Let’s be honest about this part first. Getting on a plane by yourself to spend a week with people you’ve never met is a lot. Plenty of people talk themselves out of it right there. If that’s where you are, we’d gently say this: you’ve GOT this. And we’d like to walk you through what it actually looks like, because the real thing is a lot less scary than the version in your head.
Getting there
You’ll fly into Liberia, Costa Rica. From there it’s about two and a half hours to Casas Kismet in Nosara. The shuttle isn’t included in the retreat (it runs about $60 each way), but we schedule group pickups on arrival day, so you can ride in with other guests instead of figuring it out on your own. By the time you pull up, you’ve usually met a few people.
If long travel days leave you stiff, our Yoga for Travel Recovery class is made for exactly that, and the Yoga for Business Travelers class is a shorter one you can do in a hotel room. The Traveling Flow challenge is good company on the road too.
The first evening
The week opens with a welcome class, which is a gentle way to break the ice. Nobody has to introduce themselves with a fun fact. You just practice together, and that does more than any icebreaker could.
The rhythm of the week
Most days have a morning class and an evening class with Erin and our teachers, all levels welcome, plus meditation and breathwork. Meals are shared, which is where most of the friendships actually start. If you’re new to yoga and nervous about keeping up, spend a few weeks with our Yoga for Beginners classes before you go, and you’ll walk in feeling ready. Want to see what a retreat class looks like? Try the Morning Jungle Flow from our retreat series.
Time that’s yours
This is the quiet perk of coming alone. Your free time is completely your own. You can join a group heading to the beach, or you can disappear into a hammock with a book and nobody will think twice. No negotiating with a travel partner required.
If you’re a woman traveling solo for the first time
This is a gentle way to start. You’re not navigating a new country by yourself for a week. You’re landing somewhere with a plan and a group waiting for you, and you get to stretch your independence inside that. A lot of people find it’s the trip that makes the next solo trip feel possible.
The people
We can’t promise you’ll make a lifelong friend. We can tell you that the group that arrives as strangers rarely leaves that way. There’s something about practicing next to someone twice a day for a week that skips the small talk.
Ready to try it?
Our next week at Casas Kismet is November 14 to 21, 2026, and there are a couple of spots open. You can see the details and book here. After that, dates are set for April 10 to 17, 2027 and November 13 to 20, 2027. Booking for 2027 isn’t open yet, so the best way to hear first is our retreats page.
And if you’re not ready yet, that’s fine too. The Class Finder has hundreds of free classes to keep you going in the meantime.
Experience a Five Parks Yoga retreat yourself at: https://fiveparksyoga.com/yoga-retreats/
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