The guide outlines the process of setting up a MongoDB playground using Daytona, an isolated environment for developers to experiment, test, and develop without impacting their main projects. Daytona simplifies the process by providing pre-configured environments, collaborative workspaces, containerized environments, reverse proxy support, and customization options. The setup involves creating a dev container, Dockerfile, and docker-compose.yml file, initializing and committing code in a GitHub repository, and using Daytona to build the playground. Once set up, developers can interact with the MongoDB playground using the Mongo Shell or the official MongoDB extensions for VS Code. The guide also addresses common issues and provides troubleshooting tips.