7-Day Training + 4 Month Online
Tree Frog – Costa Rica 2027
- Cohort 181
7 Day In Person
- Costa Rica - Sarapiquí
- January 20, 2027
- to
- January 26, 2027
4 Months Online
- February 11, 2027
- to
- May 27, 2027
- Enrollment Open
7-day In-person Training
In this training, you will learn:
- Be guided on Forest Therapy walks by your trainers
- Learn how to guide ANFT’s Standard Sequence – A Powerful approach to nature connection
- Guide your first Forest Therapy walk
- Sequencing forest therapy invitations for maximum impact and benefit
- The heart-centered Way of the Guide approach
- The Language for Relational Forest Therapy to help create powerful connections with self and nature
- Somatic techniques for embodied awareness
- Start developing and deepening your relationship with the land
- Trail awareness and safety -how to choose a forest therapy trail
- Facilitation skills that promote an open environment for group sharing
- Competency standards: what a Forest Therapy Guide should know and be able to do
- Practical exercises and explorations to consolidate your learning
About the Venue
Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat
Lodging Options & Rates
(Rates shown already include the 15% ANFT participant discount. A 13% Costa Rican tax will be added as required by law.)
Breakfast is included with all lodging categories.
⚠️ Please note: Lodging is limited and assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
Early booking is encouraged.
Off-site lodging is not an option.
Lodging
Rainforest Lodge
Standard Room – $92.65/night Private bathroom, balcony or terrace, forest views (1–2 guests)
Economic Room – $62.05/night Private bathroom, shared kitchen/lounge (1–2 guests; additional adult +$11)
Basic Room – $51.85/night Combination of private/shared bathrooms (no hot water) (1–2 guests)
Dorm Bed – $47.60/night (shared room and bathroom) Our most economical option. Manually assigned; not bookable online. Please contact Meghan at chilamaterainforest@gmail.com
Family-Style Lodging
Family Suite – $133.45/night Apartment-style with kitchen and living room (1–3 guests; additional adult +$11)
Jungle House Lodge Top Floor – $133.45/night Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, balconies, and kitchenette. Reserved for facilitators unless otherwise arranged.
Riverside Lodge (Air Conditioned)
Riverside Room – $123.25/night Air conditioning, private bathroom (1–2 guests; some rooms allow an additional adult +$11)
Riverside Family Suite – $190.40/night Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and shared living room. Ideal for participants traveling with family or sharing with another participant. Manually assigned; not bookable online. Please contact Meghan at chilamaterainforest@gmail.com
Dorm Bed Riverside – $70/night (shared A/C room and bathroom) Manually assigned; not bookable online. Please contact Meghan at chilamaterainforest@gmail.com
Estimated Total Costs
(Including the 15% ANFT discount and 13% Costa Rican VAT.)
Most participants can expect approximately:
● Dorm Bed + Meal Plan: $636.98
● Basic Room + Meal Plan: $665.80
● Economic Room + Meal Plan: $734.95
● Standard Room + Meal Plan: $941.14
● Family Suite + Meal Plan: $1,184.58
● Riverside Room + Meal Plan: $1,148.61
● Riverside Family Suite + Meal Plan: $1,603.83
The above totals include 6 nights of lodging at the ANFT discounted rate, the required $300 meal plan, and the 13% Costa Rican VAT.
Final totals may vary depending on occupancy, additional guests, or any extra nights booked before or after the program.
Meals
Chilamate offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. We can accommodate all types of allergies and intolerances with advance notice.
Required In-Person Training Meal Plan
$300 USD per participant. A 13% Costa Rican tax will be added as required by law.
Includes:
● 6 lunches
● 6 dinners
● Snacks and fresh fruit
● Unlimited tea and coffee
● Buffet-style meals
● Accommodation for all dietary needs (vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, allergies, etc.)
Breakfast is included with all lodging reservations.
The meal plan is required for all participants.
Transportation
Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat is located in northern Costa Rica, in the heart of the Sarapiquí lowlands – right along the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
We are about 10 km from La Vírgen de Sarapiquí and 5 km from Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí.
Travel to Chilamate
Located approx. 1.5–2 hours from San José (SJO) Airport.
Travel options include:
● Private shuttle
● Rental car
● Public bus
● Shared shuttles (coordinated closer to the training, directly with the venue. Please contact Meghan at Chilamaterainforest.gmail.com)
Schedule Details for the 7 Day in Person Training
Arrival
Check-In
- 3:00 pm
Departure
Check-Out
- 11:00 am
General Notes
Wifi
Free Wifi all areas of the venue
Smoking, Vaping & Substance Policy
Smoking and vaping are not permitted inside rooms or buildings. This helps protect guests, wildlife, and the rainforest.
Responsible alcohol consumption is permitted.
Registration Process
Once accepted into the training:
1. Receive the private ANFT booking link.
2. Select your lodging or be in touch with Meghan at: chilamaterainforest@gmail.com to book one of the lodging options requiring manual assignation.
3. Add the required meal plan for each person in the room.
4. Complete your reservation.
5. Chilamate will follow up with a secure payment link sent via email.
6. Chilamate will follow up closer to the date to confirm dietary needs and accessibility requests as well as offer assistance in coordinating transport to and from the Retreat.
⚠️ The private ANFT booking link is available only to registered ANFT participants.
Important: Immersion nights (Jan 27–31) must be booked through the private immersion link or directly with Meghan, not through the general system.
Check-in / Check-out
● Check-in: 3:00 pm
● Check-out: 11:00 am
Cancellation Policy
● 45+ days before arrival: Full refund
● 45–15 days before arrival: 50% refund
● 14 days or fewer: No refund .
Force Majeure
Natural disasters, road closures, strikes, and government orders are exempt from refund obligations.
Travel Insurance Highly recommended for medical emergencies, flight changes, or other unexpected events.
What to Bring
● Lightweight, breathable clothing
● Rain jacket or poncho
● Flashlight/headlamp
● Closed-toe walking shoes
● Water shoes or strapped sandals
● Refillable water bottle
● Journal
● Natural insect repellent
● Personal medications
4 Month Online
In this second part of the training, 4 months online you will:
- Consolidate the learning from the 7 day in person training
- Guide your practice walks
- Debrief your practice walks with the training team and your cohort colleagues
- Sequencing forest therapy invitations for maximum impact and benefit
- Getting to know your bioregion, its history, watershed, awarenesses and more
- Nature and forest therapy scientific research and knowledge
- Learn how to develop your guiding practice
- Continue to deepen your relationship with the land
- Practical exercises and explorations to deepen your guiding skills
The training is designed in a way that will gently guide you through all the steps and processes to integrate and deepen the learning in your head and in your body. Upon completion of this course you will be able to succesfully guide forest therapy walks within the framework of ANFT’s guide certification training.
Schedule for LIVE Online calls for 4 month training
Tuition
The tuition for the complete program that includes the 7 day in person training and the 4 month online program is 3600 (USD).
Payment plans are available on registration.
IMPORTANT: This price does not include lodging, meals nor transportation to the 7 day in person training.
Other costs to your training include payment for Wilderness First Aid training, which is required for Certification, and is provided by third parties. Prices range from $100 to $300.
Tuition figures are subject to change.
Training Team
Meet the Trainers Call
- October 15, 2026 at
- 4:00 pm (PST)
- Register
- HERE
- Marcela Morales
- Marcela Morales, is a certified Forest therapy guide and trainer with ANFT. She has studied in Anthropology, Management of Natural Resources and has worked as a licensed Naturalist and birdwatching guide for over 20 years in the Cloud forest mountains of Monteverde, Costa Rica. She has been a collaborator at the Environmental Education department of the Tropical Science Center (TSC), and an internship supervisor at the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE). Currently living in the southern Caribbean coast, Marcela offers holistic wellness-culture & nature connection experiences that bring together her passions: Forest Bathing walks, Sound Healing sessions, Qi Gong classes, Naturalist tours and immersions in Bribri Indigenous territory.
- Carla Zorzanelli
- Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in love with the beach, the trees and music, Carla Zorzanelli has gone from a very urban and anthropomorphic way of living to a path back to a deep connection to nature and the more-than-human world. After a masters in Science at Schumacher College in the UK, she has focused on deepening her relationship to nature by becoming a certified Forest Therapy guide with the ANFT and, by researching and living into different topics like Rewilding, Deep Ecology, Shamanism, Ancient indigenous wisdoms, Jungian studies and Regeneration, and has lived in a tent in the middle of the Savannah in Africa. Currently she is bringing Forest Therapy to Brazil, where she actively guides groups. In addition, she offers nature connection courses to a variety of audiences. She is also co-founder of EcoUni, an ecological university that promotes regenerative learning with content focused on building an ecofuture.