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7 Day Family Surf Camp

The Bodhi Family Surf Camp is a week-long family vacation that balances fun and education. Learn to surf, experience the local culture and Costa Rican cuisine, and connect to the local community. Create life-long family memories you will talk about for years to come.

Bodhi Family

7 Day Family Surf Camp Includes

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Lodging

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5 nights at the Bodhi Lodge

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1 night in a San Jose hotel

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Lessons

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5 surf lessons

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Meals

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5 breakfasts

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3 dinners

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Snacks at surf lessons

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Meals

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5 breakfasts

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3 dinners

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Snacks at surf lessons

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Activities

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Walking tour of Bahia Ballena

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Waterfall visit

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Activities

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Walking tour of Bahia Ballena

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Waterfall visit

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Transportation

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Round trip transportation between San Jose and Bodhi Lodge

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Shuttle service from San Jose airport to San Jose hotel

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Other

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National park entrance fees for surf lessons

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Travelers' Philanthropy donation

Pricing

Prices are in USD; per person, per lodging option. Children under 6 years of age are free of charge

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Adults

(Guests 12 years of age and older)

Starting at $1,795.00/person

(includes 13% VAT)

Price depends on lodging option selected.

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Children

(6 to 11 years of age)

$795.00/person

(includes 13% VAT)

Price stays the same regardless of lodging option.

Accomodations

Room Amistad

$1,795.00/person (+13% VAT)

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2 Guests

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1 Bath

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A private room with two single beds that can accommodate up to 2 guests. Room Amistad is located on a second story above the dining area, Alegria. It is a great option for friends traveling together.

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2 Individual Beds

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1 Private Bathroom

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Comfortably Sleeps 2

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Max capacity: 2 Adults or 2 Children

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Room Armonia

$1,795.00/person (+13% VAT)

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2 Guests

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1 Bath

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A private hotel-style room with a full-sized bed which can accommodate up to 2 people. Armonia is located on a second story, above the dining area, Alegria. It is the best choice for solo travelers.

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1 full-sized bed

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1 private bathroom

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Comfortably sleeps 2

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Max capacity: 2 adults

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Bungalow Espiritu

$1,995.00/person (+13% VAT)

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2 Guests

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1 Bath

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An independent studio-style bungalow that contains one queen bed and a small kitchenette. The perfect choice for a couple.

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1 Queen size bed

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1 private bathroom

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Comfortably sleeps 2

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Max capacity: 2 adults

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Bungalow Gratitud

$1,995.00/person (+13% VAT)

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4 Guests

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1 Bath

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Gratitud has one queen bed, two single beds, one daybed and a well-equipped kitchenette. It is the best choice for a family or group up to 4 people.

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3 beds + 1 daybed

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1 private bathroom

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Can comfortably fit 4 adults

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Max capacity: 4 adults + 1 child

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Room Dharma

$1,795.00/person (+13% VAT)

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2 Guests

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1 Bath

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A private hotel-style room with a full-sized bed and day bed that can accommodate up to 2 people. Dharma is located on a second story, above Bodhi’s office area. This is a great option for solo traveler or a couple to enjoy.

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1 bed + 1 daybed

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1 private bathroom

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Can comfortably fit 2 adults or 2 children

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Max capacity: 2 adults | 2 children

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Room Karma

$1,795.00/person (+13% VAT)

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2-3 Guests

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1 Bath

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A private hotel-style room with a full-sized bed and a single bed that accommodates up to 3 adults or 2 adults and a child. Karma is located on a second story, above Bodhi’s working area. This is a great option for friends or parents traveling with their child.

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2 beds

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1 private bathroom

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Can comfortably fit 3 adults/children

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Max capacity: 3 adults/children

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Ready to visit?

Spaces are limited to 10 guests per week

What Guests Have To Say

lisa

Absolutely delightful people and so thoughtful of every detail. Clean spaces, welcoming and uncluttered, tastefully decorated with awareness of minimal impact and waste. The surf teachers…where do I begin? Articulate, professional, skilled, patient, intuitive…They artfully connected with my prickly teen to end up hearing her share her gratitude for their patience with her in a group setting at the end. So grateful they slow down to prioritize these key moments. They work hard to put their hearts into this and succeed in making it more than just a business. It feels like we made friends and could pull up there tomorrow to be welcomed with open arms.

LISA P.

Illinois, USA

Our family of four, two adults and two kids, visited Bodhi last month. All four of us came away exhilarated. It is a special place and there's a lot of things that go into making it so - the people, the yoga, the food, the surf lessons, the amazing ocean, the general aesthetic of the space…but really, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Miraculously, the Bodhi team managed to enrich each of us, each with diverse interests - techie dad, yogini mom, sporty son and bookworm daughter. And to make things better, they do it while caring for the environment, caring for the piece of land and ocean they're living off of and caring for their local community. It's inspiring.

RASHEE R.

California, USA
toby

We are a family of four with boys ages 11 and 14. We discovered Bodhi while searching for family surf camps, and we are so incredibly glad we found them. They were a perfect fit for us and we had such a great experience that we have already booked our next vacation with them! The grounds and accommodations are relaxing and comfortable. The staff are warm and welcoming, and we made friends with them almost immediately. We booked a family surf camp, but Bodhi was very flexible in having Anki do add-on yoga classes for the adults when we had enough energy. The food was great, and not having every meal provided actually works out really well - it encouraged us to explore the community and connect.

TOBY R.

Alaska, USA
alexis

My partner and I travelled with our 9 year old and 5 year old and our friends with their 9 year old. Some of us usually vacation camping and some of us usually vacation in fancy resorts and we were all delighted by what Bodhi Surf and Yoga had to offer. The staff took such good care of us, was flexible with our schedules and plans and helped us to coordinate additional outings like a rainforest night hike. The surf instruction was wonderful. I definitely improved my surfing skills and confidence about 200%. Spencer and Travis teach not only the skills of surfing but also the joy of surfing. Adrianne was amazing with the kids in water. Mostly our little ones wanted to enjoy the ocean and were less interested in surfing. Both Adrianne and Spencer were able to go with the flow with our kids. As a parent it was nice to be able to focus on my surfing knowing my kids were safe and having fun.

ALEXIS J.

California, USA
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Best Surf School For The Whole Family

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Bodhi Surf + Yoga is the place to visit if your family wants to learn how to surf. Alongside patient, experienced, and International Surf Association-certified surf instructors who also have First Aid and CRP, you will learn to surf in a safe and pristine classroom: Costa Rica's lovely Marino Ballena National Park. With a sandy bottom, shallow water, and spilling waves, our local beach "Playa Chaman" is truly the most optimal place for your daily surf lessons to take place.

At Bodhi Surf + Yoga, our surf curriculum focuses on fostering mastery and independence. All of our students start out on soft top surfboards and learn how to choose optimal waves for themselves. We have a 5:1 student to instructor ratio, and it is typical for children under 12 to have their own surf instructor to further highlight safety and personalized learning.

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Learning and Adventure

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Our goals at Bodhi Surf + Yoga are to keep your family safeengaged, and learning on your week-long surf camp. Costa Rica is an amazing natural paradise and the perfect place to have an adventure. Your surf lessons will occur in a natural paradise where it is not uncommon to see all sorts of marine animals: fish, crabs, sand dollars, sea stars, sea snails, pelicans, monkeys, and scarlet macaws, to name a few. We teach the fundamentals of surfing and highlight environmental awareness all while connecting your minds, bodies, and spirits.

At Bodhi Surf + Yoga, our biggest aim is to awaken purpose; to help your family have physical, mental, and spiritual "a-hah!" moments of inspiration and achievement; and to facilitate a truly soul-gratifying (perhaps even life-changing) family surf vacation! We delight in providing memorable adventures that facilitate learning, laughing, and growth.

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A Company That Cares

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Bodhi Surf + Yoga does business differently, and we are proud to have earned our B Corp Certification in 2016 for our long-established Corporate Responsibility program. When you visit us, you will engage with the Bahia Ballena community in a way that simply wouldn’t happen at just any hotel or all-inclusive resort, through measures like the Travelers’ Philanthropy Program and our Community Walking Tour. By way of our surf lesson philosophy and Ocean Guardian program, you will [re]connect with nature and the ocean, allowing you to consider concrete actions that you can take when you return home to make our world a better place!

What to expect

Best Family Surf Camp Experience

Healthy & Delicious Meals

A Taste of Bodhi for the Family

Add an Experience for the Family

Add an Experience for the Family

Coral

Visit
Coral Reef Restoration Project

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David's
Coconut Farm
Tour

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Learn More
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Las Alturas Wildlife
Sanctuary

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Learn More

Bodhi Family Surf Camp FAQS

Bodhi Surf + Yoga's 7 Day Bodhi Family Surf Camp is a week of learning, relaxation, and family fun in a beautiful, safe, coastal community. It will provide your family everything you need to have a remarkable vacation that you can feel good about and remember for years to come.

This week-long camp will provide your family with ample resources (knowledge, tools, and time) to develop your surf skillset. When you are not participating in surfing, you can be relaxing at our beautiful lodge, connect to both nature and our quaint community, and explore what this beautiful part of Costa Rica has to offer via one of the many tours or activities available.

We abide by the motto of "small is beautiful", and can only host up to ten people per week at our lodge. Moreover, in this intimate surf and yoga camp setting, owners (and their children) and staff are the ones sharing in your Costa Rica surfing and yoga experience with you.

Our operations are based out of a small town that is still relatively untouched by large-scale tourism, and we work together with our fellow community-members to keep Bahia Ballena beautiful and have it serve as a positive example.

We are committed to sustainable tourism: community involvement and environmental awareness are part of your experience with Bodhi Surf + Yoga. Finally, we are the first ever surf and yoga camp in the world to earn B Corp certification!

One week of Bodhi Family Surf Camp includes: 

  • 5 nights at Bodhi Lodge
  • 1 night at a hotel in San Jose
  • 5 surf lessons
  • 3 group dinners
  • 5 breakfasts
  • Round trip transportation (SJ-Bodhi-SJ)
  • Waterfall visit
  • Snacks during surf sessions
  • Guided walking tour of Bahia Ballena
  • National Park entrance fees

Click here for our Ultimate Guide to Preparing for the Bodhi Family Surf Camp week.

The Bodhi Family Surf Camp is seven days, yet it can be done back-to-back. If your family has the ability to stay for the full two weeks, it will offer you the best opportunity to really delve into surfing. After 7 days, students are just starting to catch green, unbroken waves, so dedicating another week offers a great opportunity to master that skill set. After a week, your family will have relaxed into the pace of life in this small, coastal Costa Rican town. Having another week allows you all to go deeper into the place you're in, but also the vacation version of yourselves (AKA too blessed to be stressed!)

Costa Rica is a very safe country indeed. As a more developed country than its other Central American neighbors, it does not struggle as much as its neighboring countries with issues such as poverty, crime, and other problems that often coexist with the development stage.

Costa Rica is a very safe and family-friendly country with plenty of family activities, child-friendly accommodations, and more. Here are a few safety tips to read up on ahead of your trip.

Moreover, it is very clean and the water is potable in much of the country (such as in Bahia Ballena!) which greatly helps prevent food-borne illnesses.

Check out our full packing list here.

There are a ton of activities and tours you can participate in - our area really is a playground for the adventurous and outdoorsy types - yet there are also plenty of cultural activities as well. Our area has so much to do for all budgets, travel styles, and levels of desired activity. You can read more about some of the most popular activities here. Needless to say, your family will absolutely not get bored here.

The food at the Bodhi Surf + Yoga lodge aims to check all of these boxes: filling, nutritious, healthy, locally-sourced, home-made, fresh, and delicious. The Bodhi Surf + Yoga team members are also avid foodies and strive to serve food that exceeds guests' expectations - including kids! Bodhi Surf + Yoga is able to cater to specific dietary restrictions such as vegetarian, pescatarian, vegan, gluten-free, lactose-free, nut-free, etc.

There are many restaurants in the Bahia Ballena - Uvita area, with several delicious options within a 10-minute walk. There are also more places to eat popping up every year. If you don't feel like walking, you can also look into renting bikes or take taxis.

While it is not required to have a car for your stay at Bodhi Surf + Yoga, if you have very young children, or want to participate in tours and activities that will take you further than the Bahia Ballena - Uvita area, we would recommend renting a car. We would suggest you do that once here in Bahia Ballena, as transportation from the airport and back is included in your vacation package price.

Again, it is not required: transportation to all scheduled activities is included, and most everything else you need is accessible by foot (restaurants, shops, banks, etc.). Bike rentals and taxis are also available for those families for whom walking will be a bit too complicated.

The Bodhi Surf + Yoga lodge is located approximately one mile / 1.8km (15-20 minutes walking-distance) from either the Punta Uvita (Whale Tail) or Playa Chaman (Bodhi Surf + Yoga's surf beach) park entrances. For surf lessons, we drive all together, which takes about 5 minutes.

Saturday of arrival: You can arrive to San Jose, Costa Rica anytime on Saturday as you’ll be staying that night at the Adventure Inn Hotel (or something similar) located in the quiet and safe neighborhood of Ciudad Cariari, only ten minutes from the SJO airport. Please note that your shuttle from the airport to Adventure Inn Hotel is included. 

At 9 am on Sunday, your transportation provider will pick you up from the Adventure Inn Hotel and you’ll make your way to Bodhi Surf + Yoga. 

At 3:30 pm on Friday, you will depart Bodhi Surf + Yoga for San Jose, Costa Rica. We recommend that you spend that Friday night at the Adventure Inn Hotel. The Adventure Inn is a great option for you and you can use the promo code: BodhiSurfYoga to receive a small, but meaningful discount. 

PLEASE NOTE: Your return flight home can be for any time the following Saturday as you will depart Bodhi Surf + Yoga around 3:30 pm on Friday.

 

The Impact Beyond Our Shores

Follow Bodhi surf + yoga:

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Spaces are limited to 10 guests per week