5 Best Ayahuasca Retreats Amsterdam (Updated 2023)

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For deeper insights into what makes up a safe and quality plant medicine retreat, check out the results from our recent plant medicine retreats survey.
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1. If you’d like a holistic understanding of your opportunities to improve your quality of life, take this self-diagnostic.

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2. If this is your first time with Ayahuasca, this short quiz will help you assess your level of mental, emotional, and spiritual readiness for this powerful and sensitive work.

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3. If you’d like to understand more about the nature of psychedelic healing work, human potential, and who and what you really are, watch the video below.

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Like most things in life, there are a broad variety of Ayahuasca retreat options, and a number of factors that effect the safety, quality, and cost of an ayahuasca retreat:

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1. Safety First: Unfortunately, many small retreat centers are not in a position to make meaningful investments into screening and safety. Even if you're fine, someone else on retreat might not be, which can affect the overall experience. Our recommendation is to choose a retreat provider that does in-depth conversational, medical, and psychological screening to protect your safety and well-being.
2. Legality: Experienced practitioners who have dedicated their lives to plant medicine typically live in locations where the work is legal, so they don't have to live in a state of uncertainty about their work Our recommendation is to travel to legal locations where you can benefit from legitimate healers who operate above the radar, so you can truly relax on retreat.
3. Size of the group: It's common for retreats to have 20, 50, even 100 people in ceremony, which can be chaotic to say the least. In such large groups you are less likely to receive a sufficient level of attention from the facilitators. Our recommendation is to choose a retreat with an intimate group, in the range of 8-15 people.
4. Length of the retreat: Shorter retreats feel rushed, do not support the cultivation of meaningful relationships, and can limit what can be achieved in time available. We recommend you spend at least a week for an ayahuasca retreat to give your mind, body, heart, and soul the attention it deserves.
5. ‍‍Comfort: We recommend you choose a retreat where you are confident that you will be physically comfortable and have your own private bedroom to decompress and integrate, especially if this is your first time. Go for the full jungle mosquito immersion another time, your future self will thank you later.
6. Alignment: Select a retreat that feels aligned with your values and allows your own subjective experience to unfold naturally. There are many different worldviews out there and having a different worldview pushed on you through the retreat may not be in your highest healing interests. This is also particularly relevant for first-timers.
7. Holistic approach: Work with an organization that takes a holistic approach to working with plant medicine, and has options to support and guide your mental and emotional evolution alongside a retreat. If a provider implies that "medicine will solve all your problems", proceed with caution.
8. ‍Service: Select a retreat that you believe can meet your individual needs. Are you being treated as a human, or as participant #22 in their fourth retreat this month? Consider whether or not they've taken the time to get to know you and understand you, or it's more of a take it or leave it retreat center.
9. Booking process: Take the time to speak with the provider before finalizing your booking. If the provider does not have a screening process in place during the booking process anyone could be sitting next to you in ceremony. Some people are not in the right place to work with this powerful plant medicine, and it is the responsibility of the organizers to ensure that only people who can handle ayahuasca are accepted onto the retreat.
10. Expertise: Find an organization that emphasizes healing, and you believe has the breadth and depth of expertise to guide your transformation. Look for facilitators and healers who have a lightness of being and a sparkle in their eyes. Healing work is all about the transmutation of energy, so you are looking for people who have the energy you aspire to. If they aren't able to keep their energy right, that tells you quite a bit about either where they are at and their capabilities.
11. Reputation: At a minimum, Google the provider, you may be surprised by what you find. If there's not much information, that is also information. A reputable retreat center will have a professional online presence with testimonials from previous retreat attendees. This is essential for you to see that they are a legitimate organization who you can trust to contain this powerful experience.
12. Volunteers: Please support ethical plant medicine work by selecting an organization that pay their team. Unfortunately, it is common practice for retreat centers to cycle through young, eager, and worn out volunteers and/or not pay healers fairly. If the people supporting your retreat aren't living their best lives , they're not going to be able to lead you to yours. Don't be shy to ask this question directly when you speak to prospective centers.

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Looking for a little more guidance for one of the most important decisions of your life? Watch this video.

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In recent years, ayahuasca tourism has become increasingly popular, with people from all over the world seeking out ayahuasca retreats in countries where the brew is legal.

Sadly, ayahuasca is not legal in the Netherlands, so those looking to experience its benefits will have to travel to another country. However, there are many legal ayahuasca retreats available in nearby countries such as Portugal, Spain, and Peru.

Ayahuasca is a powerful tool for healing and self-discovery that can help people to overcome traumas, addiction, and other mental health issues. If you are seeking an ayahuasca retreat, be sure to do your research to find a reputable provider. There are many scams and dangers associated with illegal ayahuasca tourism, so it is important to be safe and informed before making any decisions.

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1. Behold Retreats, Portugal 

Finding the perfect ayahuasca retreat is paramount when choosing the location for your healing journey.  Currently, ayahuasca is illegal in the Netherlands but only a short plane ride away, Behold Retreats Portugal offers the perfect environment for a deeply healing experience. Their clean, comfortable and secluded retreat in the naturally tranquil surroundings of southern Portugal provides the ideal foundation for a truly healing ayahuasca experience.  Many previous guests have commented on the parallels between the physical surroundings of the retreat and their internal peace found while undergoing treatment with ayahuasca. Led by a team experienced in dealing with trauma and deep wounds, Behold Retreats Portugal offers safe and effective ayahuasca ceremonies for newcomers and returning visitors alike.  Whether it’s your first time experimenting with medicinal plants or you have experienced an ayahuasca ceremony before, Behold Retreats Portugal is one of the best ayahuasca retreats Europe has to boast. 

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Want to experience Ayahausca in a small group of thoroughly-vetted guests? We would love to speak with you.

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Check out our upcoming ayahuasca retreats in Costa Rica, Mexico, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

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2. Pont de Molins, Barcelona, Spain

At this ayahuasca retreat center, groups are no larger than 20 and often smaller. Ceremonies are conducted in English but should you have any enquiries that are hard to express in English, Arabic, Catalan, Portuguese, Romanian and Spanish are also spoken.  Healing massage, yoga sessions and awareness workshops are also offered at this retreat. Giving guests multiple options to learn and grow, alongside healing plant medicine treatment. Ceremonies and activities are provided by experienced shamans and trained psychologists on a beginner, intermediate and advanced skill level and conducted outside where possible, to be closer to mother earth and adhere to distancing guidelines. 

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3. APL Shamanic Journeys, Kalmar Län, Sweden

APL Shamanic Journeys strive to create a traditional ayahuasca ceremony by inviting a Peruvian shaman, who has experience with plant medicine and healing, to conduct their ceremonies.  The team is led by a highly experienced healer and herbalist, who provides training and knowledge on other medicinal plants as well as ayahuasca, such as Kamé and rapé. Daily yoga sessions and 5 guided ayahuasca ceremonies throughout your stay promise to offer guests ample opportunities to connect with mother earth and the master plant.  Group sizes are limited to 10-12 participants to facilitate an intimate ceremony of healing, contemplation and introspection.

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4. Font de Paz y Felicidade, Algarve, Portugal

At this healing retreat, guests can take part in a multitude of healing practices including yoga, meditation, dance, horse therapy and sound healing alongside ceremonies with plant medicine derived from ayahuasca, all provided by a team of certified and experienced healers. Located in the South West corner of Portugal, set in mother nature’s picturesque landscapes and close to beautiful beaches, the place really honors its name (Font de Paz y Felicidade meaning source of peace and happiness). And proves to be an ideal location for a healing ayahuasca retreat, as mother earth would have intended.

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5.  Playa de Santiago, Canary Islands, Spain

The peaceful Spanish island plays host to an idyllic ayahuasca retreat, the facility boasts an outdoor swimming pool, garden, terrace, restaurant and bar. So peace and comfort are easily found here. Guests’s stays are centered around plant medicine and healthy living in general, provided through healthy daily meals, a detox juice fast, colon hydrotherapy, and of course ayahuasca ceremonies. So rest assured knowing that choosing this ayahuasca center for your spiritual retreat, also comes with a plethora of other beneficial activities too.

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