Iboga Wellness Center
Atmosphere
Features
Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (October 2026). They will be updated if Iboga Wellness Center submits its own information.
Iboga Wellness Center: An In-Depth Review for Iboga Retreats in Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica
Iboga Wellness Center ran Bwiti-framed iboga retreats from a nine-bedroom house in Pérez Zeledón, in Costa Rica’s southern zone, after launching on the Guanacaste coast around 2014. It was founded by Gary Cook, and its lead provider, Levi Barker, says he recovered from opiate addiction with iboga and trained under Gabonese Bwiti teachers. Eight-day retreats with two ceremonies were listed at $3,000 to $3,550 for five to seven guests. It rates 4.81 from 32 reviews on Retreat Guru, where guests praise supportive staff and food. Against that, Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health named it in 2024 among six sites offering iboga or ayahuasca without authorization; a 2019 review describes a guest’s psychotic break, early release and violent episode with delayed medical help; no doctor, QT screening or emergency plan is published; and no retreat is listed after February 2025.
🎯 At a Glance
- Locations: Pérez Zeledón, near San Isidro de El General, “2500 ft. atop a mountain,” according to its Third Wave listing. No address is published.
- Approach: Two iboga ceremonies in a strict Bwiti framework, with integration days, beach outings and music; no other medicines are offered.
- Suitable For: No one, until the center confirms it is operating, names its medical staff and publishes cardiac screening and an emergency plan. Not suitable for anyone with a heart condition, psychiatric history or medications that affect heart rhythm.
- Costs: $3,000 to $3,550 for eight days in 2021 and 2022 listings; the ECG costs extra. Retreat Guru refunds 100% at 60 or more days and 50% at 30 to 59 days.
- Overall Assessment: Small groups, a single-medicine focus and mostly positive reviews, offset by operating without health authorization, a serious unverified duty-of-care complaint, thin and inconsistent medical screening, use of a concentrated iboga extract, and no evidence of current activity. Directory evaluation: C.
💬 What Guests Are Saying
| Platform | Rating | Reviews | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retreat Guru (center) | 4.81 / 5 | 32 | Visible reviews January 2020 to August 2022 |
| Retreat Guru (Levi Barker) | 4.33 / 5 | 6 | 2019 to 2020; one 1-star |
The positive picture. Reviewers describe supportive, non-judgmental staff, good food, a comfortable house and strong emotional release.
The negative feedback. A September 2019 one-star review says a guest who came for depression became delusional after the second ceremony, was allowed to leave days early to join a family member at a nearby hotel against that family member’s request, and then attacked the family member until security intervened. The reviewer says the provider declined to take the guest back because it was his day off and arranged a doctor he knew only after a second episode, and asks why that doctor was not called sooner. No operator reply appears. Unverified.
Who is writing the reviews. Visible reviews cluster in early 2020, and the one-star reviewer says the post-retreat group email included a review request. The listing claims both “6 years” and “10+ years” of operation. 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 Iboga Wellness Center, Levi Barker and Gary Cook.
- Deaths and serious injuries: No deaths found. The 2019 review describes a post-ceremony psychiatric crisis with violence off site; unverified.
- Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
- Theft and fraud: None found.
- Legal action: In September 2024, La Nación reported that the Ministry of Health listed “Iboga Wellness Center, en Pérez Zeledón” among six sites offering ayahuasca or iboga therapies without authorization; the Ministry said it had received no formal complaints and had not located the sites physically. No closure or charges were reported.
An American woman died after taking ibogaine at a different Costa Rica retreat, Soul Centro, in August 2024; that case does not involve this center. Our earlier profile found no incidents.
If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.
🔍 Critical Notes
Authorization. The center appears on the Ministry of Health list reported by La Nación. In January 2025 the Ministry warned that iboga and ayahuasca “healing” is a medical activity requiring a licensed facility and registered professionals, and Costa Rica’s drug institute (IAFA) has called iboga and ibogaine treatments illegal, as CRHoy reports.
Cardiac screening. Listings say an ECG is done before arrival or on site, at extra cost, and one says most guests get it at the center “if unaware of major heart issues.” A liver panel and an attending doctor appear only in an old interview. No QT interval or electrolyte checks are mentioned. A Spanish clinical ibogaine trial uses hourly ECGs and a cardiology unit, and dozens of people have died of arrhythmias after taking ibogaine, as eldiario.es reports.
Status. The last listed retreat ran February 1 to 8, 2025, marked “Please do not book before getting in touch,” and the center no longer appears among Retreat Guru’s current Costa Rica iboga listings.
Who runs it. No company name or registration number (cédula jurídica) was found. Earlier listings placed the center on the Guanacaste coast.
Corrections to our earlier profile. The center was founded by Gary Cook; Levi Barker is its lead provider. Prices were $3,000 to $3,550, not $1,500. The property is described as 3.5 or 5 acres with a river; we found no source for six acres or waterfalls. We found no source for a 2024 notice pausing Costa Rica operations because of an incident at another provider, or for current offsite or private events; those remain unverified. Levi Barker first took iboga around 2009; his years as a provider are given as six to more than ten.
🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks
The center reviews a medical intake questionnaire, screens for interacting medications and does not accept benzodiazepine users until they have stopped, according to its founder’s interview. No SSRI or psychiatric exclusions, named medical staff or emergency protocol are published. The nearest public hospital is in San Isidro de El General. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for treatment without your prescriber’s guidance.
🧪 Brew Substance
The center uses “iboga root bark and organic iboga total alkaloid extract,” which it says comes from its teacher’s family village in Gabon. Total alkaloid extract is a concentrated form of iboga. No other medicines are offered.
📍 Location, Setting & Style
- Setting: A small mountain farm with fruit trees, gardens and a river in the southern zone.
- Rooms: A nine-bedroom house with private rooms, air conditioning, a pool and a hot tub.
- Style: Bwiti-only ceremonies for five to seven guests, with farm-to-table meals.
Practical guidance: Pickup and drop-off at San José airport are included.
Should You Book?
We do not recommend booking until the center confirms it is operating legally, names a physician, publishes QT and electrolyte screening and a hospital transfer plan, and explains the 2019 complaint. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.
The Team & Story
Gary Cook announced the center in a 2014 press release and has described an initiation in Gabon after coming to Costa Rica to help a family member with addiction. Levi Barker says he works “under the blessing of Moughenda,” a Gabonese Bwiti teacher, and has more recently trained in the Missoko branch. Reviews also name staff by first name only. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.
Prep & Integration Tips
Before you go: Have a cardiologist review your ECG, including the QT interval and electrolytes, and disclose every substance you use. After you return: Arrange addiction and mental health support at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Groups of five to seven | Named by health authorities as unauthorized |
| Mostly positive Retreat Guru reviews | Unverified 2019 psychiatric crisis and duty-of-care complaint |
| Airport pickup included | ECG optional or on arrival; no QT checks or named doctor |
| No deaths found | No retreats listed after February 2025 |
Book Your Ceremony
No current dates are listed. Before paying, confirm in writing that the center is operating, its legal status, medical staff and emergency plan. 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.