Atmosphere

Features

Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (November 2026). They will be updated if Ayahuasca Guanacaste Casa-Trinitos submits its own information.

Ayahuasca Guanacaste Casa-Trinitos: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Ceremonies in Palmira, Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Ayahuasca Guanacaste Casa-Trinitos (also “Casa Trinitos”) is a small ceremonial space in Palmira, Carrillo canton, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, near Playas del Coco, where facilitator Jacob Vargas Montoya holds one-night ayahuasca ceremonies for up to eight guests for $400, with optional kambo, per its Retreat Guru program page. The format is short, local and flexible on dates. Against that, it has no reviews anywhere, names no lineage or teachers, publishes no screening, contraindications, medical staff or emergency plan, and shows no company.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A ceremonial space in Palmira district, Carrillo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, whose exact address is sent after booking; the host offers separate lodging about 15 minutes away in Playa del Coco. Liberia airport (LIR) is the nearest.
• Approach: One night ceremony with an introductory talk, tea and fruit during the night, a light breakfast and an optional morning sharing; kambo is offered that morning for an extra contribution.
• Suitable For: Travelers already in Guanacaste wanting a single ceremony who can screen themselves. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $400 for the one-night package, with kambo extra and lodging not included. The listing says the deposit is refundable until a day before and the full payment until 15 days before; the deposit amount is not stated. Transfers are not included.
• Overall Assessment: A simple, low-cost single-ceremony format, offset by no track record, unverified training, no published screening or medical safeguards and no visible company. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Casa-Trinitos has no reviews on its Retreat Guru page, and none were found on Google, Tripadvisor, BookRetreats or other directories, so there is no independent evidence of past ceremonies. A Facebook page exists under the same name. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English and Spanish-language news for reports involving Casa-Trinitos and Jacob Vargas Montoya.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

With no reviews and a listing first built in 2026, this absence offers limited assurance.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Jacob Vargas Montoya, the only listed guide, says he has done traditional plant diets in the Peruvian Amazon for more than seven years with Indigenous teachers he does not name, took a safe-use course by ethnobotanist José María Fericgla, and works with ayahuasca, kambo, yopo and psilocybin, describing himself as an “eternal student” rather than a shaman, per his teacher profile (unverified). No owner, company, website or lineage is published. A second, empty Retreat Guru center with the same name appears to be an earlier duplicate.

Screening and medical support. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, minimum age, kambo screening, medical staff or emergency protocol is published. The regional public hospital, Hospital Enrique Baltodano Briceño in Liberia, serves Carrillo canton, per Wikipedia; it is roughly 25 to 35 minutes away (our estimate).

Listings. Retreat Guru shows a spa, pool, sauna and restaurant and meat-inclusive menus, while the text says there is no accommodation at the ceremonial space and only a light breakfast is served. The center title advertises a 2026 schedule with no fixed dates.

Status. Bookable for open dates as of November 2026; its listing photos date from May 2026.

Legal context. In January 2025 Costa Rica’s Health Ministry said ayahuasca healing ceremonies are not authorized and warned against using or promoting ayahuasca for therapeutic purposes, per the Tico Times; as of October 2026 the country still has no law written for the retreat industry, per the Tico Times.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

With kambo offered on the morning after ceremony and no published screening, guests must judge their own risk. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes it dangerous with SSRIs and other serotonergic drugs and that it is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

Ayahuasca served by Jacob Vargas Montoya; who prepares it and where it comes from are not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Hot, dry tropical lowlands inland from the Guanacaste coast.
• Rooms: A resting area for the ceremony night only; separate host lodging in Playa del Coco at an unstated price.
• Style: A single-night ceremony led by a Costa Rican facilitator trained in Peruvian plant diets.

Practical guidance: Fly to Liberia (LIR) and arrange a taxi or private transport; arrive by 4:00 p.m. for the ceremony, or 9:00 a.m. for kambo.

Should You Book?

Possibly, with care. Ask in writing who taught the facilitator and who prepares the brew, the screening questions and contraindication list, the minimum age, how many people help during the ceremony and whether anyone is trained in first aid, the emergency plan and nearest hospital, and the legal entity you are paying. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Casa-Trinitos describes its work as a respectful, small-scale space for plant medicine; no founding date is given. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing, plan any change with your own doctor, and arrange your own transport and lodging. After you return: Use the morning sharing offered and arrange support from a qualified therapist at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

Dates are arranged through its Retreat Guru page. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed November 2026.

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