For our Playa Blanca, Costa Rica location, we recommend flying into SJO and booking your flights only after your medical intake form has been reviewed and confirmed by our intake team. Please see our travel logistics page for more information.

For our Playa Blanca, Costa Rica location, we recommend booking the Wyndham Herradura San Jose Hotel which is the location of our shuttle pickup and drop-off. Please see our travel logistics page for more information.

Regarding the COVID-19 vaccination, Soltara does not require this to join us on retreat. Please use Google to find out what vaccinations your government recommends for travelers going to Costa Rica, and be sure you’re up to date on all of them. Traveling to Costa Rica primarily requires routine vaccinations, though it is also a good idea to be vaccinated against typhoid. If you happen to be arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever, the Costa Rican government requires proof of yellow fever vaccination; check this page to see if you may be required to get the yellow fever vaccine. Soltara has less mosquitoes than most jungle locations due to the breeze coming off of the Gulf of Nicoya, but nevertheless, please bring natural bug spray to avoid bites from mosquitoes that may in very rare cases be carrying malaria. If you anticipate participating in the ayahuasca ceremonies, please avoid taking antimalarial medication for the retreat. Here you can read the US government’s recommended vaccination information for travelers going to Costa Rica.

During the retreat, guests are free to head to two nearby beaches during their free time throughout the day (~3 minute walk down our beach trails). We do not offer excursions offsite, nor do we allow guests to travel offsite during their retreat beyond the beaches, nor visit with others who are not on retreat. The reason for this is that we create a very strong energetic container for guests to undergo what can sometimes be very deep experiences. It is important, when one is open and working with ayahuasca plant medicine, that the sanctity of the container be maintained in order for people to stay in their process while working with the medicine. Minimizing interactions and energetic exchanges with those who are not on retreat, and removing the need to worry about any travel logistics, allow for guests to be fully immersed in their process and truly get the most out of their experience. Being completely surrounded by nature in our multi-acre grounds, with easy access to walking trails and the beach, and an intimate yet diverse group of no more than 22 guests, this ends up being quite sufficient without people feeling pressure to go on any extra excursions. =]

After the retreat, there are a number of attractions on the Nicoya Peninsula for you to enjoy depending on your personal interests and time available before or after your stay with us. Keep in mind you may want to prioritize rest and relaxation after your ayahuasca experience, to help begin integration and allow yourself time before flying home. Having said this below are some of our recommendations.

1-2+ days

If you are short on time there are day trips out of San Jose to the La Paz waterfall, Lake Arenal/Arenal Volcano, Local Coffee Plantations or simple walking tours of the city all which offer scenic views and the flavor of the “puravida” lifestyle that Costa Rica is known for. See the front desk at the Wyndham for more information on 1-day tours.

Two hours south of Soltara you will find the bustling, international surf town of Santa Teresa. This area is rich with surf, yoga, tide pools and breathtaking sunsets. Here you can rent a quad, take surf lessons or simply walk along some of the most incredible beaches in the country. For a more tranquil lodging look to neighboring “pueblos” Mal Pais or Playa Hermosa. From here is easy to take day trips to the Montezuma Waterfall, Isla Tortuga or the Curu National Reserve.

Two other options for sunny beach towns (within 2-3 hours) include Playa Nosara / Playa Samara and Jaco. Nosara and Samara both have a well established expat community, a great beginner surf break (Nosara), beach front dining (Samara) and lots of space to roam, finding peace and slow rhythm is easy to achieve here. Jaco has a large expansive beach and is one of the countries top travel destinations due to it’s proximity to the airport, world class sport fishing and vibrant Costa Rican culture.

Within the 3 hour drive of Soltara is also the Monteverde Cloud Forrest which is certainly recommended for those who seek the quiet, cool embrace of lush mountain terrain. There is plenty of wildlife to enjoy and is an excellent recommendation for those who wish to be immersed in the clouds. From this area you can easily plan to see the Fortuna waterfall. La Fortuna is also a destination in its own right and has several hot springs that we feel are a perfect end to a week at Soltara.

3-5+ days

If you have more time to explore Costa Rica going further south to towns such as Domincal/Uvita (5 hours from Soltara) is a great option. For the true explorers make your way down to Corcovado National Park, an isolated area that boasts 2.5% of the worlds bio-diversity. This is not a short journey and we recommend flying from SJO to save valuable time.

Hopefully this gives you some ideas, Costa Rica is rich with lush fauna, wildlife and attractions of all kinds depending on your interests. We would be happy to help you coordinate separate transportation to any destination, noting that this would be at a separate cost if you will not be joining the group shuttle back to San Jose. If you have any additional questions or are interested in booking transportation to your post-retreat destination please email operations@soltara.co and we will be happy to assist you further. For your own research we can recommend rome2rio.com to get estimated travel times and costs to all destinations.