WELLNESS EXPERIENCES
Horseback Riding in Cahuita and Wellness Experiences
Horseback riding in Cahuita, along the coast and into the forest behind it, is one of the excursions our guests choose most often. The rest of the wellness menu happens at Casa Del Soul itself, a private retreat home in Cahuita on Costa Rica's Caribbean coast, about 20 minutes from Puerto Viejo: a red light therapy mask and blanket for every guest, massage and sound healing, daily yoga, meditation and breathwork on the wellness retreat, and one chef-prepared meal a day built on very fresh, local, blue-zone-style food.
Wellness at the house and on the coast
Some of this is part of every scheduled retreat: the red light therapy mask and blanket, the open-air yoga deck, the private pool, nature immersion and one chef-prepared meal daily. On the 5-day Wellness & Renewal retreat, daily yoga, meditation and breathwork are included too. Some of it is an excursion you choose, such as horseback riding. And some of it is a session you add, such as massage or sound healing.
Celebration, couples and hosted groups pick from the same list, confirmed in a proposal or consultation. The house has three air-conditioned bedrooms, open-air living spaces and a house manager available for basic needs.
Horseback riding in Cahuita: coast and jungle
Riding here typically means a local horseman, calm horses and a route that mixes a stretch of beach with trails inland through cacao and secondary forest. Beginners ride; guides pair horse to rider, and the pace stays at a walk unless you ask for more. Mornings are cooler, and late afternoon rides can finish with the light going down over the water.
Horseback riding is one of the five Signature options and one of the ten on Premier, and a favourite on the couples retreats. Operators set their own guidance on ages and weight limits, which we pass on when the ride is confirmed.
Red light therapy for every guest
Every guest at Casa Del Soul has the use of a red light therapy mask and blanket for the length of their stay. Most people use them in the evening with the lights low: the mask on the face, the blanket over the body, for the time the device's own guidance suggests. We make no medical claims about red light therapy; what guests tend to report is simpler, which is that they wind down and sleep.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions, and if you are pregnant, photosensitive or taking medication that affects light sensitivity, ask your doctor before using the devices.
Massage and sound healing
Massage is available in the area and can be arranged at the house, with the open-air deck and the forest in front of you as the setting. A couples massage is one of the premium options on the Premier package, and the usual request on a couples week. Sound healing, a session of bowls and gongs at dusk on the deck, is the experience first-timers are most sceptical about and most often ask to repeat.
Both are optional experiences for celebration, couples and hosted groups, confirmed in your proposal or consultation. Hosts planning a retreat of their own can ask about staffing for these sessions.
Fresh, local, blue-zone-style food
The one chef-prepared meal included each day on scheduled retreats is built on what this coast produces: fish, plantain, yuca, cacao, papaya, pineapple, beans and coconut. Meals are mostly plants, cooked simply, and eaten together in the open-air dining space. We call it blue-zone-style because the pattern, plants, beans, little processed food and shared meals, is the one associated with the world's longest-lived communities, including Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula on the Pacific side.
Cahuita is not a blue zone, and we do not claim it is; we simply eat as if it were. For the wider region's food and culture, see the Costa Rican Tourism Board's Caribbean guide.
FAQ
Horseback and wellness questions, answered
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Can beginners go horseback riding in Cahuita?
Yes. Local guides typically use calm horses, match horse to rider and keep the pace at a walk unless you ask for more, so first-time riders are common. Operators set their own guidance on minimum ages and weight limits, which we pass on when your ride is confirmed. Tell us your experience level when you book.
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How long should you use the red light therapy mask and blanket?
Follow the guidance that comes with the devices rather than any schedule from us; we make no medical claims about red light therapy. Most guests use the mask and blanket in the evening as a wind-down routine. If you are pregnant, photosensitive or on medication affecting light sensitivity, ask your doctor first.
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What does blue-zone-style mean, and is Cahuita a blue zone?
A blue zone is a region whose people have been documented living unusually long, healthy lives; Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula is the recognised one. Cahuita is not a blue zone. We cook in a blue-zone style, mostly plants, beans, fresh fruit and fish, eaten together, because it is how this coast eats anyway.
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Is yoga included in every retreat?
Daily yoga, meditation and breathwork are included on the Wellness & Renewal retreat. The Adventure & Transformation retreat focuses on excursions, though the open-air yoga deck is available throughout. For celebration, couples and hosted groups, yoga sessions can be arranged and are confirmed in your proposal or consultation.
Start planning
Compare the retreat packages, or ask about hosting your own retreat with wellness sessions built in.