This Is For You
Maybe you're a mom. Maybe you run a business. Maybe you've been quietly holding everything together for so long that you've stopped asking what you actually want.
You're capable of so much. You're also exhausted by all of it. Somewhere along the way, adventure became something you had to fit around everything else.
You keep saying someday. You mean it. You just haven't gone yet.
Wild & Slow is built for you.
Why This Retreat
Adventure that wakes you up. Rest that actually rests.
Wild & Slow isn't a yoga retreat that happens to be in Costa Rica, and it isn't an extreme expedition either. It's canyoning and whitewater rafting alongside slow mornings and hands-on cultural workshops, new adventures you haven't tried before, really good food, and a group small enough that you'll actually know everyone's name by day two.
You don't have to be as fearless as you were at 25. You can be nervous, ask questions, take your time, and still do the thing. This is eight days you get to choose because you wanted to, not because anyone needed you to.
Curious, But Not Ready to Book?
Join the Wild & Slow list and I'll keep you in the loop with retreat updates, stories from past guests, availability, and everything you need to decide if this adventure is for you.
What Changes
An action-packed week.
A fun-filled group of women.
What You Leave Behind
The mental load, for a week
The schedule. The low hum of what still needs doing and who still needs you. You set it down at the airport, and for eight days, it's not yours to carry.
What You Discover
That you can still do hard things
Try something for the first time. Be nervous and do it anyway. Maybe realize the adventurous part of you didn't disappear, she just hasn't had much room lately.
What You Come Home With
Real memories, real friends
An action-packed, fun-filled week. A phone full of photos. A group of women you met as strangers and left as friends. And maybe a new recipe to cook for your own family.
The Part Nobody Says Out Loud
Eight days feels like a lot to ask for.
Especially when people are used to depending on you. There may never be a week when work is perfectly quiet, the family calendar is empty, and nobody needs anything. That week isn't coming.
At some point, making room for yourself means choosing the time rather than waiting for it to magically appear.
You spend a lot of time doing things for everyone else. This is eight days you get to choose, because you wanted to. Taking one week out of an entire year isn't selfish. Sometimes it's exactly what brings you back to yourself.
Where You'll Stay
Your home for the week.
Why Turrialba?
Andrea didn't want to build another retreat around Costa Rica's busiest tourist towns. Turrialba gives you mountains, rivers, farms, and culture, real adventure, without feeling like you're moving through a tourist checklist.
The Experience
Adventurous enough to wake you up.
Slow enough to let you land.
This isn't eight days packed with activities. It's eight days designed around a rhythm: adventure that wakes you up, followed by enough space to slow down and actually enjoy where you are.
Each day is full but never rushed. Mild-to-moderate activity, no extreme fitness required, just willingness. Here's what the week actually looks like.
Welcome to Lumira
Fly into San José, then settle in on the afternoon shuttle up into the mountains of Turrialba. Arrive at Lumira Retreat Centre by early evening for a welcome dinner and your first night among the women you'll share this whole week with.
Survival skills & natural dyeing
Morning yoga to start slow, then a hands-on survival skills workshop, fire, shelter, first aid, led by a local guide who's done this his whole life. In the afternoon, a natural fabric dyeing workshop using plants harvested right on the property. You'll leave with a piece you made yourself.
Rappel a waterfall, then slow down over coffee
A morning of canyoning and zip-lining through the cloud forest, real adrenaline, real views. Then an afternoon coffee tour at a working farm, where the day's pace drops all the way down.
Easy riding, historic lunch
A relaxed mountain bike ride through CATIE's tropical research grounds, flat terrain, no experience required, followed by a traditional Costa Rican lunch at a beautifully restored 19th-century sugar estate. Afternoon free to swim, nap, or just look at the view.
Tea, tradition, and dancing
Start with a herb garden tour and make-your-own tea. Then a hands-on traditional cooking class, learning tamal de hoja the way it's been made for generations, followed by a banana fiber craft workshop. The night ends with a Costa Rican folk dance performance you'll be invited to join.
Rafting, pizza, bonfire
A morning of whitewater rafting on the Pejibaye River. Back at Lumira by afternoon for a pizza-making night in their wood-fired oven, then a bonfire under some of the clearest skies you'll ever see.
Back toward San José
A slower travel day back down toward the capital, with a stop along the way, overnight at a boutique hotel near the airport before your flight home.
Fly home
An action-packed, fun-filled week behind you, a phone full of photos, and a group of women you'll stay in touch with long after the trip ends.
What's Included
This is an all-in retreat.
No surprise activity fees once you arrive. From the moment you land to the moment you fly home, the experience is covered.
6 nights at Lumira Retreat Centre, a boutique eco-lodge in the mountains of Turrialba
1 night at a boutique hotel near San José airport before your flight home
All meals, gourmet and dietary needs accommodated, throughout the retreat
All ground transportation within Costa Rica, including airport shuttles
Canyoning & zip-lining adventure through the cloud forest
Whitewater rafting on the Pejibaye River
Mountain bike ride at CATIE's research grounds
Coffee tour at a working Costa Rican coffee farm
Traditional lunch at a historic sugar estate
5 hands-on cultural workshops: survival skills, natural dyeing, traditional cooking, banana fiber craft, folk dance
Herb garden tour & make-your-own tea
Pizza-making night & bonfire under the stars
Professional retreat photography to capture your week
A welcome gift, just for you
Full facilitation & logistics from women who've done this for a decade
A small, intimate group, never more than 12 women
Not included: flights to and from Costa Rica, personal spending money, and gratuities. Travel insurance is required for all guests (trip cancellation, medical, and travel disruption coverage).
Was looking for an escape to spend a bit time to focus on myself as a single mom. The week was well worth it! Andrea and Reya were amazing hosts, the trip was meticulously organized and full of new and exciting experiences. Was a bit nervous not knowing anyone else in the group, however I met a wonderful group of women from all walks of life that became instant friends. Would highly recommend this trip.— Kathleen, past Costa Rica retreat guest
Your Guides
Held by women who've done this for a decade.
Wild & Slow is personally hosted by Andrea and Stacey of Adventuring Into Life, who've spent years building spaces where women discover what they're capable of in the outdoors.
Andrea Hamer
Founder · Retreat Lead
Andrea has been coaching since she was 16. She spent years as Head Coach and Program Director at Nitehawk Year-Round Adventure Park, then ran her first girls-only mountain bike camp in 2016, the start of what became Adventuring Into Life.
Andrea first travelled to Costa Rica in 2013 and kept finding reasons to return. Years later, she brought her work with girls outdoors there too, running adventure camps for local girls. Eventually the obvious question became: why aren't we creating this kind of adventure for women too? She hosted her first women's Costa Rica retreat in 2019 and has been refining the experience ever since.
Stacey Gagnon
Retreat Co-Host · Coach · Community Builder
Stacey is the person who makes it feel safe to ask the question you're embarrassed to ask, admit you're nervous about the rappel, or show up not knowing anyone. A coach and connector by nature, she's a big part of why women who arrive as strangers leave as friends. She'll be with you the whole week, making sure every woman feels seen and supported from the very first dinner.
“At 70, I was unsure if this was something I could do.”
“This retreat was the greatest experience of a lifetime! Costa Rica is absolutely beautiful. Was great spending time with new friends, everyone was so friendly and helpful. The food was excellent, activities well planned. Would highly recommend this trip to anyone.”— Diane, past Costa Rica retreat guest
One of Andrea's favourite things about these retreats is the mix of women who come. There have been women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s, all adventuring together.
The Investment
One price. Everything included.
Your accommodation, meals, ground transportation, activities, guides, workshops, and retreat facilitation are all included. Your main additional costs are flights, insurance, gratuities, and personal spending.
You could absolutely book a week in Costa Rica yourself. Wild & Slow is for the woman who doesn't want to spend the week researching routes, arranging rides, finding guides, figuring out who to go with, or wondering if she chose the right adventure. You arrive. We've built the week.
I didn't have to worry about money, food, accommodation, activities, transportation, or safety. I'm so grateful to have experienced this all-encompassing retreat.— Michelle, past Costa Rica retreat guest
Current Price
≈ $2,820 USD
Price increases to $4,289 CAD on December 1. 12 women total. This is the only Wild & Slow retreat planned for 2027.
Hold My Spot for $500Prefer your own space? A private room is available for a flat $952 CAD (≈ $670 USD) supplement. Only 4 private rooms exist for this retreat, and they go quickly. Shared rooms pair you with one other retreat guest and are included at no extra cost.
Hold Your Spot
A $500 CAD deposit holds your place, and includes a real conversation with Andrea about the retreat and whether it's right for you. If either of us decides it isn't the right fit, your deposit is refunded in full, no questions asked.
Pay Your Way
The balance is due 30 days before departure (December 20, 2026). Prefer to spread it out? A monthly payment plan is available at no extra cost, just ask when you book.
Show Up For Yourself
That's it. Once you're booked, Andrea and Stacey handle every detail so all you have to do is arrive.
Cancellation at a glance
- 90+ days before departure: balance refunded
- 60–89 days: 25% refund or 50% credit
- Under 60 days: no refund, 25% credit
- Your spot may be transferred to another guest, free of charge, up to 14 days before departure
- If your screening call reveals this isn't the right fit, your $500 deposit is refunded in full
- Travel insurance covering trip cancellation, medical, and travel disruption is required
Before You Even Land
The experience starts the day you say yes.
Booking isn't the start of a waiting period, it's the start of the retreat. Here's what happens between your yes and your flight.
Welcome Call
A personal call with Andrea after you book, so you're never arriving as a stranger.
Meet the Group
A private group chat opens as the retreat fills, so faces are familiar before day one.
Everything Handled
Packing list, flight guidance, and every detail delivered well ahead, nothing left to figure out alone.
Final Countdown
A pre-departure group call one month out to answer every last question and build the excitement together.
There's no second date if this one fills.
Twelve women, one week, one retreat for 2027. No second Wild & Slow date planned.
See Pricing & Reserve →Questions
Before you say yes.
How fit or adventurous do I need to be?
Less than you'd think. Activities are mild to moderate, canyoning and rafting are guided and beginner-friendly, and the bike ride at CATIE is flat and easy. What you need is willingness, not a training regimen.
Is there an age limit?
No. Wild & Slow is open to any woman who feels called to it. We've had guests in their 70s who kept up with the whole itinerary, canyoning included, and said it was one of the best weeks of their lives. Age isn't what matters here, willingness is.
Do most women come alone?
Many do. Some come with a friend, but plenty arrive knowing no one. That's one of the reasons we keep the group small and start connecting everyone before the trip. If you'd rather have your own space at night, a private room is available for a small supplement.
What if the retreat doesn't fill up?
This retreat runs with a minimum of 8 women. If we're close to the date and haven't hit that number, you'll be notified well in advance with options, never a last-minute surprise.
What's the payment schedule?
A $500 CAD deposit reserves your spot and includes a short screening call. The remaining balance is due December 20, 2026 (30 days before departure). A monthly payment plan is available at no extra cost, just ask when you book.
What's the cancellation policy?
Your $500 CAD deposit is non-refundable but transferable to another guest up to 14 days before the retreat, with one exception: if your call reveals this isn't the right fit, it's refunded in full. Cancel 90+ days before departure and your balance is fully refunded (or held as full credit toward a future program). 60–89 days out: 25% refund or 50% credit of the balance. Under 60 days: no refund, 25% credit. This is why travel insurance is required, it protects you if something unexpected comes up.
Do I need travel insurance?
Yes, travel insurance covering trip cancellation, medical emergencies, and travel disruption is required for all guests. It's inexpensive relative to the trip and protects your full investment if life happens.
When should I book my flights?
Plan to land in San José (SJO) by 2:00pm on January 19, our group shuttle to Lumira leaves at 3:30pm. For the trip home, book any departure on January 26; you'll stay at a hotel near the airport the night before, so even early flights work.
I can't imagine being away for 8 days. Is it too long?
That feeling is exactly why this retreat exists. Eight days is long enough to actually unwind, not just catch your breath, and everything at home will keep. Most guests tell us the trip felt shorter than they expected and that the hardest part was deciding to come, not being away.
What isn't included?
Your flights to and from Costa Rica, personal spending money, and gratuities. Travel insurance is required but purchased separately by you. Everything else, lodging, meals, activities, workshops, and ground transportation within Costa Rica, is covered.
Can I bring a friend?
Absolutely. Let Andrea know when you reserve and we'll do our best to room you together if you'd like to share.
You've been saying someday for long enough.
Twelve women. One week in the mountains of Costa Rica. Adventure, good food, new friends, and time that's actually yours.
Hold My Spot for $500 →Still Deciding?
Not ready to reserve your spot today?
That's okay, this is a big decision. Join the Wild & Slow list and I'll send you updates, past guest stories, and a heads-up before spots run out, so you can make the call when you're ready.