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Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (October 2026). They will be updated if La Ceiba Healing Center submits its own information.

La Ceiba Healing Center: An In-Depth Review for Sessions in Antioquia, Colombia

La Ceiba Healing Center runs six-day ayahuasca retreats on a mountain property in Girardota, outside Medellín, with ceremonies led by an Inga taita from Colombia’s Putumayo region. It is active and busy: its website lists retreats into February, and Google and Tripadvisor reviews run through September 2026. On those platforms it looks close to flawless, with 252 five-star reviews out of 253 collected on a review-display profile the company manages. The independent picture is thinner. We found one detailed negative review from 2023 alleging pressure to drink large amounts of ayahuasca and poor supervision, no press coverage, and no incidents on record. Our earlier profile also needs correcting: the center does have a website, groups are mid-sized rather than small, and its closing ceremony is a Lakota-style sweat lodge, not a temazcal.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A mountain property in Girardota, Antioquia, Colombia. The center’s website puts it about an hour from Medellín, while its Instagram posts say about 30 minutes. No street address is published.
• Approach: Inga-led ayahuasca ceremonies combined with a wide menu of supporting practices. The six-day “Hero’s Journey” retreat includes four ayahuasca ceremonies, tobacco cleanses and hapé, plant baths, a stinging nettle cleanse, acupuncture, sound therapy, live medicine music, morning yoga, integration circles and a closing Inipi (sweat lodge) ceremony, according to its website.
• Suitable For: Travelers in or near Medellín who want an organized, well-staffed retreat with an on-site doctor and live music, and are comfortable in a group of around 15. Less suited to anyone wanting a small, quiet circle or a purely traditional Inga ceremony.
• Costs: $1,750 per person, with a $500 deposit to hold a place, according to its website, which also offers early-bird discounts on request and a lifetime 10% discount for returning guests. A 2024 Retreat Guru event listing, since taken down, described standard lodging as shared, with private rooms at extra cost; one reviewer reports paying about $300 extra for a private room. The current website does not list room types. Our earlier profile estimated $800 to $1,200; the published price is higher. Refund terms are not published.
• Overall Assessment: A busy, well-reviewed and well-staffed center with an on-site doctor, offset by a review profile that is almost too perfect, one serious unverified allegation about dosing and supervision, unpublished contraindication and refund policies, and marketing that claims to treat depression and addiction. Directory evaluation: B.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Here is how La Ceiba rates across review platforms in October 2026:

The positive picture. Reviewers consistently say they felt safe, held and cared for. They describe the team as warm, professional and attentive, often naming the facilitators and the doctor, and praise the live music, the respect shown for the tradition and the natural surroundings. Several reviewers mention returning for more than one retreat, and reviews are split roughly evenly between English and Spanish.

The negative review. In September 2023 a guest posted a warning on HealingMaps. They wrote that “People are encouraged to drink as much as possible,” that “no one is paying attention to how much people are taking,” and that “The owner shows extremely narcissistic behaviour,” and said that they and others “suffered from a very bad aftermath.” This is one person’s unverified account, and we found no public response from the center. Our earlier profile described “mixed early feedback”; overall, the public feedback is overwhelmingly positive, with this review as the notable exception.

Who is writing the reviews. The near-perfect record deserves a closer look. The 253 reviews are displayed through Trustindex, a review-widget service whose La Ceiba profile is claimed and managed by the company. Of those, 252 are five stars and one is four stars, with none lower. Two Google reviews posted on the same day in August 2026 use nearly identical wording, and reviews tend to cluster on single dates, which could simply reflect groups posting at the end of a retreat. We found no affiliate program or review incentives. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms, Colombian and English-language news, and legal sources for reports involving La Ceiba Healing Center and its named staff.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None linked to La Ceiba. For context, Colombian authorities investigated a man’s death after a yagé ritual in La Tebaida, Quindío, in September 2025, as Cambio reported. That case is not linked to La Ceiba.
• Dosing and supervision (unverified): The 2023 HealingMaps review alleges guests were encouraged to drink as much as possible without anyone monitoring how much they took, and reports serious after-effects for the reviewer and others.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and crime: No reports found.
• Regulatory action: None found.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident at La Ceiba, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Colombia’s legal position. Colombia has no specific law on ayahuasca. Researchers describe a “legal vacuum” in which traditional use is protected indirectly through indigenous-rights law, with no rules for retreats run by non-indigenous operators, according to an analysis on Bia Labate’s site. See our country-by-country legal guide.

Medical claims. A 2024 Retreat Guru event listing for La Ceiba, which we viewed in October 2026 before it was taken down, said ayahuasca can cure depression and addiction. The current website does not repeat that claim. Those are unsupported medical claims, and people being treated for depression may be on medications that interact dangerously with ayahuasca (see Screening below).

Who runs it. Our earlier profile named the owners as Keenan Lee and Daniela Villa, a Canadian-Colombian couple. The current website names Keenan as host and lead facilitator; we found no current source naming Daniela Villa or any owner. We found no registered legal entity or business registration. The earliest dated evidence of the center is the September 2023 HealingMaps review; our earlier profile’s claim of more than five years of ceremonies is unverified.

Corrections to our earlier profile. The center has a website, laceibahealingcenter.com. Groups average about 15 people, according to the website, and a 2024 Retreat Guru listing allowed up to 20, so “small groups” was inaccurate. The closing ceremony is a “Lakota inspired sweat-lodge” (Inipi), not a temazcal.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

La Ceiba says it runs a “thorough intake process” with therapists and medical advisors, and that a certified medical doctor accompanies the entire retreat; testimonials on its website name the doctor as Dr. Catalina. Several reviewers mention the doctor checking on them, which is more medical presence than most centers in this directory describe. What La Ceiba does not publish is its list of excluded medications or conditions, its protocol for guests in severe distress, or its emergency plan and nearest hospital. That matters, especially given the 2023 allegation about unmonitored dosing. ICEERS notes that combining ayahuasca’s MAOI component with SSRIs or other serotonergic medications is contraindicated, and that ayahuasca is contraindicated for people with severe psychiatric disorders, particularly those prone to psychosis. Erowid warns of extreme, possibly fatal reactions with some prescription drugs, and DanceSafe notes a higher risk of psychological distress for people with a personal or family history of mood or psychotic disorders. Before booking, ask for the doctor’s full name and license, the written exclusion criteria, how doses are decided and monitored, and how emergency transfers to Medellín work. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a retreat without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

La Ceiba’s Instagram posts describe its ayahuasca as “100% pure and natural,” prepared by the taita himself in Putumayo. In Colombia the brew is widely known as yagé. Ayahuasca is made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and DMT-containing leaves; as Erowid explains, the vine’s MAO inhibitors make the DMT orally active. The program also uses tobacco preparations (including tobacco water and hapé), coca leaf, plant baths and stinging nettle. We found no kambo, bufo or San Pedro. Ask how the brew is prepared, how much is served per ceremony, and whether you can decline additional servings.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Colombia: A mountain property in Girardota, north of Medellín in Antioquia. Ceremonies take place in a temple space. The website describes the accommodation as a temple in the Andes “with modern amenities, hot showers,” and its gallery shows a modern villa with a swimming pool, private bedrooms, gardens and mountain views, with retreat groups photographed on the grounds. A 2024 Retreat Guru listing described standard lodging as shared sleeping in a common area, with private rooms at extra cost; we could not confirm the current arrangement. Our earlier profile described spring-like weather. Mountain, modern villa with pool.
• Style: Organized and full-featured. Expect a scheduled program of ceremonies, yoga, acupuncture, sound therapy, plant baths and a musical composition workshop, with chef-designed meals following the ceremonial diet. The website cites roughly one facilitator for every one or two guests. Facilitation is in English and Spanish.

Practical guidance: Fly into Medellín’s José María Córdova airport (MDE). The website describes the property as easily accessible from the airport but does not say whether transfers are included, so confirm before booking.

Should You Book?

La Ceiba may suit you if you want a well-run, music-rich ayahuasca retreat near Medellín with an on-site doctor and a strong track record of guest satisfaction. Its prices are published and its medical presence is better than average. The trade-offs: a review profile managed through a company-claimed widget with almost no negative feedback, one detailed allegation of pressure to drink heavily and weak supervision, no published contraindication or refund policy, and unsupported claims about curing depression and addiction. If you go, get the doctor’s credentials, the exclusion criteria, the dosing policy and the refund terms in writing, and read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Ceremonies are led by Taita Henrri Muchavisoy (Henri Danilo Muchavisoy Salazar), described in La Ceiba’s Instagram posts as a crowned Inga shaman from central Putumayo. Keenan serves as host and lead facilitator, and Dr. Catalina, named in guest testimonials, as the retreat doctor. We did not independently verify anyone’s credentials. Online, the center also appears as La Ceiba Ayahuasca Retreat and La Ceiba Girardota.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Complete the intake fully and accurately, list every medication and supplement, and talk with your own doctor well before travel. Follow the pre-retreat diet you are given. Bring layers for cool mountain nights, an eye mask, insect repellent and a notebook. After you return: La Ceiba includes integration circles and offers a follow-up support program on request. Arrange support from a qualified therapist at home if difficult material comes up. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

Bookings are made through laceibahealingcenter.com, by email at laceibahealingcenter@gmail.com, or by phone at +57 314 516 8875. The six-day retreat costs $1,750 with a $500 deposit; upcoming start dates listed on the website include December 7 and February 1. Before paying, confirm in writing the refund policy, the medication and condition exclusions, the doctor’s credentials, how doses are monitored, and whether airport transfers are included. 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.