Participant Portal
Costa Rica Tour
January 2024
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Detailed Itinerary
View a detailed look at our days during the tour, including activities, hotels, laundry services, and more.
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Packing List
Make sure you’re prepared for the adventure. Make a copy or print out the google doc if your prefer.
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Room, Ride, and Excursions Board
Going on an excursion that has room for more to join? Looking for a room or ride ? Coordinate with follow travelers.
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Optional Add-on Excursions
See the possible excursions to add to your tour (optional).
FAQ
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NOTE! The Jan 23-31 Tour now begins at 8am for orientation at Hotel Brillasol.
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We’ll begin the tour promptly at 9am on the start day, meeting at a Hotel Brillasol in Alajuela (town next to the airport, max 15 minute taxi ride). Option to have breakfast at the hotel before our tour begins.
Plan your departure for the evening of the last tour day or the following day. Tour will end at 6pm on the final day back at Hotel Brillasol where the journey began.
We will not be staying at Hotel Brillasol for any nights of the tour. It is a pick-up/drop-off location only.
However, we encourage you to book lodging at the hotel if you have extra nights before or after the trip and want to stay close by.
Please contact us if you can’t meet at the 9am pick up location on the first day of your tour. We can work with you to make other arrangements if needed.
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No. Lodging for the nights of January 21 and 22 are not covered. You are responsible for booking your own accommodation those nights.
You may want to take the time to explore another part of Costa Rica on your own or stay nearby to be ready for the next tour. Your guides will be staying at Hotel Brillasol those two nights and happy to have company if you'd like to book a room for those dates as well.
In case Hotel Brillasol is full, these two hotels are both less than a 10min drive away: Hotel Robledal and Trapp Family Country Inn.
Also, check the room share board to see if others have space to share!
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In case Hotel Brillasol is full, these two hotels are both less than a 10min drive away: Hotel Robledal and Trapp Family Country Inn.
Also, check the room share board to see if others have space to share!
Breakfast is available at Hotel Brillasol for non-guests from 7-9am. $7 for non-guests.
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U.S. citizens do not need a Visa for Costa Rica. But, they need to hold a passport valid for at least one day from the day of entering Costa Rica. A return ticket back home or to another country is required upon entry. The length of visa-free stay is up to The length of visa-free stay is up to 180 days.
For other nationalities, please check with your embassy.
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Consult with your health care provider regarding which vaccines will be appropriate for you.
Costa Rica does not require any vaccinations to enter the country, with the following exception:
All travelers coming from the following countries must possess a yellow fever vaccination certificate before entry into Costa Rica will be allowed: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and the Republic of Guyana.
Additionally, the CDC and WHO recommend the following vaccinations for Costa Rica:
hepatitis A, hepatitis B, typhoid, yellow fever, rabies, meningitis, polio, measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis), chickenpox, shingles, pneumonia and influenza.
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We strongly encourage you to have health insurance coverage while in Costa Rica. You can work with your current insurance provider to get extended out-of-country coverage, however, it may be more affordable to work with a company that specializes in travel health insurance.
For example, Ecovillage Tour staff use Atlas Insurance (about $30 for coverage for this trip). When you click on the "get a quote today" button it will take you to a simple form to fill and can be purchased easily online.
Atlas offers other insurances for trip interruptions, baggage loss, etc. Just go to the homepage of their website to see all the options.
There are many other travel insurance companies out there, of course. Shop around to see what works best for you!
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There is a Currency Exchange place at the SOJ airport in the baggage claim area. However, you will likely get the best rate by exchanging with your bank at home. You can also withdraw from ATMs in Costa Rica. There is an ATM in the airport but it’s often not working.
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Claro (name of the phone company) seems to have the best coverage for rural areas in Costa Rica
At the SOJ Airport, there is a Claro stand left of baggage claim 5 where you can purchase a SIM card. It is open from 6 AM to 9 PM and sometimes to 11 PM on weekends. They’ll help you insert the SIM card and set up your phone to use it.
Note: There will be WIFI in the vans and at most of our destinations. You may choose to make calls with WIFI instead of getting a SIM.
Contact Information
In case of emergency in country call 911
Bilingual (Spanish-English) call-takers are available.
Your Tour Guides:
Cynthia Tina
+1 781 244 0484 (Cell & WhatsApp)
Jason Thomas
+506 8648 3111 (Cell & WhatsApp)
Tour Itinerary
Printable Itinerary available soon. We are putting the final touches on the itinerary to print. In the meantime, view the online itinerary here.
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Jan 13, Day 1: Our tour begins in Alajuela, next to the SJO airport, where we’ll meet up at Hotel Brillasol in the morning before driving to our first community visit — Brave Earth, in the Arenal region.
Jan 14, Day 2: Take a day to relax at Hotel Sueno Dorado with its own hot springs or explore the surrounding region’s beautiful nature. Add-on excursion activities are available to purchase for the more adventurous at heart, near the Arenal Volcano National Park.
Jan 15-17, Days 3-5: Next, we travel to the San Mateo region to visit several intentional communities, including Alegría Village, Collectivo Tacotal, La Ecovilla, and La Ecovilla San Mateo. Accommodations will likely be in one of the La Ecovilla communities, giving an immersive experience for what it’s like to live in an intentional community.
Jan 18, Day 6: Exploring the Puriscal region, we’ll visit VerdEnergia Pacifica, a community and educational center tucked into the mountainous jungle.
Jan 19, Day 7: This day is focused on visiting our overnight hosts at Rancho Mastatal, where we’ll also participate in a hands-on tropical agroforestry workshop.
Jan 20, Day 8: Our last community visit will be to EarthWaking Village, a forming community near the Diamante Valley.
Jan 21, Day 9: We conclude our journey at an eco-lodge next to the pristine beaches at Marino Ballena National Park. Optional whale tours are available through our hosts, or just spend that final morning soaking up the rays and body surfing at the beach. Feeling refreshed by the ocean, we’ll return to our starting point in Alajuela for final farewells.
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Jan 23, Day 1: Our tour begins in Alajuela at Hotel Brillasol, next to the SJO airport, where we’ll meet up in the morning before driving to our first community, Rancho Delicioso, in the Nicoya Peninsula, where we'll be staying the next two nights.
Jan 24, Day 2: This day includes a day trip to another nearby intentional community, The Ark, plus time at the beach to soak in all the learnings.
Jan 25, Day 3: Next, we move to Tierramor, a budding community and gorgeous retreat center. We'll stay overnight in a nearby lodge for the next two evenings, enjoying the beautiful Nicoya Peninsula.
Jan 26, Day 4: This day trip will be to Shift Esperanza, including another farm-to-table lunch and a walking tour of their land and food forest.
Jan 27, Day 5: Leaving the peninsula, we’ll travel to the Jaco region to visit Resonance for the day, touring the two different sides of their community and learning about their focus on the 6 layers of sovereignty.
Jan 28, Day 6: Get ready for relaxation and adventure as we settle in for two nights at Villas Jacquelina in Quepos. During our stay, you can kick back at the lodge, spend the day at Manuel Antonio's exquisite beaches, or choose from various add-on adventure excursions.
Jan 29, Day 7: The final community we’ll visit is the holistic retreat center and residential neighborhood called Holos, tucked into the Diamante Valley, complete with a trip to their gorgeous on-site waterfall. We'll be arranging an optional day trip to another forming community of artists called Project Ka.
Jan 30-31, Day 8-9: Our journey concludes with a special visit and overnight campout in the Diamante Cave! A not-to-be-missed experience! Rappelling tours will be offered at an additional cost for those looking for the ultimate experience. Feeling refreshed by the power of the waterfall, we’ll return to our starting point in Alajuela for final farewells.
List of Communities
January 13 - 21
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Our prayer is to create an imprint of lived possibility in solidarity with all Life, in dialogue with the living planet, and in service to the collective transition. We are embodied through an experiential center, residential community, regenerative agricultural commons and community resilience network. We have been in operation of the center since January 2021 and over the last few years we have planted nearly 500 trees in our intentional food forest.
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Alegría Village is an international community dedicated to best practices in regenerative living and design. Nestled on 70 hectares of fertile farmland, Alegría includes extensive permaculture food forests with thousands of fruit trees, edible community gardens, and reforestation along the creeks.
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La Ecovilla
Our original La Ecovilla welcomes 43 families from 29 different countries. They built their home on this former cattle farmland, first transformed into an edible forest then organized with roads and general services by 2012. Located in the heart of Costa Rica’s fruit growing region. Residents enjoy a peaceful land and purposeful life dedicated to nature and each other's care. Today there are many shared spaces, eco services and activities.
La Ecovilla San Mateo
Our first addition to the original La Ecovilla. With the same vision that made La Ecovilla a reality, welcome to Ecovilla San Mateo, a future community of communities! We are located 10 minutes away from La Ecovilla, still in the fruit growing region of Costa Rica with amazing weather, just 45 minutes from San Jose, one hour from the airport, and less than 40 minutes from the beach.
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Collectivo Tacotal is a 25 family consensus-based ecovillage founded in 2008. The intentional community is based on the principles of permaculture, non-violence, ecological stewardship and interconnectedness. The land is roughly 60 acres and runs along the majestic Rio Machuca which creates its eastern border. The community is made up of a diverse group of people from the US, Costa Rica, and Mexico with a shared love of music, earth-stewardship and intentional gatherings.
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Rancho Mastatal is an education center, working permaculture farm, ecolodge and community rooted in environmental sustainability, meaningful, place-based livelihoods, and caring relationships. Our campus encompasses more than 300-acres of wildlife refuge with beautiful waterfalls, pristine rivers, idyllic swimming holes, impressive trees, extraordinary wilderness views, and intact habitat for the area's rich flora and fauna. We are located in the rural farming town of Mastatal, situated on the edge of the last remaining virgin rainforest of Costa Rica’s picturesque Puriscal County.
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VerdEnergia is a growing ecovillage and regenerative agroforestry project situated within acres of reforested jungle. Part ecovillage, part reforestation project, part farm, Verde is a community of people on a mission to practice and share practical applications of permaculture. We’ve integrated our practice into everyday life, using permaculture principles as a guiding tool as we regenerate and gently cultivate the forest we are honored to call home.
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Our first Village was established January 7, 2021 in the South Pacific region of Costa Rica. We turned an old eco lodge into an off-grid, Heaven on Earth experience. This gated Village features a restaurant and kitchen-turned gathering space, complete gym, art room, event stage and dance floor, 2 pools, playground, fire pit, rancho party space with pizza oven, yoga decks, creek on-site and Nuyaca waterfalls and river in walking distance, 3000 sq ft green house, food forest throughout land, tea gardens surrounding each structure, mountain sunset views, well water pumped from spring and solar power.
January 23 - 31
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An organic community of eco-minded artists, especially those involved in the performance arts and yoga. Currently, all the lots that have been sold are to people who are musicians, artists, etc. At the heart of Rancho Delicioso is an organic farm, part of which is owned by Anamaya Yoga Resort. Anamaya is investing in its own lots (1 1/4 acres) and is using another 2-3 acres for orchards and additional gardening.
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Welcome to The ARK, a sanctuary atop the hills of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. We prioritize healthy, joyful living, regeneration, personal and collective growth. Here the lush jungle surroundings, vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, and consciously-designed spaces serve you as endless sources of vitality, inspiration and creativity.
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Located in Nosara, Costa Rica - one of the five BLUE ZONES of the world - Shift Esperanza presents a unique opportunity for optimal healthy living within a supportive, eco-friendly community. We represent an incomparable home ownership opportunity rooted in a new way of living that balances interconnectedness with privacy in a community of people who share core values.
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A physical and spiritual container for discovery and growth, the Tierramor community is an evolving playground from which a new culture and a more beautiful world might emerge. Currently in its initial stages of development on 120 hectares of incredible land in Nosara, Costa Rica, Tierramor aims to be a meeting point for anyone who wishes to explore the dark and the light. Tierramor hosts regular workshops, retreats and events, attracting permaculturists, spiritual seekers, and purposeful wanderers from around the world.
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The world is changing and people need to adapt to the current situations we face. We are creating a decentralized sovereign community to help those shift to a new better world. Be part of the change you want to see by becoming part of our community. Property ownership of an acre+ (5000SM) agro parcel with interlocking paver roads, hydrants, water, electricity and fiber optics. CoFarming is optional and property management is available. Build on 15% of the land and reforest/farm the rest.
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Holos is a future-forward regenerative community with access to pioneering wellbeing programming and amenities. Including: 1. Private events, organic farm share, state of the art holistic health facilities and practioners, 2. Stewardship programs to directly support the local community and neighbors, 3. Access to hospitality services creates a seamless living experience in harmony with the wellness and retreat center, 4. Rental management platform enables HOLOS owners to turn their homes into profitable investments.
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Heaven on Mother Earth, (HOME) Farm, founded in 2013, is a regenerative sanctuary and educational center nestled in the heart of the Diamanté Valley, Costa Rica.
We are home to 55 acres of lush jungle, tropical flora and fauna, the pristine Baru river, and sitting atop of the Nauyaca Waterfalls. Our mission is to share a unique and highly supportive sanctuary and educational center that inspires limitless opportunities for all who visit the farm. We host retreats, events, and courses that engage visitors with topics like permaculture, community living, yoga, herbalism, mycology, arts, and more!
Map of Communities
Red = January 13-21 | Blue = January 23-31