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

Anahata Rising: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Anahata Rising is not a resident retreat center. It is a small US-based retreat brand, registered in 2024 as Anahata Rising LLC in New York, that rents a jungle lodge on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast for one six-night “Sacred Synthesis” retreat each January, and also runs weekend “medicine ceremonies” in US cities. The Costa Rica retreat combines two ayahuasca ceremonies with cacao, hapé (rapé), optional kambo, somatic movement, branded breathwork, sound healing and Human Design readings, led by three US facilitators, Shanti Lux, Lolo Santos and Matt Budenholzer, none of whom claims an Indigenous lineage. It is expensive: $3,633 for a shared bed and up to $14,532 for a private four-bed bungalow. There are no guest reviews anywhere, and we found no deaths, injuries, misconduct or legal action. The concerns are that no one is named as preparing or serving the ayahuasca, no screening, contraindication list, medical staff, emergency plan or refund policy is published, groups have reached 18, the nearest hospital is about an hour and a half away, and Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health has warned the public against ayahuasca retreats. Our earlier profile needs correcting: its claimed affiliation with Anahata Ayahuasca in Peru has no source, and prices, facilitators and the schedule are now public.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Tierra de Sueños Lodge in Playa Chiquita, about 6 km past Puerto Viejo in Talamanca, Limón province, named on the operator’s 2025 retreat page; the 2026 and 2027 pages say only “Puerto Viejo” but use the lodge’s photos and room types. The operator’s Retreat Guru center page gives its location as Rochester, New York.
• Approach: A modern wellness retreat built around two ayahuasca ceremonies, with a cacao ceremony, an introduction to hapé, optional kambo, yoga and somatic movement, Soma+IQ breathwork, meditation, sound healing, Human Design readings and integration circles.
• Suitable For: Travelers who want a comfortable Caribbean jungle setting and a Western, wellness-style framing for a first ayahuasca experience, and who can afford a premium price. Not suited to anyone looking for a traditional or Indigenous-led ceremony, medical supervision or a track record of guest reviews.
• Costs: For January 17 to 23, 2027: $3,632.98 per bed in a shared bungalow, $7,266.02 for a private two-bed bungalow and $14,531.98 for a private four-bed bungalow, with full payment due 60 days before the start, according to the operator’s retreat page. The 2026 edition cost $3,633 shared and $6,866 to $13,432 private. Kambo, excursions and flights are extra. US weekend ceremonies cost $1,350.
• Overall Assessment: A well-located, clearly priced retreat with named facilitators and integration support, offset by no named medicine carrier, no published screening, contraindications, medical staff, emergency plan or refund policy, no guest reviews, groups of up to 18, a hospital far away and a regulatory environment hostile to ayahuasca retreats. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Here is how Anahata Rising rates across review platforms in October 2026:

The positive picture. There are no guest reviews of the retreat to summarize. The rented lodge itself is well rated by hotel guests, who note open-air cabins, fans rather than air conditioning, and Wi-Fi that does not reach the cabins.

The negative feedback. None, because no reviews exist.

Who is writing the reviews. No one, yet. The 2027 listing says 75% of past travelers return for another retreat, a claim with nothing public to support it. Several gallery images are the lodge’s own professional photographs from 2017 and stock graphics, and the Retreat Guru amenity list ticks a pool, spa, sauna and air conditioning that do not match the venue. Our earlier profile’s image description of a “luxurious” retreat with “top amenities” was not supported either. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms, Costa Rican and US news, and legal sources, in English and Spanish, for reports involving Anahata Rising, its facilitators and ayahuasca in Puerto Viejo, Cahuita and Talamanca.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found. The deaths linked to psychedelic retreats in Costa Rica that we found involved ibogaine, not ayahuasca, and other operators: a Norwegian woman in 2014 and an American woman in 2024, as La Nación reported.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and crime: No reports found.
• Legal action: None found.

Because the operator’s footprint is small, the absence of reports is limited evidence. If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with Anahata Rising, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Who serves the ayahuasca? Shanti Lux is described as a “Sacred Medicine Facilitator & Ceremonial Musician” with more than fifteen years of experience, but her bio mentions plant medicines “such as cacao” and names no teachers, lineage or dietas. Lolo Santos is a movement and breathwork guide, and Matt Budenholzer a Human Design guide, breathwork practitioner and sound healer who is also the LLC’s registered agent. No page says who prepares or serves the ayahuasca, or where the brew comes from. Ask before booking.

No safety or refund policies. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is described on any public page; preparation guidelines are “shared after registration.” No deposit or refund terms are shown, while full payment is due 60 days before the retreat. The 2025 retreat took “up to 18” guests with three facilitators and unnamed sitters; the 2026 edition listed two facilitators plus sitters. Get the refund terms and staffing in writing.

US ceremonies. The operator also lists weekend “medicine ceremonies” in Denver and Rochester, New York, at $1,350 with kambo as an add-on, without naming the main medicine. If ayahuasca is served at those events, US federal law applies: DMT, its active compound, is a Schedule I controlled substance.

The legal position in Costa Rica. DMT is controlled in Costa Rica, while the plants are not listed. In January 2025 the Ministry of Health warned the public against using or promoting ayahuasca or ibogaine for therapeutic purposes, saying they have no sanitary registration and that “sanación” requires licensed professionals, as the Tico Times reported, after confirming in 2024 that ayahuasca centers lack operating permits. Our earlier profile described an environment with “no government oversight”; the ministry’s warnings and permit actions show otherwise, though enforcement has been limited. See our country-by-country legal guide.

Corrections to our earlier profile. We found no source for the earlier claim that Anahata Rising “appears to be affiliated” with Anahata Ayahuasca in Peru’s Sacred Valley; no operator page mentions it, and the two appear unrelated. Prices, facilitator names, a daily schedule and the booking process are all published, contrary to our earlier profile. The 2025 retreat allowed up to 18 guests, so “intimate group settings” overstates it. Medicines include cacao, hapé and optional kambo as well as ayahuasca. The address we gave was close: the venue is 50 meters northwest of Shawandha Lodge in Playa Chiquita.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No screening process, contraindication list or medication policy is published, and no medical staff are named. The nearest regional hospital is Hospital Dr. Tony Facio Castro in Limón; Puerto Viejo has no major hospital, and a Limón clinic is about an hour and a half away by car, according to Expat Exchange, with Playa Chiquita a little farther. Integration includes two closing circles, a Human Design chart, one online group call after the retreat and optional one-on-one coaching. Kambo is offered without any stated screening or practitioner credential. 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 for the screening questionnaire, medication exclusions and emergency plan before paying. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a retreat without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

The operator does not disclose its recipe, source or who prepares the brew. Traditional ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. Each retreat includes two ayahuasca ceremonies on the first nights, one cacao ceremony and an introduction to hapé, with single or multiple kambo sessions at extra cost. The 2027 Retreat Guru page refers only to “plant medicine ceremonies,” while the operator’s own page names ayahuasca. No bufo, San Pedro or psilocybin is offered. Ask exactly what is in each cup, who prepared it and how doses are set.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Caribbean lowland rainforest by the sea, about 400 meters from Playa Chiquita and a short ride from Punta Uva and Puerto Viejo, hot and humid year-round.
• Rooms: Seven open-air hardwood bungalows with hot showers and fans, in two-bed or four-bed configurations, private or shared; shared rooms are same-gender.
• Style: A US wellness retreat with daily movement, breathwork and sound, organic and mainly vegetarian meals twice a day with optional animal protein, a closing beach bonfire and optional excursions.

Practical guidance: Fly into San José (SJO), about five hours by road, or take a short domestic flight to Limón and a shuttle of about an hour. Airport transport was excluded in 2025; the 2027 listing mentions “airport transfer support.” A group return shuttle with a Pacuare River rafting trip is included.

Should You Book?

Anahata Rising may suit you if you want a well-located Caribbean retreat with a modern wellness program and are comfortable paying a premium to a new US operator. The trade-offs: no named medicine carrier, no published screening, medical staff, emergency plan or refund policy, no guest reviews, groups of up to 18, a hospital about an hour and a half away, and a Ministry of Health that has warned against ayahuasca retreats. If you go, get the name and background of whoever serves the ayahuasca, the screening process, the emergency plan and the refund terms in writing, and read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Anahata Rising LLC was filed in New York in May 2024, according to state registry data copied by BizProfile, and its first Costa Rica retreat ran in January 2025. The operator’s site describes retreats with “plant medicine, somatic movement, breathwork, sound and Human Design” in Costa Rica, Peru and Sri Lanka, though only the Costa Rica retreat has dated listings. Its facilitators are Shanti Lux, a ceremonial musician and medicine facilitator; Lolo Santos, a movement guide with more than 20 years in yoga and fitness; and Matt Budenholzer, known as Matt Bud, a Human Design guide and integration guide. None names an Indigenous teacher or lineage. We did not independently verify anyone’s credentials.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Ask for the preparation guidelines and health questionnaire before paying in full, disclose every medication and condition, and talk with your own doctor well before the retreat. After you return: The retreat includes one online integration call and optional coaching. 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 go through the operator’s website and its Retreat Guru pages. The next Costa Rica retreat is listed for January 17 to 23, 2027. Before paying, confirm in writing who will serve the ayahuasca, the screening process, the emergency arrangements, the group size and the refund terms. 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.