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

Ayahuasca House: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Medellín, Colombia

Ayahuasca House is a small retreat run by founder Renato Simonelli and his wife Sabina from a house near the village of Guarne, about 20 to 30 minutes from Medellín’s international airport. Its four- and five-day programs combine ayahuasca ceremonies with live music, kambo, rapé, sananga, plant baths, “therapy of human biography,” intravenous drips, massage and, in its top package, a ceremony with Bufo alvarius (5-MeO-DMT). Renato is described as a “certified doctor in ancestral medicine” who works with Taita Don Gerardo Silva. Its website currently advertises one program, a Christmas retreat on December 7 to 13, 2026, at a nature reserve in Argelia, Antioquia, about four hours from Medellín, for $1,290. The five Retreat Guru reviews are all five stars and all from 2022. No medical staff, screening questionnaire, contraindication list, emergency plan or refund policy is published, and no legal entity was found. We found no incidents.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A house “just outside of Medellin… near the village of Guarne,” with the exact address shared only after sign-up, according to its Retreat Guru page. The December 2026 retreat is at “Yacumadre Reserva Natural” in Argelia (Argelia de María), Antioquia, about 147 km and four hours from Medellín, according to the operator’s homepage.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies with live music, kambo, rapé, sananga, plant baths and group therapy, with IV therapy, massage and a Bufo ceremony in the higher-priced packages.
• Suitable For: Experienced, medically healthy adults who want a short program close to Medellín and are prepared to ask for screening and emergency details in writing. Not suitable for anyone taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $1,290 for the December 7 to 13, 2026 retreat in Argelia, with three ayahuasca ceremonies, one kambo ceremony, private accommodation and meals, transport not included. The four-day “Spiritual Explorer” and “Transformative Journey” and the five-day “Deep Awakening” packages show no prices on its prices page; the Third Wave directory lists “$1200.” No deposit or refund policy is published.
• Overall Assessment: Warm, if dated, reviews and a small group, offset by Bufo offered in the same program as four ayahuasca ceremonies, IV drips with no named clinician, no published screening or medical staff, no refund terms or registered company, a thin and aging review record, and a move to a remote venue. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Retreat Guru reviewers from 2022 describe transformational healing, family-like hospitality, a good chef, the musicians, comfortable accommodation and an attentive team; one credits the retreat with help in recovering from alcohol dependence and warns readers about “fly by night” imitators. The Third Wave reviewer calls it “a tough few days but so worth it.” Our earlier profile said a 2024 Tripadvisor review called Renato’s guidance deeply healing and that Quora users praised attentive staff and feeling secure; those reviews remain unverified.

The negative feedback. No review below five stars is visible. Our earlier profile said a 2023 Retreat Guru review praised the food but found portions small; the visible Retreat Guru reviews are all from 2022 and praise the food, so that complaint remains unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. The independent review base is six reviews, five of them posted within three months in 2022, with nothing dated since. The operator says it has more than 50 testimonials on its own site. Its homepage gallery for the Argelia reserve includes at least one stock photo, and its Facebook and Instagram icons link to the sites’ home pages rather than to its accounts. 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 Ayahuasca House, Renato Simonelli, Sabina Uribe and Taita Gerardo Silva.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found involving this operator. Elsewhere near Medellín, a 73-year-old American woman died after drinking yagé in Barbosa in February 2024 and a 53-year-old woman died after a ritual in a home in Itagüí in May 2024, according to El Colombiano; no operator was named and neither case is linked to Ayahuasca House.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: No complaints found.
• Legal action: No police action or lawsuits found.

Our earlier profile also found no theft, sexual misconduct or crime and described a clean online reputation; that remains true of what is visible, although the visible record is small.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with Ayahuasca House, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Bufo with ayahuasca. The five-day “Deep Awakening” package adds a “Bufo Alvarious” ceremony, which delivers 5-MeO-DMT, to four ayahuasca ceremonies and two kambo sessions. Ayahuasca contains MAOIs, and 5-MeO-DMT taken while MAOIs are active can be dangerous; no spacing, screening or medical supervision is described.

IV therapy without a named clinician. Two packages include a “Revitalizing Intravenous Therapy” session. Intravenous treatment is a medical procedure, and no doctor or nurse is named on any of the operator’s pages.

The law. Colombia has no specific law on ayahuasca, which is governed indirectly through Indigenous-rights norms, according to an analysis on Bia Labate’s blog. DMT and 5-MeO-DMT are described as “controlled or unregulated,” with no legal access pathway outside research and Indigenous use, according to a 2026 country report. Our earlier profile’s reference to Colombia’s “regulated ayahuasca context” was inaccurate.

No company or refund terms. We found no registered company and no deposit, cancellation or refund policy on any listing.

Corrections to our earlier profile. The house is near Guarne rather than in Medellín itself, and the current program is in Argelia. The $1,290 price applies to the December 2026 retreat, not to the four-day program. The co-host is Renato’s wife, Sabina; we found no source for a facilitator named Thomas, for “professional” musicians, for airport transfers or for “2025-26-27” dates, which remain unverified. The profile also omitted kambo, rapé, sananga, Bufo and IV therapy.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol appears on the operator’s website, Retreat Guru or Third Wave; the only safety claims are “24/7 team support” and a “trained team.” A Best Retreats blog post said the center ensures medical and psychological screenings, citing a 2024 report that remains unverified. Guarne’s hospital, Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria, is due to operate from a temporary building during reconstruction from August 2026, according to El Colombiano, and the distance from the house is unknown; the Argelia reserve is about four hours from Medellín’s hospitals. 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. Integration sessions and group therapy are listed, with post-retreat therapy only in the top package. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

The operator says all its medicine comes from one master, Taita Don Gerardo Silva; the recipe is not published. Colombian yagé usually combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with chagropanga or chacruna leaves, as Erowid explains. Kambo, rapé, sananga and Bufo alvarius are also offered.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A house in the green hills of eastern Antioquia near Guarne; for December 2026, a rainforest reserve with river access in Argelia.
• Rooms: Shared rooms with an en suite bathroom, according to Retreat Guru, or dorm-style rooms with a shared bathroom, according to another directory; the Argelia retreat advertises private accommodation.
• Style: A Western-run program mixing ayahuasca with kambo, Bufo, psychotherapy and wellness treatments for groups of up to 10 to 12.

Practical guidance: The Guarne house is 20 to 30 minutes from José María Córdova airport; no transfer service is listed, and transport to Argelia is not included. Meals are organic and change daily, with dietary restrictions accommodated.

Should You Book?

Only with care. Before paying, ask who screens participants and for what, who administers the IV therapy and with what qualifications, how Bufo is spaced from ayahuasca, how an emergency would be handled at each venue, and what the refund terms are, and get the answers in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Renato Simonelli is the founder and CEO, according to BookRetreats, which describes him as a “certified doctor in ancestral medicine, recognized by the indigenous government of Colombia” with more than seven years of hosting retreats; the certifying authority is not named. He runs the retreats with his wife, Sabina, and says he has worked exclusively in recent years with Taita Don Gerardo Silva. The center appears in directories from 2021, and its YouTube channel promotes four-day ayahuasca and kambo retreats near Medellín. 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 decline Bufo or IV treatments if no medical professional is named. After you return: 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

The operator advertises a December 7 to 13, 2026 retreat in Argelia, booked by WhatsApp, and lists four- and five-day packages without dates. Before paying, confirm the venue, the price, the refund terms and the emergency arrangements in writing. 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.