Ayahuasca Safety & Health Screening
How we protect your well-being before, during and after 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
Ayahuasca can be taken safely by healthy adults when the retreat screens for medical and psychological risk and the ceremony is supervised. Every guest completes a health application before booking; some conditions and medications, including SSRIs, MAOIs, serious heart conditions, epilepsy and psychotic or bipolar disorders, rule out participation. During ceremony a facilitator stays sober and present all night, groups never exceed five, and San Isidro del General, with its hospital, is the closest town.
This page explains exactly how that works, and what we ask of you before you arrive.
Is a Sacred Plant Journey Right For You?
Sacred plant ceremonies offer a powerful pathway to healing, insight, and expanded consciousness. However, they are not suitable for everyone, and the decision to participate requires thoughtful consideration. We encourage you to approach this with honesty and self-awareness.
Our comprehensive screening process exists to protect both you and our community. We work with each applicant individually to assess suitability and ensure the safest possible experience for everyone involved.
Important Health Considerations
Critical Health Contraindications
If any of these conditions apply to you, you must disclose this information fully and contact us for confidential review BEFORE applying.
Medical Conditions:
- • Serious heart conditions
- • Severe respiratory conditions
- • Significant kidney or liver conditions
- • Epilepsy or seizure disorders
- • Uncontrolled diabetes
- • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Mental Health History:
- • Psychotic disorders
- • Bipolar disorder
- • Severe unmanaged anxiety
- • Certain personality disorders
- • Recent suicidal ideation
Incompatible Medications
Never discontinue any medication without consulting your prescribing doctor.
Dangerous Medications:
- • Antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs)
- • Anti-anxiety medications
- • Blood pressure medications
- • Prescription painkillers
- • Stimulants (Ritalin, Adderall)
- • Cold/flu medications
Incompatible Substances:
- • Recreational drugs & alcohol
- • Certain herbal supplements
- • St. John's Wort, 5-HTP
- • High doses of L-Tryptophan
- • Ephedra, Yohimbe
Our Thorough Screening Process
Your safety and the well-being of the entire group are paramount. Once you submit your application, including detailed health history and medication information, our experienced intake team carefully reviews it. We may follow up with questions to ensure we have a complete picture.
This process is not meant to exclude, but to protect. In some cases, we may work with you to find alternative timing or preparation steps that would make participation safe. Our goal is always to support your healing journey in the safest way possible.
Our Safety Protocols
Experienced Facilitators
Trained guides with years of ceremonial experience and deep respect for the medicine
Dedicated Support Staff
Attentive team present throughout ceremonies to assist with any needs
First Aid Certified
Team trained in first aid and emergency response protocols
24/7 Support
Round-the-clock availability throughout your entire retreat experience
Emergency Preparedness
Your well-being extends beyond the ceremony. Our team is trained and equipped to handle situations that may arise during a retreat. We are located within reasonable distance of qualified medical facilities in San Isidro del General, with transportation available for medical emergencies.
Emergency Protocols Include:
- Medical emergency action plan
- Access to nearby medical facilities
- Transportation readily available
- Communication with local emergency services
Important Disclaimer
The sacred plant ceremonies and activities offered at our center are intended to support personal growth and spiritual exploration. While many guests experience profound healing, this retreat is not intended to substitute professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Our facilitators are not medical doctors or licensed psychotherapists. If you have concerns about your physical or mental health, please consult with qualified healthcare professionals before participating.
What a Safe Ceremony Looks Like, Hour by Hour
Safety is not a document we hand you. It is how the night is actually run. This is what happens at our center on a ceremony day, so you can compare it with any other retreat you are considering.
The afternoon before
Ceremony days are quiet. You drink water or gentle liquids only and observe a fasting period before the ceremony, which is why the preparation diet matters so much in the week before. There is time to rest, walk the land, write down your intention, and talk with a facilitator about anything that is on your mind.
Opening the space
As the light goes, the group gathers in the ceremony pavilion. There are never more than five of you. The space is cleared with sage and palo santo, intentions are shared, and the facilitator explains what will happen, what to do if you need help, and where the bathroom and water are. Nothing is rushed.
Through the night
Erick Saldaña or a member of his family leads the ceremony and stays sober and present for the entire night. That is the single most important safety measure we have. In a group of five, a facilitator can see every person at every moment. If you need to move, be sick, go outside, or simply have someone sit with you, a person who is fully present is there to do it. The night is long; nobody is left alone with what comes up.
The morning after
You wake up in your own bed, not in a ceremony room. Breakfast is light, vegan, and prepared for a body that has been through a long night. Then comes the part most retreats skip: a facilitated integration session, where the group sits together and talks through what happened. Difficult moments are part of what the ceremony is for; the morning is where they start to make sense.
The days between
On a 4-day retreat there are two ceremonies with a full day between them; on a 6-day retreat, three. Those days are for rest, nature walks, group sharing circles, and one-on-one conversations. The full rhythm of a stay, day by day, is described on our retreats page.
Questions to Ask Any Retreat Before You Book
There is no agency in Costa Rica that licenses facilitators or inspects ceremony spaces, and taking part in a ceremony here is not a crime; we explain the legal picture in full on our legality page. That means the burden of choosing well is on you. These are the questions we would ask any center, and the answers we give about ourselves.
How many people are in the ceremony?
Ours: never more than five. In a room of thirty, the facilitators cannot watch over each person; in a room of five, they can. If a center will not give you a number, that is your answer.
Do you screen my health before taking my money?
Ours: yes. Every guest completes a written health application, including medications and mental health history, and it is reviewed before any booking is confirmed. Some answers rule out participation. A center that confirms your place before asking what you take is not screening you.
Who stays sober during the ceremony?
Ours: the facilitator leading the ceremony, for the whole night. Ask this directly. If the only people in the room have all taken the medicine, nobody is in a position to help you.
What happens the next morning?
Ours: a facilitated integration session with the group, then a rest day before the next ceremony. A retreat that puts you in a taxi the morning after has left the hardest part to you.
How far is the nearest hospital?
Ours: San Isidro del General, the closest town, has a hospital, and we keep transportation ready throughout every retreat. Remote is beautiful, but ask how long the drive is at night.
Who is actually leading the ceremony?
Ours: Erick Saldaña and his family, with more than ten years of experience and a lineage connected to the Bribri, Cabecar and Teribe peoples of Costa Rica. You can read about each of them on our team page. Ask any retreat for names, not just a description.
If this is your first ceremony, these questions matter more than the country, the price, or the photos. We wrote a separate guide for first-timers that goes through them in more detail.
How We Handle Medications
Medications are the most common reason we ask an applicant to wait, and the most common thing people are tempted to leave off an application. Please do not. This is how the conversation goes with us.
- Tell us everything you take. Prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, and supplements, including herbal ones. St. John's Wort and 5-HTP matter as much as a prescription. The application asks for all of it, and we read every line.
- Never stop a medication on your own. Stopping an antidepressant or a blood pressure medication abruptly can be dangerous in itself, independent of any ceremony. Any change must be made with your prescribing doctor.
- We review it with you. If something on your list needs a closer look, we follow up with questions before we say yes or no. We would rather ask twice than guess once.
- Some medications can be paused ahead of time. Where that is possible, it is planned weeks in advance, with your doctor's guidance, and it changes the timing of your retreat. We work with you on dates that make it safe.
- Some rule out participation. MAOIs, and in most cases SSRIs and SNRIs, cannot be combined with ayahuasca. When that is the case, we say so plainly and we do not take the booking. The full list of incompatible medications and conditions is above, and the timing of pauses fits into the preparation timeline.
If you are not sure whether something you take is a problem, write to us before you apply. A confidential health question costs nothing and is answered by the people who will be in the room with you.
Safety questions, answered
- Is ayahuasca safe?
- For healthy adults, with proper screening and supervision, ayahuasca has been used ceremonially for generations. It is not safe for everyone: it interacts with SSRIs, MAOIs and some other medications, and is contraindicated with serious heart conditions, epilepsy, uncontrolled diabetes, pregnancy, and psychotic or bipolar disorders. Every guest completes a health application before booking, a sober facilitator is present for the entire ceremony, and San Isidro del General, with its hospital, is the closest town.
- 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.
- 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.
- How do you ensure guest safety during ceremonies and throughout the retreat?
- Your safety is our highest priority through multiple layers of protection: Thorough Screening - Comprehensive health and medication review before acceptance. Experienced Team - Facilitators with over 10 years of experience plus first aid certified support staff. Safe Environment - Intentionally prepared ceremonial space with security protocols. Medical Access - Established protocols for emergency medical care in San Isidro del General. Trauma-Informed Care - Special experience with PTSD, depression, and addiction recovery. 24/7 Support - Team presence throughout your entire stay.
- 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.
Your Safety Comes First
Have questions about your health suitability or need to discuss your medications? Contact us for a confidential review before applying.