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

Casa Arkaana: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Tulum, Mexico

Casa Arkaana is a small jungle retreat house in Ciudad Chemuyil, about 20 minutes north of Tulum, Mexico, run by yoga teacher Maja Vučenović and bodyworker Asdrubal “Asdru” Zaldivar, who live on site and claim Shipibo training through Maestro Gilberto Mahua, offering 7-day retreats with three ayahuasca ceremonies from $1,900, per its Retreat Guru program page. It publishes a written screening form, antidepressant washout rules and named contraindications. Against that, no medical staff are on site, its listings disagree on who serves the ayahuasca, and its ceremony reviews are few and padded with imported house-stay reviews.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Aldea Coral, a gated development in Ciudad Chemuyil, Quintana Roo, Mexico, on five acres of jungle about 22 km from Tulum, per its website; it also sells a 17-day dieta in a Shipibo community about six hours by boat from Pucallpa, Peru.
• Approach: Three Shipibo-style ayahuasca ceremonies in a maloka over seven days, plus temazcal, cacao, sound healing, flower baths, yoga, breathwork and integration circles; other programs add rapé, mambe and a probable San Pedro session.
• Suitable For: Adults wanting a small, comfortable jungle retreat near Tulum with structured screening and integration. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $1,900 to $2,500 by room on Retreat Guru, or from $1,700 early bird on BookRetreats, with a $486 deposit and the balance due on arrival. Refund terms differ: Retreat Guru allows refunds until shortly before arrival, while BookRetreats keeps the deposit inside 15 days.
• Overall Assessment: Published screening and washout rules, small groups, follow-up integration and resident hosts, offset by no medical staff, an unnamed lead ceremonialist and thin, recycled ceremony reviews. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Retreat Guru shows 5.0 from 3 reviews, all from late 2023, repeated on every event page, per its center page; guests praise long pre-retreat calls, caring hosts, clean rooms and help interpreting their experiences. BookRetreats shows 4.99 from 69, but 68 are imported Google reviews from 2026 that mostly describe stays at the house rather than ceremonies, per its organizer page; the property also rates 4.93 on Airbnb. One imported review is posted under a first name that matches a facilitator’s (unverified). No ceremony review newer than 2023 and no reviews of 3 stars or lower were found. 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 Arkaana, Maja Vučenović, Asdrubal Zaldivar, Gilberto Mahua and its other named facilitators.

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

Several facilitators are listed by first name only, which limits this search.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Maja Vučenović describes about 20 years of yoga teaching plus doula, ethnobotany and somatic training, per her Retreat Guru profile, and Asdru Zaldivar describes more than 10 years on the plant medicine path (both unverified). They claim 11 years in the lineage of Maestro Gilberto Mahua, a Shipibo elder who also teaches for other centers. Listings disagree on who serves the ayahuasca: “Maja & Asdru”, a facilitator named only as Jurriën, or an unnamed “experienced ceremonialist”. BookRetreats lists the organizer as “Ecological Wellness Center”; no company or tax number is published.

Screening and medical support. Guests complete a written medical and emotional intake and a 30-minute video call; SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs and lithium require a full washout under the guest’s own doctor, and personal or family history of psychosis or bipolar disorder, pregnancy and serious heart conditions exclude, per the Retreat Guru program page. No medical staff are named; BookRetreats mentions only a first-aid kit and emergency contacts. Tulum’s hospitals are about 20 to 30 minutes away. Its other programs, including the remote Peru dieta, list no screening.

Listings. Group sizes are given as 8, 10, 12, 16, 20 and 26 across listings; transfers are listed as both included and $115 to $145 per car; and Retreat Guru’s amenity list shows air conditioning, spa, sauna and gym that the website and BookRetreats contradict. The property is also rented on Airbnb and for weddings, and visiting groups may bring their own facilitators.

Status. Operating, with a retreat that ended in November 2026 and dates listed for December 2026 and January, March and May 2027 on Retreat Guru. A new website on a temporary domain appears to be in progress.

Legal context. Ayahuasca’s plants are not named in Mexican law, but DMT is controlled, and Indigenous healers have been arrested at Mexico City’s airport carrying ayahuasca; Peruvian healer José Campos was acquitted in 2023, per ICEERS. Nine healers were detained in 2022 and 2023 and later released, per AFP via the Tico Times.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

The published washout and exclusion rules are a good start, but no one on site is medically qualified to apply them. 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 said to be prepared in small batches within the Shipibo Mahua family lineage. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Off-grid lowland jungle on the Riviera Maya, with a maloka, temazcal, permaculture garden and pool.
• Rooms: Four ensuite veranda rooms, four screened casitas with shared eco bathrooms and two glamping tents, with no air conditioning, per its website.
• Style: Shipibo-style ceremonies hosted by non-Indigenous owners, mixed with yoga, sound healing and other wellness practices.

Practical guidance: Fly to Cancún or Tulum; transfers are arranged, though listings disagree on whether they cost extra.

Should You Book?

Possibly, if you want a small, comfortable setting near Tulum. Ask in writing who serves the ayahuasca and their training, who on site is trained in first aid, the emergency plan to a Tulum hospital and which refund terms apply to your booking. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The owners describe walking the Shipibo tradition for about 11 years and have hosted on Airbnb since about 2017; its earliest ceremony review dates from 2023. It is unrelated to Arkana Spiritual Center. 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: Use the follow-up sessions 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 listed on Retreat Guru and BookRetreats. 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.