We went to an escapist paradise festival deep in the jungles of Costa Rica, and here is what we learned.
It’s Breathtakingly Beautiful
Taking place in a steamy jungle and sun soaked beach right on the coast at Rancho La Merced, there are breath taking sights everywhere you look at this festival. You’ve never seen greens as green and blues as blue as they are here. The sky is always a painting, and when the sun sets and rises it’s an experience you you never forget.
Dancing In The Jungle Feels Natural
The musical offerings at Envision come from the likes of Bob Moses, DJ Tennis, Chaim, Audiofly and Behrouz—plus plenty of local stars and live percussionists. Each act serves up a suitably organic and deep set that really chimes in the natural setting of the festival and makes us wonder if we’ll ever be able to get sweaty in a dark club ever again.
Yoga Really Is Great
It’s easy to mock hippie wannabes who suddenly buy into the yoga life. But if you give it a try, you’ll soon see it really does reset mind, body and soul. Its not a particularly cardio-vascular heavy workout, but over time yoga will strengthen your core and add a lean appeal to your muscles (and plenty of muscles you didn’t even know you had).
It’s Teeming With Wildlife
As soon as you arrive in the jungle you will be pointing out weird and wonderful animals and creatures you have never seen before. Iguanas, monkeys, crabs, sloths and much more all laze and climb about, walking the beaches and hanging from trees, totally un-phased by your presence. It’s like a real life, open door jungle.
Envision Is About Love
The whole festival is attended by friendly faces with an open heart. there is lots of eye contact between participants and instructors, and you quickly make new fiends. People tend to like to hug and tell you how much they love you, which is weird at first, but soon has a positive effect.
Natural Remedies Are A Real Alternative
Thanks to the Witches Village, we’ve really come round to the idea of natural remedies. An array of healing modalities can be found in the Healing Sanctuary, with diverse hands on therapies, energy work, sound healing and spiritual channelling that all offer alternates to western medicines. Even if they don’t work directly, buy into the idea that they will and the power of the mind to add its own placebo effect is truly amazing.
We Need To Be Better Humans
Envision 2018: photography by Manuel Pinto
The whole festival is run by seven principles of Leave No Trace. These are designed so that minimal impact is made on the festival site and they are 1. Plan Ahead and Prepare 2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces 3. Dispose of Waste Properly 4. Leave What You Find 5. Minimize Campfire Impacts 6. Respect Wildlife 7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors.
You Need To Know About Permaculture
Envision 2018: photography by Manuel Pinto
Envision takes place on one of the best permaculture farms in the world and lives by its principles. basically, it is a system of agricultural and social design based around simulating or directly using patterns and features observed in natural ecosystems. It has many branches and is integral to maintaining a sustainable way of life.
