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

Casa de la Luz: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Ceremonies in Turrúcares, Alajuela, Costa Rica

Casa de la Luz is a family-run ayahuasca house in Turrúcares, Alajuela, Costa Rica, minutes from San José airport, founded in 2018 by facilitator Andrés Campos with his mother as cook and host, that sells one-night private ceremonies from $400 and shared ceremonies of up to four people for $250, plus three-day stays at a mountain house in Heredia, per its website. It has a detailed list of excluded conditions and medications and consistently positive reviews. Against that, it sells bottles of full-strength ayahuasca for home use, has no medical staff, publishes no emergency plan, its own blog describes a delayed response to a volunteer’s mental health crisis, and serving ayahuasca risks prosecution in Costa Rica.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A house at Cebadilla, Turrúcares, Alajuela province, Costa Rica, and Casa Cielo Rico, a wooden mountain house in San José de la Montaña, Heredia, about 45 minutes from the airport.
• Approach: Small private or shared overnight ayahuasca ceremonies led by a facilitator who says he trained as a patient rather than through dietas, plus microdosing products.
• Suitable For: Travelers near San José wanting a private ceremony, with caution. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $400 for one person, $600 for two or $900 for three for a private night, or $250 shared; a deposit is paid upfront and the rest in cash on arrival. It also sells a $100 microdose bottle and a $200 full-dose bottle delivered within Costa Rica, per its microdosing page.
• Overall Assessment: Small groups, clear exclusion rules and strong reviews, offset by home-use ayahuasca sales, no medical staff or emergency plan, thin lineage and legal exposure. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Tripadvisor shows 5.0 from 52 reviews from August 2022 to July 2026, all five-star but one. Guests praise a caring facilitator, his mother’s cooking and a calm house. At least two reviews carry Tripadvisor’s label for reviews collected in partnership with the business, and several testimonials on its own site come from volunteers rather than paying guests. 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 de la Luz and Andrés Campos.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found in outside sources. Its own October 2026 blog describes a volunteer’s mental health crisis in which, the author writes, emergency services should have been called sooner, and a guest who hid hearing voices and had a hard ceremony after a second dose.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Andrés Campos says he first drank ayahuasca in 2012 and learned from a teacher called “Kuyay” “after a long time as a patient, not through dietas”, and does not call himself a shaman, per its story page (unverified). No legal entity or health permit is shown, and the site’s contact email is a template placeholder.

Home-use sales. Selling full-strength ayahuasca for unsupervised use at home removes screening and supervision.

Screening and medical support. The site lists excluded conditions and medications, but there is no medical staff, only a sober site administrator on call, and no written emergency plan or hospital distance. Its blog warns guests of legal action if they give false medical information.

Status. Operating, with shared ceremonies scheduled through May 2027.

Legal context. Costa Rica’s drug law, Ley 8204, sets 8 to 15 years in prison for supplying controlled substances without authorization, and DMT is controlled, per the law text; the Health Ministry has warned against ayahuasca and closed unauthorized ceremonies, per La Nación.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Do not take ayahuasca home to drink unsupervised. 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 the operator says it prepares from vine and chacruna grown in Costa Rica (unverified). Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Warm Central Valley countryside near the airport, and a cooler mountain house in Heredia.
• Rooms: Rooms in a family house and a wooden mountain house.
• Style: Small, informal, family-run ceremonies.

Practical guidance: Fly to San José (SJO); an airport pickup can be arranged.

Should You Book?

Only with caution. Ask in writing who leads your ceremony and their training, who on site is trained in first aid, the emergency plan and nearest hospital, the refund terms, and how the center handles legal risk. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Casa de la Luz presents itself as a family home for ayahuasca healing near San José. 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

Ceremonies are listed on its website. 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.