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

Casa Oraya: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Catalonia, Spain

Casa Oraya, earlier listed as Oraya, runs small four-day ayahuasca retreats at rented country houses in Catalonia, Spain, most recently near Sant Pol de Mar, about 45 minutes from Barcelona, led by its founder Virginie with a Colombian curandero, Mauricio, and also sells a bufo ceremony, a private retreat with kambo and trips to Putumayo and Nariño in Colombia, per its Retreat Guru page. Against that, it has no medical staff, emergency protocol or contraindication list, no visible company, contradictory prices and refund terms, and about half of its BookRetreats reviews thank a different operator.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Venues vary by date within Catalonia; the current one is in the Montnegre area near Sant Pol de Mar, Barcelona province, and earlier retreats were in La Garrotxa, Girona, per its listings. Colombia trips go to Mocoa, Putumayo, and El Encano, Nariño.
• Approach: Three ayahuasca ceremonies over four days, two of them in daylight, with live icaros, a cacao ceremony, optional rapé and plant purges, breathwork, yoga and inner-child workshops. The facilitators claim no Indigenous lineage.
• Suitable For: Adults in Europe seeking a short, small-group retreat who arrange their own medical clearance. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $842 for the four-day retreat ($720 early bird) on Retreat Guru, from $842 or €850 on BookRetreats, and €350 to €750 for one to three nights on AyaAdvisors; bufo $360, private retreat $2,400, Colombia trips about $2,020 to $2,100.
• Overall Assessment: Small groups and a written screening process, offset by no medical support alongside bufo and kambo, an opaque operator and serious review-integrity problems. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

All 27 reviews found are five stars: Retreat Guru 5.0 from 1 (September 2026), BookRetreats 5.0 from 19 and AyaAdvisors 5.0 from 7 (November 2025 to March 2026). Guests describe feeling safe, a warm facilitator, the music and the group bond. On the BookRetreats organizer page, nine of the ten visible reviews carry the same date, June 19, 2026, and several thank “Reverie” and its founders, who run a separate center, Reverie Wellness Center, per its website; the same reviews also appear on Casa Oraya’s Colombia trips, one of which includes no ayahuasca (unverified pattern). 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, Spanish, Catalan and French-language news for reports involving Casa Oraya, Oraya and its named facilitators.

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

No surnames are confirmed for anyone, which limits this search. In March 2023 police raided a different group’s ayahuasca, bufo and kambo ceremony at a house in Sant Pol de Mar and arrested two people, per 3Cat; no link to Casa Oraya was found.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Virginie is named as the founder, with no surname confirmed, and says she has worked with the medicine in Spain and Colombia with Colombian practitioners, none named, per her BookRetreats profile. The brew is made by Mauricio, from Putumayo, who says he grows the vine himself and claims no Indigenous lineage. Ekaterina, a yoga teacher trained in Qigong, massage and Chinese medicine, does bodywork. No company name or Spanish tax number appears on any listing.

Screening and medical support. Guests complete a confidential health and medication questionnaire and a call, and listings say not to stop or change prescribed medication without the prescriber, and set a minimum age of 18. No contraindications are named, no medical staff are listed and no emergency protocol is published, including for the bufo ceremony, whose source and dose are not stated. The nearest emergency department for the Sant Pol de Mar venue is at Hospital Sant Jaume in Calella, per the Sant Pol de Mar town council.

Brew claims. Recent listings say the brew is made only from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine, with no DMT-bearing plant; a May 2026 listing said an “alchemist” activates the body’s own DMT, a claim with no scientific basis that later listings softened, per Retreat Guru. The actual composition is unverified.

Terms and listings. Retreat Guru says deposits are refundable until a day before, while BookRetreats uses tiered refunds and AyaAdvisors shows a €200 deposit with no terms. Group sizes range from 12 to 16 across listings, Retreat Guru’s amenity list includes a pool, spa and sauna that do not match a simple shared country house, and the Retreat Guru gallery includes images whose file names show they were generated with ChatGPT.

Status. Operating, with Catalonia dates listed from November 2026 through August 2027 and Colombia trips in January and February 2027. The brand changed from Oraya to Casa Oraya during 2026, and the venue moved from La Garrotxa to Sant Pol de Mar.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is not specifically prohibited in Spain, DMT is controlled and courts have mostly acquitted ayahuasca cases, per ICEERS; the Madrid High Court of Justice upheld an acquittal in July 2025, per Plantaforma. In September 2026 the Guardia Civil arrested a man running an unrelated ayahuasca, kambo and bufo “clinic” in Sagunto on public-health and fraud grounds, per Moncloa.com.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Combining ayahuasca, bufo and kambo without medical staff adds 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

Said to be Banisteriopsis caapi only, prepared by Mauricio (unverified). Traditional ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Rented country houses in Catalan forest areas; the exact address is given only to confirmed guests.
• Rooms: Four shared, gender-separated bedrooms of three to four beds and two shared bathrooms; private rooms only for private retreats.
• Style: A non-lineage, workshop-based format with daytime ceremonies and therapeutic language.

Practical guidance: Guests are met at the nearest train station; airport transfers are not included.

Should You Book?

Only with caution. Ask in writing who runs the company, what the brew contains, the full contraindication list, who on site is trained in first aid and how emergencies are handled, and which of its reviews come from its own retreats. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Casa Oraya’s dated traces begin with 2023 photos on Retreat Guru and AyaAdvisors reviews from November 2025; its earliest dated event found is from March 2026. It works with a changing team in Spain and a separate team of local guides for its Colombia trips. 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

Dates are listed on Retreat Guru. 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.