An Ayahuasca retreat could be the best experience of your life, or it could leave you worse off, confused, or traumatized.

Your outcome depends upon 3 things: your readiness, preparation, and your ability to choose a high-quality retreat.

1) To help you assess your level of mental and spiritual readiness, take this short quiz.

2) To understand more about ayahuasca, and to prepare for a retreat, check out our guide.

3) If you're feeling ready for a retreat, then congratulations! Whether your first or your 10th retreat, this is a momentous occasion.

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

Here are 12 recommendations to help you avoid sketchy options and choose a safe and transformational experience:

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 effect 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.‍
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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 "what if". 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. That's kind of the idea, right?
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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, there's a lot of collective bucket-time in the room, and you are less likely receive the level of attention from healers that you are probably looking for. Our recommendation is to choose a retreat with an intimate group of say, 8-15 people.
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4. ‍Length of the retreat: Shorter retreats feel rushed, don't support the cultivation of meaningful relationships, and there are limits to what can be achieved in a few nights. We recommend you spend at least a week for an ayahuasca retreat to give your mind, body, heart, and soul the attention it deserves. ‍
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5. ‍‍Comfort: We recommend you choose a retreat where you are confident 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.
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6. Energetic Alignment: Select a retreat that feels energetically aligned and allows your own subjective experience to unfold naturally. There's no right or wrong here, but it's worth recognizing that there are many different cosmologies (ways of seeing the universe), and having the energy of a different cosmology pushed through the ceremonial space may or may not be in your highest healing interests. This is also particularly relevant for first-timers.
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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 (because it won't!).
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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.
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9. ‍Booking process: Take the time to speak with the provider before finalizing your booking. If it's all 100% online, ANYONE could be sitting next to you in ceremony. Everyone deserves to heal, but it's unlikely you want to be sitting in ceremony with a recovering addict going through their process next to you
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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.
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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 :) You may also like to look up the Founders and see what their energy is all about (hint hint). A famous comedian recently went to one of the most popular Ayahuasca retreat centers (known for large groups) and mentioned there were people on the retreat who didn't even know what Ayahuasca was. Yes, seriously.
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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 life, they're not going to be able to lead you to yours. Not the right vibe. Don't be shy to ask this question directly when you speak to prospective centers.

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Who you choose to attend an Ayahuasca retreat with is undoubtedly one of the most important decisions in your life, especially the first time.

We encourage you to take the time and energy to do your research, follow your intuition, and to know why you are choosing a specific retreat.

If our recommendations resonate with you, and you'd like to explore a transformational journey with Behold, click on "Begin Your Journey" below to request a complimentary Discovery Call with one of our Medicine Guides.

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Want to know what a well-run retreat is like? We asked some of our past guests to do the impossible and summarize their retreat experience with us in 1 word.

Watch the video to get a sense of the magic that's possible:

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Ayahuasca is an increasingly popular plant medicine used for healing the body, mind, and spirit. This master plant is a psychotropic preparation obtained by two different sacred plants that originated in the Amazon basin in South America. The begging of the use of this powerful date back to pre-history and its use has always been connected to ceremony and healers.

Because of its amazonian origins, the societies of South America are more aware of the healing aspect of the preparation and its connection to ceremony, healing, and deep transformational nature. But this is not the case in many countries in the world. 

Most countries view this sacred plant medicine as harmful because of its psychotropic qualities. This becomes even more evident in cultures that are far away from South America as Asian countries. 

The distance from its birthplace and the lack of understanding of the plant makes it almost impossible to be part of a legal Ayahuasca ceremony in Asia. Therefore, if your goal is to connect to the plant and its profound healing properties the best you can do is to go to Central/South America and experience the ceremony in one of the many retreats available as the following. 

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1 Behold Retreats - Costa Rica, Mexico, Netherlands

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Behold Retreats sets the standard for safe, legal, and transformative plant medicine retreats in idyllic destinations. Retreats are kept to a small group size, and attendance is by invitation only.

Behold does not facilitate Ayahuasca in Asia, but does offer options in Costa Rica and Mexico. Other popular retreat options include Psilocybin in the Netherlands and with the powerful God Molecule 5-MeO-DMT in Mexico or Portugal.

Ready for deep healing and transformation?

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2 Spirit Vine - Brazil

Spirit Vine is another name for the ayahuasca vine, one of the two components of ayahuasca tea.  This retreat center is a non-profit organization founded by Silvia Polivoy, who believes that the traditional shamanic ceremony is a thing that must be respected and shared with the world.  Spirit Vine grows its plant medicines and brews its own tea.  All ayahuasca ceremonies are performed after dark, alongside a lagoon and nature, in the same way that this ceremony was performed by the shamans of the indigenous Amazonian tribes.

Retreat lengths range from 9 to 11 days, with massage, yoga, and workshops available to all participants.  Clients stay in beautiful bungalows, and excursions to beaches and waterfalls are accessible through the treatment center.

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3 Soltara Healing Center - Costa Rica, Peru

This ayahuasca retreat center takes its name from the Spanish word “soltar,” which means to let go or release.  Soltara Healing Center uses an integrated approach to plant medicine, combining Western medicine and psychology with the knowledge of native cultures alongside the Amazon rainforest where ayahuasca originates.  The shamans and healers here are from the Shipibo tribe of Peru, and the facilitators of every ceremony bring their vast experience and wisdom to use in each ayahuasca journey.

Retreats range in length from 5-12 days, and high-end accommodations are included for all clients.  Information on upcoming events is available online, as well as current articles on research into the science of plant medicine.

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4 Origen Sagrada - Colombia, USA

This ayahuasca retreat center came to the founder in a powerful vision, with a vivid scene of a beautiful establishment nestled between rivers and forests, dedicated to the profound healing of the master plant, ayahuasca.  She built the Origen Sagrada EcoResort with this in mind, a treatment center with an emphasis on closeness to nature, which is ideal for the spiritual awakening of Mother Aya.

Retreats include wonderful options, like massage therapy, reiki healing, traditional music, and excursions into natural beauty.  The best way to get in touch with Origen Sagrada is online; contact info can be found on their website.

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5 Sinchi Runa - Portugal

For those seeking a more structured and intensive retreat, this may be a great option to look into.  Sinchi Runa comes from the Quecha word for "warrior of light."  This term ties back to the ancient indigenous belief that ayahuasca helps us shed our false identities and brings us closer to our true selves.  At Sinchi Runa, you will be under the care and guidance of Maestro Sanango, a man who has spent years leading thousands of people through the transformative ayahuasca journey.

One-on-one sessions with Sanango, ayahuasca ceremonies facilitated by experienced shamans and healers, and a traditional, structured approach to diet and meditation in preparation for each journey are just a few of the many benefits of having your introduction to ayahuasca medicine at Sinchi Runa.

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