We've got a slow pace on Day Two that starts with our first hands-on culinary workshop of the week at 11am with Chefs Matt and Ian in La Cocina at Finca Mia. Learn the basics from selecting the perfect fish for ceviche to preparing and seasoning your meal like a professional chef. Our culinary class will wrap up just in time for lunch featuring your ceviche! 

Optional afternoon activities include a Gentle Yoga class on the Yoga Deck in the cloud forest canopy, relaxing by the pool or in the hot tub, and exploring Los Angeles de Rivas during an easy guided hike.

On Friday 4/26, we'll depart Finca Mia after breakfast for the 20-minute drive higher into the cloud forest of the Talamanca Mountain range next to Chirripo National Park to experience the vast biodiversity of Cloudbridge Nature Reserve. 

Led by a local guide, we will learn about the flora and fauna of one of Costa Rica's most impressive natural areas as we hike to an enchanting waterfall.

Cloudbridge is a private nature reserve that ranges from 5085-8530 ft. elevation. Since 2002, 255 hectares (630 acres) of cattle pasture or cultivated land with a further 28 hectares (70 acres) of primary forest has been purchased by the reserve. Since it’s beginning, Cloudbridge has been dedicated to the conservation and reforestation of the cloud forest. As Cloudbridge has grown, education and research  have played a large part in the preserve's mission. 

On Saturday, 4/27, we'll hop on the shuttle after breakfast and cruise down the mountain to the popular beach town of Dominical (a scenic 1.5-hour drive) so you can get a taste of life on the Costa Rican coastline. 

This is the only day of our retreat that lunch is not included — enjoy lunch on your own at a local cafe, bar or restaurant on the beach or in town. There is a bustling tourist market on a pathway beside the beach in Dominical so if you'd like to buy a few Costa Rican souvenirs to take home to friends and family, this is an excellent place to do your shopping.

You'll have plenty of time from 11am - 3pm to soak up all that the small beach town of Dominical has to offer. Important note: watch out for the local crocodiles!

You may not think of pizza when you think of Costa Rica — but Finca Mia boasts its very own beautiful hand-built stone pizza oven so think again! 

After dinner at Finca Mia on Day Four, we'll gather in La Cocina and learn the basics of making your own pizza dough with Chef Matt. After guiding you through your hands-on pizza dough class, we'll let our dough rise for 24 hours until we fire up the pizza oven the following evening.

On Day Five, we'll enjoy two Culinary Workshops at Finca Mia. First up, the art of bean to bar chocolate making (drool) with local expert Astaria. 

Costa Rica is famous for both its rich coffee and its delicious cacao (as you'll see when you arrive at the airport in San Jose). For thousands of years, chocolate in its original state was prized by ancient civilizations like the Aztecs and Mayans and used as currency by other indigenous tribes. The history of chocolate is as rich as its taste and has a significant place in Costa Rican history too. We'll learn all about it and (best of all) get to taste different types of chocolate during this hands-on workshop.

Tonight's the night for our Cloud Forest Pizza Feast! We'll bring out the dough from our Pizza Dough 101 workshop and you'll choose from a colorful collection of meats, veggies and more toppings to create your perfect Costa Rican pie. The wood-fired pizza oven will be blazing hot after hours of warming up so your dinner will be served almost as quickly as you can say "Pura Vida!"  

After breakfast on Day 6, we'll enjoy a 35-minute walk downhill from Finca Mia to the stunning Mariposario Casa Alegria Butterfly Dome in the tiny village of Canaan de Rivas. (Transportation will be arranged for anyone not able or interested in walking.) 

Mariposario means butterfly garden and that is exactly what lies inside the geodesic dome, which is 11 meters high, 22 meters wide and home to dozens of species of butterflies. Local guides will educate us on the life cycles of caterpillars turned butterflies and teach us how to identify different types of butterfly species.

Casa Alegria is also known for its bright and sunny cafe which serves the best gelato in the valley! 

Our second stop in Canaan de Rivas on Day Six will be at Quesos Canaan, where we'll get a peek into the art of cheese production rarely seen today. The handmade Swiss-style cheese produced here comes straight from the cows roaming in the field out back (each cow is known by her name).  Traditional aged Swiss-style cheese is the classic choice, but several varieties such as Oregano & Herb, Spicy Pepper and Parmesan are also popular. 

We'll step into the heart of production when we enter the store: we'll be taken on a tour of the cheese aging shelves and the entire cheese-making process, then have a chance to buy the very same cheeses. 

Owners Wilberth and Katia Mata are leaders in the sustainability movement in the local community.  Their cheeses are processed using methane biogas from the farm and they use and sell worm compost to organic farmers in the area.