Registering for a training begins by completing an application which may take 20-30 minutes. This application is a way for us to get to know you and to determine if we think you will make a good forest therapy guide. Once your application is received, our admissions team will review it and, if you are accepted into the program, send an acceptance letter within three weeks. This letter will contain all the information for next steps, including a registration link to reserve your space in the training. To promote an optimal learning environment, we generally cap enrollment at 21 participants per training. Applications we receive after we have filled the training will be placed on a waitlist. If an accepted applicant drops out, we will contact the next applicant on the waitlist until the training is full again.
In this training, you will learn:
Our Costa Rica training is located at Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat in the Sarapiqui Region, one of the most biodiversity-rich places in all of Costa Rica, in the heart of the San Juan la Selva Section of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor.
Native Sarapiqueño Davis Azofeifa and Irish-Canadian Meghan Casey are the founders of Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat. The Retreat was born out of the couples dream to work together on a project that would benefit the local community and also the critical section of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor where Davis and his family have traditionally lived. The property consists of 55 acres of Sarapiqui Riverfront and lowland tropical rain forest.
According to National Geographic’s article “The World’s Happiest Places” from November 2017, Costa Rica is ranked one of the three happiest countries in the world. Looking at its natural beauty and its vibrant culture, this really comes at no surprise. Come and train to be a Forest Therapy Guide amongst the majestic trees, animals and birds of this special place.
Pricing includes lodging for 7 nights, all meals and transportation to and from the airport by shuttle:
The food we serve is all locally sourced and is majority organic. We can accommodate all dietary restrictions, including vegan and meat-eating options.
Transportation to and from the airport via shuttle is included in the price of accommodations.
Registering for a training begins by completing an application which may take 20-30 minutes. This application is a way for us to get to know you and to determine if we think you will make a good forest therapy guide. Once your application is received, our admissions team will review it and, if you are accepted into the program, send an acceptance letter within three weeks. This letter will contain all the information for next steps, including a registration link to reserve your space in the training. To promote an optimal learning environment, we generally cap enrollment at 21 participants per training. Applications we receive after we have filled the training will be placed on a waitlist. If an accepted applicant drops out, we will contact the next applicant on the waitlist until the training is full again.
Apply NowOur trainers are among the most experienced guides in the world and each one undergoes a rigorous training process beyond their certification as guides. The trainers listed below are subject to change based on trainer availability. No matter which trainers you work with, you will be taught by the best in the field.
Jackie is a trainer and business consultant with the Association of Nature and ForestTherapy Guides and Programs. She’s a certified forest therapy guide trained in 2017 at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, and has been guiding regularly in her community ever since. She’s one of the first guides to pioneer guiding walks remotely via Zoom when the pandemic made guiding in-person unsafe for many months in 2020. Born and raised in China, Jackie came to the United States in 1990 to pursue her PhD in American Literature. She has had a diverse background in various fields such as teaching, translating, marketing, and practicing as a Certified Public Accountant. One of her greatest joys in guiding is witnessing the positive impact on participants’ well-being, including that of her own autistic son.
Manuela Siegfried was born and raised in this beautiful, bio diverse country called Costa Rica. Having a biologist as a father, he made contact with nature an intrinsic part of her life. This passion led her to work as a naturalist tourism guide for 3 years. She came across the concept of Shinrin-Yoku and the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and immediately felt inspired and related to it. Manuela was trained and certified in 2018 and has been guiding very actively since then. She is passionate about helping people awaken their senses and slowing down in a natural setting so they can reconnect with themselves and the more than human world. Falling in love again with the natural world helps to rediscover our intimate, personal relationship with the forest and we become aware that we actually ARE nature. Manuela is also a mentor and trainer of guides with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy and is absolutely committed and in love with her job.