8 of the best places for wellness in Costa Rica

30.08.2024 - 11:28 / lonelyplanet.com / Santa Teresa

Aug 29, 2024 • 6 min read

Wellness comes in all forms in Costa Rica, where you can visit world-class yoga retreats, relax in spas that mix modern methodologies with ancient traditions, and experience a spectacular surf scene.

All of this comes with a stunning backdrop of tropical rainforests, palm-fringed beaches, and volcanic national parks. No wonder the Ticos watchword is pura vida (literally, "pure life").

Take a cue from the long-living Blue Zone dwellers – disconnect from your devices, reconnect with nature, and nourish your mind, body and soul.

Whether you’ve got two days or two weeks, there’s a wellness retreat in Costa Rica for you. Here are our top picks.

Best for getting in the Blue Zone

Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula is one of the world’s five Blue Zones, famed for their healthiest, longest-living populations.

Now beachfront Nantipa, in Nicoya’s laid-back boho surf town of Santa Teresa, has tapped into the locals’ healthy habits and added concepts of Blue Mind – the therapeutic effects of being in and around water – to create Blue Wellness journeys.

What Blue Zones around the globe have in common are a predominantly plant-based diet (expect lots of beans), daily exercise, socializing, and spending time in nature.

At Nantipa, your personalized wellness journey could include yoga, volunteering at a turtle hatchery, and a rainforest hike or horseback-ride along the beach, before indulging in seasonal local produce. The Numu spa uses superfoods in its treatments, too – avocado wrap, anyone?

Best for going back to nature

Embrace the pura vida at Finca Luna Nueva. Close to La Fortuna – the gateway to Volcán Arenal – this sprawling biodynamic farm is a pioneer of regenerative agriculture, with rooms and suites handcrafted from fallen trees and bamboo, and a wellness program that mixes yoga retreats, holistic workshops and nature-based activities.

Explore the rainforest trails, discover the potential healing properties of herbs, and take the farm tour to see – and taste – the results of the biodynamic process. 

Then head to the spa for some chocolate therapy, wallow in the solar-heated hot tub or ozonated pool, and salute the sun from the bamboo yoga platform before a farm-to-table feast.

Best for laid-back beach yogis

Yoga and surfing are a wellness match made in heaven, from boosting balance and core strength to lowering stress hormones.

And you can catch a wave year-round at certified B-Corp, Bodhi (meaning "awakening" in Sanskrit) in Bahia Ballena, close to the under-the-radar beach town of Uvita.

The seven- or 14-night surf-and-yoga camps are limited to 10 guests and, as well as improving your asanas and wave-riding skills (beginners welcome) it’s big on experiences.

Take a stroll to the Parque Nacional