Join us on a unique adventure the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, to learn about the local indigenous connection with cacao.
You'll be guided by Soul Lift Cacao founder Nick Meador and local Cabecar and BriBri indigenous guide India Mayorga, on a six-day journey that would be impossible to access on your own. (More info on the organizers below)
This will be a mix of ceremony, cultural immersion, and ethical tourism in the lush tropical rainforest of Ará (the local indigenous name for this area).
Here's your chance to go deeper into the magic of Costa Rica, to experience first-hand the ancient history of cacao and how it relates to their Cosmovision (the way they understand their place in the physical and metaphysical universe).
TOUR DATES: Nov 2-8, 2025
TRIP INCLUDES:
- Tour of Puerto Viejo: downtown, jaguar sanctuary, local cacao cultivation
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Cacao & fungi medicine ceremony
-
2-day Immersion in the Bri Bri territory
- River boat and hike into the jungle
- Traditional cacao spirituality
- Cosmovision, storytelling, fire and songs
- Traditional arts & crafts
- Beach time!
- Six (6) nights lodging starting the night of Nov 2
- Ground transportation (starting and ending in San Jose, Costa Rica)
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Meals
- Vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options
- Some organized meals will only be vegetarian due to limited food supplies in rural Costa Rica
- Due to the unpredictable nature of travel in a developing country, organized meals happen 2-3 times per day during the tour. Participants will have the option to bring snacks or find more food. There will be no refunds for missed meals.
ITINERARY (More detail added as we get closer): *
- Sat, Nov 1 - Find your own lodging in San Jose, Costa Rica (note: if you'll alredy be in Puerto Viejo, just let us know)
- Sun, Nov 2 - Morning bus ride from San Jose to Puerto Viejo, check in at lodging, tour downtown,
- Mon, Nov 3 - Morning beach time, visit Jaguar Sanctuary. Late afternoon: Cacao + low-dose fungi medicine ceremony
- Tues, Nov 4 - Beginning 2-day BriBri territory immersion. Cacao farm tour.
- Weds, Nov 5 - Boat ride deeper into the territory, hike to village. Storytelling & songs around the fire.
- Thurs, Nov 6 - Visit a "cosmic house" and meet an elder. Afternoon: arts & crafts. Return to Puerto Viejo.
- Fri, Nov 7 - Morning beach time. Tour a more modern cacao farm (alt: take free time).
- Sat, Nov 8 - Group bus ride back to San Jose (or stay in Puerto Viejo longer if you want)
Note: Specific activities and lodgings are subject to change as plans for the tour become refined, and also due to factors out of our control. We are doing our best to represent the essence of the tour and what it will involve. We will update the group of any alterations to the plan. If in the unlikely chance that a whole day has to be cut from the itinerary, a partial refund would be issued to participants.
AREA OF TRAVEL:
Map coming soon
GROUND TRANSPORTATION:
- A private bus will take our group from one destination to the next
- We will take a riverboat and then hike into the territory (a backpack will be needed for this part)
- In some cases we'll take "tuk tuks" or a "colectivo" pickup truck for short distances
REGISTRATION – LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS
Shared Lodging - $1899 USD per person (NOTE: There are spots for 3 individuals in the shared dome. Couples can share a bell tent and this is the price per person.)
Private Individual - $2099 USD per person (NOTE: This is for a private bell tent when we're in Puerto Viejo. In the Bri Bri territory, there will not likely be private lodging. It will be a mix of hammocks and simple beds.)
• Payment can be all at once, or you can save your spot with a $600 deposit.
• Payments by credit/debit card, Venmo, or Paypal are subject to a 2.91% service fee. If you need us to take credit card info over the phone, the service fee is 3.5% due to higher payment processing charges. Options to avoid the fee include paying by Zelle or wire transfer.
• NOTE: ShopPay automatic installments are not an option for registration.
Whichever option you choose, if starting with a deposit in advance, the full trip balance will be due by Oct 2, 2025.
• Because we have to pay deposits to reserve lodging and other activities, registration is non-refundable. Please look into trip insurance if you have any concerns.
ABOUT NICK MEADOR
Since 2016 Nick has been traveling throughout Central America connecting with cacao farms, collectives, and experts. He founded Soul Lift Cacao to create a positive impact in the world by helping Mayan collectives share their cacao in the U.S. and beyond.
On top of that, Nick has been on a path of facilitation, leadership, and self-development for more than a decade. He has trained in various traditions, schools, and lineages for healing and self-development, and looks for the parallels that tie them together.
Nick created the Soul Lift Cacao Method to provide an ethical and responsible way to share ceremonial cacao in modern settings, and to create safe containers for transformational journeys. He has been training people to share cacao on their own since 2017.
This will be the eighth cacao and culture tour that Nick has organized.
ABOUT INDIA MAYORGA
India Mayorga is a visionary holistic therapist, ancestral healing guide, and sacred ceremonialist walking the path of remembrance through indigenous wisdom and sacred medicine. Born in Costa Rica and raised between worlds, India carries the blood memory of her Cabécar-Bribri lineage and Celtic-Norse ancestry — two traditions rooted in Earth reverence and spiritual stewardship. Her journey with cacao began over a decade ago on her ancestral lands, not as a trend, but as a call to return to the medicine of the heart, to the stories of her people, and to the sacredness of reciprocity.
Cacao became India’s teacher long before it became her offering. Guided by elders and shaped by direct experience in ceremony, she began to understand cacao not just as a plant, but as a living spirit — one that opens the heart, softens the edges of trauma, and reawakens the original memory encoded in our bones. Through her deep relationship with the land and the cacao grown in Talamanca, she facilitates ceremonies rooted in indigenous cosmology and trauma-informed care. She also works with psilocybin and other sacred medicines in intentional, integrative spaces that invite personal and collective healing.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Extensive consideration will be taken for health and safety at every step of the tour.
Costa Rica is widely considered safe and stable in the context of Latin America.
One factor to consider will be food and water. It’s important to only drink purified water and eat food in clean establishments. All arranged meals on the trip will take this onto consideration.
Please consult a medical professional if you are curious about potential inoculations and other health considerations for the trip.
ETHICS
Nick Meador is of mixed European heritage and not of indigenous Latin American descent. So he puts a lot of effort into making sure his work is ethical and responsible. Nick works in close partnership with indigenous teachers and cacao workers in an ongoing effort to bridge cacao into the modern world. It's all based on direct, consensual relationship, and an attitude of curiosity about this special plant that has changed Nick's life so profoundly, particularly on his path of healing from chronic illness. As an American who started traveling to Central America in 1996, and who has a deep background in facilitation, Nick is in a fitting position to lead this tour for Americans and people from other Western countries. The intention is to bring positive impact for both visitors and our local hosts, while minimizing or eliminating potential harm. Feel free to write to hello@soulliftcacao.com with any questions.
LODGING PHOTOS (details subject to change)
Puerto Viejo - Nemetona Sacred Space
Soki - in the BriBri indigenous territory (photos coming)
