Yoga and Adventure Retreat in the Osa Peninsula
Yoga Retreat in Costa Rica
During her first stay in Costa Rica, Charlie had been to the Osa Peninsula as part of the surf retreat in Pavones. They had taken a boat over the to the other side, caught a few waves and hiked to a waterfall. It was a magical place!
When Charlie saw a Yoga Retreat advertised that would took place in the Osa Peninsula in January and was organised by another graduate from the same Yoga school that Charlie had done her training with in Uvita, the decision was made. She would join!
The location
The retreat took place at an eco-lodge not far from Matapalo beach, called Ojo del Mar. From the airport in Puerto Jiménez, it was a 30-minute drive towards the southern end of the peninsula. There is no village or anything of that kind, just lodges and private houses in the jungle with a dirt road on one side and the beach on the other. It was a real nature experience. One would occasionally see the odd tourist on the beach, but it is overall a very quiet place.
Ojo del Mar Eco-Lodge
There was a main building with a common area, a pool, direct beach access and cabinas that the retreat participants shared. As an eco-lodge, the water came directly from the well on the property and the electricity was solar powered. At night, they ran on batteries. There was wifi in the common area, but no signal anywhere else in the area. It was the perfect setting for a digital detox.
The cabinas were open from the sides and each bed was surrounded by a mosquito net to ensure a good night’s sleep in the jungle. The shower was outdoors giving the term “rainforest shower” a whole new meaning. Charlie enjoyed watching the trees around her whilst washing her hair.
Being in the jungle, they saw plenty of animals throughout the week, mostly monkeys, but also different kinds of birds, aguti and armadillos. Charlie had the camera always at hand because you could never tell when they would show up.
Meals at Ojo del Mar
Included in the retreat were three meals per day. For breakfast there was a buffet of cereals and fruit and cooked to order a choice of either gallo pinto, bread and eggs or pancakes. Charlie tried all those options and they were all equally yummy!
For lunch, there was a salad or a sandwich, all made of locally grown produce. Even the bread was baked in-house. Dinner was a full meal with meat or fish. Charlie’s favourite was the tuna steak. There was dessert too except for one night where they had a starter instead. It was ceviche and patacones – just to have something traditionally Costa Rican.
Coffee was available at all times and Charlie had a smoothie in the afternoon, a different fruit combination every day.
Yoga and adventure in the Osa Peninsula
The days at Ojo del Mar started with a Yoga session with Audrey at the shala and some of the participants even got up a little earlier to see the sunrise from the beach. Directly after yoga, they gathered in the common area for breakfast.
There was a different adventure after breakfast every day: surfing, paddleboarding, kayaking. Whilst the others had a surf lesson with Pollo Surf School at Pan Dulce, Charlie hired a board and paddled out on her own. She also skipped the paddleboarding and kayaking to go surfing instead. There were perfect longboarding waves that week at the spot Pan Dulce and not many people in the water. Those that were there, were friendly and Charlie enjoyed the conversations in between sets. Pan Dulce is one of the longest right-handers in the world.
The first day of the retreat, the day they arrived in the morning, Audrey showed them a beautiful waterfall in the Osa Peninsula. It was a different waterfall than the one Charlie had seen the year before and the path was a bit more uneven. It took them about 30 minutes to get there and enjoy a cool dip in the water.
On the last day of the retreat, the group grabbed a bin bag and went for a beach cleanup. The area is very clean and Charlie was wondering if they would even find anything to bin on the beach. They did and it felt good to do something for the environment.
There was an option to book a massage and a cacao ceremony. Charlie didn’t do any of them, but she heard good things. The massages took place in a small cabin by the beach where you could hear the waves in the background. The cacao ceremony took place in the yoga shala and those that participated described it as the highlight of the week.
The location of Ojo del Mar is very secluded. There are no shops around. There is however Martina’s bar next door. It only opens on Fridays when there is a little arts and crafts market too. The group went in the afternoon to get an ice cream and some souvenirs and they returned after dinner to hit the dance floor. It was the perfect ending for a yoga and adventure retreat.
