One Day at a Time. One Moment at a Time. Pura Vida. Costa Rica’s pura vida philosophy—living with gratitude, simplicity, and joy—beautifully mirrors the journey of recovery. Join Dr Sunshine – be surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty and sober companions, renew your spirit, celebrate your shared path, and experience the freedom that comes from living one day at a time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a New Thought Sober Journey – an intentional sacred travel community for people in recovery who are connected to New Thought and their partners. Please do not register if this does not apply to you.
Costa Rica’s Pura Vida way of life—living with gratitude, simplicity, connection, and joy—beautifully reflects the journey of recovery.
Pura Vida literally means “pure life,” but in Costa Rica it means so much more. It is a greeting, a blessing, an expression of gratitude, and a reminder that life is good. It invites us to slow down, appreciate what is here, release what we cannot control, and embrace the gift of this moment.
Sound familiar? For those living a life of recovery, these are more than beautiful ideas. They are practices that can become a way of life.
Join Rev. Dr. Sunshine Daye and Spirit Tours for a sacred journey through one of the most beautiful and life-filled places on Earth. Surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty and a community of fellow travelers who understand the recovery journey, we will reconnect with ourselves, one another, our Higher Power, and the simple joy of being alive.
Together, we’ll explore tropical waterways, walk through ancient rainforests, encounter extraordinary wildlife, soar through the jungle canopy, soak in volcanic hot springs, experience Costa Rican culture, laugh, play, reflect, and celebrate.
Throughout our journey, there will also be intentional opportunities for morning reflection, spiritual practice, fellowship, gratitude, and connection. This isn’t about stepping away from recovery while on vacation. It is about discovering how beautifully recovery can travel with us—and how fully life can be lived because of it.
Come experience what happens when one day at a time meets Pura Vida.
Enjoy beautiful accommodations, immersive cultural encounters, and authentic Costa Rican hospitality, knowing that every detail has been lovingly arranged for you. In partnership with Spirit Tours, you travel in an open, relaxed, and luxurious state — supported, cared for, and inspired.
Passcode: R1Zvc.v7
Day 1: June 9, 2027 Arrival and Welcome to Tortuguero
Pura Vida! Welcome to Costa Rica!
Arrive this morning at Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), where our sacred adventure begins.
Once our group has gathered, we’ll leave the city behind and travel by private transportation toward the Caribbean side of Costa Rica. At the Caño Blanco dock, the road ends—and our adventure continues by boat.
As we glide into the lush waterways of Tortuguero, notice the transition. Roads disappear. Rainforest surrounds us. The pace changes.
Consider this our first invitation from Costa Rica: Slow down. Be here. Let this moment be enough.
We’ll enjoy lunch along our journey before arriving at our beautiful home, Hotel Mawamba, tucked between the Tortuguero canals and the Caribbean Sea.
After settling in, stretch your legs with a peaceful beach walk and explore the colorful village of Tortuguero, affectionately known as Costa Rica’s “Little Caribbean.”
Tonight, we gather for our Opening Circle and Welcome Dinner.
We’ll set our intentions for the week, reconnect with old friends, welcome new ones, and celebrate the gift that brought each of us here: Today.
Meals Included: Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: June 10, 2027 – Tortuguero National Park
We begin our first full day surrounded by one of Costa Rica’s greatest treasures.
After breakfast, board our boat with a local naturalist for an exploration of Tortuguero National Park, an extraordinary protected wilderness of canals, lagoons, wetlands, and tropical rainforest.
Often described as Costa Rica’s “Little Amazon,” Tortuguero reminds us just how abundant life can be.
Monkeys move through the canopy. Toucans and tropical birds call overhead. Reptiles sun themselves along the banks. Tiny creatures reveal themselves to those willing to slow down enough to notice.
Recovery gives us that opportunity, too—the chance to awaken again to a life we may once have stopped seeing.
Following our boat exploration, return to Mawamba for lunch and time to relax.
This afternoon, we’ll venture out again for a guided nature walk, discovering the smaller wonders of this remarkable ecosystem and allowing ourselves to become fully present to the sights, sounds, textures, and rhythms of the rainforest.
Tonight brings something truly memorable. We’ll board Katonga, Costa Rica’s unique navigating floating restaurant, for a leisurely journey through the canals while enjoying a four-course chef’s dinner.
Imagine it: tropical darkness settling around us, the river carrying us gently forward, wonderful food, conversation, laughter, and fellowship. Nothing to chase. Nowhere else to be. Simply present for this extraordinary life. Pura Vida.
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: June 11, 2027 – Journey to Arenal
After breakfast, we say goodbye to Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast and begin our journey inland toward one of the country’s most iconic landscapes—the majestic Arenal Volcano.
Today itself becomes part of our practice. Recovery teaches us that we don’t always need to know exactly what lies around the next bend. Sometimes our work is simply to take the next right step and trust the journey.
We’ll enjoy the changing scenery as we travel through Costa Rica, stopping for lunch in the lively town of La Fortuna. Then we arrive at our rainforest sanctuary, Lost Iguana Resort & Spa.
Nestled within 120 acres of primary rainforest, Lost Iguana feels worlds away from everyday life. Tropical gardens surround us, wildlife moves through the property, and every room offers a remarkable view toward Arenal Volcano.
Settle in. Wander. Sit on your balcony. Listen to the jungle. Breathe.
Dinner tonight is on your own, giving you freedom to follow your own rhythm.
Then, after darkness falls, we have a special adventure. Our beloved naturalist Johnny Calderon will lead us through the private rainforest trails for a guided night walk. The forest we thought we knew suddenly becomes completely different. Tree frogs emerge. Nocturnal creatures stir. Insects create an extraordinary symphony. Life appears where moments earlier we could see nothing.
There is wisdom here: Not everything needs to be seen clearly for us to trust that life is still unfolding.
Meals Included: Breakfast and Lunch
Day 4: June 12, 2027 – Wildlife, Adventure & Ancient Wisdom
Today invites us to embrace one of recovery’s greatest gifts: discovering just how much life is waiting for us beyond our comfort zone.
After breakfast, we’ll visit Ecocentro Danaus, a private ecological reserve dedicated to conservation and regeneration.
With our guide, keep your eyes open for sloths tucked into the trees, colorful frogs, butterflies, hummingbirds, and countless other inhabitants of this remarkable ecosystem.
Then it’s time to experience the rainforest from an entirely different perspective.
We’re going zip-lining!
At Mundo Aventura, we’ll buckle in, step off the platform, and soar through Costa Rica’s spectacular rainforest canopy. For some, it will be exhilarating. For others, it may require a little courage. And that’s part of the adventure.
We don’t have to be fearless to live fully. Sometimes we simply trust, take the next step—and discover that we can fly.
Later, we’ll move from adventure into creativity and connection with Costa Rica’s Indigenous heritage through a special Chorotega pottery experience.
The Chorotega are descendants of one of Costa Rica’s ancient civilizations, carrying forward artistic traditions rooted deeply in relationship with the Earth.
We’ll learn how natural clay and minerals become beautiful works of art through ancestral techniques handed down across generations. Then you’ll have an opportunity to work with the clay yourself, creating something with your own hands. Earth. Water. Fire. Transformation.
Meal Included: Breakfast
Day 5: June 13, 2027 – Hanging Bridges & Volcanic Hot Springs
Rise early and awaken to the gentle sounds of the rainforest as sunlight begins to stream through the canopy. After breakfast, we set out early to experience one of Costa Rica’s most breathtaking natural wonders — the Arenal Hanging Bridges Park.
This sanctuary of lush tropical rainforest is home to an extraordinary array of wildlife, from vibrantly colored birds and tree frogs to slow-moving sloths and curious monkeys. With our knowledgeable local guide, we’ll journey along a series of safe, well-kept trails and six magnificent suspension bridges that allow us to walk right into the heart of the jungle canopy.
From these elevated paths, you’ll feel suspended between earth and sky — gazing out across misty mountains, cascading waterfalls, and the majestic Arenal Volcano. Every step invites you into deeper awe and presence as you connect with the vibrant pulse of life surrounding you.
We’ll pause along the way to listen to the songs of tropical birds, learn about the intricate ecosystems that thrive here, and perhaps even spot hidden wildlife that only a trained eye could reveal. This morning is an immersion in wonder — an invitation to walk with reverence and curiosity through one of the most biodiverse landscapes on Earth.
After our forest adventure, we’ll return to relax and refresh before our next delight — an afternoon of pure bliss at Ecotermales Hot Springs, a secluded sanctuary of naturally heated volcanic pools set within a tropical garden paradise.
Here, the mineral-rich waters — gently warmed by the heart of the Arenal Volcano — offer a deeply healing experience for body, mind, and spirit. As you move between pools of varying temperatures, you can feel tension melting away, your body softening, and your spirit expanding into serenity.
Take time to bask beneath the canopy, meditate beside the flowing water, or simply float and let the world drift away.
At some point, gather for an abundant dinner — the perfect completion to a day of exploration, relaxation, and renewal. Surrounded by beauty, laughter, and new friends, we give thanks for the sacred balance of adventure and peace that defines the Pura Vida way of life.
Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Day 6: June 14, 2027 – A Day of Choice and Exploration
Our final full day in Costa Rica is one of integration — a day to reflect, savor, and celebrate all that this sacred journey has revealed within and around you.
We begin with our morning sacred gathering, a time for quiet reflection, gratitude, and shared insight. Together, we honor the growth, laughter, and connection that have unfolded over the past week — the friendships formed, the courage embraced, and the moments of pure Pura Vida presence that have opened our hearts.
Afterward, the day is yours to follow your joy and inspiration. You may wish to spend the morning relaxing by the pool or receiving a rejuvenating spa treatment surrounded by the sounds of the rainforest. Allow your body to rest deeply, your mind to quiet, and your spirit to expand in gratitude for the beauty that surrounds you.
For those still feeling adventurous, there is an optional excursion to choose from:
White-water rafting on a gentle but exhilarating river, offering a fun and refreshing way to experience Costa Rica’s wild beauty. (Cost $105)
Also, guided hiking near the Arenal Volcano, where you can explore lava trails, tropical forest, and sweeping vistas of the surrounding valley.
Visit local artisan markets and shops in La Fortuna, where you can connect with friendly vendors and find handcrafted treasures — from vibrant textiles to carved wooden art — each piece infused with the spirit of Costa Rica.
As evening begins to fall, We close our transformative journey together with a Celebration Dinner, where laughter, music, and heartfelt sharing fill the air. This is our night to laugh, remember, share stories, honor friendships, and celebrate the remarkable journeys that brought each of us to this table. Not simply our journey through Costa Rica. Our journey through life.
Together, we celebrate recovery, fellowship, freedom, possibility—and the profound privilege of being fully present for our lives.
Meals Included: Breakfast and Dinner
Day 7: June 15, 2027 – Closing Circle and Departure
After breakfast, we come together one last time for our Closing Circle, giving thanks for our time in this sacred land and the Pura Vida spirit now living within us.
We then transfer to Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) for our journey home – hearts full, spirits renewed and lives forever enriched by the Pura Vida way of life. We may be leaving Costa Rica, but we carry something with us: **Pura Vida isn’t simply the good life.
It’s being present for the life we have.**
And what a beautiful life it can be.
Meal Included: Breakfast
PRICING FOR 7-DAYS and 6-NIGHTS LAND PACKAGE:
Per person Double Occupancy: $3,789
Single Supplement for entire tour is an additional $750
There is a $889 nonrefundable deposit required to reserve your spot as tours are limited to small groups.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE AND CANCELLATION POLICY:
There is a $889 nonrefundable deposit required to reserve your spot as tours are limited to small groups.
Payment of $1100 due by December 11, 2026
Payment of $950 due by January 20, 2027
Remaining balance of total tour costs due March 15, 2027
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU REGISTER FOR THE TOUR AND ONE OR MORE OF THE PAYMENT DATES HAVE PAST, WE WILL WORK WITH YOU TO AN AGREED UPON SCHEDULE. FULL BALANCE MUST BE PAID BY March 15, 2027.
If cancelled outside of 90 days of tour date – full refund of total tour cost minus $889 nonrefundable deposit
If cancelled between 89 and 61 days – 50% of total tour cost is refundable minus $889 nonrefundable deposit
If cancelled within 60 days – No Refund
Travel Protection (Cancellation/Interruption/Medical) highly recommended and medical insurance required for all international tours. Assistance with insurance and airfare are available through Spirit Tours.
Each traveler is responsible to adhere to local Pandemic Protocols, ie: wearing masks and social distancing where advised. It is the Traveler’s responsibility to have all the necessary documents, tests, and vaccinations (if required) completed prior to departure. Improper required travel documentation is typically not covered by travel insurance. Spirit Tours/Agency/Agent not liable for errors and omissions of approved/paid itinerary, and held harmless for unforeseen travel complications as of result of Pandemics and Quarantines. Tour details are subject to change.