PUERTO VIEJO SURFING FREE

Kristin is the perfect example of what a difference a responsible business can make for the community when they take tangible steps to do so. She hosts a weekly CommUNITY Karma Yoga Class, a donation-based class that goes entirely to a local, community-based project. She is in the process of creating a discounted yoga teacher-training program that local members of the community can actually afford. She has helped to organize a weekly organic produce pick-up from local farmers. What’s even better, Kristin has been influential in giving back to the local community. Joy radiates from Kirstin, and to see someone so fully pursuing her dreams is inspiring. Kristin will be the first to tell you that the journey hasn’t always been easy, but there’s no doubt that she is following her dharma. It became the first fully functioning yoga and health center in Puerto Viejo at a time when the town was still largely considered the Wild West of Costa Rica. In her mid-twenties, Kristin felt compelled to move to Puerto Viejo and build Om from the ground up. Kristin is an incredible woman, and her story is an inspiring one.

However, we did quickly become friends with Kristin, the owner of Om, as well as the work-exchange volunteers they would be the ones to immediately accept us into the community and introduce us to its members. We didn’t get to know a whole lot of the other travelers staying at the hostel. What better way to end a class of yoga than that? In addition to the yoga classes, Om offers a variety of guided adventure activities, such as surfing and hiking.

PUERTO VIEJO SURFING FREE

Not only do all your orders come with a sliver of dark chocolate, you can also sample all their chocolate bar varieties in the free tasting room. Caribeans has some of the best chocolate we’ve ever tasted, sourced from local raw cacao. If you’re not interested in yoga, this is reason enough to stay at Om. On the first floor of Om is a separate but closely related establishment, Caribeans. Most of the people who stay at Om are there for the close proximity to the yoga classes offered twice daily on a gorgeous terrace overlooking the jungle and ocean. The hostel is small, with three private rooms and one dormitory, and a fully equipped kitchen. If it wasn’t for our stay at Om, we’re not sure we would have left Puerto Viejo with such strong feelings of attachment. But the best part about Cocles is easily the community feel that reverberates through it.Īt the heart of the community is Om, a yoga studio and hostel.

Cocles is a quiet neighborhood, but its proximity to Puerto Viejo puts bars, restaurants, and shops right at your fingertips-without being in the center of the noise or seediness the town has a reputation for. In addition to its ideal location, the waves are perfect for surfing, especially when the legendary Salsa Brava sweeps through, beckoning surfers from every corner of the globe. Just a ten-minute bike ride outside the town of Puerto Viejo and the first in a strip of four beautiful beaches lining the coast, Cocles Beach encompasses a bit of everything we love. When we arrived at the small neighborhood of Cocles Beach, we knew we had found a gem. You can imagine that being in a place like Costa Rica is in many senses a dream come true. I think it’s this need to be near the water that has us on an unconscious journey to discover the best beaches aroun d the world. When we feel lost or confused or overwhelmed, simply being near the sea restores and replenishes us, inspires and heals us. There’s something about the ocean that has the power to lift the soul. No matter what you say about it, there is always that which you can’t.”

It defies all attempts to capture it with words and rejects all shackles.

Puerto viejo surfing