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

Blue Butterfly Center: An In-Depth Review for Small-Group Ayahuasca Retreats in Costa Rica

Blue Butterfly Center is a small ayahuasca retreat in Costa Rica led by a facilitator who uses the spiritual name “Ayam Navin (Mamo name),” and whom guests call Aya or Bruno, together with a co-facilitator named Kay. It runs five-day “DragonFly” retreats for couples and small groups, listed on Retreat Guru with open dates at $1,999, and uses drawings and talks to help guests work through their ceremonies. Guests rate it highly, 4.94 from 36 reviews, though one three-star reviewer left feeling worse and said the facilitator seemed stretched thin. The operator places it in Savegre de Aguirre, on the Pacific coast between Quepos and Dominical, while one guest described “the forest of La Tigra”; the exact site is not published. It has no website, and no surnames, legal entity, screening, contraindications, medical staff, emergency plan or refund policy are published. Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health has called ayahuasca healing rituals an unauthorized practice. We found no incidents.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: “Savegre de Aguirre, Costa Rica,” at a spot the listing calls “Valle Diamante,” according to its Retreat Guru event card; a July 2024 guest wrote “Nestled in the forest of La Tigra,” and another described “a garden close to a forest and river,” on its Retreat Guru page. Savegre district has no village called La Tigra; the best-known La Tigra is in San Carlos, Alajuela. No address or GPS is published.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies in an intimate, personal style, with drawings and group talks used to surface insights, yoga and meditation, and a hot springs outing on the last day reported by one guest.
• Suitable For: Couples and individuals who want a very small group and close attention, and who will confirm the location, screening and emergency arrangements before booking. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $1,999 for the five-day “DragonFly Retreat (Open Dates, Valle Diamante, Costa Rica) Intimate Small Group” on Retreat Guru, with meals included. No deposit or refund policy is published. The $2,400 or more estimate in our earlier profile matches a different Savegre operator’s retreats, not this one.
• Overall Assessment: Strong guest satisfaction, very small groups and an integration method guests value, offset by an operator known only by first and spiritual names, no legal entity or website, no published screening, medical, emergency or refund policy, conflicting location details, an implausible amenity list and no dated guest evidence since January 2025. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Guests describe feeling “incredibly safe, cared for and tended to,” a warm, personal ceremony style, the facilitator as “a master of his craft,” drawings that revealed insights they had missed, good food, and plans to return; one thanked “Bruno and Kay” for giving them “the tools I needed.” A December 2023 review describes a five-day couples retreat. Our earlier profile said one participant reported no mental or health complications; that review is not among those visible, and the comment remains unverified.

The negative feedback. A three-star review from June 2024 says the guest left feeling worse than when they arrived, the medicine had no effect, the facilitator seemed stretched thin and other participants ignored the no-phone practice; the reviewer enjoyed the food, setting and hot springs but would not recommend it for the price.

Who is writing the reviews. Two visible reviews use the same phrase, “a master of his craft,” which may be coincidence. Guests use several names for the facilitator, which fits genuine reviews. Only 5 of the 36 reviews are visible on the center page. 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 Blue Butterfly Center, Butterfly Retreat Center, Ayam or Aya Navin, Bruno and Kay, and ayahuasca in Savegre, Quepos and La Tigra.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found involving this center. In August 2024 a US social worker died of a heart attack after taking ibogaine at an unnamed Costa Rica retreat, as CR Hoy reported; nothing links that case to this center, which does not offer ibogaine.
• 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 safety incidents, theft, sexual misconduct, criminal charges or arrests, and its March 2026 update reported none. Because the facilitators are known only by first or spiritual names, the absence of reports is weak evidence.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. The lead facilitator is named only as “Ayam Navin (Mamo name)”; Mamo is the title of spiritual leaders of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta peoples of Colombia, but no lineage or training is stated. Two reviews call him Bruno. Kay’s role is not stated, and reviews also name Juan, Miriam and Parvati. No surname, company or website exists.

Where it is. The operator’s own listing says Savegre de Aguirre, a lowland coastal district, while a guest wrote La Tigra and another guest’s hot springs trip and the listing’s “mineral rivers” fit the La Tigra district of San Carlos better. The center may have moved, or one description may be wrong. Confirm the address before paying.

Listing data. Retreat Guru ticks a pool, spa, sauna, hot tub, fitness center, restaurant and bicycle rental, which guests’ descriptions of an intimate garden retreat do not support.

Costa Rica’s rules. In January 2025 Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health warned that healing rituals with ayahuasca or ibogaine are “una práctica no autorizada” and asked the public to report them, as CR Hoy reported. Costa Rica has no specific rules for retreat centers, according to ICEERS, and we found no raids on centers in Puntarenas or San Carlos.

Corrections to our earlier profile. A price is published ($1,999 for five days), so it is not estimated at $2,400 or more. The operator’s location is Savegre de Aguirre, so “La Tigra forest near Savegre de Aguirre” combines two descriptions that may refer to different places, and Savegre is lowland rainforest rather than cooler cloud forest. We found no source for a cap of four participants, “luxurious, top amenities,” traditional dietary preparation, personalized follow-up integration, one-on-one discussions, San José as the nearest airport, travel through mountainous terrain or the need to book far ahead; those details remain unverified.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff, emergency protocol or post-retreat integration program is published, and no reviewer mentions medical staff. The nearest hospital depends on the unconfirmed site: Quepos for Savegre, or Ciudad Quesada for La Tigra, San Carlos. 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

The center does not publish its recipe. Ayahuasca usually combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with chacruna leaves, which supply the DMT, as Erowid explains. No other medicines are mentioned.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A garden close to forest and a river, with rainforest, wildlife and mountain views listed on Retreat Guru.
• Rooms: Air-conditioned rooms with housekeeping, according to the listing.
• Style: An intimate, personal ceremony style for couples and small groups, with drawing and talk-based integration.

Practical guidance: Ask the center for directions and transport options, since no transfer is published. Meals use fresh local products, with vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian and other diets available.

Should You Book?

Only with care. Before paying, ask for the facilitators’ full names and training, the exact address, how medications and health conditions are screened, what happens in a medical emergency, and the refund terms, and get the answers in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The center describes itself as a “holistic learning Life center” that aims to release “old beliefs, conditioning, and latent trauma.” Its Retreat Guru address suggests an earlier name, Butterfly Retreat Center, and its earliest visible review is from December 2023. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing and plan any change with your own doctor. 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 five-day retreat is listed with open dates on Retreat Guru. Before paying, confirm the dates, the location, the facilitators and the refund terms 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.