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

Casa Rau Tibuya: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Casa Rau Tibuya is listed as an ayahuasca retreat in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, offering an “immersive 8-day private journey” in its hosts’ home built around a Huni Kuin “Nixi Paê” ayahuasca ritual, with yoga, sound journeys and nature outings, for $2,900 to $10,000, according to its AyaAdvisors listing. Against that, no owner, company, screening, medical staff or emergency plan is published, Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health said in 2025 that no ayahuasca retreat holds health permits, and nothing is dated after September 2024.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Puntarenas province, Costa Rica, with no town or address. The name comes from a Huni Kuin chant.
• Approach: An 8-day private program in the hosts’ home with a Nixi Paê (Huni Kuin ayahuasca) ceremony, yoga, sound journeys and nature excursions; the number of ceremonies is not stated.
• Suitable For: No one until the operator identifies itself and publishes screening and medical support. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $2,900 to $10,000, per the listing, with no breakdown, deposit or refund terms (unverified).
• Overall Assessment: Two warm reviews of a private home program, offset by an unidentified operator, no safety information, Costa Rica’s legal warnings and no activity since 2024. Directory evaluation: D.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

AyaAdvisors shows 5.0 from 2 reviews, dated December 2023 and September 2024, describing a safe, beautiful space, a gentle lead facilitator and a well-matched team. Reviewers name the lead as Nixi or Nixiwaka, working with his son Adam and with Ariana. No reviews of 3 stars or lower exist. A Retreat Guru center called “Nixiwaka” on Costa Rica’s mid-Pacific coast listed no reviews before its page was removed; any link to this retreat is unverified. 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 Rau Tibuya, Rau Tibuya and Nixiwaka.

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

Staff are known by first names 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. The listing names no owner, company or contact. A South African-born ceremonialist who publishes as Nixiwaka, has lived in Costa Rica since December 2020 and works with a son named Adam may be the lead (unverified), per his own site. He is not Chief Nixiwaka Yawanawá, a Brazilian leader who also holds retreats in Puntarenas, per BookRetreats.

Kambo. That ceremonialist’s site lists kambo among its ceremonies, while his kambo page says he has had no training with kambo. Whether kambo was offered at Casa Rau Tibuya is unknown.

Screening and medical support. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published, and no hospital distance can be given without a town.

Listing contradictions. The program is described as a private journey in a home, while the former Retreat Guru “Nixiwaka” page ticked a spa, sauna, pool and fitness center, which read as template entries.

Status. The latest review is from September 2024. In August 2026 the same ceremonialist wrote that his website is no longer used to announce ceremonies, per his newsletter. No closure notice or rebrand was found.

Legal context. DMT is controlled in Costa Rica under Law 8204, and charging for ceremonies can fall under trafficking provisions, per Wikipedia. In January 2025 the Ministry of Health warned that no organization holds health permits for ayahuasca or ibogaine retreats, per Digital 506.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Our earlier page said the retreat was potentially closed and being monitored for rebranding; no rebrand was found, and activity stops after September 2024, but closure is not confirmed. The 3000 price had no source; the listing gives $2,900 to $10,000. Our earlier grade was C; the grade is now D.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No contraindications are published. 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, called nixi paê by the Huni Kuin, of undisclosed recipe. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Costa Rica’s Pacific coast in Puntarenas province, per the listing only.
• Rooms: The hosts’ own home.
• Style: A Huni Kuin-style ceremony with yoga, sound journeys and nature outings.

Practical guidance: Fly to San José; transfers are not stated.

Should You Book?

No, unless the operator names itself and explains in writing its screening, medical support and how it operates under Costa Rica’s 2025 health warning. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Reviews date from 2023 and 2024; no founding date or history is published. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

For any ceremony, ask in writing who serves the medicine, what it contains, how medications are screened and what happens in an emergency, and plan any change with your own doctor. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

No current dates or booking channel were found. 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.