DESTINATION CAMPS
ADVENTURE + EXCEL
Gain some ground.
Explore while progressing with camps around the world.
Costa Rican Adventure
Who: Intermediate +, Advanced, Advanced + Co-ed
Options for the Intermediate rider available, contact us to discuss!
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When: February 2nd - 9th, 2024 / 7 nights, 8 days*
*Custom camp dates available upon request!
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Where: Barva/Heredia/Providencia, Costa Rica
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Joining in: San Jose, Costa Rica
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Landing cost: $2450 USD / person
*EARLY BIRD PRICING 10% off until September 1st, 2023
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Coaches: Katrina Strand and Claire Buchar.
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Host: Adventure Meraki
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Come experience the natural wonders of Costa Rica with this coached mountain bike adventure! Coached by leading professionals Katrina Strand and Claire Buchar, and coordinated by Adventure Meraki, this camp promises a week of coaching, learning, progressing, laughing and EXPLORING!
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This week is designed to give you the adventure of a lifetime while transforming your riding! Expect to:
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Explore single track that weaves through the jungle of the most biodiverse country on the planet.
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Shuttle to trails that boast over 3,000 feet of descending.
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Enjoy local food and hospitality throughout your stay.
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Learn or revisit the foundations to ensure body postioning is ultimately adapting to the ever changing off road terrain.
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Discover basic to advanced braking techniques that will allow you to safely take on more difficult features and grade.
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Learn new techniques and manoeuvres that will expand your toolkit of skills.
Unsure if you’d qualify as 'Intermediate + to Advanced +’? Check out our ability levels HERE!
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What's included
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Guiding and coaching by leading professionals
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Lodging in beautiful accommodation close to the trails
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Three daily meals
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All transportation and shuttles to to and from trails
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Airport transfers for group on scheduled days only
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What's not included
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Airfare and other travel fees
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Personal travel and medical insurance
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Your bike and equipment
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Tips for guides and locals
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​Spending money
Bike and equipment recommendations
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Although this camp uses a shuttle system to access most terrain, a downhill bike is not recommended. A full suspension trail bike (150-170 mm of travel) is best for this adventure. A half lid helmet and/or full face is mandatory and gloves, glasses, backpack or hip pack and knee pads as a minimum for armour are highly recommended.
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Bike rentals are available for an additional cost and must be booked ahead of time.
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Itinerary
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Day 1: Arrival in San Jose, Travel to accommodation in Heredia, Costa Rica.
This day you will be picked up by your driver at the San Jose airport. Snacks and drinks will be waiting for you as we take a short journey to your accommodation. The rest of the day will be spent building bikes, relaxing and unwinding. Over dinner, we will discuss plans, review safety and go over any all questions you may have for a big week of adventuring and learning!
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Day 2: Ride ‘Adventure Park’, Heredia
Today, we ride from our accommodation to ‘Adventure Park’. Adventure park boasts several trails that will feel familiar to those that have done any North American bike park riding with flowy terrain, wooden features, and world class pumptrack.
A great place for coaches to assess your riding alongside helping you to build on and refine your skills!
Day 3: Ride ‘Adventure Park, Heredia
Another amazing day in this mountain bike paradise! Plenty of trails to keep us entertained for a second day, and more opportunities to learn from your coaches!
Day 4: Travel day
Today we make our way to Providencia, our next riding location. Expect a scenic jungle drive through the mountains that may offer wildlife sightings!
Day 5: Ride Providencia
Big day ahead! We shuttle the trails all day, with some descents dropping as much as 3,000 feet! Expect to work on and refine your body positioning and braking techniques on steeper terrain.
Day 6: Ride Providencia
Another big day of shuttling, riding, exploring, learning and challenging ourselves! Check out the vast coffee fields of Costa Rica alongside sampling local fruit.
Day 7: Travel day
Today we travel back to our base camp accommodation in Heredia via Costa Rican beaches. View salt water crocks from the famous Tarcoles bridge!
Day 8: Transfer to San Jose
Time to pack it up for your flight home; your driver will bring you to San Jose for your scheduled departure time. Pura Vida!
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Trip Deposit/Cancellation policy
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Trip deposit
A per person deposit of $700 USD for scheduled trips is collected at the time of registration. Deposits may be made by wire transfer, money order or a major credit card(Visa or MasterCard). Deposits for scheduled trips are refundable up to 10 days after registering(when booking 90 days or more in advance), after the 14 days, deposits are non-refundable, but your deposit is held and can be used towards a future trip deposit in case of a cancellation. When booking 90 days or less prior to a trip start date, the full trip balance, including any add on's, will be due at the time of registering.
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Cancellations
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Within 10 days of receiving your registration (and outside of the 90 day pre-trip window) your full deposit of $700 USD per person will be refunded.
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After 10 days your $700 USD per person trip deposit is non-refundable. But, you never lose your deposit with Meraki Adventures as they will save it for another adventure in the future.
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When full balance is paid at 90 days before the trip start date, 50% may be refunded up to 60 days prior, 25% refunded up to 30 days prior, after that the trip is NON-REFUNDABLE but you can roll your money into a future trip.
Desert Skills Retreat // UTAH
Who: Beginner/Intermediate/Intemediate +/Advanced. Ladies only.
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When:
Intermediate+ +/Advanced: April 24th-28th, 2024
Beginner/Intermediate: April 18th-22nd
4 nights/5 days
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Where: Great Hurricane area, Utah
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Joining in: Hurricane, Utah
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Landing cost: $2495 USD / person
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Coaches: Katrina Strand and Julie Hanen
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Host: Ride the Earth
Julie and Katrina have come together to create an epic gathering for women mountain bikers in the heart of the desert southwest!
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This 5 day experience is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get together with an incredible group of women, ride bikes in the sun, and build skills together! Expect to:
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Transform you riding with on trail skills coaching in the heart of the desert southwest.
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Immerse yourself in the breathtaking beauty of desert mesas, jaw-dropping landscapes, and vast expanses of natural wonders.
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Rest & Recover with healthy meals provided by our private chef
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Relax at the end of the day with poolside cocktails & unique workshops
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Revitalize with private yoga sessions and connect with like-minded women
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Elevate your riding techniques, boost your confidence, and open up a world of thrilling possibilities on two wheels
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Unsure what your level is? Check out our ability levels HERE!
Trip Details and Destination Info
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HEAD ON OVER HERE for information on:
What's included, what's not included, trip add ons, skills & fitness, trip start/end info, accommodations & food, packing list & bike packing essentials, getting there & away, visas & entry, money, health & safety, and trip insurance.
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Itinerary*
*Expect slight variations in itinerary between the two retreats.
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Day 1: Welcome to SW Utah!
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We are so excited to share this experience with you! This trip starts and ends in the quaint town of Hurricane, Utah. You can get here by flying to Las Vegas and taking a shuttle or you can fly directly to the St George Airport. Check out the Trip Details and Destination Info for the full trip logistics and information. Once you arrive and get settled in, join the group to build bikes and get to know one another.
After you’re unpacked and settled into your space for the trip, the group will meet on the patio for a welcome party. We’ll review our incredible itinerary, set intentions for the week, build our bikes (with hands on tips and tricks to share!), and enjoy some local beverages and food. We’ll have tools, pumps, and extra hands for anyone needing assistance assembling their bikes.
Head to bed early for a good night’s sleep and get ready for our amazing adventure ahead!
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Day 2: Desert Skills, Yoga and Poolside Cocktails
Kick off your morning with breakfast overlooking the desert landscape. We will provide in house breakfast so everyone can get a healthy start to each day. *(Note: There will be food options available for all dietary needs.)
This morning we’ll head to the famous Gooseberry Mesa and kick off our trip riding the Wire Mesa loop. This newer trail is an intermediate loop with fun flowy segments speckled with fun, technical slickrock sections…the perfect warm up to southern Utah mountain biking. We will stop to session at select areas on the trail and spend the morning working on skills, with pro tips from expert coaches, that will make your desert riding experience that much more fun!
After our ride, we'll have a picnic lunch near the trailhead then head down the road to ride, what Bike Magazine voted as one of flowiest trails in America – the JEM trail. This trail network has a variety of options, so we’ll pick one of our favorites, and show you why this trail is such an awesome topper to the day.
After an incredible day of riding, we’ll return to our home for a relaxing yoga session and poolside cocktails. Dinner will be provided for the group tonight by our in-house private chef.
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Day 3: Mesa Riding, Rock Rolls and Post Ride Workshop
Today we will offer an early morning yoga session before enjoying our group breakfast. We have another big day of riding today, so we want to set you up for success. After breakfast, we’ll hit the road and head to the world class trail network of Gooseberry Mesa. We’ll spend the whole day riding one of Southern Utah’s best mountain bike trail systems. Fun technical climbs, epic slickrock descents and views that will leave you wanting more!
This is a big day, so we’ll take our lunch with us on the trail. We’ll plan to be out riding for 6+ hours and have lunch at an incredible point along the trail with amazing views. Note: There is an option for some of the group to ride a shorter loop and the rest of the group to ride the full big day option.
After this amazing day out on the trail, we’ll head back for an ice-cold beverage, fist bumps and relish in an amazing day on the trails! After a quick dip in the pool, we will group up for an extraordinary workshop. This workshop will provide a unique roundtable experience with facilitated discussions around select topics such as fear, recovering your headspace after a fall, and how to expand your comfort zone on two wheels.
We will top off this incredible day with a spectacular group dinner provided just for our group. Enjoy some much-needed R&R and get ready for another extraordinary day of riding tomorrow!
Day 4: Lands of the Anasazi
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After breakfast, join the group and travel to Little Creek Mesa for a full day of riding.
Boasting 20+ miles of technical slickrock and singletrack, Little Creek Mesa Trail will not disappoint. This area is known for its rich history as well as its archaeological significance. It’s also known for being an area where riders get lost on their ride! There’s something magical about riding a trail that is off the beaten track, hard to find, and hard to follow - and our Guides know it like the back of their hand (BTWs!).
We’ll follow cairns through this incredible desert ride with incredible views towards Gooseberry Mesa and the Pine Valley Mountains. We'll stop for a lunch break mid-trail, as this epic ride is known to take anywhere from 4-6 hours. Then we’ll continue our journey through the historical lands of the Virgin Anasazi as we loop our way back to the start, where cold beverages will be waiting for trailhead celebrations.
We’ll return to our lodging in time to stretch, shower and relax before settling into an intimate evening with a final dinner provided by our chef. Bon Appetit!
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Day 5: Morning Yoga, Breakfast and Return HomeTime to say farewell! Till next time . . .
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Rise and shine for one last yoga session together. We'll waken our bodies with the rising sun and then enjoy a final breakfast together overlooking the desert.
With gratitude, high fives, and newfound friends, it's time to say farewell...until next time!
Thanks for riding southern Utah with us! We hope to ride with you again…
