Join Phil Cousineau for a nine-day pilgrimage in Costa Rica, designed to revive our spirits through the beauty of the natural world. Costa Rica means “Rich Coast,” and we will seek its “real gold” in its extraordinary biodiversity and pura vida—the everyday pleasures of a life lived with gratitude.
For those exhausted and wearied by the modern world, this unhurried pilgrimage offers renewal through Costa Rica’s sacred nature. With naturalist José Acuña, we will discover Arenal’s rainforest, waterfall and vibrant bird life, savour highland coffee and bask in volcanic hot springs. A traditional lunch in the Nicoya Blue Zone introduces “the well-lived life,” while four nights in Nosara offer forests, mangroves and visions of the sea, with time every morning for Phil’s legendary “Long Conversations,” exploratory talks that will help us orient our adventure. READ MORE
Phil Cousineau is a writer, teacher, independent scholar, documentary filmmaker, travel leader, storyteller and author of over 40 books including the national best-seller The Art of Pilgrimage, The Book of Roads, and Stoking the Creative Fires, winner of the Book of the Year Award from “Spirituality & Health Magazine.”
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Tour Description
“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea,
Drink the wild air’s salubrity.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
For thousands of years people have taken long journeys to see exotic new things and enrich their lives. Costa Rica, the “Rich Coast,” invites us to search for an even more precious resource than literal gold: the paradise of the staggeringly beautiful natural world around us. Paradise evokes the image of an enclosed garden, an idyllic place of peace and happiness. Our pilgrimage to this garden is a simple invitation to renew our lives through encounters with sacred nature.
Today, Costa Ricans give us another way to think about paradise through pura vida, or “pure life.” Beyond the physical beauty of the country’s forests and volcanoes, this is a casual, positive attitude of gratitude, with an emphasis on community and family and a priority of casual kindness and hospitality. These intangibles reveal something of the culture’s vaunted emphasis on the “well-lived life.” Come with us to enjoy the simple pleasures of local café life and shared meals, letting go of daily stress through conversation and friendship.
Join us for a nine-day tour of Costa Rican pura vida, a journey through the glorious countryside with local naturalist José Acuña. From the Central Valley, we travel through tropical highlands and cloud forest scenery, pausing near Mirador Cinchona for coffee and mountain views. At Arenal Observatory Lodge, we can greet the awakening rainforest on an optional birdwatching walk, follow forest trails toward a waterfall and pause at viewpoints overlooking Arenal Volcano. We will also bask in the local hot springs at Ecotermales, taking time to enjoy this simple pleasure of the volcanic world.
Travelling around Lake Arenal, we cross toward the Pacific and the Nicoya Peninsula, where a traditional lunch in the Nicoya Blue Zone brings us into the culture of a region known for longevity. Our four-night stay at Olas Verdes Hotel in Nosara allows time for visions of the sea and the pleasures of being at leisure. José’s optional walks take us into the tropical dry forest, mangroves and estuary, while the hotel gardens and nearby beach offer places to rest and reflect.
While it’s natural to expect the tropical world to be beautiful, we will offer several ways for you to experience how delightful it can be as well. Our open schedule leaves room for Phil’s talks and discussions, journal writing and contemplation, with optional yoga, surfing and massage also available. Together, we will explore the glorious countryside in ways designed to reignite your love of the natural world and lift your spirits with new hope for the survival of its wonders.
In the spirit of your leader’s classic book The Art of Pilgrimage, our tour is designed to revive your spirits, allow you to experience the sacred aspects of nature, and return home with the boon or gift of hope for a renewed world.
For the people of Costa Rica, their pura vida is a code to live by, a catchphrase that reminds us to stay optimistic and positive even in the darkest times. It offers a way to pursue the grateful life and act as a steward to the beauty of the world wherever we may live.
Welcome to Costa Rica! On arrival at Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), you will be greeted by our local team and transferred to Montara Hotel, nestled in the mountains overlooking the Central Valley.
Take time to settle into your room, rest after your travels and enjoy the views across the valley. This evening, we gather with Phil and our fellow travellers for our Welcome Dinner, getting to know one another as the hills fade into the evening light. We will celebrate the timeless pilgrim’s Call to Adventure that brought us all together.
(Overnight in the Central Valley at Montara Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, or similar)
This morning we set out toward Arenal, travelling through tropical highlands and cloud forest landscapes. Forested slopes and mountain views accompany us as we cross Costa Rica’s Central Volcanic Mountain Range.
We pause, as if crossing the Threshold of an ancient journey, at a mountain restaurant near Mirador Cinchona for coffee or another warm drink, taking in views of waterfalls and the surrounding forest before continuing to Arenal Observatory Lodge.
Following lunch and check-in, the afternoon is yours to enjoy the grounds, rest or spend time with Phil as arranged locally. Find a quiet spot overlooking the volcanic landscape or take a leisurely stroll, listening to the sounds of the forest. Dinner is at your own expense.
(Overnight in Arenal at Arenal Observatory Lodge or similar)
Early risers may join an optional birdwatching walk to experience the rainforest as it awakens. Its vibrant bird life offers a delightful way to begin the day, even for those with no previous interest in birdwatching. Take time to listen and enjoy the beauty of the forest as we make the traditional Transition into the depths of a new world.
After breakfast, we take a relaxed naturalist walk through the Observatory property toward the waterfall. With José as our guide, we explore the surrounding rainforest at an easy pace and pause at viewpoints overlooking Arenal Volcano. These direct experiences of the natural world give us time to discover what makes a place feel sacred.
We return to the lodge for lunch, followed by a free afternoon to rest or explore the grounds at your own pace. This sacred time will allow us to contemplate what our ancestors called the anima mundi, the soul of the world.
Later, we visit Ecotermales Hot Springs to soak in the warm volcanic waters and enjoy dinner before returning to the lodge.
(Overnight in Arenal at Arenal Observatory Lodge or similar)
Today we leave Arenal behind, following the shores of Lake Arenal toward Costa Rica’s Pacific side. José introduces us to the changing countryside as rainforest gives way to tropical dry forest and we enter the Nicoya Peninsula.
Our included traditional lunch in the Nicoya Blue Zone offers a taste of local cuisine and an introduction to the culture of a region known for longevity. Food, company and hospitality bring us into the everyday pleasures of “the well-lived life,” a theme we will continue to explore together.
Arriving at Olas Verdes Hotel in Nosara, we settle in for four nights near the Pacific. The afternoon is yours to explore the gardens, rest or stroll to the nearby beach. Take a first walk along the shore, feel the ocean breeze and watch the waves roll in. With time to linger here, we can begin to enjoy the pleasures of being one with Costa Rica’s pura vida, or as one poet said to “Cultivate your leisure.”
Dinner is at your own expense.
(Overnight in Nosara at Olas Verdes Hotel or similar)
Our first full day in Nosara centers on Phil’s talks and group discussions, with a flexible schedule that allows our conversations to unfold. Drawing on the experiences of our journey, we explore how travelling with greater attention can deepen our connection to a place. Between gatherings, there is time to write in your journal, reflect or find a quiet seat in the gardens.
Those who wish may join José’s complimentary naturalist walks through the tropical dry forest, mangroves, estuary and nearby beach environments. This wonderful opportunity reflects one of history’s most honored practices—sauntering, reflective walking, to the holy lands of the world. With his guidance, we look more closely at the plants and wildlife around us, discovering the different habitats that meet along this stretch of coast.
(Overnight in Nosara at Olas Verdes Hotel or similar)
Another unhurried day gives us time to continue our conversations with Phil and reflect on the Costa Rican spirit of pura vida. Enjoy breakfast at your own pace, with an open schedule for journal writing, contemplation and taking in the beauty around us. You may join another optional naturalist walk with José, spend quiet hours by the sea or relax in the hotel gardens.
Optional surf lessons, yoga classes and massage treatments can also be arranged through the hotel. Choose what appeals to you and enjoy a day with little need to watch the clock, which offers us a chance to luxuriate in a time beyond time, the very essence of memorable travel.
(Overnight in Nosara at Olas Verdes Hotel or similar)
Our final full day in Nosara offers more time for Phil’s talks and group conversations, with space for reflection, journal writing and enjoying the natural surroundings. Join an optional complimentary nature walk with José, return to a favourite spot by the sea or simply settle into the gentle rhythm of pura vida.
During our stay, there may also be an opportunity to join an optional visit to nearby Ostional Wildlife Refuge, where olive ridley sea turtles come ashore to nest. If nature’s timing allows, we may witness an arribada—the remarkable gathering of thousands of nesting turtles—or tiny hatchlings beginning their journey to the ocean. While these encounters cannot be promised, they offer another way to experience the wonder of Costa Rica’s natural world.
(Overnight in Nosara at Olas Verdes Hotel or similar)
We bid farewell to Nosara and turn inland toward the Central Valley, travelling through the Province of Puntarenas to complete our journey. We stop for lunch along the way (at your own expense), taking our time over a meal and conversation before the final stretch of the drive.
We reach our hotel near Juan Santamaría International Airport during the afternoon, leaving the remainder of the day free. There is an opportunity to gather with Phil and reflect on the boon of this pilgrimage, the revered practice of recalling what the deep gift was of our time together, and to consider various ways of keeping our journey alive when you return home. Recalling our encounters with the natural world and the kindness and hospitality of Costa Rica, we consider what has revived our spirits and the hope for a renewed world we wish to carry home. Dinner is at your own expense.
(Overnight in the Central Valley at an airport-area hotel, TBD)
Breakfast provides a final chance to spend time together before we transfer to Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) for our departing flights. We leave Costa Rica with memories of its forests and Pacific shore, and the invitation to pursue the grateful life wherever we may live. May our pilgrimage to paradise reignite our love of the natural world and inspire us to act as stewards of its beauty.
(B = Breakfast; L = Lunch; D = Dinner)
