middle of a permaculture farm with a unique view of the volcano and lake. Enjoy a range of treatments and therapies in their spa including:
- Reflexology
- Swedish massage
- Deep tissue massage
- Meditation sessions
- Ionic foot detox
- Temazcal sweat lodge and mud detox
- Timeline therapy
- Naturopathy
- Nutritional consultation
- NLP session
- Thai massage
- Reiki
- Sound healing
The treatments mentioned above have an additional cost.
Spa circuit
Essence Arenal Wellness is humbled to announce the opening of their negative carbon footprint, Hydro Therapy Spa Circuit consisting of the following:
- Turkish steam bath: An aromatherapy experience with herbs from their organic permaculture farm
- Finnish sauna: A treatment where you will be surrounded by fragrant natural Laurel wood known for its antiviral properties and naturally fragranced water
- 36 jet jacuzzi: Delivers massages to different regions of the body
- General benefits of the spa circuit:
- Stronger immune system
- Better sleep
- Glowing skin
- Reduction of cellulite
- Flushing out toxins
- Relief from arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia
- Quicker recovery from a muscle injury, back pain
- Decrease in anxiety and stress
You will have a complementary hour every day to access to this healing place with beautiful views and aromatherapy.
What's included
- 13 nights accommodation in a private room with bathroom
- Daily 75 minute yoga classes all morning from 07:00 to 08:15 a.m
- Regenerative afternoon yoga classes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 04:00 to 05:00 p.m
- Spa circuit access per one hour a day (Jacuzzi, steam room, sauna)
- Daily access to permaculture farm, trails, pool and facilities
- Healthy cuisine (breakfast-lunch-dinner) with coffee, tea or natural juice of the day
What's not included
- Airfare
- Airport transfers
- Other excursions / activities
- Other spa treatments
- 13% goverment taxes
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Transfer available for additional US$ 160 per person
Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport
88 km away from your destination
Transfer available for additional US$ 150 per person
Juan Santamaría International Airport
76 km away from your destination
By Public Transportation
Take a taxi to the terminal bus station 7-10. There is a direct bus to La Fortuna once a day, but if you can't take this bus, you have to take one to San Carlos (Ciudad Quesada). Buses depart approximately every 2 hours. Get off at the bus terminal in Ciudad Quesada and take another bus to La Fortuna. From La Fortuna, you can take a taxi or an uber to Essence Arenal, or there is another public bus at 5:15 pm that comes to El Castillo. From the place where the bus drops you off, you have to walk 600 meters to their place.
By Private transfer: the costs from the SJO Airport are 150 USD per way, and 160 USD from and to Liberia airport, the payment is directly to the driver- in cash. As is a private transport can be anytime. The trip takes approximately 3 hours. Between 7:00 pm and 4:00 am it has an additional cost of 20 USD. Additional pax cost is 10 USD.
- By shuttle transportation: the cost per way per person is 66.67 USD but they have specific schedules.
- From Liberia to Essence are at 9:00am or at 15:15.
- From SJO Airport to Essence only at 8:15 am. The payment is in advanced through a link that the company send.
On the departure day from Essence to the Airports options are:
- The same option than the arriving day (private transfer)
- Shuttle transfer cost per person is 66.67 USD and the payment is in advanced through a link that the company send.
- To SJO Airport the pick-up time in Essence is only at 12:10 pm.
- To Liberia Airport the pick-up time in Essence is at 7:00 am.
They just need to know which option works for you and your flight information to proceed with arrange your transportation.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 22% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.
Reviews
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