Into the Moment in Costa Rica

Join a barefoot grounding practice in Monteverde’s ancient cloud forest, an invitation to pause and become fully present. The experience gently guides you into a meditative state, building full awareness of what’s around you as the forest shifts in light and sound. At sunset, you’ll take in the canopy from a viewpoint over the treetops, feeling small in the best possible way.

Gather around the crackling fire in the Monteverde Cloud Forest for a traditional cacao ceremony rooted in Mesoamerican ritual. Sip rich ceremonial cacao, warm and gently bitter, as your guide shares the meaning behind the practice. The circle opens with simple intention-setting, a quiet moment to name what you would like to call in or let go of. There is space to share stories or simply listen, with the night sounds of the forest in the background.

Explore a forest sanctuary built into the canopy, with structures fastened to living trees using ropes and cables. You’ll find trails and suspension bridges, viewing platforms and hammock-style rest stops, all leading deeper into the treetops. The challenge is a 91-foot rope climb inside a towering hollow fig tree. Guided by expert naturalists and canopy specialists, the experience ends with a gourmet, farm-to-tree feast prepared by a world-class chef using ingredients from the on-site organic gardens.

Ride Río Perdido’s signature trails by mountain bike, where the terrain is mostly solid volcanic rock rather than dirt, gravel or mud. It feels smooth and fluid under your tyres, with natural grip that makes the slickrock surprisingly confidence-boosting. Often described as ‘tropical slickrock’, this corner of Guanacaste is nicknamed South Moab (a nod to Utah’s famous slickrock bike trails). Time your ride for sunrise or sunset and pedal to a viewpoint across the reserve, watching the light shift as it fades.

Follow an easy trail through Río Perdido’s tropical dry forest towards Carbonatadas, their own naturally carbonated mineral water spring. The route is mostly flat and passes the Yurro cascade before heading inland, where the forest thickens as you get closer to the source. At the spring, you can taste the fizzy mineral water, long valued by local residents for its medicinal healing properties.

After dark, Río Perdido’s trails take on a different energy. With a torch in hand, you’ll head out with your expert guide to explore the reserve and tune into the dry forest’s nightlife. Listen for movement in the trees, scan leaves and branches and spot nocturnal insects and amphibians. Plus forest fruits and seeds that bring into focus how this ecosystem feeds and regenerates overnight.

Explore creativity and inner calm through an art therapy session using natural materials gathered nearby – including leaves, flowers and found textures from the landscape. Your facilitator will guide you to work slowly and intuitively, taking inspiration from the colours, patterns and shapes you notice around you. You’ll then arrange and glue your chosen pieces into a simple collage, a tangible keepsake that reflects how present you feel in the moment. It is less about technique and more about attention, a simple way to steady the mind and soften the nervous system.

Settle in for an ocean-to-table feast inspired by the Nicoya Peninsula’s Blue Zone way of eating. A private chef will arrive at your villa to prepare a raw bar of freshly shucked oysters served with wild vinaigrettes, fermented chile and criollo limes. Then, over an open fire your chef cooks charred octopus, smoky clams and prawns finished in flavoursome infused butter. Add an optional natural wine or cocktail pairing to round it off.