Yoga Retreats in Costa Rica: How to Choose

Open retreat centers we checked

19, in November 2026 (plus surf camps, eco lodges and hotels with daily classes)

Main yoga areas

Nosara, Santa Teresa and Montezuma on the Nicoya Peninsula; Dominical, Uvita and the Osa Peninsula in the south; Puerto Viejo and Cahuita on the Caribbean

Pacific dry season

December to March (April is a transition month); rainy season May to October

Caribbean driest spells

February to March and September to October

International airports

Juan Santamaría (SJO) near San José and Guanacaste Airport (LIR) in Liberia

Typical retreat length

5 to 7 nights; teacher trainings run longer

Level

most retreat weeks teach mixed levels, but ask each center before you book

Choosing a yoga retreat in Costa Rica: the quick version

Costa Rica's yoga retreat centers are spread across very different coasts, from dry Guanacaste to the rainforest of the Caribbean. The right one for you depends on 4 things: how much yoga you want each day, whether you also want surf, how far you're happy to travel from the airport, and what month you can go.

Here's the short version before the detail.

We cover each part of the country in depth in our region-by-region guide. This page is about the choice itself: what kinds of retreat exist, what to ask, and which centers are open as of November 2026.

What a yoga retreat in Costa Rica is like: a typical day

Most retreat weeks follow the sun. Classes start early while it's cool, and the middle of the day is hot, so the practice sits at both ends of the day with meals and free time in between.

Pura Vida Adventures, a women's surf and yoga retreat in Santa Teresa, publishes its daily schedule, and it's a fair picture of how many retreats run:

On a yoga-only retreat, the surf lesson becomes a second class, a workshop, a hike or simply a long rest in a hammock. Many centers include 3 meals a day, often mostly vegetarian with fish or chicken on the side. The shala is almost always open to the air, so you practice with birdsong, wind and the odd howler monkey. Bring a light layer for the evening class and expect insects.

"The abundance of nature. On my yoga retreats, we always watch the sunset every night, and meditate on the beach every morning. It’s peaceful."

Lauren Rudick, yoga teacher and teacher trainer, then based in Santa Teresa, in a 2017 interview with WeTravel

How many classes you get varies a lot, and it's the easiest thing to compare between centers. A 7-night package at The Goddess Garden in Cahuita, for example, lists 6 yoga classes plus 3 meals a day, a massage and a guided hike in Cahuita National Park. At a resort with a public schedule you choose from several drop-in classes a day; on a teacher-led retreat the sessions are set for the group.

The kinds of yoga retreat in Costa Rica

"Yoga retreat" covers very different trips. Knowing which kind you're looking at saves a lot of reading.

Full-service yoga resorts

These are hotels built around yoga, with a public class schedule, a spa, restaurants and often a gym. You can book a room and drop into classes, or join a set retreat week. Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort in Nosara is the clearest example: its shalas range from a studio for 21 people to an air-conditioned one for up to 75. The Harmony Hotel on Playa Guiones runs a daily class schedule in its own studio. These suit you if you want choice and comfort, and if you're happy sharing classes with other guests.

"Many people only do yoga or they surf or they work out ... but what I have created is a complete health and fitness-minded facility based on the foundation of yoga."

Gary Edwards, founder of Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort, Nosara, in a 2017 interview with The Tico Times

Retreat centers that host visiting teachers

Several well-known places mostly host other teachers' retreats: a teacher from abroad books the whole center for a week and brings a group. Blue Spirit above Nosara, The Sanctuary at Two Rivers near Cabuya and Selva Armonia in Uvita work this way. You book through the teacher, so the teacher matters more than the venue: look them up first.

"It’s a retreat center where people come, I think, for doing an inner process ... and we basically support groups that bring their clients"

Stephan Rechtschaffen, co-founder of Blue Spirit, Nosara, in a 2017 interview with The Tico Times

Eco lodges and jungle shalas

Smaller places in the forest, often off the grid or close to it, where yoga sits alongside hiking, wildlife and farm life. Luna Lodge near Corcovado National Park, Rancho Margot near Lake Arenal and The Yoga Farm above Punta Banco are good examples. Expect simpler rooms, fewer people and longer drives. We cover eco and farm stays in more depth in our wellness and meditation guide, and on our ecological yoga programs page.

Surf and yoga camps

Surf camps suit younger and solo travelers especially well. You get coached surf lessons in small groups and yoga before or after. Shaka Costa Rica on Playa Hermosa near Santa Teresa and Bodhi Surf + Yoga in Uvita both teach complete beginners. Our yoga and surf guide and the yoga and surfing section go into coasts, seasons and skill levels.

Women's retreats

Women-only weeks are common, especially combined with surf. Pura Vida Adventures has run them in Santa Teresa for more than 20 years, and Women's Quest lists a Costa Rica surf and yoga retreat on its 2027 calendar. More on this below.

Silent and meditation retreats

A few centers run silent or meditation weeks. PachaMama, an eco community near San Juanillo north of Nosara, lists a silent retreat in December 2026 on its events calendar. If silence is what you're after, ask how many hours a day are silent and whether phones are collected.

Teacher-led weeks and teacher trainings

A teacher-led week is a retreat you join because of the teacher, held at one of the centers above. A teacher training is something else: long days of study, practice and exams over 2 weeks or more. Blue Osa's 200-hour course, for example, runs 14 days and its 300-hour course 28 days. If you're thinking of training, see our yoga teacher training section, our older roundup of great teacher training centers, and our full teacher training guide.

The yoga regions of Costa Rica in brief

Costa Rica is small on a map but slow to cross. Many yoga towns are on the Nicoya Peninsula, where the last stretch of road can be rough, and the south and the Caribbean are long drives from San José. This table is the quick comparison; our region-by-region guide has the full picture.

The Nosara time comes from Marianne Wells Yoga School, whose Costa Rica training page says its group bus from Liberia takes around 2.5 hours. Getting to Montezuma is a good example of the Nicoya trade-off: Anamaya's travel page puts the shuttle from San José at about 5.5 hours, including about 1.5 hours on the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera, or 4 to 4.5 hours from Liberia. The domestic airline Sansa also flies small planes to local strips at Nosara, Cobano (for Montezuma and Santa Teresa) and Puerto Jiménez (for the Osa).

How to choose a yoga retreat: 10 questions to ask the center

Most retreat websites look alike. These questions get past the photos. A good center answers them quickly and plainly; if it can't, that tells you something too.

1. What style of yoga is taught, and by whom? Vinyasa, hatha, yin and restorative all turn up often. Ask for the names of the teachers for your dates, then look them up. If the styles are new to you, our introductions to hatha yoga and vinyasa flow explain the difference.
2. What level are the classes? "All levels" can mean a gentle class or a strong flow with options. Ask what a beginner does in a typical class, and what an experienced student does.
3. How many classes a day, and are they included? Compare the count across the week, not just "daily yoga".
4. How big are the groups? A class of 12 in a jungle shala is a different week from a class of 50 at a resort.
5. Is it a set retreat or a stay with drop-in classes? Set retreats have a group and a schedule. Drop-in stays give you freedom but less structure.
6. What's included? Meals, airport transfers, excursions, massages and surf lessons vary a lot between packages. Get the list in writing.
7. What's the food like? Ask whether meals are vegetarian, vegan or mixed, and how they handle allergies.
8. What are the rooms like? Shared or private, air conditioning or fans, screens or mosquito nets, hot water. Jungle rooms are often open to the air.
9. How do I get there, and how long does it take? Ask about the road, any ferry, and whether the center arranges the transfer. Plan to arrive the day before if your flight lands late.
10. If it's a training, is the school registered with Yoga Alliance? Yoga Alliance is the US-based registry of yoga teachers and schools. Ask for the listing, then check it yourself in the Yoga Alliance directory; it takes 2 minutes.

Last, ask yourself what you want to take home. A retreat week is short, and the teachers who've worked here longest tend to describe it as more than exercise.

"Currently my greatest motivation is to share the true meaning of yoga, which, beyond a practice of asanas, is an invitation to become freer."

Melany Martínez, founder and head of the Retreats Department at Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort, Nosara, in a 2021 interview with La Nación (translated from Spanish)

Yoga retreats for beginners, solo travelers, women and couples

Beginners

Yes, a retreat is a good place to start yoga, and many Costa Rica retreats are built for mixed groups. Look for weeks described as "all levels" or "beginner friendly", gentler styles such as hatha, yin or restorative yoga, and smaller groups where the teacher can help you. Avoid teacher trainings and advanced intensives for a first trip.

"Talking about yoga and inclusion is redundant: both refer to union; ... with the aim that most people can take part in and benefit from this beautiful practice."

Juan Francisco Martínez, director of Yoga Inclusivo Costa Rica, writing for Yoga Sin Fronteras (translated from Spanish)

Solo travelers

Retreats are one of the easiest ways to travel alone in Costa Rica. Meals are shared, the airport transfer is often arranged for you, and the schedule gives the week a shape. Ask whether the center has single rooms or a roommate-matching option, and whether a solo booking pays extra. Surf camps such as Bodhi Surf + Yoga have rooms set aside for solo travelers and couples.

Women

Women-only surf and yoga weeks are well established in Costa Rica. Pura Vida Adventures keeps its surf groups small, with no more than 2 to 3 students per instructor, and rotates between beaches around Santa Teresa and Cabuya depending on the tide. Women's Quest runs a Costa Rica surf and yoga week as part of a wider calendar of women's adventure trips.

"For a lot of women, surfing is something they have always wanted to do. And who wouldn’t want to come to a Costa Rican beach and surf?"

Tierza Eichner, founder of Pura Vida Adventures, Santa Teresa, in an interview with Tripatini

Couples

Couples do well at resorts and lodges where you can book a private room and choose how much yoga to do each. A few places suit couples especially: Prana Rainforest Retreat near Manuel Antonio markets itself as a honeymoon villa, and partner yoga or acroyoga workshops turn up on many retreat calendars. Edgar Ortiz, who directs the Yoga Mandir school of yoga and Thai massage in San José, has spoken in the Costa Rican press about acroyoga, which is practiced in pairs.

"Among the biggest benefits, besides being fun, is that it helps develop concentration, flexibility, coordination and brings the couple together, since they complement each other."

Edgar Ortiz, director of Yoga Mandir, San Pedro de Montes de Oca, speaking about acroyoga to La República (translated from Spanish)

Full-service and luxury stays

If what you mean by luxury is a full-service resort, look at the resorts above and at centers with spas and private rooms: Bodhi Tree in Nosara, Anamaya above Montezuma and Blue Osa on the Osa Peninsula all have spa treatments, pools and set retreat packages. We don't list prices; compare what's included instead.

Yoga retreat centers in Costa Rica worth knowing, by region

These are the open retreat centers in our retreat centers section, checked by hand against each center's own website in November 2026. Each name links to our profile. "Open" means the center's site is live and taking bookings or listing upcoming retreats; we haven't stayed at every one, and we don't rank them. Read our editorial policy for how we check.

Nosara and the northern Nicoya Peninsula

Nosara, in Guanacaste on the Nicoya Peninsula, is the town The Tico Times has called Costa Rica's yoga capital. See our Nosara retreat centers section and our older Nosara destination piece.

• Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort, Nosara. Open. A large yoga resort with 4 shalas, a public class schedule, set retreats, a spa and gyms, plus a teacher training run with iLa Yoga. Suits you if you want choice and lots of classes.
• Blue Spirit, Nosara. Open. A hilltop retreat center above a 3-mile beach that's protected as a turtle refuge, according to its own site. Most weeks are hosted by visiting teachers, often with a meditation focus, so choose by the retreat leader.
• Marianne Wells Yoga School, Nosara. Open. A US-based school that holds its Costa Rica teacher trainings and retreats in Nosara, at Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort or Finca Austria. Suits people who want to train rather than holiday.
• Alya Retreat Center, San Juanillo. Open. A 19-acre forest property about 2.7 km from the beach, with 11 casitas, dorms and camping, personal retreats, hosted groups and a work-exchange program. A simpler, quieter base north of Nosara.

Montezuma, Cabuya and Santa Teresa

The southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula has two very different yoga towns: lively Santa Teresa with its surf, and quieter Montezuma and Cabuya. For the towns beyond yoga, our sister sites cover Santa Teresa and Mal País and Montezuma in depth. Our southern Nicoya retreat centers section lists everything we profile there.

• Anamaya Resort, Montezuma. Open. A clifftop retreat and teacher-training center above Montezuma with ocean views from the yoga deck, retreat weeks and surf. National Geographic named it in its Best of the World 2026 wellness destinations. Its surf weeks have their own profile: Soul Surfers at Anamaya.
• The Sanctuary at Two Rivers, Cabuya. Open. A 40-acre jungle property where the Lajas and Cacao rivers meet, with open-air shalas, vinyasa, hatha, yin and kundalini for all levels, and plant-based meals, says its website. It runs its own programs and hosts groups.
• Horizon Hotel and Yoga Center, Santa Teresa. Open. An ocean-view hotel with yoga classes and its own retreats, handy if you want a Santa Teresa base with yoga on site.

The Central Pacific

The closest yoga beaches to San José, good for a short trip. See our Central Pacific section.

• Vida Asana, near Playa Hermosa, south of Jacó. Open. An all-inclusive yoga center about 90 minutes from San José's airport, with 3 mostly vegetarian meals a day, retreats and 200-hour and 300-hour teacher trainings.
• Prana Rainforest Retreat, Manuel Antonio. Open, but now rented as a whole: a 5-bedroom villa for up to 14 people beside Manuel Antonio National Park, with a covered yoga pavilion. It suits a teacher bringing a small group, or a couple.

Dominical, Uvita and the Osa Peninsula

In the South Pacific the rainforest comes right down to the beach, and Corcovado National Park sits on the Osa Peninsula. Our Southern Pacific section and Osa Peninsula section have more.

• Danyasa Eco-Retreat, Dominical. Open. An adults-only eco retreat and boutique hotel on the Barú River, running since 2008, with classes, retreats, trainings and rooms built partly from upcycled shipping containers.
• Selva Armonia, Uvita. Open. A retreat venue in the jungle hills above Uvita with ocean-view shalas. It hosts visiting teachers' retreats, with a calendar running into 2027.
• Blue Osa Yoga Retreat + Spa, Osa Peninsula, near Puerto Jiménez. Open. A beachfront retreat with daily yoga, a spa, weekend and week-long packages, and 200-hour and 300-hour teacher trainings.
• Encanta La Vida, Matapalo. Open. A beachfront eco lodge at the tip of the Osa with a yoga shala, hosted retreats and its own signature retreat week. Its site puts the trip at about a 40-minute flight plus a 30-minute taxi.
• Luna Lodge, Carate. Open. An eco lodge at the end of the road beside Corcovado National Park, with bungalows, rooms and safari tents, and yoga and wellness retreats on its calendar into 2027.

"For guests newer to yoga, the setting removes the self-consciousness that studio environments can produce."

Yogi Aaron, founder and yoga director of Blue Osa Yoga Retreat + Spa, Osa Peninsula

The Caribbean coast

The Caribbean side has its own rhythm, its own food and its own seasons (see the table below). Our Caribbean section lists everything we profile there.

• Samasati Nature Retreat, near Puerto Viejo. Open. A rainforest retreat about a 20-minute drive from Puerto Viejo, offering all-inclusive packages or a room with food, yoga and hikes added as you like. It also hosts groups.
• The Goddess Garden, Cahuita. Open. A 14-acre property between rainforest and sea with bungalows, a spa and 5-night and 7-night yoga packages. It hosts retreats and teacher trainings.
• Kindred Spirits, Cocles. Open. Yoga with horses: retreats held in Cocles, an equine yoga teacher program and a 200-hour training.

The mountains and the Central Valley

Inland retreats trade the beach for cool nights, rivers and views. See our Northern Mountains section and Central Valley section; for city classes, see studios of the Central Valley.

• AmaTierra, Turrubares, west of San José. Open. A retreat on 8 acres of hardwood forest at about 600 meters, with yoga retreat packages and hosted groups, and tours to nearby Carara National Park.
• Río Chirripó Lodge, Rivas, Pérez Zeledón. Open. A small mountain lodge (6 rooms and 6 suites) beside the Chirripó River, with sunrise yoga, a spa and wellness retreats. Its website is mainly in Spanish.
• Mystica, Lake Arenal. Open. A hillside lodge above Lake Arenal with views of the volcano, hosting yoga retreats since 1993, with private and group classes on request.

When to go on a yoga retreat in Costa Rica

There's no bad month for a retreat, but the coasts have different seasons. These dates come from the Costa Rican Tourism Board's climate page.

So if you can only travel in September or October, the Caribbean is often the better bet. The tourism board calls May to November the green season. On the Pacific, the rain mainly falls in the afternoon and early evening, so the morning class usually stays dry. Our trip planning guide will cover seasons, flights and packing in full.

How we checked these places

We visited every center's own website in November 2026 to confirm it's live and offering stays or retreats, and we left out anything that looked closed. Places change hands, rename and close often in Costa Rica, so every profile on this site carries a status note and a last-checked date. If you know a center has closed or opened, please tell us through our contact page.

If you're comparing Costa Rica with other countries, our sister site Retreat Vacations covers retreats worldwide.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best yoga retreats in Costa Rica?

It depends on what you want. For a big class schedule, look at Nosara (Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort, Blue Spirit); for yoga with surf, Santa Teresa, Nosara or Uvita; for quiet jungle weeks, Montezuma, Cabuya or the Osa Peninsula (Anamaya, The Sanctuary at Two Rivers, Blue Osa, Luna Lodge); for the Caribbean, Samasati or The Goddess Garden.

Are yoga retreats in Costa Rica good for beginners?

Yes. Many retreat weeks are mixed level, and surf camps teach complete beginners. Choose a week described as all levels, ask the center what a beginner does in class, and avoid teacher trainings for a first trip.

Are there women-only yoga retreats in Costa Rica?

Yes. Pura Vida Adventures has run women's surf and yoga retreats in Santa Teresa for more than 20 years, and Women's Quest lists a Costa Rica surf and yoga retreat for 2027. Many centers also host women's weeks led by visiting teachers.

When is the best time of year for a yoga retreat in Costa Rica?

On the Pacific coast, December to March is the dry season and May to October the rainy season, with September and October the wettest. The Caribbean has drier spells in February to March and September to October, so it's a good choice when the Pacific is at its wettest.

How long is a typical yoga retreat in Costa Rica?

Most retreat weeks run 5 to 7 nights; Bodhi Surf + Yoga offers 7-day and 14-day programs, for example. Teacher trainings are longer: Blue Osa's 200-hour course runs 14 days, for example.

Is a yoga retreat in Costa Rica good for solo travelers?

Yes. Meals and classes are shared, transfers are often arranged, and many guests come alone. Ask whether single rooms or roommate matching are available.

Are there luxury yoga retreats in Costa Rica?

Yes, in the sense of full-service resorts with spas, pools and private rooms, such as Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort in Nosara, Anamaya in Montezuma and Blue Osa on the Osa Peninsula. We don't list prices; compare what each package includes.