What to look for to find a safe, quality Ayahuasca Retreat?

Like most things in life, there a broad variety of Ayahuasca retreat options, and a number of factors that effect the quality and cost of an ayahuasca retreat that you may like to take into consideration:

• Safety: Many smaller operators are not in a position to invest in safety, and unfortunately, there are too many sad stories out there. (recommendation: choose a retreat that does in-depth screening to ensure your physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being). ‍

• Legality:  Practitioners who have dedicated their lives to medicine work typically live in locations where it is legal, so they don't have to live in a state of "what if". (recommendation: consider whether travelling to a place with "new energy" might be in your best interests).

• ‍Size of the group: It's common for retreats to have 20, 50, even 100 retreat participant in ceremony, which can be chaotic. Additionally, you are less likely receive the level of attention from healers that you are probably looking for. (recommendation: choose a retreat with an intimate group of say, 8-15 people).

• Length of the retreat: Shorter retreats feel rushed, and there are limits to what can be done in a few nights. (recommendation: go for at least a week).

• Comfort: (recommendation: spend a little extra for something where you will be physically comfortable and have your own bedroom to decompress and integrate, especially if this is your first time). Your future self can thank us later.‍

• Cosmology: (recommendation: choose a retreat that supports your own subjective experience, or one that you feel aligns with you energetically). The energy of the retreat and ceremony leaders will have a profound effect upon your experience. ‍

• Holistic approach: (recommendation: work with an organization that takes a holistic approach to working with medicine, and has options to support and guide your mental and emotional evolution). If a provider implies that "medicine will solve all your problems", proceed with caution (because it won't!).‍

• Service: (recommendation: choose a place that you believe can serve your individual needs. Consider whether or not they've taken the time to get to know you and understand you as a retreat participant, or it's more of a take it or leave it retreat center).‍

• Booking process: (recommendation: speak with the provider before finalizing your booking). If it's all online, ANYONE could be sitting next to you in ceremony.‍

• Expertise: (recommendation: work with an organization that emphasizes healing, and you believe has a breadth of expertise to guide your transformation). Look for facilitators and healers who have a lightness of being and a sparkle in their eyes.‍

• Reputation: (recommendation: Google the provider). You may be surprised by what you find. If there's not much information, that is also information :)

• ‍Volunteers: (recommendation: work with an organization that pays their staff). 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.

Given the potential, power, and sensitivity of working with Ayahuasca (also known as banisteriopsis caapi), who you choose to work with is undoubtedly one of the most important decisions of your life, so we encourage you to take the time and the energy to educate yourself to be able to make a good one. If you're in a position to do so, you may also like to consider a private retreat.

If our recommendations above feel energetically aligned for you, and you'd like to explore a journey with Behold, apply below.

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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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Are you seeking a journey with Ayahuasca? You’re not alone.

Seekers from around the world looking for spiritual healing and inner peace have chosen grandmother Ayahuasca to guide them into the realms of their subconscious minds. 

Ayahuasca is a naturally occurring psychoactive plant containing the compound DMT which is activated by combining the ayahuasca vine and Chacruna plant leaves. It can produce a powerfully introspective experience and is being studied for its powerful healing abilities for conditions such as anxiety, depression, trauma, and addiction. 

Traditionally, Ayahuasca has been used for thousands of years by the indigenous cultures of the Amazon Basin. During a traditional ayahuasca ceremony, an ayahuasca shaman administers the medicine and helps to guide the journeyer.

But you don’t need to travel all the way to Peru or Ecuador for this experience as there are many Costa Rica retreat and Mexico retreats that facilitate ayahuasca ceremonies.

What we love about Mexico is the ability to combine comfortable, modern accommodations with traditional, powerful healing work. 

Check out our list of Mexico retreats to find your perfect location to experience ayahuasca. 

For more information on how to chose your ayahuasca retreat check out our COMPLETE GUIDE.

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Now, on to the retreat options!

10 Best Ayahuasca retreat Mexico and nearby

Ayahuasca retreats have been gaining traction in the past decade, with thousands of plant seekers traveling to the South American rainforest searching for these sacred hallucinogenic brews. 

Ayahuasca is increasing in popularity, and while some of the ayahuasca retreats follow strict schedules, others provide a more relaxed experience (with an emphasis on solo or couples-only services). 

With so many ayahuasca retreat Mexico for you to discover, we're sure that this list will prove a valuable resource for those seeking a professional-quality ayahuasca medicine ceremony.

1. Behold Retreats, Mexico Retreats

Behold Retreats hosts their ayahuasca retreats in and around the vibrant town of Tulum, which offers both a range of wellness activities and connection to the ancient Mexican cultures and Mayan heritage.  Locations are chosen based on your personal preference, so you can rest assured that the space will be perfectly suited for your energy and intentions - whether that is a hidden jungle oasis or luxurious beach front villa. 

Every retreat comes with natural, fresh, plant-based meals created by expert chefs, daily house-keeping, and a private facilitator working with local shamans and medicine people with many years of experience. You can expect to enjoy healing modalities such as daily yoga classes, massage, meditation, and spare time to rest, reflect, and relax. 

If you would like to engage in some adventure, they offer snorkelling tours with turtles and manatees and kayaking tours through mangroves with crocodiles.  You’re guaranteed to connect with the diverse and rich nature and wildlife of the Yucatan, as well as historical sites that are unknown to many tourists. 

During your journey you can opt for a traditional Mayan Temazcal (sweat lodge) ceremony to detoxify your body and clear your mind at the start of the healing process. Behold Mexican retreats also offer the choice of not only traditional Ayahuasca,but also plant medicine such as Psilocybin, San Pedro or Bufo Alvarius (5-Meo-DMT). You can end your spiritual awakening journey with a traditional heart-opening cacao ceremony, which helps the body heal, detoxify, and boosts the immune system. 

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2. Behold Retreats Costa Rica Retreat

Behold Retreats facilitates small groups (6-8 people) for healing ayahuasca journeys in its luxury Costa Rica retreat center.

If you’re hoping to experience a modern, high quality retreat with breathtaking views of the jungle, spacious rooms, modern comforts, and great food, look no further.

Behold prides itself on highly-experienced healers and facilitators and ensuring best-in-class medical screening to ensure your safety and that you will get the most out of your experience.  You will have access to a beautiful wellness center and healing modalities including yoga and meditation.

Behold Retreats also offer high quality preparation and integration around the retreat, to help you get clear on your future self, identify mental and emotional blind spots, for deeper breakthroughs and more sustained benefits. If you're interested in a retreat and/or coaching you can apply for a free consultation.

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3. One Breath of Yoga 

If you are interested in combining your healing journey with a yoga retreat, One Breath of Yoga may be the ideal place for you. Offering a permanent Ashtanga Mysore Yoga Program, you can leave One Breathe feeling strong, stretched, and relaxed before or after you experience their deep healing work with plant medicine. In addition, they are also a Yoga Alliance certified teacher training school for ashtanga vinyasa yoga sessions.

During your medicine retreat, enjoy their Temazcal (sweat lodge) and other healing therapies (including of course daily yoga classes) to help go deeper into your process - all while enjoying raw/vegan food. In a beautiful, intimate setting you will either be sleeping in a private cabana or room inside the main house, with full access to a shared living room, kitchen space, and communal bathroom. 

One Breath offers sacred plant ceremonies with ayahuasca, bufo and kambo facilitated by experienced shamans and master plant teachers. Their lead medicinal practitioner Pamela is certified in biomagnetism and breath work therapies who began her journey with the sacred medicines in 2006 with the church of Santo Daime. She then continued to study with different indigenous cultures including the Shipibo tradition. 

4. APL Journeys - Ayahuasca Retreat Mexico

APL journeys host ayahuasca retreats internationally, including a location in the stunning Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Your 3 traditional ayahuasca ceremony will be guided by a Shipibo shaman from Peru or Ecuador, and there will be additional support from facilitators certified by the Red Cross. 

During your 6-day ayahuasca retreat you will enjoy a gorgeous suite with an outdoor pool nestled in the jungle and will be able to rise off under the stars in their luxurious outdoor shower. On your days off they offer temazcal herbal saunas, kambo ceremonies, medicinal flower baths, yoga classes, breathwork, and shamanic rituals with liquid mapacho and sananga. 

APL journeys hosts seminars on Amazonian Curanderismo and ayahuasca shamanism so you can dive deeper into the culture and traditions of the indigenous peoples and medicine. What’s great about your purchase is that 15% of the profits will be donated to local communities in Peru - where ayahuasca is native to.

5. Aya De La Vid 

On the Caribbean coast, La Riviera Maya, Cancun you will find Aya De La Vid ayahuasca retreat center whose mission is “ to heal people, to heal the planet.” They offer 2 ayahuasca ceremonies, 2 temazcal sessions in their natural sweat lodge, and 3 optional kambo sessions as part of their retreat package. 

Feel comfortable during your retreat in air conditioned accommodation, enjoy their outdoor pool and hammocks, and relax about logistics as they offer an airport pickup service. In between ceremonies, they will take you for a swim in a beautiful natural cenote or to lava rocks with natural mineral water. 

During the sacred ceremony you can expect incredible Icaros, the sacred music of the medicine. To help integrate your experience they provide daily morning yoga sessions and fire integration circles. The retreat center was founded by Tony Westbrook and ceremonies are facilitated by Maestros Ramsees and Xochipilli Moloca. 

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6. Andea Experience 

Hidden in the Yucatan Peninsula, your retreat will be found in a beautiful place nestled in the rainforest with high-end facilities. Enjoy stunning open hot showers, an outdoor jungle pool, places for yoga and meditation, a temazcal lodge, and a rainforest sauna. Accommodations include shared double suites, private single suites, or private double suites. 

Andea will provide you with 2 seminars about the fundamentals of Amazonian Shamanism led by their andean shaman and facilitators who will share their knowledge of ancient tradition cuanderism and answer any questions you may have. You can feel good about attending this retreat as 15% of their proceeds are donated to local people in Peru. 

Their sacred traditional ayahuasca ceremony is facilitated by experienced shamans from the amazon region. One of their shamas, Anael Rojas, a peruvian shaman-curandero, has 23 years of experience with the master plants, after devoting many years to studying the curative properties of the plants growing in the amazon basin. He is one of the most notable shamans of the Loreto district. 

During your stay, you will have the incredible opportunity to not only partake in sacred ayahuasca ceremonies, but also kambo sessions and ancient traditional herbal saunas. Enjoy morning yoga sessions, local vegetarian food, and the opportunity to enjoy the master plant dieta to deepen your healing.

7. Bluestone 

Blue Stone Ayahuasca retreat center’s intention is to  “change your perception, change your world,” by creating a space where you can do so privately and safely. Their location, Cas de la Tortuga, is in a beautiful setting surrounded by mother nature, in an oceanfront villa located north of Cancun. Your room will face the water and have an en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning, and a nearby pool and gym, 

Their ayahuasquera has trained with the Shipibo tradition in the Peruvian Amazon and they hold their ayahuasca brew with the highest integrity, collecting it personally from Shipibo medicine men in Peru and hand-carrying it back to Mexico. During ceremonies they also bring in guest therapists trained in a number of healing modalities to help you deepen your work. 

The founder of Bluestone is an American who has lived in Latin America for over 40 years working with ayahuasca (banisteriopsis caapi) for the last 12 years in both Peru and Mexico. Their co-founder, and medicine woman, is from Mexico and is a gifted healer with years of experience. Along with their Man of Fire, they head back to Peru periodically  to reconnect and learn more about traditional ayahuasca with the Shipibo tradition.

8. Inner Circle 

Located in Nuevo Vallarta, Inner Circle provides luxury accommodations in their stunning modern beachfront rooms. Join a small international group of up to 6 people for your retreat, or bring your own guests for a more private experience during your ayahuasca retreat Mexico.

Surrounded by lush nature you will be immersed in opportunities to connect with local wildlife -like watching baby turtles make their way to the sea, or witnessing the magnificent beauty of humpback whales swimming in the horizon.  On your rest days, you can cool down in their infinity pool, meditate as you watch the sunset from your terrace, or take a bike to explore the nearby town. 

While you enjoy the modern comforts of your retreat you will be met with traditional ayahuasca healing, guided by an indigenous shaman who will facilitate the 6 day ayahuasca retreat. 

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9. Arkana International 

Sacred Machu Picchu in Peru. Akrana is a well-known international ayahuasca retreat center with their newest venue in the Yucatan Peninsula. In the heart of the jungle you will find a magical 16th Century Ecological Hacienda, just driving distance from Cancun, with luxury accommodations. 

Their Maestro Juan is one of the most notable healers in the Wirraika ancient tradition and is recognized by Unecso as one of the few medicine men authorised to transport fresh Hikuri (Peyote) wherever he goes. After appreciating for years under guidance of his family, he began to facilitate his own ceremonies at the age of 16. 

Arkana offers an intensive ayahuasca healing retreat with a Master Plant Dieta for 3 months with Amazonian healers, as well as private retreats, retreats in the Sacred Valley of Peru, and in the Amazon jungle of South America. If you’re looking to combine your ayahuasca healing experience with an adventure or cultural expedition, you might want to consider their retreat with a combined trip to the the Sacred Machu Picchu in Peru. 

10. The Holistic Sanctuary 

The Holistic Sanctuary is a unique experience tailored to each retreat participant to facilitate profound healing for those suffering from PTSD, depression, and addiction. Programs are 4-12 weeks long and involve 30 hours of 1-1 time every week, resembling a rehab center. 

Their trademark method, the Pouyan Method, combines sacred plant medicine work with ayahuasca and additional modalities to promote complete detoxification and  access to neural healing. Some examples of treatment might include oxygen infusions, IV drips, stem cell therapy, liver cleanses, herbal medicine, and more. 

With 5-star accommodation and services located in Baja California, this might be the most intensive and luxurious retreat center in Mexico. They promise deep healing and spiritual awakening for a pretty penny, operating outside of the traditional shamanic context. If you want to experience traditional ceremonies with medicinal plants from a traditional amazonian shaman, this might not be the place for you. 

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This list of ayahuasca retreat Mexico is meant to be both informative and encouraging. A number of factors are considered when creating a list of this nature, including cost, location, duration, and support. We hope that those looking for a comfortable ayahuasca retreat in Mexico will find their new home among the top ten here.

If you found this valuable, please share this article with people who are interested in ayahuasca (banisteriopsis caapi), ancient tradition and Mexico retreats and nearby (like a Costa Rica retreat), in the hopes that they'll be able to find an experience that's right for them (after all, everyone starts out with a completely different experience). 

Still need some help choosing a retreat?

We would be honored to guide you in choosing the best retreat for your needs. Behold Retreats coordinates expertly guided retreats with Ayahuasca, Psilocybin, and 5-MeO-DMT (Bufo Alvarius) with highly experienced facilitators. Reach out to us to set up a complimentary discovery call and we can point you in the right direction.

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Read further:

5-MeO-DMT in Tepoztlan, Mexico

Ayahuasca in Costa Rica

Psilocybin in the Netherlands

5-MeO-DMT in Portugal

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