Anam Cara Healing Retreats
Southern Costa Rica (mountains); also described as Nosara, Guanacaste
Small-group 8-day retreats with three ayahuasca ceremonies led by Shipibo-Konibo practitioners, capped at 9-14 guests, with one month of preparation and integration support.
Details from the centre's own website, read 28 Sep 2026. No independent source was found.
The legal position in Costa Rica
Law 8204 controls DMT but does not name ayahuasca or the plants it is made from. On 27 January 2025 the Ministry of Health warned that ayahuasca and ibogaine products have no sanitary registration and are not authorised for therapeutic use, noted that DMT is a controlled substance, and advised against advertising them. There is no licensing regime for retreats, so centres operate in a legal grey area rather than on a clear legal basis.
The sources for this
- Ley 8204 is Costa Rica's framework law on narcotics, psychotropic substances, unauthorised drugs and related activities. It is administered with the Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas. (Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas, current page; Transnational Institute (copy of statute), 2001)
- On 27 January 2025 the Ministerio de Salud issued a health warning. It said ayahuasca and ibogaine products lack sanitary registration and are not authorised for therapeutic use, that DMT is on the international and national lists of controlled substances, that any product based on ayahuasca or ibogaine must comply with national control and registration rules, and it advised against advertising them. (Ministerio de Salud de Costa Rica, 27 Jan 2025)
- Writing in La Republica on 5 February 2025, lawyer Herman Duarte argued that neither Banisteriopsis caapi nor Psychotria viridis is on the prohibited lists behind Costa Rican drug law, and called for explicit regulation of retreat centres, which he says currently operate in a legal gap. (La Republica (Costa Rica), 5 Feb 2025)
The law and every listed centre in Costa Rica
Programmes and cost
| Programme | Nights | Sessions | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7-night Shipibo ayahuasca retreat Shared glamping; private tent 4,900; private sanctuary 6,000; couples 8,400 (Nov/Dec 2026 dates) | 7 | 3 | $4,400as published on 28 Sep 2026 |
Prices and formats as published by the operator on the date shown. They change, so confirm directly before budgeting. We never estimate a price that is not published.
Included, as published
- 3 ceremonies
- Lodging
- Organic meals
- Yoga and breathwork
- Preparation and integration support (1 month each)
Screening, as the centre describes it
Detailed medical history and questionnaires required; contraindications listed include seizures, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and mania.
The cited ayahuasca safety facts to check it against
Accommodation
- Shared glamping
- Private nature tents
- Private sanctuary
What a ayahuasca retreat involves
The typical shape of this kind of programme. Use it as a checklist to ask against, not as this centre's timetable.
- Before arrivalMedical and psychiatric screening, and a dieta, commonly restricting alcohol, recreational drugs, pork, fermented foods, salt and sugar, and sexual activity. SSRIs and MAOIs must be resolved with a clinician well in advance.
- Day 1Arrival, orientation, one-to-one consultation with the healers, intention setting. No ceremony.
- Ceremony daysLight plant-based breakfast, integration workshop mid-morning, light lunch, rest and fasting through the afternoon, pre-ceremony yoga around 6:30pm, ceremony from roughly 7:30pm running several hours.
- Rest daysCeremonies alternate with rest days: group sharing circles, flower baths, healer consults, bodywork, and time to do nothing.
- Final dayClosing circle and integration planning. Most centres advise against flying the same day.
- AfterIntegration support varies enormously, from a single follow-up call to a year of community access. This is the single biggest quality differentiator and the least advertised.
Sources for this profile
- Anam Cara retreats and pricing · Centre's own site, read 28 Sep 2026
Also in Costa Rica
- Soltara Healing CenterPlaya Blanca and Scarlet Valley, Puntarenas
- Rythmia Life Advancement CenterSanta Cruz (near Tamarindo), Guanacaste
- Ayahuasca Costa RicaNear San Isidro del General, Perez Zeledon
- Ayaterra Costa RicaCosta Rica (town not stated)
- Behold Retreats (Costa Rica)Esterillos, Central Pacific coast
- Casa de la Luz Ayahuasca Costa RicaTurrucares, Alajuela, Costa Rica (near SJO airport)
- Inner Flight RetreatCaribbean coast
- New Life RisingGuanacaste (near Tamarindo)
- OM Jungle MedicineSanta Elena, Costa Rica (per third-party listings)
- PandoritaPiedras Blancas National Park area, Golfo Dulce (near Puerto Jimenez), Puntarenas
- Templo del TigreDos Brazos, Osa Peninsula (near Puerto Jimenez), Puntarenas
- The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica)Costa Rica, beachside (town not stated)
All ayahuasca retreats in Costa Rica, and the legal position there