The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica)
Costa Rica, beachside (town not stated)
Beachside villa retreat offering ayahuasca and Andean coca-leaf ceremonies in 3-, 5- and 7-day formats; says it began in Peru in 2014.
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 | Length | Sessions | From |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 days / 6 nights | 6 nights | Not stated | $2,500as published on 28 Sep 2026 |
| 5 days / 4 nights | 4 nights | Not stated | $2,000as published on 28 Sep 2026 |
| 3 days / 2 nights | 2 nights | Not stated | $1,400as 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.
Also offers
- Coca leaf ceremonies
Peyote.com lists this centre for ayahuasca only: we have not assessed these offerings, and they are not part of this listing.
Screening, as the centre describes it
Not stated on site
The cited ayahuasca safety facts to check it against
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.
Reader reviews
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The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica): questions and answers
- Where is The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica)?
- The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica) is in Costa Rica, beachside (town not stated), as the centre describes its location.
- How much does The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica) cost?
- The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica) publishes 3 prices: 7 days / 6 nights (6 nights) from $2,500; 5 days / 4 nights (4 nights) from $2,000; 3 days / 2 nights (2 nights) from $1,400, as read on its own website on 28 Sep 2026. Prices change; confirm the current figure with the centre before paying a deposit.Source: The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica) website, 28 Sep 2026
- How long is a programme at The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica)?
- Published programmes at The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica) run 2 to 6 nights, as the centre publishes them.Source: The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica) website, 28 Sep 2026
- Does The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica) screen guests before a retreat?
- The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica) does not describe a full medical screening, but its website says this about medication. In its own words: Not stated on siteSource: The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica) website, 28 Sep 2026
- Is ayahuasca legal in Costa Rica?
- Ayahuasca is not named in Costa Rica's drug law but is not authorised either: tolerated in practice, and the subject of a January 2025 Health Ministry warning.Sources: Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas, current page; Transnational Institute (copy of statute), 2001The law in every place we cover
Compare side by side: Ayaterra Costa Rica vs The Healing Tree Center
Sources for this profile
- The Healing Tree Center Costa Rica · Centre's own site, read 28 Sep 2026
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All ayahuasca retreats in Costa Rica, and the legal position there