Ayahuasca Retreats in Costa Rica
4-day and 6-day journeys, day by day, with groups of five or fewer
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 2, 2026
We run small-group ayahuasca retreats in the mountains near San Isidro del General, Costa Rica: a 4-day journey with two ceremonies from $2,500 and a 6-day journey with three ceremonies from $3,800, all-inclusive, with never more than five guests. Ceremonies are led by Erick Saldaña and his family, with more than ten years of experience and a lineage connected to the indigenous peoples of Costa Rica.
Below is what a retreat with us looks like, day by day: the ceremonies, the daily rhythm, the food, the accommodation, and the integration work that turns a strong night into lasting change.
Taking ayahuasca in Costa Rica is not a crime, and our ceremonies are held as a traditional practice, not as a medical treatment. If the legal question is on your mind, we have written a full page on whether ayahuasca is legal in Costa Rica, with sources.
Our Retreat Offerings
We offer transformative retreat experiences designed to support your personal journey, varying in length and focus. Explore the options below to find the path that resonates most deeply with your intentions.
4-Day Plant Wisdom Journey
Pachamama Embrace Retreat
Embark on a focused 4-day journey in the heart of Costa Rica with our Pachamama Embrace Retreat. Designed as a powerful introduction to profound transformation, this retreat includes two sacred plant ceremonies held in our supportive sanctuary.
- 2 Sacred plant ceremonies
- Deep healing on physical, mental, emotional & spiritual levels
- Spirited, intimate community experience
- Safe, intense, and highly transformative
6-Day Plant Wisdom Journey
Extended Transformation
Experience a deeper immersion into healing and consciousness with our 6-day Plant Wisdom Journey in Costa Rica. This extended retreat offers three profound sacred plant ceremonies, providing ample time for comprehensive transformation and deeper integration.
- 3 Sacred plant ceremonies
- Work with plant allies (sage, palo santo, fire ceremony)
- More time to deepen relationships with self, spirit & nature
- Extended exploration and healing
Private Plant Medicine Retreats
For Family & Close Friends
Imagine a transformative journey embraced by the lush beauty of Costa Rica, shared intimately with your closest family or dearest friends (up to 5 guests). We curate private plant medicine retreats that go beyond the individual, fostering profound connections – a deeper understanding between minds and hearts, a rediscovery of your essential selves, and an unbreakable bond with your loved ones.
- Up to 5 guests in your private group
- Tailored duration and ceremony count
- Cultivate lasting harmony and shared growth
One Night Ceremony
Ayahuasca Retreat
Experience a concentrated journey with our One Night Ceremony. This offering includes one profound sacred plant ceremony, providing a powerful, focused opportunity to awaken consciousness and explore inner worlds. Even in a single night, the ceremony facilitates intense, transformative healing on all levels—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.
- 1 Profound sacred plant ceremony
- Potent, single-night transformative experience
- Includes sage, palo santo smudging & fire ceremony
The Ceremony Experience
Our sacred plant ceremonies are held in a harmonious and intentionally prepared space, designed to support profound inner work. Guided by our experienced facilitators, who hold a deep and abiding respect for both the sacred plant and your unfolding journey, you will be supported with compassion through all aspects of your experience.
Safety and your peace of mind are paramount, ensuring you feel secure to open fully to the process, navigating insights and emotions within a held and nurturing container.
Supporting Your Process
Beyond the core ceremonies, your retreat includes integrated activities designed to complement and support your transformative work and aid in processing insights. These may include:
Sage and Palo Santo Smudging
Energetic clearing and creating sacred space
Fire Ceremony
Release, intention setting, and connecting with elemental energy
Guided Nature Walks
Grounding, connecting with the earth, and quiet contemplation
Personal Reflection Time
Quiet processing in nature at your own pace
Group Sharing Circles
Processing and integration in a supportive community
These integrated practices help ground your experience, facilitate deeper connection with yourself and the healing environment, and support the embodiment of your transformation.
Intimacy and Personal Attention
We intentionally keep our group sizes small, with a maximum of five participants for our scheduled retreats. This ensures that each guest receives the dedicated attention, heartfelt care, and personalized support necessary for a safe and deeply meaningful journey.
You are seen, heard, and supported throughout your experience. Private retreats offer an even deeper level of intimacy for your chosen group.
A retreat with us, day by day
Every retreat follows the same rhythm, whether you stay three nights or five. The days are structured, but not crowded. There is time to rest, time to talk, and time alone in nature between the ceremonies.
Arrival day
We pick you up in San Isidro del General at no charge and drive you up to the center. You settle into your room, meet the family, and sit down with a facilitator for a preparation session: how the ceremony works, what to expect from the medicine, and what you are bringing with you. By this point you have already completed the seven-day diet described on our preparation page, so the body is ready. Dinner is light, and the evening is quiet.
Ceremony days
Ceremony days begin slowly. The morning is for rest, a walk on the land, and, after the first ceremony, an integration session where the group shares what came up the night before. Lunch is the main meal of the day. The afternoon is free. On ceremony days only water and gentle liquids are taken in the hours before the ceremony, and the ceremony itself begins after dark in the pavilion, with the group of no more than five and a facilitator who stays sober and present until the last person is resting. Sage and palo santo smudging opens the space; on some nights a fire ceremony closes it.
Integration mornings
The morning after each ceremony is the most important part of the retreat that nobody photographs. Over breakfast and then in a sharing circle, each guest puts words to the night. A facilitator helps you make sense of what you saw and felt, and one-on-one time is available for anyone who needs it. This is where the retreat starts to become something you can take home. Our integration page explains how these sessions work and what support continues after you leave.
Departure
The last morning is a final integration session and a conversation about the weeks ahead: what to eat, what to avoid, who to talk to, and how to protect what you found. You leave with written guidance materials and journaling prompts, and we drive you back down to San Isidro del General.
Who leads the ceremonies
Ceremonies are led by Erick Saldaña and members of his family. They have held ceremonies here for more than ten years, in a lineage connected to the Bribri, Cabecar and Teribe peoples of Costa Rica, and they grow, harvest and prepare the medicine on this land. You will not be handed to a rotating staff: the people who welcome you on arrival are the same people in the pavilion at night and at the breakfast table the next morning. You can read about each of them on our team page.
During every ceremony a facilitator stays sober and present for the entire night. In a group of five, that means each person is watched over individually. If someone needs water, a hand, a word, or simply to be walked outside for air, there is a person there to do it. This is the practical reason we keep groups small, and it is the single thing we would tell anyone to ask about at any retreat.
Safety starts before you arrive. Every guest completes a health application, and some conditions and medications rule out participation. San Isidro del General, with its hospital, is the closest town, and transportation is ready throughout the retreat. The full list of contraindications, the screening process and our emergency protocols are on the safety page.
Which format is right for you
Four formats, one way of working. The difference is how many ceremonies you sit and how much time you have between them.
- One-night ceremony. A single ceremony with the same preparation, the same small group and the same care, but no time built in for integration before you travel. It suits people who already know the medicine, or who live nearby and can return. Details on the one-night ceremony page.
- 4-day retreat, two ceremonies. Our recommendation for a first experience. The first ceremony is often about arriving and letting go of nerves; the second is where most people go deeper. Three nights gives you an integration morning after each ceremony. If this is your first time, read our guide for first-timers before you choose.
- 6-day retreat, three ceremonies. Five nights and a full day of rest between ceremonies. It suits people who want more time with the medicine, or who know from experience that they need a slower pace and more integration before flying home.
- Private retreat. Your own group of up to five, on dates you choose, with the duration and number of ceremonies agreed with you. Families and close friends book these when they want to go through the experience together.
Prices are all-inclusive: accommodation, meals, ceremonies, integration sessions and pickup. What each format costs, and how that compares across Costa Rica, is explained on our cost guide. The next open dates for the 4-day and 6-day retreats are listed on the dates and pricing page, updated daily from our booking calendar.
Questions people ask before booking
- How many people are in a ceremony?
- Never more than five guests. Small groups are the single biggest difference between retreats: in a room of five, the facilitators can watch over each person all night; in a room of thirty, they cannot.
- How long is a retreat, and which length should I choose?
- Three formats: a one-night ceremony, a 4-day retreat with two ceremonies and three nights, and a 6-day retreat with three ceremonies and five nights. For a first experience we recommend the 4-day retreat: the first ceremony is often about arriving, and the second is where most people go deeper. The 6-day retreat suits people who want more time between ceremonies and more integration before traveling home.
- Is this a good retreat for a first-time ayahuasca experience?
- Yes, and most of our guests are first-timers. What a first ceremony needs is a small group, honest screening, a facilitator who stays with you all night, and time the next morning to talk. That is how every one of our retreats is run. We have written a full guide for first-timers on this site.
- What is a typical retreat experience like?
- Our retreats follow a carefully structured yet flexible rhythm: Arrival Day - Welcome, orientation, settling in, preparation session. Ceremony Days - Morning integration sessions, rest time, evening ceremonies. Integration Days - Group sharing, individual reflection, nature walks, embodiment practices. Departure - Final integration, personal planning, farewell. Throughout, you'll participate in complementary activities like fire ceremony, breathwork, meditation, and guided nature walks.
- How many ceremonies are included in each retreat duration?
- Our programs are designed for specific transformative experiences: 4-Day Plant Wisdom Journey: 2 ceremonies, 6-Day Plant Wisdom Journey: 3 ceremonies, One Night Ceremony: 1 ceremony, Private Retreats: The number of ceremonies is tailored to your group's needs and duration.
- What supporting activities are offered during the retreat?
- Beyond the core ceremonies, our retreats include integrated practices to complement your journey: sage and palo santo smudging for energetic clearing, fire ceremony for release and intention setting, guided nature walks on our land for grounding, meditation and breathwork sessions for inner stillness, dedicated personal reflection time in nature, and group sharing circles for community processing. These activities help ground your experience and deepen your connection with yourself and the healing environment.
Choose Your Journey
Ready to embark on your transformative retreat? Explore our upcoming dates and pricing or inquire about a private retreat tailored to your group.
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