Atmosphere

Features

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

Heart Portal Retreat (CreArte): An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Barcelona, Spain

Heart Portal Retreat, which brands its Barcelona events “CreArte”, is an organizer run by facilitators known only as Carmen, Gustavo and Magda that sells three to nine-day retreats combining ayahuasca with kambo, bufo (5-MeO-DMT) and, on longer programs, psilocybin, at a country house in Barcelona province, for up to 18 guests from €600, per its Retreat Guru page. It offers preparation and follow-up sessions near a major city. Against that, its operators give first names only and no address or legal entity, its schedule places bufo between two ayahuasca nights with no published screening, contraindications, medical staff or emergency plan, and its few reviews are mostly anonymous.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A traditional country house (masía) in Barcelona province, “less than an hour from the city”, with the address shared after booking; a New Year 2025/26 retreat was listed at a castle in Döbeln, Germany.
• Approach: Kambo on arrival, ayahuasca that night, bufo the next morning, cacao with art therapy, a second ayahuasca night and conscious dance; nine-day and New Year programs add psilocybin.
• Suitable For: Not recommended for first-time or medically vulnerable guests. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: €600 to €700 for three days, €1,090 to €1,190 for four days and up to €2,100 for nine days, per its three-day program page; one-day kambo or bufo sessions cost €170. Whether medicine is charged separately is unclear, and transfers are not included.
• Overall Assessment: Affordable retreats with preparation and integration sessions, offset by risky stacking of medicines, no published medical safeguards, an anonymous operator and an address withheld until booking. Directory evaluation: D+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Retreat Guru shows 5.00 from two reviews on the center page and five across program pages: one written review from September 2026 praising all three facilitators, and four anonymous emoji-only reviews, three posted on the same day in October 2026. No other platform lists the center, 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, Spanish and German-language news for reports involving Heart Portal Retreat, CreArte, Carmen, Magda (PachaMagda) and the Döbeln venue.

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

The facilitators give first names only, and the center has almost no presence beyond Retreat Guru, so this absence offers little assurance.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Carmen describes herself as a medium and channeler with more than three years among the Noke Koî people, per her teacher profile; Magda leads retreats and handles bookings, per her profile; and Gustavo offers music and conversation (all unverified). A musician persona, PachaMagda, accompanies ceremonies. No surnames, website, company or tax number appear.

Screening and medical support. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published. The operator’s own schedule gives kambo before the first ayahuasca ceremony and bufo the next morning between two ayahuasca nights; ayahuasca contains MAOIs, and combining MAOIs with 5-MeO-DMT is widely cautioned against. Because the town is withheld, the nearest hospital is unknown.

Health claims. A kambo page says kambo detoxifies the body and strengthens the immune system. These claims are unsupported.

Listings. Group size ranges from 10 to 18 across events, amenity tags show a pool, spa and sauna not described in the text, and some earlier events show no refund policy.

Status. Operating, with dates listed from 13 November 2026 to April 2027; Barcelona retreats began in July 2026.

Legal context. Spain does not explicitly regulate ayahuasca while DMT is controlled, and Spain records the most ayahuasca legal cases, per ICEERS. In 2026 the Guardia Civil raided an unrelated retreat in Sagunto selling a similar mix of medicines, per Diario de León.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Four potent medicines within about 48 hours, with no published screening, carry serious 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

Ayahuasca served by the facilitators; its source is not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Mediterranean countryside inland from Barcelona.
• Rooms: Shared rooms in a country house.
• Style: European neo-shamanic program with art therapy, dance and live music.

Practical guidance: Fly to Barcelona (BCN); the organizers help coordinate carpools and public transport.

Should You Book?

Not without serious caution. Ask in writing for the facilitators’ full names and training, the venue’s address, the screening questions and contraindication list, who on site is trained in first aid, the emergency plan and nearest hospital, the gap between ayahuasca and any bufo, whether medicine costs extra, and the legal entity you are paying. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Heart Portal presents itself as “a sacred path back to yourself” led by a small team of medicine women and musicians. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing, plan any change with your own doctor, and consider declining bufo and psilocybin. 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

Programs 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.