How to Prepare for Your Ayahuasca Retreat
Diet, medications and mindset in the weeks before ceremony
Ayahuasca Costa Rica at a glance
- Center
- Ayahuasca Costa Rica, a family-run retreat center led by Erick Saldaña
- Location
- Mountains near San Isidro del General, Pérez Zeledón, southern Costa Rica. 3.5 to 4 hours by road from San José airport (SJO). Location and directions
- Group size
- Never more than 5 guests per retreat
- 4-day retreat
- $2,500 all-inclusive, 3 nights, 2 ayahuasca ceremonies
- 6-day retreat
- $3,800 all-inclusive, 5 nights, 3 ayahuasca ceremonies
- One-night ceremony
- $750, 1 ceremony, meals included. How it works
- Private retreats
- For your own group of up to 5, priced on request
- Included
- Accommodation, vegan organic meals, ceremonies, integration sessions, preparation materials, free pickup in San Isidro del General
- Who leads
- Erick Saldaña and his family, more than 10 years of ceremonies, lineage connected to the Bribri, Cabecar and Teribe peoples of Costa Rica. Meet the team
- Requirements
- Minimum age 21, health application reviewed before booking, 7-day plant-based diet before arrival. Screening and contraindications
- Legal status
- Taking ayahuasca in Costa Rica is not a crime; the plants and the brew are not controlled substances. What the law says
- Dates
- New retreats start every week; see upcoming dates, synced from our booking calendar on October 3, 2026
At our retreat, we understand that your journey towards transformation involves your entire being.
Preparing for an ayahuasca retreat starts about a week before you arrive: a seven-day plant-based diet with no meat, dairy, alcohol or caffeine; a review of every medication you take, some of which must be paused ahead of time with your doctor; and some quiet time to set a clear intention. What follows is exactly what we ask of every guest, and why.
Conscious nourishment and thoughtful preparation are not just guidelines; they are fundamental practices that beautifully support your deepest healing and most profound connection.
We see food as vital medicine, prepared with deep care from the rich land of Costa Rica, guiding and supporting your process every step of the way.
The Body as a Sacred Vessel
Consider your body a sacred vessel, intricately navigating the world and facilitating energetic exchange. Everything you consume and the physical activities you engage in leave an imprint, impacting your well-being on physical, mental, and energetic levels.
A clean, clear vessel is inherently more receptive and better able to receive and transmit energy. By undertaking conscious preparation, you gently help clear potential blocks and saturation, allowing for a more direct and harmonious connection with the sacred plant. This intentional 'homework' refines your energy, paving the way for deeper insight and healing during the ceremony itself.
Required Preparation Diet
To ensure your safety and gently open to the full potential of your sacred plant ceremony experience, adhering to a specific preparation diet is essential. This time-honored practice helps to purify your body and sensitize your system with care.
Beginning 7 days before your scheduled arrival, please lovingly avoid the following:
All Meats
Especially Red Meats
These carry dense, heavy energy that can weigh down the physical and energetic body.
Dairy Products
Milk, Cheese, Yogurt
Known for congesting qualities, dairy can create energetic fogginess and impede clarity.
Processed Foods
Artificial Ingredients
Devoid of vital life force, these introduce unnecessary synthetic energies.
Sugar & Salt
In Excess
These create jarring energetic spikes and crashes, disrupting inner balance.
Strong Spices
Pepper, Hot Spices
Their intense, fiery nature can create internal agitation and overstimulation.
Caffeine
Coffee, Energy Drinks
Provides artificial energy bursts that overstimulate the nervous system.
Fermented Foods
Kimchi, Kombucha
Can ignite internal restlessness and digestive discomfort.
Alcohol
All Beverages
A direct spiritual depressant, fundamentally incompatible with sacred work.
Important: Following these guidelines, deeply aligned with traditional sacred plant diets, is fundamental for your safety and to receive the fullest potential from your journey. Detailed guidelines will be provided upon booking.
Essential Lifestyle Guidelines
In addition to dietary practices, certain lifestyle considerations are crucial for cultivating your presence and engaging safely with the sacred plant ceremony:
Avoid sexual activity for at least 5 days prior to ceremony to conserve and focus your vital energy.
Avoid all recreational drugs completely.
Avoid marijuana in all forms.
Avoid cigarettes. (Organic tobacco may be permitted – please clarify with us directly).
Important Health & Medication Notice
If you are currently taking any medications (including prescription or over-the-counter drugs, even natural supplements), or have any medical or psychological conditions (such as severe asthma, severe cardiac problems, severe allergies, hypertension, mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc.), you must disclose this information fully and contact us to discuss this BEFORE booking.
Certain medications, conditions, and even some natural supplements are incompatible with sacred plant ceremonies and can pose serious risks. A thorough health review by our experienced team is an essential step in ensuring your absolute well-being.
Vibrant Nourishment: Farm-to-Table Cuisine
During your retreat with us, you will be nourished by the vibrant, pure energy of our Farm-to-Table cuisine. We lovingly prepare delicious, simple, and healthy vegan organic meals using seasonal fruits and vegetables grown locally with no pesticides.
Often, ingredients come directly from our own gardens or trusted neighboring farms, ensuring peak freshness and vitality. Every dish is prepared with intention and deep care, providing gentle, grounding sustenance that supports your inner process without burdening your system.
Please note: On ceremony days, only pure water or gentle liquids will be consumed, and necessary fasting periods are observed beforehand to ensure your physical comfort and optimal experience with the sacred plant.
Integrating Insights: Food for Grounding
As you navigate the crucial integration phase, food continues to be a powerful, supportive ally in grounding and embodying your transformation. After profound experiences, your body and mind benefit immensely from gentle, nutrient-rich, and grounding nourishment.
Our post-ceremony meals are specifically designed to help you settle, restore your energy, and support the process of gently weaving your insights and healing into the fabric of your daily life. Mindful eating during this time is an essential act of self-care that profoundly aids your integration. We provide guidance on supportive post-retreat eating practices as you return home.
Our Culinary Philosophy & Tailored Care
Our philosophy is simple yet profound: to provide food that is not only physically nourishing but also energetically vibrant and deeply supportive of your spiritual journey. We honor the earth, the plants, and the intention behind each meal, recognizing our interconnectedness with the natural world.
We are deeply committed to tailoring our meals to your specific needs, allergies, and dietary restrictions. To ensure your comfort and safety throughout your stay, it is absolutely essential that you inform us comprehensively about any requirements you have during your application or booking process.
We are here to support your well-being in every way, from the food on your plate to the space around you.
Your Preparation Timeline
Preparation is not one thing you do the night before. It is a sequence that starts when you first write to us and ends the moment the ceremony opens. Here is the order, so nothing catches you by surprise.
First: application and health review
Before any date is confirmed, you complete a written application with your health history, every medication and supplement you take, and your reasons for coming. We review it and may follow up with questions. Some medications can be paused ahead of the retreat, always with your doctor's guidance, and that is planned here, weeks in advance. Some conditions and medications rule out participation; the full list is on our safety page. Once you are approved, you receive a welcome package with the detailed preparation guide, travel information and a packing list.
Seven days before arrival: the diet begins
Count back seven days from the day you arrive, not from the first ceremony. From that day: no meat, no dairy, no processed food, no excess sugar or salt, no pepper or strong spices, no caffeine, no fermented foods, and no alcohol. Simple plant-based meals, plenty of water, early nights. Most guests find the first two days the hardest, especially without coffee, and then settle into it.
Five days before: lifestyle guidelines
From five days out, no sexual activity, and no recreational drugs, marijuana or cigarettes of any kind through the end of the retreat. If you use organic tobacco, ask us directly before you travel. This is also a good window to start writing about why you are coming, which we cover below.
Arrival day
We pick you up in San Isidro del General at no charge. The afternoon is for settling into your room, walking the land, a light vegan meal, and a preparation session with the facilitators where you go through what will happen, ask anything you like, and share your intention with the group. Nobody drinks on arrival day.
Ceremony day
Only pure water or gentle liquids, and a fasting period before the ceremony. The day is slow on purpose: rest, quiet, time in nature. The ceremony opens as the light goes. A facilitator stays sober and present with you the whole night, and the next morning there is breakfast and an integration session with the group before anything else happens.
Setting an Intention
The diet prepares the body. The intention prepares everything else. An intention is a clear, honest answer to one question: why am I coming? It is not a wish list and it is not a demand on the medicine. It is the thread you hold onto when the night gets intense, and the frame you use the next morning to make sense of what happened.
Keep it simple and true. “I want to understand why I keep pushing people away” is an intention. “I want to be fixed” is not, because it hands the work to someone else. Some guests arrive with one sentence; others with a page. Both are fine. What matters is that it is yours and that you have sat with it before you get here.
We suggest journaling in the week of the diet. Write in the mornings, even a few lines: what you are afraid of, what you hope for, what you are not saying to anyone. Bring the notebook. You will write in it again after each ceremony, and reading the two side by side is one of the most useful things you can do at home.
Be honest with us too. If part of the reason you are coming is something you would rather not put on a form, tell a facilitator in person on arrival day. It changes how we can support you. If this is your first time and you are not sure what to expect, our guide for first-timers walks through the night itself and how to think about it beforehand.
After the Retreat: Continuing at Home
Preparation has a mirror image. The care you took in the week before is the care that helps most in the weeks after, and the insights from a ceremony keep unfolding long after you have flown home.
Keep eating for grounding. Stay close to the diet for the first days back: simple plant-based food, little or no alcohol, easy on caffeine. Your body has done real work and it settles faster when you do not ask it to process heavy food and a hangover at the same time. We send guidance on post-retreat eating with your materials.
Use the materials. You leave with written guidance, journaling prompts and practices from the integration sessions. They are meant to be opened in week two and week four, when the retreat has started to feel far away and the old patterns are back. That is exactly when they help.
Give it weeks, not days. Integration is not finished when the retreat ends. Most guests notice the biggest changes in how they respond to ordinary situations over the following weeks, and some insights only make sense months later. How we support that process during and after your stay is described on our integration page.
Stay in touch. Write to us if something comes up that you do not know what to do with. And keep reading: we publish longer pieces on preparation, integration and life after a ceremony on our blog.
Preparation questions, answered
- What medications or conditions rule out participation?
- SSRIs, MAOIs and certain other prescription medications; serious heart conditions; severe respiratory illness; epilepsy; uncontrolled diabetes; pregnancy; and psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder or recent suicidal ideation. Some medications can be paused ahead of the retreat, always with your doctor's guidance. Tell us everything you take in the health application and we will review it with you before any booking.
- What is the required preparation diet before a retreat?
- A specific plant-based dieta is essential to prepare your system for the ceremony. It begins 7 days precisely before your arrival and requires strictly avoiding: all meats (especially red meat), dairy products, processed and artificial foods, excessive sugar and salt, pepper and strong spices, coffee and caffeinated beverages, spicy and fermented foods, and all alcoholic beverages. This traditional diet helps purify your body and sensitize your system for optimal connection with the sacred plant.
- What health conditions or medications are incompatible with participation?
- Certain medical conditions and mental health histories are incompatible for safety reasons: Medical conditions include serious heart conditions, severe respiratory issues, significant kidney or liver problems, epilepsy, uncontrolled diabetes, and pregnancy. Mental health conditions include psychotic disorders, bipolar disorder, severe unmanaged anxiety, and recent suicidal ideation. Medications that are dangerous include antidepressants (especially SSRIs/MAOIs), certain blood pressure medications, stimulants, and many others. Full disclosure of your health history and medications in your application is crucial for your safety.
- Is there an age limit for participation?
- Yes, guests must be at least 21 years old to participate. This ensures the emotional and psychological maturity necessary for safely navigating the profound experiences that can arise during sacred plant ceremonies. We also require participants to be in generally good physical and mental health, as determined through our comprehensive application and screening process.
Ready to Begin Your Preparation?
Have questions about the preparation process? We're here to support you every step of the way.