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

MexiSoul Retreats: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Guadalajara, Mexico

MexiSoul Retreats runs seven-day ayahuasca and psilocybin retreats at Finca El Péndulo, a 14-acre ranch outside Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco, about an hour from Guadalajara airport, directed by US owner Ruger Hebert with shaman Humberto Alcala, according to its Retreat Guru page. Retreats for up to 18 guests combine two ayahuasca ceremonies with “Satori,” described as DMT capsules with Syrian rue, two kambo sessions, a temazcal and optional bufo, with integration led by a psychiatrist, for $2,300 to $2,775. It rates 4.92 on Retreat Guru from 182 reviews and 5.0 on BookRetreats and Tripadvisor. Against that, a review alleges sexual misconduct by “this shaman,” a 2026 review describes no medical staff and a slow response to a guest’s injury, which remains unverified, no screening or emergency protocol is published for a menu of five or more substances, refund terms contradict each other, and no legal entity was found.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Finca El Péndulo, Camino al Saucillo 861, Tepatitlán de Morelos, Jalisco, Mexico, at about 1,800 meters, per Retreat Guru. Since November 2026 it also runs an eight-day retreat at a yoga ashram in Puerto Morelos, Quintana Roo.
• Approach: Ayahuasca said to be prepared in Pucallpa, DMT capsules, kambo, temazcal, cacao, fire circles and live music, with yoga, breathwork, horseback riding and integration; optional bufo (5-MeO-DMT) costs $150.
• Suitable For: Adults wanting a larger group retreat near a major airport, after getting medication rules, medical cover and the policy on combining substances in writing. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $2,300 in a semi-private villa to $2,775 in a deluxe room for late 2026, up from $1,875 in 2025, per BookRetreats; airport transfers cost $110 round trip. A deposit of about 30% is due; the listing says both “72 hour FREE cancellation” and “All deposits are non-refundable.” Our earlier price of $1,600 is unverified.
• Overall Assessment: A popular, well-reviewed program with a psychiatrist on its team, offset by an unverified misconduct allegation, a stacked menu of substances with no published screening or medical staff, legal exposure for DMT capsules and psilocybin, contradictory refund terms and no disclosed entity. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers praise caring staff and volunteers, the ranch and its horses, live music in ceremonies, integration with the psychiatrist, a family feel and repeat visits, including veterans reporting benefit.

The negative feedback. A one-star Retreat Guru review from October 2026 says guests were pushed to take five or more substances, there was no medical support, and a 77-year-old guest injured while horse riding waited nearly an hour to reach a hospital. Another review is titled “Unethical, unprofessional, hypocritical and potentially dangerous.” Other reviewers mention rustic rooms and bland food low in protein. Unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. All 55 BookRetreats reviews are five-star and the same pool appears on every listing, including the new Puerto Morelos program; critical reviews sit on old event pages rather than the center summary. The owner promotes the retreat on podcasts with discount codes. 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 MexiSoul, Finca El Péndulo, Ruger Hebert, Humberto Alcala and the staff named on its listings.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found in news or legal records. The October 2026 review above describes a guest injured in a horse-riding incident. Unverified.
• Sexual misconduct: A booking-verified review on the October 2024 retreat page says it cannot recommend “this shaman or anyone associated with him,” alleging that he began a sexual relationship with the reviewer days after serving them medicine, following “months of grooming.” The review does not name him; MexiSoul says Humberto Alcala leads its medicine retreats. No response is visible. Unverified.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

Our earlier profile found no incidents.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Screening and medical support. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list or emergency protocol appears on MexiSoul’s listings, and no physician or nurse is named for ceremonies. The week can include ayahuasca and Syrian rue, both MAOI sources, with DMT, kambo and bufo. Kambo raises heart rate sharply and can cause dangerous sodium loss if guests overdrink water, according to ICEERS. Hospital Regional de Tepatitlán is about 9 to 11 km away.

Who runs it. No Mexican or US company is named. Dr. Liberty Eberly is described as a board-certified psychiatrist leading integration; a US osteopathic physician of that name holds Oklahoma and Pennsylvania licenses, though no source links the two, and no Mexican license was found. Humberto Alcala says he trained with a Shipibo shaman near Pucallpa without naming a teacher. A separate 2027 BookRetreats listing at the same ranch is hosted by Humberto without MexiSoul branding.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is a tolerated gray area in Mexico, but DMT and psilocybin are controlled, and the exemption for Indigenous ceremonial use does not extend to commercial retreats, according to Mind Medicine Law.

Corrections to our earlier profile. The facilitator is shaman Humberto Alcala, not “Umberto,” and the psychiatrist is a separate person whose license link is unconfirmed. Prices are now $2,300 to $2,775, not $1,600, and dates run through December 2026 with 2027 dates at the venue. Quotes attributed to mexisoulretreats.com and to 2023 platform and Tripadvisor reviews remain unverified. Seven-day ayahuasca retreats at a Tepatitlán finca near Guadalajara, horses, a pool and integration support are confirmed.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No screening, contraindications or emergency plan are published for a program that combines several MAOI and tryptamine substances. 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

The brew is described as vine and chacruna prepared in Pucallpa, Peru, and “Satori” as DMT from tepezcohuite bark with Syrian rue in capsules. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. Kambo, hapé, cacao, psilocybin and bufo are also offered.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A highland ranch with a lake, agave fields, stables, pool, jacuzzi, temazcal and a wolf sanctuary.
• Rooms: Separate men’s and women’s housing, semi-private villas, private ranch rooms and two deluxe rooms with jacuzzis.
• Style: Multi-medicine retreats with live music, yoga, equine and art activities and psychiatric integration.

Practical guidance: Fly to Guadalajara; paid transfers are offered. Bring warm clothing for cool highland nights.

Should You Book?

Only after getting a contraindication list, who provides medical care on site, the emergency plan, the policy on combining substances and one set of refund terms in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Ruger Hebert, a former Las Vegas poker dealer, says he met Humberto Alcala at a ceremony in 2021 and has directed retreats since about 2022. Humberto describes about eight years and over 400 ceremonies. Krista Wismann, a former school principal, leads the support team and psilocybin ceremonies. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing and plan any change with your own doctor. After you return: The center offers integration calls and group follow-up; 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 through December 2026 are on the center’s Retreat Guru page. 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.