Wanna explore the world in a way that supports wellness and community? Where you can have adventure but also silent time and perhaps a little yoga along the way? Here are some fun retreats in Guatemala and Costa Rica, which has no shortage of natural beauty. Be sure to check out this Central America tip sheet as well. And, if you love coffee, check out this post.
Green Yoga & Permaculture (Guatemala)
Journey to sacred Mayan land in San Marcos La Laguna, Sololá, Guatemala for a yoga and immersive live experience that will change the way you see the world around you. Live off-the-grid and stay in rustic cabanas to escape the day-to-day grind of technological living, learning to re-appreciate simple pleasures.
While here, you will learn about permaculture which nurtures similar principles as yoga: awareness of surroundings, working with your body, and cultivating a union between mind and movements.
The Yoga Forest helps you achieve honest living, and you’ll learn to recognize the impact of plants, buildings, animals and insects on the environment and its occupants. Participate in daily yoga, meditation and service (seva or karma yoga) within the community in a comfortable place conducive to growth and sharing.
If you go through Guatemala City, be sure to check out this post.
Yoga & Wildlife Volunteering (Costa Rica)
There’s always something happening at La Escuela Del Sol: Spanish lessons, surfing, scuba certification and fire poi dance lessons in a tropical Costa Rica location, for example. This spring, you can add wildlife volunteering to that list, as they just bought Rainsong Wildlife Rescue Center. Starting in April 2015, you will also be able to assist their efforts in accepting injured and abandoned animals from the area. Moreover, new glamping tents, a new yoga deck and a swimming pool are on the menu for the new year.
Yoga & River Rafting (Costa Rica)
If you seek surf and spirituality, consider Langua Travel’s Costa Rica Yoga+ Adventure trip. This custom yoga trip can contain an action-packed week of yoga, whitewater rafting and surfing in the jungles and on the beaches of Costa Rica.
You may also opt to add Spanish courses, paddle-boarding or horseback riding. Your trip culminates with a rafting excursion on the wild rapids of the Pacuare River, in the middle of the rain forest. In the evenings, healthy and delicious meals and savored before sunset yoga. Activities like zip lining and waterfall jumping are offered at stops along the river.
Aerial Yoga & Surfing (Costa Rica)
If you want to take your yoga practice upside down, visit the Harmony Hotel in Nosara, Costa Rica for the unique opportunity to enjoy aerial yoga from the comfort of your hotel. This anti-gravity yoga provides an incredible stretch that is good for the spine. In addition to aerial yoga, chose from several other types of yoga and meditation classes or visit the nearby Playa Guiones to take advantage of surfing (they have some of the world’s most consistent year-round breaks).
Whether you are into long-boarding, short-boarding or stand up paddle boarding, you can leave your wetsuit at home thanks to year-round warm weather and convenient board rental near the hotel (cost ranges from $15 to $25 per day).
There’s also these great wellness and yoga retreats for your bucket list and more on Costa Rican culture as well. And, for a little nature and luxury combined in the heart of Costa Rica.
Do you have a yoga fusion, wellness or adventure travel with purpose retreat you’d like to recommend? Please let us know in the comments below.
Contributed By Katie Foote
Jessica Festa is the editor of the travel sites Jessie on a Journey (http://jessieonajourney.com) and Epicure & Culture (http://epicureandculture.com). Along with blogging at We Blog The World, her byline has appeared in publications like Huffington Post, Gadling, Fodor’s, Travel + Escape, Matador, Viator, The Culture-Ist and many others. After getting her BA/MA in Communication from the State University of New York at Albany, she realized she wasn’t really to stop backpacking and made travel her full time job. Some of her most memorable experiences include studying abroad in Sydney, teaching English in Thailand, doing orphanage work in Ghana, hiking her way through South America and traveling solo through Europe. She has a passion for backpacking, adventure, hiking, wine and getting off the beaten path.
