All comparisons
Side by side
Anam Cara vs Rythmia
Anam Cara Healing Retreats and Rythmia Life Advancement Center, compared on what each publishes: price, programme length, screening, staff, the law where it operates and its public record. Neither centre has paid to appear here, and this page makes no recommendation.
| Anam Cara Healing Retreats | Rythmia Life Advancement Center | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southern Costa Rica (mountains); also described as Nosara, Guanacaste | Hacienda Pinilla, near Playa Avellanas and Tamarindo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica |
| Medicine | Ayahuasca | Ayahuasca |
| Legal footing | Tolerated in Costa Rica | Tolerated in Costa Rica |
| Lowest published price | $4,400 (read 28 Sep 2026) | $4,900 (read 28 Sep 2026) |
| Programme length | 7 nights | 7 nights |
| Ceremonies or sessions | 3 per programme | 4 per programme |
| Medical screening | Described on its website | Described on its website |
| Asks about antidepressants | Not stated | Yes, stated |
| Team and medical staff | Not published | Founder and CEO Gerard (Gerry) Powell; Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jeff McNairy; a resident team of shamans and healers trained in Amazonian, Eastern and Western traditions; physicians and nurses on site 24/7 |
| Licence | No licensing regime applies | No licensing regime applies |
| Founded | Not published | 2016 |
| Public record | None found | 3 entries, most serious: regulator action |
| Where these facts come from | Details from the centre's own website, read 28 Sep 2026. No independent source was found. Full profile and sources | Details from the centre's own website and independent sources, read 26 Oct 2026. Full profile and sources |
Questions and answers
- Which is cheaper, Anam Cara or Rythmia?
- By lowest published price, Anam Cara Healing Retreats (from $4,400) is cheaper than Rythmia Life Advancement Center (from $4,900). These are each centre's own starting prices, read 28 Sep 2026 and 28 Sep 2026; programmes differ in length and what is included, so compare like with like.Sources: Anam Cara Healing Retreats website, 28 Sep 2026; Rythmia Life Advancement Center website, 28 Sep 2026
- Is ayahuasca legal where both centres operate?
- 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.The law in each place, cited
- Does either centre have a public record?
- Rythmia Life Advancement Center has a public record on its profile: dated, sourced entries with the centre's response where one was published. We found none for Anam Cara Healing Retreats, which does not mean there is none.