Ayahuasca retreats in Costa Rica compared: the law, price per night, ceremonies, group size and screening

Side by side

One line per centre, using its published programme closest to a week. Sorted by price per night, lowest first; centres that publish no price come last. Every price is the centre's own starting price on the date shown.

Price per night is the starting price divided by the nights stated, rounded to the dollar. Starting prices usually mean the cheapest room, and what they include differs: some cover airport transfers, therapy sessions or a year of integration support, some do not. Rythmia's pricing page also says money for its ceremonies is paid on site to a third party and is optional, without saying whether it is inside the starting price. Screening columns record whether a centre's own site describes medical screening or mentions antidepressants, as read by Peyote.com; they are not a safety rating.

What the rows show

• Per night, the published prices run from $198 at Ayaterra Costa Rica to $1,275 at Behold Retreats (Costa Rica). The median is $611 across 9 centres. 4 publish no price for a stay of several nights.
• 8 of the 13 describe medical screening on their own sites, and 9 mention antidepressants or MAOIs.
• 5 of the 13 publish a group size. The smallest caps are around a dozen guests; the largest is Rythmia, which told Peyote.com in October 2026 that its ceremonies usually have 30 to 40 guests.
• Ceremonies in the priced programmes above: Casa de la Luz Ayahuasca Costa Rica 4, Soltara 4, Anam Cara 3, Rythmia 4, Ayahuasca Costa Rica 3, Behold Retreats 3. Ayaterra Costa Rica, The Healing Tree Center, Inner Flight Retreat do not state a number.

Two centres at a time, with staff, inclusions and sources side by side: Rythmia vs Soltara, Anam Cara vs Rythmia, Anam Cara vs Soltara, Behold Retreats vs Rythmia, Behold Retreats vs Soltara, Casa de la Luz Ayahuasca Costa Rica vs Soltara, Inner Flight Retreat vs Soltara, Inner Flight Retreat vs Rythmia, Pandorita vs Soltara, Ayaterra Costa Rica vs The Healing Tree Center.

Screening and medical cover, in each centre's words

Taken from each centre's own site. Where a centre says it has doctors or a clinic on site, that is its claim; we have not checked staff or licences at any of them.

• Anam Cara Healing Retreats

  Detailed medical history and questionnaires required; contraindications listed include seizures, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and mania.

• Ayahuasca Costa Rica

  Health application required; some conditions and medications rule out participation; 7-day plant-based pre-diet. Medication (read 2026-10-03): "MAOIs, and in most cases SSRIs and SNRIs, cannot be combined with ayahuasca."

• Ayaterra Costa Rica

  Not stated on site

• Behold Retreats (Costa Rica)

  Comprehensive medical and psychological screening required before acceptance. Medication (read 2026-10-03): Behold's ayahuasca retreats page (not the Costa Rica page): "Because Ayahuasca has critical contraindications (specifically regarding SSRIs, MAOIs, and cardiovascular medications) we personally evaluate each intake"

• Casa de la Luz Ayahuasca Costa Rica

  Every guest must complete a medical form before booking. Medication (read 2026-10-03): Antidepressants, anxiety medication and antipsychotics: "We strongly recommend being off these substances for 3-6 months before working with Ayahuasca"

• Inner Flight Retreat

  Medication (read 2026-10-03): "If you are taking antidepressants, benzodiazepines, sleeping pills, or other drugs, Ayahuasca is not safe unless you discontinue these medications at least 21 days before the ceremony."

• New Life Rising

  Medical questionnaire completed by phone before booking; emergency medical equipment on site. Medication (read 2026-10-03): FAQ: "All antidepressant medications have a negative and potentially fatal interaction with ayahuasca - that includes SSRI's, SNRI's, TCAs and MAOI's."

• OM Jungle Medicine

  Medication (read 2026-10-03): FAQ: "you must be off of antidepressants when working with plant medicine"

• Pandorita

  Consultation call mandatory for anyone on any medication or with severe mental instability, heart issues or high blood pressure.

• Rythmia Life Advancement Center

  Three-stage medical and pharmacological screening, with every guest assessed by licensed doctors and nurses. Each medicine is subject to individual medical clearance, and ceremonies run under medical supervision in the on-site medical centre. The centre says Costa Rica's Ministry of Health licenses that medical centre. Its FAQ (read 2026-10-29) describes two stages: a written medical questionnaire reviewed by the clinical team when you book, then an in-person evaluation by staff physicians on arrival. Medication (read 2026-10-03): "Those taking SSRIs, antidepressants, MAOIs, or CNS depressants must complete a cessation period with the proper taper protocol." Who it is not for, in its words (read 2026-10-29): "Rythmia is not suitable for individuals with epilepsy, diabetes, heart or cardiovascular conditions, liver or kidney disease, or active psychiatric disorders. Pregnant and nursing women are excluded."

• Soltara Healing Center

  Site describes an intake form, intake call and an intake process with therapists and medical advisors; states an onsite health clinic with doctor's office. Medication (read 2026-10-03): "Most places [including Soltara] feel that it is safer to stop using SSRIS 2 to 4 weeks before, and consider this part of the dieta to be followed."

• Templo del Tigre

  Site says guests are carefully screened; no protocol detailed. Medication (read 2026-10-03): FAQ: intake is used to "Determine whether additional Amazonian cleansing processes may be necessary before beginning (e.g., in cases of antidepressant use, street drugs, or certain medications)"

• The Healing Tree Center (Costa Rica)

  Not stated on site

The legal position

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 medical risks to check first

These apply wherever you drink ayahuasca. If you take any prescribed medicine, do not stop it to qualify for a retreat without the doctor who prescribed it.

• Serotonin syndrome with SSRIs and other serotonergic drugsSerious risk

  The MAO-inhibiting harmala alkaloids in ayahuasca combined with SSRI antidepressants may induce a serotonin syndrome with a potentially grave outcome. ICEERS states that combining MAOIs with SSRIs or other serotonergic medications is contraindicated. (Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 1998; ICEERS, 2026)

• Other contraindicated medicines and supplementsSerious risk

  ICEERS lists antidepressants and other psychotropic medications, drugs metabolised by certain cytochrome enzymes, and any medication that interacts with MAO (including MAO inhibitors) as potentially contraindicated, and names St John's wort and Ginkgo biloba as contraindicated herbal supplements. It advises avoiding alcohol, stimulants, opioids and other drugs in the days or weeks before a session. (ICEERS, 2018)

• Stopping medication before a ceremonySerious risk

  ICEERS says contraindicated medications such as certain antidepressants may need to be stopped at least two weeks before a session, but only under strict medical supervision because abruptly stopping psychiatric medication can be dangerous. It also warns that stopping medication for a chronic illness to take ayahuasca can itself be dangerous. (ICEERS, 2018)

• Blood pressure and heart conditionsWorth knowing

  In a placebo-controlled trial, diastolic blood pressure rose significantly at the high ayahuasca dose (9 mm Hg at 75 minutes), while systolic pressure and heart rate rose moderately and non-significantly. ICEERS advises that people with serious cardiovascular conditions should not take ayahuasca. (Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, 2003; ICEERS, 2018)

• Psychosis and personal or family psychiatric historySerious risk

  A systematic review found case reports of psychotic episodes after ayahuasca or DMT, several in people with a personal or possibly family history of psychosis or mania, and concluded that people with a personal or family history of any psychotic illness or non-psychotic mania should avoid hallucinogens. ICEERS describes ayahuasca as contraindicated for people with severe psychiatric disorders, particularly those prone to psychosis. (Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, 2017; ICEERS, 2026; ICEERS, 2018)

Ayahuasca and antidepressants: what the sources say · Check a medicine against ayahuasca

A partner centre

Rythmia is the one centre on this page that can pay Peyote.com. It is labelled in the table, and the button in this box is the only link on the page that can earn us anything. Its place in the table comes from its price per night, like every other row.