5 Best Ayahuasca Retreats in New Zealand (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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There are many ayahuasca retreats located in New Zealand however they are not legal. If you want to experience an ayahuasca retreat, you must go elsewhere.

Ayahuasca is a powerful plant medicine that has been used for centuries by indigenous people in the Amazon for healing and spiritual awakening. The ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) is boiled with leaves from the chacruna plant (Psychotria viridis) to create a potent brew that is traditionally used in shamanic ceremonies.

Ayahuasca can induce powerful spiritual experiences and profound insights into one’s life, leading to personal transformation. It can also be an emotional rollercoaster, so it’s important to be well-prepared before embarking on an ayahuasca journey. If you’re considering an ayahuasca retreat, make sure to do your research and choose a reputable provider.

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1. Behold Retreats - Costa Rica & Portugal.

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Behold Retreats takes out our top spot because of many factors. We found the combined experience of their ayahuasca journey guide and healer team really put us at ease. The retreat centers first rate luxury facilities helped us really get into the healing process and their experience with all kinds of medicinal plants was educational and fascinating. The retreat center itself is stunning; in comfort we learnt all about the science and history of medicinal plants, ayahuasca vine, San Pedro, psychotria viridis to name a few. Among them all this was the best ayahuasca retreat we visited. The ayahuasca ceremony itself took us on a a powerful healing and spiritual awakening journey. This retreat is a must.

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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. Soltara Healing Center, Costa Rica and Peru

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What we loved most about Soltara Healing Center is its mix of old and new. Not just in its approach to the ayahuasca experience, but also its architecture. This retreat center made us feel like we were in a real traditional ayahuasca ceremony. The traditional building with modern comfort got us into the history and culture of the region. Its indigenous team were fantastic, taking us through our first healing ceremonies, we felt at ease and this 3 day ayahuasca ceremony was vivid. In the middle of mighty nature, the indigenous shaman explained the plant treatments. We felt lost in another time and place. Definitely one of our favorite ayahuasca retreats.

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3. Gaia Sagrada. Ecuador

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The focus at Gaia Sagrada is harmony with mother earth. And at this ayahuasca retreat center we really felt at one with nature. Simple yet comfortable, the distraction of the modern world melted away as we became absorbed in tradition and nature. An indigenous Ecuadorean shaman lead us through our ayahuasca ceremony and we became enchanted in this powerful healing experience. The history, traditions, plant treatments, plant medicine and spirituality of Ecuador came to life as we got in tough with nature and the healing process. This is a healing retreat for the soul encompassing more than only the ayahuasca experience. This retreat center left us rejuvenated and ready again for the busy world.

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4. Spirit Vine. Brazil.

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The founder of Spirit Vine ayahuasca retreat center is a clinical psychologist with decades of experience in both western psychology and indigenous and plant based approaches to wellness. Its and individualised approach here and more than the fantastic traditional ayahuasca ceremony is on offer. Personal development programs, individual and in group settings made us feel we could reach our full potential here. The living standards is simple and fit with the holistic approach. The ayahuasca ceremony itself was relaxed and fit with the rest of the program. Their local shaman brough participants together and we really felt part of a healing community here.

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4. APL Journeys. Mexico and Spain.

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Again the approach at APL Journeys ayahuasca retreat center was holistic integration of traditional ayahuasca ceremony and western methods. Personalized life coaching was also offered here and we found the experience to be healing and friendly. The practitioners and shaman at this ayahuasca retreat center lead us through the process, making us feel at ease. Here we learnt alot about the traditions, ayahuasca tea and the origins of this sacred plant medicine.

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