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Psychedelic retreat destinations compared: law, length, price and screening
133 centres in 11 places, compared on what the rows can show: the legal footing of the medicine, how long programmes run, what centres publish as a price, and how many describe medical screening. Legal footing is not a safety rating, and a listing is not an endorsement.
Figures computed from the directory's rows, read 28 Sep 2026. Every fact links to its source.
Side by side
| Place | Medicine | Footing | Centres | Median nights | Median per night | Describe screening | Public record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jamaica | Psilocybin | Legal | 6 | 5.5 (12) | $1,049 (10) | 6 of 6 | 1 |
| Netherlands | Psilocybin (truffles) | Legal | 8 | 3.5 (10) | EUR 875 (5) | 7 of 8 | 0 |
| Oregon, USA | Psilocybin | Licensed | 21 | Not published | Not published | Register | 0 |
| Colorado, USA | Psilocybin | Licensed | 46 | Not published | Not published | Register | 0 |
| Peru | Ayahuasca | Legal | 13 | 7 (11) | $340 (9) | 11 of 13 | 2 |
| Costa Rica (ayahuasca) | Ayahuasca | Tolerated | 13 | 6 (15) | $614 (12) | 8 of 13 | 1 |
| Costa Rica (psilocybin) | Psilocybin | Illegal but tolerated in practice | 4 | 3.5 (4) | EUR 1,000 (3) | 4 of 4 | 0 |
| Brazil | Ayahuasca | Religious use only | 4 | 8 (3) | $291 (2) | 0 of 4 | 0 |
| Mexico (ibogaine) | Ibogaine | Unregulated | 12 | 7 (18) | $1,250 (9) | 11 of 12 | 4 |
| Mexico (psilocybin) | Psilocybin | Illegal but tolerated in practice | 3 | 6.5 (2) | $1,099 (2) | 3 of 3 | 0 |
| Portugal | Psilocybin | Illegal but tolerated in practice | 3 | 5 (5) | EUR 663 (2) | 3 of 3 | 0 |
Figures in brackets are the number of published programmes behind each median. Per-night medians use whole-programme prices in the currency most programmes in that place are priced in. "Register" means the listings come from a state licence register, which does not record screening statements. Computed from the directory's rows, read 28 September 2026.
What each footing means
Jamaica: Legal
Psilocybin mushrooms are not listed in Jamaica's Dangerous Drugs Act: unscheduled and unregulated, with no licensing regime.
Netherlands: Legal
Fresh psilocybin truffles (sclerotia) are outside the Opium Act; mushrooms, fresh or dried, have been banned since December 2008.
Oregon, USA: Licensed
State-licensed psilocybin services under ORS 475A (Measure 109), for adults 21 and over.
Colorado, USA: Licensed
Licensed healing centres under the Natural Medicine Health Act, for adults 21 and over.
Peru: Legal
Traditional ayahuasca use is protected as national cultural heritage; there is no licensing regime for retreats.
Costa Rica (ayahuasca): Tolerated
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.
Costa Rica (psilocybin): Illegal but tolerated in practice
Illegal but tolerated in practice: psilocybin is on Costa Rica's national control list and unauthorised supply carries 8 to 15 years in prison, yet retreats operate openly and we found no reported prosecution of one.
Brazil: Religious use only
Ayahuasca is permitted for religious use only under CONAD Resolution 1/2010, which bans its sale; retreats for visitors have to operate within that framework.
Mexico (ibogaine): Unregulated
Ibogaine is not listed in Mexico's General Health Law: unregulated, not approved.
Mexico (psilocybin): Illegal but tolerated in practice
Illegal but tolerated in practice: psilocybin and hallucinogenic mushrooms are group I psychotropics under Mexico's General Health Law, yet retreats advertise openly and we found no reported prosecution of a psilocybin retreat.
Portugal: Illegal but tolerated in practice
Illegal but tolerated in practice: possession for personal use is an administrative offence, but supplying psilocybin is trafficking. Retreats advertise openly and we found no reported prosecution of one.
Not on this list
Peyote ceremonies are not listed anywhere on this site. Wild peyote is under conservation pressure and is the sacrament of the Native American Church, and Colorado's natural medicine law excluded it by name. That refusal is not about legality. Nor are psilocybin mushroom retreats in the Netherlands, or psilocybin retreats anywhere it is illegal and we have not documented open operation and an enforcement search.
Questions and answers
- Where are psychedelic retreats legal?
- It depends on the medicine and the word "legal". Lawful: Jamaica (psilocybin), Netherlands (fresh psilocybin truffles), Peru (ayahuasca). State-licensed: Oregon, USA (psilocybin), Colorado, USA (psilocybin). Unregulated rather than approved: Mexico (ibogaine). Tolerated but not authorised: Costa Rica (ayahuasca). Permitted for religious use only: Brazil (ayahuasca). Illegal but tolerated in practice, meaning prohibited by national law while retreats operate openly with no reported prosecution: Costa Rica (psilocybin), Mexico (psilocybin), Portugal (psilocybin). Those are not legal, and participants and operators carry real legal risk. Each footing is sourced to a statute, regulator or court on the location page.
- Which place has the most listed retreat centres?
- Colorado, USA, with 46 of the 133 centres listed on 28 September 2026. They come from the state licence register.
- Where are published retreat prices lowest per night?
- Among places with at least three US-dollar programmes that publish a night count, Peru has the lowest median at $340 per night (9 programmes, ayahuasca) and Mexico the highest at $1,250 (9 programmes, ibogaine). Different medicines involve very different levels of medical care, so a per-night figure compares price, not value.
- Do retreat centres say they screen guests medically?
- Most do, but not all. Centres describing a medical screening process on their own sites, as read on 28 September 2026: Jamaica 6 of 6, Costa Rica (psilocybin) 4 of 4, Mexico (psilocybin) 3 of 3, Portugal 3 of 3, Mexico (ibogaine) 11 of 12, Netherlands 7 of 8, Peru 11 of 13, Costa Rica (ayahuasca) 8 of 13, Brazil 0 of 4. Oregon and Colorado are left out because their listings come from the state registers, where screening is set by state rules.
- Do any listed centres have a public record?
- 8 do, in Jamaica (1), Peru (2), Costa Rica (ayahuasca) (1), Mexico (ibogaine) (4). Each profile shows the dated, sourced entries (reported deaths, regulator actions, legal cases or allegations) and the centre's response where one was published. Those centres are never given paid placement.