Tropical Herbal Medicine and Yoga Wellness Retreat in Costa Rica

This retreat is built around one person's expertise. Jill Ruttenberg has been practicing Chinese and Western herbal medicine for over thirty years, and she is the founder of AmaTierra Retreat & Wellness Center. Over the five nights, she runs workshops on the basics of herbal medicine, tincture-making, and how to use locally available plants — the whole point is that you go home able to treat yourself and your family with what grows where you live.

A big part of the week is the excursion to the Ark Herb Farm, where you'll spend two nights and get a guided tour of their extensive gardens. It's a chance to see far more tropical species than AmaTierra's own grounds hold, and to learn from another working farm. You'll also take a plunge in a real jungle waterfall, which is exactly as refreshing as it sounds.

The setting does a lot of the work. AmaTierra sits on eight acres of jungle forest at 2,000 feet, with temperatures between 17-29C year-round. There are walking trails, hammocks, an infinity-edge pool, and an open-air yoga pavilion with 270-degree views over the valley. The food is grown on-site in organic gardens and a hydroponic greenhouse, with eggs from their free-range chickens.

The group is kept deliberately small, so you get direct, personal time with Jill. You don't need any prior herbal experience — the teaching starts from the basics and builds up. Daily yoga helps balance out the classroom time, and there's enough free time built into the schedule that it never feels like a lecture course that happens to be in Costa Rica.

What's included

- 5 nights accommodation in a private or shared room - 3 daily delicious and nutritious meals - Snacks - Water, tea, and coffee throughout the day - Daily yoga classes - Workshops on Basic Herbal Medicine - Herbs of the Tropics sessions - Tincture-making workshop - 2 nights at the Ark Herb Farm with guided garden tour - A plunge in the Jungle Waterfall - Roundtrip airport transfers (SJO) - Wifi connection

What's not included

- Flights costs - Travel insurance - Visa fee - Additional spa treatments - Additional activities not included in the itinerary