Step Into Community Retreat

We recommend booking a flight that arrives and departs from the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO).The better deals are often found in advance so we encourage you to book as soon as possible.

Complimentary shuttle service to the retreat is available from the SJO airport.

Please fill out the shuttle form with Pura Vida if you would like to be picked up from the airport: https://puravidaspa.com/shuttle-form/

Retreat Start

In order to arrive on time, kindly arrive before 3pm local time at the SJO airport on Jan 10. 

Plan to arrive at the Retreat Center at 4pm at the latest to settle in and then we'll begin with dinner at 6pm that evening. You can check in as early as 2pm.

Retreat End

We will close our retreat experience in the morning of Jan 13 and check out is at 10am.

Participants are free to depart anytime after 10am or extand your stay at Pura Vida, with a complimentary discount.

Contact reservations at Pura Vida if you’d like to extend your stay or arrive early by writing to reservations@puravidaspa.com.

Pura Vida Retreat and Spa
Calle Puente Negro, 800 Mts SW of CENCINAI, Pavas, Carrizal, Alajuela, Alajuela, 20103, Costa Rica

If you’d like to extend your time in Costa Rica before or after our retreat, you can stay at the Pura Vida Center for a small discount. Contact reservations to inquire by writing to reservations@puravidaspa.com.

An excellent addition to the retreat is joining the Costa Rica Ecovillage Tour either immediately afterwards or another month. Here are the 2026 Costa Rica Ecovillage Tour dates you can choose from:

2026 Tour Dates

• January 17–25

• February 5–15

• March 21–30

• April 12–21

Get $400 off your trip with the discount code: COSTARICA400

Learn more and book your trip here: https://www.ecovillagetours.com/costa-rica

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.

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.

Health insurance coverage is required on all of our trips.  You can work with your current insurance provider to get extended coverage, however, it may be more affordable to work with a company that specializes in travel health insurance. For example, Ecovillage Tour staff use World Nomads. Click the “Get a Quote” button to fill out a simple form and easily purchase the insurance online. Be sure to check if your insurance covers trip interruptions, baggage loss, etc.

While in Costa Rica, you shouldn't need much cash on hand as it'll just be for souvenirs and incidentals. We suggest $40 USD or about $20,000 CRC. 

Many stores in Costa Rica accept credit cards and even USD cash. You can withdraw from ATMs in Costa Rica, however, you will likely get the best rate by exchanging with your bank at home.  

There is a Currency Exchange place at the SOJ airport in the baggage claim area. However, again, you will likely get the best rate by exchanging with your bank at home. There is also an ATM in the airport however it’s often not working.

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 at the Pura Vida Retreat Center. You may choose to make calls with WIFI instead of getting a SIM.

You can make a payment or check your payment status by logging into WeTravel here:

https://www.wetravel.com/users/sign_in

Please login using the same email address you used to book your reservation. If you need help logging in, simple contact us. We’re happy to help.