Atmosphere

Features

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

Maha Gauri: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Brazil

Maha Gauri (also “Cerrado Raiz Ancestral” and “Instituto Cerrado Ancestral”) is a small private retreat on a rural property just outside Alto Paraíso de Goiás in Chapada dos Veadeiros, Brazil, run by yoga and Tantra teacher Janine de Campos, who uses the name Maha Gauri, with ayahuasca ceremonies led by Fernando Ferraresso, offering three and five-day private retreats for one person or a couple from $1,200 and small group weekends, per its Retreat Guru program page. It uses a health screening form and keeps groups tiny. Against that, it has no reviews anywhere, names no ayahuasca lineage or company, publishes no contraindications, medical staff or emergency plan, and its refund terms contradict each other.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A farm in the rural zone of Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Chapada dos Veadeiros, Goiás, Brazil, with a private chalet and ceremony spaces a few minutes apart; Brasília is about 220 km away.
• Approach: Two or three ayahuasca ceremonies, a rapé ceremony by the fire, herbal baths, meditation, breathwork, gentle yoga and waterfall visits, in a style that mixes neo-shamanic ritual with Tantra; no Santo Daime, UDV or Indigenous lineage is claimed.
• Suitable For: Individuals or couples wanting a private, nature-based ceremony who can screen themselves. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $1,200 for three days and $1,600 for five on Retreat Guru; $1,200 with a $185 deposit on BookRetreats; and R$2,019 to R$2,083 for a group weekend on 20 to 22 November 2026 on Meu Retiro. Retreat Guru allows a deposit refund until a day before, while BookRetreats says “All deposits are non-refundable” and also offers 72-hour free cancellation. Transfers from Brasília cost extra.
• Overall Assessment: A private, tiny-group format with a screening form, offset by no track record, unverified training, no published medical safeguards, contradictory terms and legal exposure for paid tourist retreats. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Maha Gauri has no reviews on Retreat Guru, BookRetreats or Meu Retiro, and none were found on Google, Tripadvisor or other directories. Its Meu Retiro host profile dates from 2025. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English and Portuguese-language news for reports involving Maha Gauri, its venue names, Janine de Campos and Fernando Ferraresso.

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

A court-records index page exists for the name Fernando Ferraresso, but its contents and whether it concerns the same person are unknown. A 2022 death near Brasília after ayahuasca and repeated rapé was at an unrelated ritual.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Janine de Campos says she is an initiated priestess in the Kali Kula Sampradaya Tantra tradition with more than 20 years of meditation, Kundalini yoga and Tantra practice, per her teacher profile; she names no ayahuasca training. Fernando Ferraresso, who guides the ceremonies, says he walks an “ancestral shamanic path” with years of experience with ayahuasca and rapé but names no teacher, tribe or church, per his BookRetreats profile (both unverified). No website, social account, company or CNPJ was found.

Screening and medical support. Guests complete a health screening form and a pre-retreat consultation, but no contraindication list is published, no medical staff are named, and medical care is excluded from the packages. No emergency protocol is described. Alto Paraíso has a municipal hospital, Hospital Municipal Gumercino Barbosa, per the Ministry of Health; its distance from the farm is not published.

Listings. The five-day program lists both two and three ayahuasca ceremonies, the private retreats are for one person or a couple while Meu Retiro sells a group weekend, and Retreat Guru shows a pool, spa and gym that the text does not describe.

Status. Operating, with a group weekend on 20 to 22 November 2026 and private dates on request; listing images date from 2026.

Legal context. Brazil’s CONAD Resolution 1/2010 recognizes religious use of ayahuasca but bars its commercialization, tourist packages and therapeutic use until proven, per its text. In November 2026 police near Brasília arrested an online ayahuasca seller for trafficking, per Metrópoles; that case is unrelated to Maha Gauri.

🆘 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 Fernando Ferraresso; its source and preparation are not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Cerrado highlands at about 1,200 m near Chapada dos Veadeiros, with rivers and waterfalls; nights can be cool.
• Rooms: A private A-frame chalet with a double bed, ensuite hot shower and Wi-Fi.
• Style: Neo-shamanic ceremony blended with Tantra, yoga and meditation.

Practical guidance: Fly to Brasília (BSB) and take a bus to Alto Paraíso for pickup at the bus station; the group weekend includes a van from Brasília’s interstate bus station.

Should You Book?

Possibly, with care. Ask in writing who trained the facilitator and where the brew comes from, the screening questions and contraindication list, who is trained in first aid, the emergency plan and travel time to the hospital, which refund terms apply, and the legal entity you are paying. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Maha Gauri presents itself as a private space for healing in nature rather than “spiritual tourism”; 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 allow for the long road trip from Brasília. After you return: Use the integration session 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

Dates are listed on Retreat Guru, BookRetreats and Meu Retiro. 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.