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

Lian House: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica

Lian House is a private home retreat in Mollejones de Platanares, about 15 to 20 minutes from San Isidro de El General in Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica, where hosts Agnes and Chris (Cris) offer private one to five-day ayahuasca and psilocybin ceremonies for one to four guests from $750 per person, per its Retreat Guru program page. Private bookings and massage are included. Against that, it has no reviews anywhere, the hosts name no ayahuasca training or lineage and are called “Dr.” without any stated degree, no screening, contraindications or emergency plan are published, and one listing says “All ages welcome”.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A wooden cabin on a small farm in Mollejones de Platanares, Pérez Zeledón, San José province, Costa Rica; the exact location is sent after booking.
• Approach: One or two private ayahuasca ceremonies with cacao, rapé, breathwork, meditation, massage, fire circles and garden work; separate psilocybin programs are also sold. No curandero, tradition or brew source is named.
• Suitable For: Experienced adults wanting a private ceremony who can screen themselves. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions, or for anyone under 18.
• Costs: One night costs $750 to $1,500 per person depending on group size, three days $1,150 to $1,950 and five days $1,950 to $2,750, with BookRetreats deposits of $194 to $503, per its BookRetreats listing. Retreat Guru refunds the full payment only until 30 days out, while BookRetreats refunds it until the day before. Transfers are not included.
• Overall Assessment: A private, flexible format, offset by no track record, unsupported “Dr.” titles, no published screening or medical cover, an all-ages statement and an unclear legal position. Directory evaluation: D+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Lian House has no reviews on Retreat Guru or BookRetreats, and none were found on Google, Tripadvisor, Trustpilot or other directories, so there is no independent evidence that a retreat has taken place. 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 Polish-language news for reports involving Lian House and its hosts Agnes (listed on BookRetreats as Agnieszka Kuchnecka) and Chris.

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

The hosts publish first names only on Retreat Guru, and the organizer name has no other web presence, which limits this search. Deaths linked to ibogaine and iboga elsewhere in Pérez Zeledón in 2024 were not connected to any named center and are not linked to Lian House, which does not offer iboga.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. The hosts are listed as “Agnes and Cris” on Retreat Guru and as “Dr. Agnes” and “Dr. Chris” on BookRetreats, where the organizer is named Agnieszka Kuchnecka, per its organizer page. Agnes lists massage, breathwork and meditation and tends a garden of “nearly 15 species of psychoactive and ceremonial plants”; the other host writes that mushrooms have been at the heart of their life since 2000, per its teacher page. No degree, ayahuasca training, lineage, website, social account or company was found.

Screening and medical support. The listings mention a pre-retreat consultation but no medical questionnaire or contraindication list, and they exclude medical staff and treatment. No emergency protocol is described. A solo guest stays alone with the two hosts. The regional public hospital, Hospital Dr. Fernando Escalante Pradilla, is in San Isidro de El General, roughly 20 to 30 minutes away (our estimate).

Listings. A three-day ayahuasca listing on BookRetreats says “All ages welcome” and states no minimum age. Retreat Guru shows a pool, spa and sauna while the same pages say there is no pool or spa, and travel times and some prices differ between platforms.

Status. Bookable for open dates on both platforms as of November 2026, with no dated evidence of past retreats.

Legal context. In January 2025 Costa Rica’s Health Ministry said ayahuasca healing ceremonies are not authorized and warned against using or promoting ayahuasca for therapeutic purposes, per the Tico Times, while the Attorney General’s office found “no clear legal regime”, per its February 2025 opinion.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

With no published contraindication list and no medical cover, guests must judge their own 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 hosts; who prepares it and where it comes from are not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A rural farm in the mountains of southern Costa Rica with a garden, fruit trees, pasture views, waterfall walks and farm animals, including four German Shepherds.
• Rooms: An old wooden cabin with an upstairs bedroom and balcony for one or two guests; groups of three or four sleep on mattresses in the ceremony room.
• Style: A private, home-based ceremony blended with massage, breathwork and meditation.

Practical guidance: Fly to San José (SJO) and take a bus to San Isidro de El General, then a taxi; the hosts can help arrange a private transfer at extra cost.

Should You Book?

Only with caution. Ask in writing for the hosts’ full names and what the “Dr.” titles refer to, their ayahuasca training and who prepares the brew, the screening questions and contraindication list, the minimum age, who is trained in first aid, the emergency plan and which refund terms apply. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The listings describe a cabin built years ago by a local craftsman and a garden of medicinal and ceremonial plants; no founding date is given. 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 tell someone at home where you are staying. After you return: Use the integration support 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 and BookRetreats. 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.