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Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (October 2026). They will be updated if El Sabor de La Joya submits its own information.

El Sabor de La Joya: An In-Depth Review for Retreats in Guairá, Paraguay

El Sabor de La Joya is a Swiss family’s organic farm, weekend restaurant and guesthouse in the Ybytyruzú hills of Guairá, Paraguay, about three hours from Asunción, which also sells 16-day ayahuasca “healing journeys” through Retreat Guru for groups of up to eight. Its facilitator describes herself as a Swiss-trained medium, traditional Chinese medicine therapist and “late-blooming shaman,” and no indigenous lineage is named. Very little is published: no price, no medical screening, no medication policy, no medical staff and no named facilitator, and there are no reviews of the retreats on any platform. We found no incidents. Paraguay’s legal position on ayahuasca is unclear, and authorities raided an unrelated ayahuasca venue in 2024. It has no connection to La Joya or Sacha Runa in Peru. Several claims in our earlier profile could not be confirmed.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A gated farm and nature reserve in the Ybytyruzú hills, Guairá department, about three hours by car from Asunción, according to its Retreat Guru page, which gives the locality as Itati. Travelers’ reviews on iOverlander place it near the Salto Suizo waterfall in the Colonia Independencia area.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies combined with “body cleansing,” counseling, personal assessments, hikes, meditation and group discussions, led by a facilitator whose background is Swiss mediumship and spiritual healing, according to a Retreat Guru event page.
• Suitable For: People who want a long, small-group retreat with organic food and nature on a family farm, and who are comfortable with a European spiritual-healing approach rather than an indigenous one. Less suited to anyone who needs medical screening, medical staff or a track record of reviews.
• Costs: Not published. Retreat Guru says the price is all-inclusive, covering airport pickup in Asunción, accommodation, meals, ceremonies and assessments. Our earlier profile gave €2,980 for 16 days; we found no source for that figure.
• Overall Assessment: A small, warm, food-focused family farm offering long ayahuasca retreats, offset by no published price, screening, medication policy or medical staff, an unnamed facilitator with a contradictory bio, no retreat reviews and legal uncertainty in Paraguay. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Here is how El Sabor de La Joya rates across review platforms in October 2026:

The positive picture. iOverlander reviewers, who camped or ate at the farm rather than attending a retreat, describe friendly, knowledgeable Swiss hosts, a peaceful and clean setting, high-quality organic food and clean natural spring pools.

The negative feedback. The same reviewers mention little shade, weak Wi-Fi, a gate that is often closed, dinners priced above the local norm and a map pin in the wrong place. We found no reviews of the ayahuasca retreats themselves.

Who is writing the reviews. There are no retreat reviews to assess. Retreat Guru’s amenity checklist lists a spa, sauna, hot tub and fitness center that no guest mentions. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms, Paraguayan, Spanish, German and English-language news, and legal sources for reports involving El Sabor de La Joya and its hosts.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and crime: No reports found.
• Legal action: None found involving the center. See the legal position below.

Given how small the center’s online footprint is, the absence of reports is weak evidence. If you have experienced or witnessed an incident at El Sabor de La Joya, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

The legal position. Paraguay has no specific law on ayahuasca, but authorities treat DMT as a controlled substance. In August 2024 anti-narcotics prosecutors, the national anti-drug agency (SENAD) and the health regulator (Dinavisa) raided an unrelated ayahuasca venue in Paraguarí on a judge’s order, seizing containers that preliminarily tested positive for DMT and harmine and citing Law 1340 of 1988, as ABC Color reported. A year earlier, a health ministry official told ABC Color that ayahuasca use “is not prohibited.” The status is unclear and enforcement does happen, so a foreign-run center charging for ceremonies carries legal risk. See our country-by-country legal guide.

Who leads the ceremonies? No facilitator is named on Retreat Guru, which lists no guides. The first-person bio on the event page describes a Swiss woman who works with “my husband Urs and my son Noël,” but it also says both “I am 26 years old” and “born in Switzerland in 1973,” which suggests it merges more than one person’s bio. iOverlander reviewers name the hosts as Maya, Urs and Noël. Ask who will lead your ceremonies and what their training is.

Almost nothing is published. There is no website, price, deposit or refund policy, ceremony count, screening process or medication policy. The center says the price is all-inclusive but does not state it. The latest dated retreat ran September 26 to October 11, 2026, and no 2027 dates were listed in October 2026.

Claims from our earlier profile. Our earlier profile said the property covers 100 hectares, that it opened in 2019 and was inaugurated by Paraguay’s tourism minister, that a 16-day retreat cost €2,980, and that the owner is a Swiss national named Urs Greder. We found no independent source for any of these; the center’s own pages give only the first name Urs. They remain unverified. It also described one facilitator as trained in Switzerland and England and responsible for a spiritual healing school from 2014; the parts about England and 2014 did not appear in the bio we found.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

El Sabor de La Joya describes no medical screening, no contraindications and no medical staff on any page we found; it refers only to “professional guidance” and a “personal assessment.” The facilitator’s stated training is in traditional Chinese medicine, body-oriented psychotherapy and mediumship, with no medical license claimed. No emergency protocol or nearest hospital is published, and the farm is in rural hills a few hours from Asunción. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes combinations with SSRIs and other serotonergic medications contraindicated, and that ayahuasca is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Erowid warns of extreme, possibly fatal reactions with some prescription drugs. Ask what screening is done, which medications are excluded, what “body cleansing” involves and how a medical emergency would be handled. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a retreat without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

The center does not say what its ayahuasca contains or where it comes from. Traditional ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. The number of ceremonies in a 16-day retreat is not stated. The facilitator mentions working with “master plants” in general terms and a stay in the Brazilian Amazon, but names no kambo, rapé, dieta or indigenous teacher. Ask exactly what is in each cup and how doses are set.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A working organic farm in the low, forested Ybytyruzú hills with natural spring-water pools, wild birds and animals, according to the center and travelers’ reviews. The gate is usually closed, so visitors must arrange their arrival in advance.
• Rooms: Double rooms with private shower and toilet and air conditioning, according to Retreat Guru. The farm also hosts campers.
• Style: A Swiss family farm with a European spiritual-healing approach. Expect counseling, meditation, hikes and group discussions alongside ceremonies, with “100% organic” meals, house-made ferments, jams and vinegars, and menus from vegan to meat. Languages are Spanish, German, English and French.

Practical guidance: Fly into Asunción (ASU); the center says airport pickup is included. Allow about three hours by road to the farm.

Should You Book?

El Sabor de La Joya may suit you if you want a quiet, small-group retreat on a family farm with excellent organic food, and you are comfortable with a European medium-led approach. The trade-offs: no published price, screening, medication policy or medical staff, an unnamed facilitator with a contradictory bio, no retreat reviews anywhere and an unclear legal position in Paraguay. If you go, get the price, the facilitator’s name and training, the screening and medication policy, the emergency arrangements and the refund terms in writing, and read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The facilitator bio on Retreat Guru describes a Swiss former nursery teacher who trained in traditional Chinese medicine and body-oriented psychotherapy, met Amazonian medicines in 2010 with her companion Urs, spent about 20 years as an instructor at what she calls the largest medial school in Switzerland, and has worked in Paraguay with El Sabor de La Joya since 2018. She names the Swiss medium and author Pascal Voggenhuber as her mentor, runs firewalking retreats and calls herself a “late-blooming shaman.” iOverlander reviewers describe the hosts as a Swiss family, Maya, Urs and Noël. No legal entity is published. We did not independently verify anyone’s credentials.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Ask for the center’s health questionnaire and medication policy, disclose every medication and condition, and talk with your own doctor well before the retreat. Ask what the 16 days involve day by day. After you return: The program includes counseling and group discussion, but no follow-up support is described. 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

Bookings are made through El Sabor de La Joya’s Retreat Guru page; no website is published. No 2027 dates were listed in October 2026. Before paying, confirm in writing the price, the facilitator, what is in each brew, the screening and medication policy, the emergency arrangements and the refund terms. 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.