Waterfast in PachaMama – PachaMama, Costa Rica

Waterfast in PachaMama is a fasting retreat at PachaMama Eco Village & Retreat Center in Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. It is for people curious about water fasting as an ancient practice and who want to explore what it offers in a retreat setting rather than on their own at home. The retreat runs for five days and is offered more than once during the center's open season.

What to Expect

The organizer describes the retreat as a fasting retreat in which participants explore the profound benefits of this ancient practice. The name points to a water fast, and the days are built around that single focus. Fasting asks for a quieter pace, so a retreat setting suits it: time away from ordinary routines, rest, and space to notice what comes up in the body and mind.

The material does not give a day-by-day timetable, session times or the names of the facilitators, so there is no detailed schedule to describe here. If you are weighing this retreat against other options, it is worth asking the center directly how the days are structured and who guides them.

The Setting

PachaMama is an eco village and retreat center in the tropical forest of Guanacaste, near Nicoya. It hosts a wide range of programs through the year, including meditation retreats, body cleanse programs, emotional healing workshops, yoga workshops, Red Road ceremonies and musical journeys. Its body cleanse program, a separate six-day offering, is described as combining organic juices, movement, rest and supportive therapies in the forest, which gives a sense of the center's long familiarity with cleansing and restorative work.

The center closes its doors for September and October, during Costa Rica's rainy season, so retreats here run in the other months of the year. Waterfast is scheduled in the middle of December and again in the middle of February.

Before You Go

Fasting is a real physical undertaking. If you have a medical condition, take regular medication, are pregnant or have a history of disordered eating, speak with a healthcare professional before committing to any fast, and let the center know your circumstances in advance.

The material does not list prerequisites, language of instruction, what is included or what to pack, so confirm those details with PachaMama before you travel. Nicoya and the surrounding Guanacaste region are warm and tropical, so plan for forest conditions and bring comfortable, light clothing.