Muay Thai Training Retreat in Nosara, Costa Rica with Kru Vivek

The retreat runs seven nights at Jungle's Edge in Nosara, Costa Rica. You arrive on a Saturday, check in from 2pm, and have dinner and an opening ceremony at 6:30pm. Training starts properly the next morning. Across the week there are two Muay Thai sessions most days: a morning block from 10:00 to 11:30 and a second block from 1:30 to 3:00 in the afternoon. On Day 1 the afternoon is given over to the included waterfall tour instead. Day 4 starts with optional yoga (not included in the price) at Bodhi Tree; the other mornings have a 7:00am beach jog for anyone who wants it. Evenings are dinner at 7:00pm, with drinks and games by the fire pit at 5:30pm on several days.

What makes this different from a generic tropical fight camp is who is teaching. Kru Vivek Nakarmi runs the Mid-Atlantic region for WBC USA Muay Thai and has a competitive record going back to 2006, including a 2017 USMTA professional title at 135lb. He's the owner of Pentagon MMA, and he's the one on the mats for both daily sessions. The training is traditional Muay Thai — stance, technique, the art itself — not a cardio kickboxing class with pads. Beginners are welcome; you'll be drilling alongside people who compete.

The venue, Jungle's Edge, is an all-inclusive eco-resort built into the jungle. It has an infinity pool, a gym, a cold plunge, and a training studio steps from the rooms. Accommodation ranges from budget glamping huts with fans and cold-water showers up to air-conditioned suites like the Jungle Room, Casitas, Lotus and Bamboo, some with full kitchens. All meals are cooked on site — breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, plus fresh-squeezed juice at breakfast — and one load of laundry is covered.

Nosara itself is on the Nicoya Peninsula, one of five recognised Blue Zones, and the town has the infrastructure that comes with it: high-speed internet, international restaurants, local markets. The beach is a 15- to 20-minute walk, or the hotel can call you a tuk-tuk. Surf lessons run in the mornings through the resort for about $90 per person, and Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort is a short walk away for drop-in classes at roughly $20 each. Airport transfers from Liberia (LIR) are included if you land between 11am and 3pm on arrival day.

Kids can come. Children train alongside their parents in the regular sessions, with adult supervision — there are no separate kids' classes. Ages 5 to 12 are charged $650 each, covering meals, the waterfall tour and airport transport; under-4s join free. Ages 13 and up pay the shared room rate. Families with children under 12 pay the private-room-for-couples rate per person.

What's included

- Twice-daily Muay Thai training led by Kru Vivek - 7 nights of accommodation at Jungle's Edge - Daily meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner - Dinner on arrival day - Breakfast on departure day - Fresh-squeezed juice at breakfast - Round-trip airport transportation (within set arrival/departure windows) - Access to the infinity pool - Unlimited use of the gym - Unlimited use of the cold plunge - Waterfall Tour (extra charge for children) - Wi-Fi internet access - One load of laundry

What's not included

- Airfare - Alcoholic drinks - Smoothies - Specialty coffees - Beach transfers (15-20 minute walk, or tuk-tuk arranged by the hotel) - Drop-in yoga classes at nearby Bodhi Tree - Other activities bookable through the resort, such as surf lessons and massages