Travel info & Packing List

Airports:

There are two airports you can travel to and coordinate travel from: Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) – 3.5-4.5 hr drive to Qasa – or La Managua Domestic Airport in Quepos (XQP) – 75 min drive to Qasa.

Most guests choose to land at SJO and travel directly to Qasa from the airport via the provided shuttle.

Arrival:

There are three options that will get you to Qasa on the first day of the retreat, before dinner time at 6pm:

1. You may use our free private group shuttle:

The shuttle leaves at 10am on the first day of the retreat from ‘La Malinche’ café (inside the terminal, not far from the ‘Arrivals’ exit) at SJO International Airport in San José.Please book your flight to arrive at SJO at 9am or earlier, or you may need to fly in the night before and meet the shuttle group at the airport in the morning. It’s also possible to take a domestic flight to Quépos where the shuttle will make a stop at around 3pm. Flight options include Sansa and Green Airways.

The shuttle stops for lunch halfway, in Playa Hermosa. Be sure to keep a towel and swimsuit handy if you want to dip in the ocean!

The shuttle will make a stop at XQP Quépos ‘La Managua’ Domestic Airport at 3pm (outside the main airport terminal).

In this case, please book your flight to arrive at XQP at 2:30pm or earlier.

2. You can coordinate your own taxi or luxury car service to Qasa:

Private Car Taxi from SJO

• From SJO, you can book a private 4-hour ride directly to Qasa with our trusted local taxi partners for roughly $190.
• For those wanting a luxury ride, you can book a private 4-hour luxury car ride directly to Qasa with our trusted local connection for roughly $300 (for 1-4 people).

Private Car Taxi from XQP

• From XQP, you can book a private 75-minute ride directly to Qasa with our trusted local taxi partner, for roughly $85.

Please reach out to welcome@qasa.house if you’d like us to help you coordinate these transportation services.

3. You can make your own arrangements:

Public Transport:

• You can take the bus at the MUSOC terminal in downtown San José to San Isidro, Pérez Zeledón.
• You can also grab a San Isidro, Pérez Zeledón bound bus at the TRACOPA terminal in San José. Though most TRACOPA buses ride through the Pacific Coast and stop in Playa Dominical, a couple of them also reach San Isidro, Pérez Zeledón through the mountains.
• Either way, you’ll need to take a Grupo Blanco bus from/to San Isidro, Pérez Zeledón to/from either Dominical or Quepos, and ask the driver to drop you off at the bus stop in Las Tumbas, Tinamastes.
• From the bus stop, you can coordinate a private 4×4 ride to Qasa with our trusted local taxi partner, Peter.

Drive Yourself/Rent-A-Car:

If you’re self-driving, you’ll need to rent a 4×4 vehicle as the dirt road makes the trip hard for a 4×2. We offer free parking on the premises.

Navigate with Waze or Google Maps to Nauyaca Waterfall Nature Park in San Salvador de Baru, and then follow the directions on the map below.

If you are coming from the south (Uvita, Osa, Panama, etc) route your journey via Tinamaste on Waze or Google Maps for the correct access road into the Valley.

Please note the road after Tinamaste through the valley is unpaved.

• FOLLOW THE SIGNS WITH OUR LOGO, THE DIRECTIONS ARE CLEARLY MARKED.
• Note that using Waze, you need to route through Tinamastes, not Escaleras (otherwise the directions can get you lost in the mountains)
• 4 x 4 only – during the rainy season.
• Please do not enter through Holos main gate.
• All humans welcome, please leave your pets at home.

Departure:

The free group shuttle departs from Qasa at 7am on the last day of the retreat, for a 2pm arrival at SJO International Airport. We recommend booking your flight to depart at 4pm or later to avoid rushing through the check-in counter and customs.

The shuttle will stop at Quépos Airport (XQP) at approximately 8:30am, where you have access to Sansa Airway and Green Airways flights to SJO International Airport or other domestic airports.

If departure from SJO after 4pm is not available, you’ll want to stay overnight in San Jose and travel the following day, or you can schedule a private ride departing Qasa at your time of choice with our trusted local taxi connections. People routinely choose to book a flight as early as 5am on the departure day, and will get a pickup from Qasa around 12:00am so they can travel through the night by private taxi to arrive directly at the airport.

Reminder: The drive from Qasa to the SJO Airport is roughly 4 hours during daytime traffic. You’ll need to give yourself at least 2h at SJO to check-in for your flight and factor in airport lines prior to boarding.

Weather:

• Most days are quite comfortable between highs around 80 and lows around 70
• We are at approximately 1000’ altitude, so the climate tends to be about 5-10 degrees cooler than the coast
• Between late December and April it is relatively dry, with light periods of rain (mainly in the afternoon) towards the beginning and end of this period

Packing List:

Clothing:

• The number one piece of feedback we get from guests is that they packed too many clothes! In general you will want breathable, comfortable clothing.
  A comfortable, loose fitting outfit for hiking and other outdoor activities that you are comfortable getting wet
• A few comfortable bathing suits / speedos
• Comfortable shorts
• Tank tops, comfortable short-sleeve button down shirts, t-shirts
• Sarongs! (to wear, and to dry off with or sit on by the river)
  • This is the most commonly worn clothing item at Qasa!
• Warmer layer for the evenings (just in case)
• And anything fun, funky or fabulous! (just an invitation)
  • We have a fabulous Drag Bag that will make an appearance – it accepts donations!
• Out & Wild Adventure retreats:
  • One rash guard type shirt (for the surf day (O&W: Into the Jungle) and to keep warm in the canyon)
  • No loose clothing for waterfall activities, please bring lightweight, fitted clothing to wear in the water
  • For lube wrestling – one pair of underwear or a swimsuit that you are OK with destroying.

Other Items/Gear:

• Reusable water bottle (minimum size = 1 liter. THIS IS IMPORTANT)
• Hat to protect from the sun
• Sunscreen
  • Ideally natural sunscreen, to protect our waterways. Avoid harmful chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate.
• Headlamp with spare batteries (if you like!)
• Eye mask (useful for meditation, journeying, as well as sleeping)
• Earplugs for light sleepers
  • We are outdoors in the middle of the jungle where sound travels – your neighbors, the howler monkeys, like to wake up early!
• Natural mosquito repellant
  • Mosquitos are rare at Qasa during dry season, but those sensitive to mosquitoes may still want to bring some repellant. Please do not bring harsh chemicals like DEET as this is unnecessary in our region.
• Journal
• Beach towel
• Waterproof camera or phone case for taking photos (optional)
• A small backpack to use for hiking

Footwear:

• Hiking or tennis shoes you are not afraid to get muddy and/or wet
• Flip flops or sandals for walking around on the property
  • We suggest to not bring only flip flops – they’re not ideal in muddy conditions
• Water shoes / Water socks – Something like this or this *VERY IMPORTANT
  • You will be maneuvering through various ground textures in the water and across slippery rocks in the river. Hard-soled shoes, even if they are made to get wet, do not provide much traction, and can be very dangerous to wear in this environment. A cheap pair of lightweight water shoes similar to those in the links provided is necessary.

Please don’t bring:

• Out & Wild adventure retreats: Loose-fitting clothes or cotton t-shirts for waterfall wear – cotton is heavy when wet and anything loose fitting may get caught in the equipment or snagged, best to wear fitted, lightweight clothes for outdoor activities.
• You probably won’t wear too much. Go light on the clothing
• Recreational drugs (including cannabis) – we will ask you to refrain from this during the retreat