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Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (October 2026). They will be updated if Amoraleza submits its own information.

Amoraleza: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Órgiva, Spain

Amoraleza is an off-grid community and plant medicine retreat on 4.35 hectares of hillside between Órgiva and Lanjarón, in the Alpujarra of Granada, bordering Sierra Nevada Natural Park. It is led by Veronika Saravá, a self-described naturopath and kambô practitioner who says she has held ayahuasca ceremonies there since 2005. Its current retreats last three or five days and combine two Brazilian-style ayahuasca ceremonies with a daytime San Pedro (huachuma) ceremony, rapé, sananga, live music and integration circles, with optional kambô, at €750 to €950 for five days. Reviews are good, 4.64 from 11 on Retreat Guru and 4.94 from 11 on BookRetreats, and it has been operating openly for at least a decade. We found no deaths, assaults, police action or lawsuits. The concerns are screening and medical cover: no medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency plan is published, groups can reach 20 to 30, and two independent guests, in 2024 and 2026, describe weak screening, one of them recalling participants of questionable mental state. A 2020 complaint about a €300 deposit kept after a COVID cancellation was answered publicly by the center, which said the money had been refunded. Ayahuasca’s legal status in Spain remains uncertain, and retreats offering the same mix of medicines have been raided. Our earlier profile needs correcting on its price, rating, medicines, dates, group size and contact details.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Hillside land “in the mountains above the towns of Órgiva and Lanjarón,” Granada province, according to the center’s about page. Retreat Guru gives the address as 18420 Lanjarón; an older listing gives Cortijo Mariposa, Pago de la Mezquerina, Órgiva. The nearest town and supermarket are about 6 km away. Guests arrive by bus to Lanjarón and are picked up there.
• Approach: Eclectic, Brazilian-style ayahuasca ceremonies with live music and “songs from different shamanic traditions,” a San Pedro day ceremony, rapé and sananga circles, opening and closing sharing circles, and optional kambô, mediumship, massage and integration coaching. No Indigenous lineage is claimed. Women’s retreats combine plant medicine with tantric and embodiment work.
• Suitable For: Healthy, experienced guests who want an affordable European retreat in a rustic, communal setting with lots of music, and who are comfortable in a larger group. Less suited to first-timers who need careful screening, anyone with a psychiatric history, or guests who want privacy and comfort.
• Costs: €750 camping, €850 shared, €910 private bell tent or €950 private room for the five-day Ayahuasca and Cactus retreat in 2026, and €520 for a three-day retreat in 2025, according to its Retreat Guru listing; BookRetreats shows US$954 to US$1,066. Vegan meals, lodging and pickup from the Lanjarón bus stop are included; kambô, mediumship, integration coaching and airport transfers are extra.
• Overall Assessment: A long-running, affordable and warmly reviewed community retreat with transparent prices and an operator that answers criticism, offset by no published screening or contraindications, no medical staff or emergency plan, large and inconsistent group sizes, San Pedro and kambô added to ayahuasca, and real legal exposure under Spanish law. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Here is how Amoraleza rates across review platforms in October 2026:

The positive picture. Reviewers describe a team that feels like family, constant live music, healing food, a beautiful mountain setting, deep emotional release and good integration. An independent guest video from 2016 and a 2024 guest blog both describe meaningful ceremonies led by Veronika. Our earlier profile cited a Retreat Guru guest calling the ceremonies “genuine” and Quora discussions praising the family-like vibe, the setting, raw vegan meals and live music as a “piece of paradise”; those quotes do not appear on current pages, and they remain unverified, though the family-like theme runs through current reviews.

The negative feedback. A one-star Retreat Guru review concerns a 2020 retreat cancelled about seven weeks out because of the COVID lockdown: two guests say their €300 deposit was not returned, that the center said it had “invested the money in the preparation,” and that they were told not to email because staff were too busy. The center replied publicly that it would “honour all deposits,” that it had “lost our income,” and that “The money was refunded yesterday,” and another guest’s review says the center had promised to reimburse deposits once retreats resumed. Our earlier profile reported the complaint but not the reply. A June 2026 BookRetreats review says the “participant screening process leaves much to be desired,” describing at least twenty participants, three of whom were of “questionable” psychological state, and “unacceptable remarks” from one of them aimed at the reviewer, who says their reputation suffered during the stay; no reply is shown. A 2024 independent guest blog also says “there isn’t a great deal of screening people” and that the yurts were very hot by day. All three accounts are unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. Six of BookRetreats’ eleven reviews came within one month in September 2025, consistent with post-retreat requests. BookRetreats combines reviews from several listings into one organizer score, and Retreat Guru shows different averages on different event pages. Retreat Guru’s amenity checklist claims air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a spa, sauna and gym, which contradicts the center’s own off-grid description. We found no review incentives or self-published “best retreat” articles. Our earlier profile’s Retreat Guru rating of 3.67 no longer appears; it likely reflected an early snapshot of three reviews. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms, Spanish and English-language news, and legal sources for reports involving Amoraleza and ayahuasca in the Alpujarra.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and financial complaints: The 2020 deposit dispute described above, which the center says it resolved with a refund. No charges or claims found.
• Legal action: No police action, raids or lawsuits found involving Amoraleza or its facilitators. We found no ayahuasca enforcement in Granada province or the Alpujarra.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident at Amoraleza, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Screening and group size. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list or medication policy appears on the center’s site or any listing; the site says only that it will “Respect individual needs and medical considerations, encouraging open communication.” BookRetreats notes that kambô requires individual health screening. Stated group caps range from 15 and 16 to 18, 20 and 30 depending on the listing, and one 2026 guest counted at least twenty participants. Two independent guest accounts, two years apart, describe weak screening. With up to 30 people in a ceremony and no medical staff, ask how many facilitators and helpers will be present.

The legal position. DMT, the psychoactive compound in ayahuasca, is controlled in Spain, while ayahuasca as a preparation is not listed itself, and its legal status is uncertain, according to ICEERS. In July 2025 Madrid’s High Court of Justice upheld an acquittal and said ayahuasca “is not a controlled substance in Spain”; ICEERS stresses that the ruling is not binding nationally and does not make facilitation legal, and reports more than 30 dismissals or acquittals with no one imprisoned, according to its July 2025 analysis. Enforcement continues against retreats with the same model: in January 2023 the Guardia Civil dismantled a retreat house in Yecla, Murcia, seizing ayahuasca, San Pedro cacti, rapé, sananga and kambô price lists, according to the Interior Ministry, and in August 2025 three people were arrested at a retreat in Pedreguer, Alicante, over ayahuasca, San Pedro and kambô, as Malay Mail reported. Amoraleza’s paid, internationally marketed retreats with ayahuasca, San Pedro and kambô fit that pattern. Our earlier profile made no legal claims; guests and organizers carry real legal risk.

Who are you paying? The center calls itself “Amoraleza Association and Community,” and a volunteer listing describes a Spanish non-profit association founded in 2013, but no registration number, tax ID or legal address is published, and the privacy policy names no data controller. Refund terms depend on the booking channel: Retreat Guru shows the deposit as “fully refundable until 1 day prior” and full payment refundable until 40 days before; BookRetreats refunds 100% of the deposit 60 or more days out, 50% from 30 to 59 days and nothing inside 30 days; an older listing called the 50% deposit non-refundable. The center’s own site publishes no policy.

Corrections to our earlier profile. The current price is €750 to €950 for five days, not 1,499 or an estimated $1,500 to $2,500. Retreat Guru shows 4.64, not 3.67. Retreats include San Pedro and optional kambô, not only ayahuasca, rapé and sananga. Dates are published, and recent retreats have run in February, November and over New Year, outside the April to September season. Group sizes are stated (15 to 30), accommodation is described in detail, and the center has an email address, a Facebook page and music channels. It also runs a pilgrimage in Peru (October 9 to 19, 2026), so it does operate outside Spain. Lorenzo, whom our earlier profile named as co-leader, appears only in older listings. The location is in Granada province, between Órgiva and Lanjarón.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Beyond kambô, for which BookRetreats mentions individual health screening, no screening process is described, no contraindications are listed and no medical staff are named. Veronika is a self-described naturopath and IAKP-certified kambô practitioner, and the center’s medium, Ayaruna Bol, is listed as a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner; neither is a medical credential. No emergency protocol or nearest hospital is published. The center recommends at least three days of dietary preparation, offers integration circles during the retreat and sells integration coaching and online integration sessions afterwards. House rules ban alcohol, marijuana and other drugs. Combining ayahuasca, San Pedro and kambô in a few days makes screening more important, not less. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes combinations with SSRIs and other serotonergic medications contraindicated, and that ayahuasca is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Erowid warns of extreme, possibly fatal reactions with some prescription drugs. Ask what screening is done, which medications and conditions exclude you, and where the nearest hospital is. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a retreat without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

The center does not publish its ayahuasca recipe. Traditional ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. The five-day retreat includes two evening ayahuasca ceremonies, one daytime San Pedro (huachuma) ceremony, three rapé circles, sananga and integration circles; the three-day includes two ayahuasca ceremonies and two rapé circles. An older nine-day format had four ayahuasca ceremonies. Kambô is optional and extra. The Peru pilgrimage adds temazcal, coca and cacao. A separate iboga directory carries an “Amoraleza” listing; whether the center offers iboga is unconfirmed. Ask exactly what is in each cup and how doses are set.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Mediterranean mountain land with olive trees, hot in summer, with a natural spring-fed pool and a geodesic dome.
• Rooms: Off-grid, solar-powered yurts, hempcrete “temples,” a wooden cabin, bell tents and camping, with outdoor compost toilets and hot showers. Most rooms have no electricity, and there is no Wi-Fi.
• Style: A neo-shamanic, permaculture community. Expect live music throughout, opening and closing circles, and vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free meals, earlier described as raw.

Practical guidance: Fly into Granada (GRX) or Málaga (AGP), then take a bus to Lanjarón and get off before the petrol station for pickup. Taxis cost about €65 from Granada or €110 from Málaga; paid transfers run US$78 to US$135. Guests can arrive early or stay on in the community’s rental accommodation.

Should You Book?

Amoraleza may suit you if you want an affordable, music-filled ceremony weekend in southern Spain with a long-running community and you are healthy, experienced and comfortable in a large group. The trade-offs: no published screening or contraindications, no medical staff or emergency plan, groups that can reach 30, a mix of ayahuasca, San Pedro and kambô, and legal risk under Spanish law. If you go, get the group size, staffing, medication exclusions, emergency plan and refund terms for your booking channel in writing, and read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Veronika Saravá, also listed as Veronika Poola on Retreat Guru, describes herself as a medicine woman, naturopath, community leader and IAKP-certified kambô practitioner who co-founded the community with her family and has led ayahuasca ceremonies there since 2005; her personal site also offers kambô, naturopathy, bodywork, tantra and integration sessions. The center’s old about page says it was founded in 2006, and a volunteer listing says the association formed in 2013; independent evidence, a guest video, dates from at least 2016. Older listings name Lorenzo as co-leader and massage therapist. The women’s retreats are co-led by Sarah Warnaar, and Ayaruna Bol offers mediumship. The facilitators speak English, Spanish, Portuguese and French. No lineage or teachers are named. We did not independently verify anyone’s credentials.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Ask for a health questionnaire even though none is published, disclose every medication and condition, and talk with your own doctor well before the retreat. Follow at least three days of dietary preparation. Bring layers, sun protection and a headlamp for off-grid nights. After you return: Integration circles are included and coaching is extra. Arrange support from a qualified therapist at home as well. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

Bookings are made through amoraleza.net (by email), its Retreat Guru pages and BookRetreats. Upcoming retreats are listed for November 20 to 24, 2026, and December 30, 2026, to January 3, 2027, with a 2027 schedule on Retreat Guru. Before paying, confirm in writing the group size and staffing, which medications and conditions exclude you, the emergency arrangements and the refund terms for your booking channel. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed October 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.