Guide Training Immersion 4-Days
Costa Rica, Sarapiqui – Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat – January 2027
- January 27, 2027
- to
- January 31, 2027
- Enrollment Open
An opportunity to connect with other guides from other cohorts and learn from the shared experiences.
If you have completed at least module 4 and submitted the corresponding assignments, of the six-month remote Forest Therapy Guide Training you’re eligible to apply. Completion of this immersion and the six-month training fulfills the requirements for full Certification. When space is available, ANFT-trained guides who have completed training in any past cohort can also participate. Please note that priority goes to students who need to take the immersion to get fully certified. Therefore, when you apply, you’ll be put on a waitlist until three weeks before the start of the immersion.
A 4 day in-person gathering, with 1 or 2 trainers, and people from different cohorts where you will have the opportunity to apply what you learned, experience in-person forest therapy walks and simply connect and share experiences and stories with other guides.
In this immersion, you will:
- Get a hands on experience of what you learned
- Get to know trainers personally
- Get to know other guides and connect
- Learn from shared experiences with other guides
- Deepen into the practice
- Get the opportunity to ask specific questions that might come up
Once you complete this four-day immersion, your certification will be moved from provisional to permanent. You have two years after you complete the six month core training course to complete an immersion. It will help to give you a sense of the community of guides that has grown and is active throughout the world.
About the Venue
Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat
Experience your Forest Therapy Guide Training Immersion in one of Costa Rica’s most biodiverse and vibrant ecosystems.
Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat, located along the Sarapiquí River, is a family-run regenerative tourism project devoted to conservation, community
wellbeing, and deep connection with the land.
For more than 18 years, founders Sarapiqueño Davis Azofeifa and Irish/Canadian Meghan Casey have lived onsite with their children Lluvia, Aedan, and Kiara, stewarding over 42 acres of protected rainforest.
Together with their dedicated local team, they host educational programs, nature-based retreats, research teams, and travelers seeking meaningful connection.
Their mission is to offer experiences that honor the land, uplift the local community, and embody regenerative practices.
This immersion will invite you into deeper embodiment, presence, and
connection within the rainforest ecosystem.
🌳 About Chilamate Rainforest Eco Retreat
Guests at the retreat enjoy:
● A private rainforest reserve and its exuberant wildlife
● Direct access to the Sarapiquí River
● Rustic, comfortable rainforest lodging
● Homemade meals using fresh, local, organic-as-possible ingredients
● A self-guided Forest Therapy path
● Open-air dining, gardens, and places of quiet reflection
● Warm family hospitality and local leadership
● A long-standing commitment to sustainability and regenerative tourism.
This setting offers a rich foundation for deep immersion, practice, learning, and rest.
Lodging
Lodging Options & Rates
(Rates shown already include the 15% ANFT participant discount. A 13% Costa Rican VAT 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.
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)
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
Air conditioning, 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: $441
● Basic Room + Meal Plan: $460
● Economic Room + Meal Plan: $506
● Standard Room + Meal Plan: $645
● Family Suite + Meal Plan: $829
● Riverside Room + Meal Plan: $783
● Riverside Dorm Bed + Meal Plan: $542
● Riverside Family Suite + Meal Plan: $1,087
The above totals include 4 nights of lodging at the ANFT discounted rate, the required $200 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
Required Immersion Meal Plan $200 USD per participant
Includes:
- 4 lunches + 4 dinners
- Snacks & fruit
- Always-available tea & coffee
- Buffet service
- Accommodation of all dietary needs (vegan, GF, DF, allergies, etc.)
- Breakfast is included with all lodging. This meal plan is mandatory for all immersion participants
Transportation
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 immersion)
Schedule Details
Arrival
Check-in:
- 3:00 pm
Departure
Check-out:
- 11:00 am
General Notes
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.
Cancellation Policy
● 45+ days before arrival: Full refund
● 45–15 days: 50% refund
● 14 days or fewer: No refund
Force Majeure:
Natural disasters, road closures, strikes, or government orders are exempt from refund obligations.
Travel Insurance:
Highly recommended for medical needs, flight changes, or unexpected events.
Smoking, Vaping & Substance Policy
🌿 No smoking or vaping inside any rooms or buildings — this protects guests, wildlife, and the forest. Responsible alcohol consumption is permitted.
Wifi and Services
Free Wifi in all areas of the venue.
Help with booking transportation and local tours.
Tuition
The tuition for the four-day immersion is 495 (USD). Wait to pay until you are ready to register for a specific immersion. You will have two years from the completion of your core guide training to do the immersion.
Immersion tuition does not include transportation, lodging or camping fees and food. These expenses are separate from the program costs for the four-day immersion and are the responsibility of the trainee.
IMPORTANT: Please wait until you receive enrollment confirmation before booking travel and lodging.
Tuition figures are subject to change.
Training Team
- 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.
Certification Pathway
STEP 1
6-Month Remote Training
You will start with a 6-month remote training, covering the content on live calls with the support of your trainers, fellow students, a very user friendly learning platform, many self exploration and nature connection activities that are done outside. After completing this training you get a provisional certification as a Certified Forest Therapy Guide. To view the available trainings scroll down
STEP 2
4-Day In-Person Immersion
After completing module 4 you can apply to attend a 4-day in-person immersion, for hands on forest therapy guiding experience with trainers and fellow students. You have two years time to complete this step.
STEP 3
Get Your Certification
After completing the 6-month remote training and the 4-day in- person immersion, you will receive your permanent certification as an ANFT Certified Forest Therapy Guide and be part of the largest Forest Therapy Guide Community Worldwide.