Pura Vida Pickleball Retreat by Navigo Sports Tours Set for Jan 2026

Navigo Sports Tours ran its Pura Vida Pickleball vacation in Costa Rica from Jan. 24–31, 2026, offering players a travel-forward week that combined on-court time with a roster of landmark excursions. The trip billed itself as an 8-day/7-night curated pickleball experience that aimed to pair guided play with the country’s signature outdoor attractions.

The trip listing and itinerary materials describe a structured pickleball program alongside afternoon activities. One promotional summary lists “16 hours (four court days) of guided pickleball sessions.” The day-by-day itinerary on the booking platform lays out morning court time in 3-hour blocks, noting, “Our first pickleball experience will consist of 3 total hours of play. The first hour will be open play, the second hour will feature a certified instructor to offer tips and suggestions as requested, and the third hour will also be open play.” Players were to be grouped “according to skill level or with others they requested in advance to play with.”

Beyond the courts, participants followed a tight activity schedule. Arrival was in San José, with a coffee plantation visit and tasting on the first day and a Poás Volcano adventure listed as a later afternoon. Testimonials and promotional text list ziplining, a volcano hike, a cooking class, a national park tour for sloth and birdwatching, a crocodile river tour, and scenic beach time. Navigo’s marketing copy invited travelers to “immerse yourself in the local culture through sightseeing, excursions, and engaging activities like pasta-making or dance classes,” positioning the trip as both active and social.

Participant feedback furnished tangible color and staff praise. Vaneta McAlexander wrote, “I can’t say enough good things about our Navigo Sports Tours pickleball vacation to Costa Rica! The trip was jam-packed with fun things to do including zip lining, a volcano hike, a cooking class, a national park tour, a crocodile river tour, and more! All this and 4 days of friendly pickleball too! The arrangements went off without a hitch. Not an easy thing to do with such a busy itinerary. Kudos to our tour director David, our local guide Maiko,l and our driver Mario. I can’t wait to book another tour with Navigo Pickleball Vacations!” Another testimonial paragraph lists the same excursions and ends mid-sentence in the supplied text: “…let them manage the curvy mountain roads and traffic while the local tour guide gives you an intimate”

Promotional partners played a role in outreach and pricing incentives. Villagers Pickleball Trips promoted the departure and offered members a $100 discount using promo code VPT at checkout, and provided an info line and email contact listed as info@villagerspickleballtrips.com. Navigo’s copy also promoted flexible payment with the phrase, “All it takes to join is a deposit, and then you can pay over time until [...]” but did not supply deposit amounts or payment deadlines in the materials reviewed.

Several operational details remain unclear from the public listings. The itinerary language and the promotional summary conflict numerically: four court days totaling 16 hours conflicts with repeated 3-hour session descriptions that would total 12 hours across four days. Instructor credentials, exact hours per court day, final pricing, deposit amounts and the full “what’s included” list were not provided in the materials supplied.

For players considering pickleball travel, this retreat signaled a strong mix of social play and sightseeing and showed that non-playing companions were explicitly welcome. Verify the final court schedule, instructor-led hours, total guided time and payment terms with Navigo before booking, and use the Villagers promo code VPT if eligible to retain the $100 member discount.