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

Open Paths: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Tinamaste, Costa Rica

Open Paths is a hosted retreat run by coordinator Nicole Boyer that holds seven-night group retreats with two ayahuasca nights plus kambo, huachuma (San Pedro), rapé and a temazcal at Rama Organica, a rented farm venue in Tinamaste, Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica, for up to 12 guests at $3,300, per its website. It offers comfortable rooms, a private chef and optional integration with a licensed counselor. Against that, the facilitators who serve the medicine are not named, no company is shown, no contraindications, medical staff, emergency plan or refund policy are published for a week that combines several medicines, and four of its five reviews arrived within three weeks.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Rama Organica, a farm retreat venue at “las tumbas de baru”, Tinamaste, in the Diamante Valley of Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica, about 3.5 hours from San José airport, per its Retreat Guru program page.
• Approach: Two ayahuasca ceremonies on consecutive nights, a temazcal the next day, then kambo, a rapé gathering and an optional huachuma journey on a waterfall hike; Retreat Guru also lists a psilocybin journey. Breathwork, yoga, sound healing, workshops and a beach day with an optional surf lesson fill the rest of the week.
• Suitable For: Adults wanting a comfortable small-group week who can screen themselves and accept facilitators who are not named. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $3,300 for seven nights, with 50% due at booking and 50% on arrival; two extra nights are $475, massage $140 and IV vitamin treatment is priced separately. A one-way shuttle from San José airport is included. No refund or cancellation policy is published.
• Overall Assessment: A comfortable, small retreat with a named counselor for integration, offset by anonymous medicine servers, a heavy multi-medicine program without published safeguards, no refund terms and clustered reviews. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

AyaAdvisors shows 5.0 from five reviews dated September 2025 to January 2026, per its AyaAdvisors listing, which is unclaimed. Guests praise Nicole’s personal calls before the retreat, emotional safety, the food and rooms, the temazcal and the waterfall hike. Four of the five reviews were posted between 12 and 30 September 2025, at least two reviewers also appear as testimonials on the website, and one says they already knew the host. Its Retreat Guru page has none, and no reviews of 3 stars or lower were found. 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 Open Paths, Nicole Boyer, Jessica Petrone and the Rama Organica venue.

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

The people who serve the ayahuasca are not named, which limits this search.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Nicole Boyer describes herself as the retreat host and coordinator, with roots in the area for ten years, a member of the facilitators’ support team who has assisted in “many hundreds of ceremonies”, and a certified nutritionist (unverified); she does not say she serves medicine. The primary facilitators are described only as US-born, living in Costa Rica and studying the medicine for nearly two decades under Brazilian, Colombian and Peruvian lineages. One review names a co-host, Dan. Optional integration is offered by Jessica Petrone, who describes herself as a Licensed Professional Counselor (unverified). Contact is through a Gmail address and a US phone number, and no company is named. Its earliest documented retreat was in April 2024, possibly under the name Vine & Sol (unverified).

Screening and medical support. The FAQ says “screening processes are in place” and mentions “clear protocols”, but no contraindication list, medication policy, medical staff or emergency plan is published, and IV treatment is “doctor administered” with no doctor named. Kambo, huachuma and psilocybin follow ayahuasca within days. Its preparation guide covers diet but not medications. The nearest regional hospital is in San Isidro de El General (our estimate); the distance is not stated. The website also claims that “one night with Ayahuasca is the equivalent of 10 years of therapy.”

Listings. The website header announces April 2027 while its itinerary still shows February 2026; kambo and psilocybin appear on Retreat Guru but not in the website’s package; and the website’s map link points to Arizona.

Status. Operating, with a retreat announced for 18 to 23 April 2027; it appears to run about one retreat a year at a rented venue.

Legal context. Costa Rica’s Health Ministry warned in January 2025 against the use and advertising of ayahuasca, which has no sanitary registration, per the Tico Times, and in August 2026 retreats were reported to operate in a legal gray area, with a leaked memo describing a push to close some centers, per the Tico Times.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Several medicines in one week with no published contraindication list or medical staff is a serious concern. 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 unnamed facilitators; the source of the brew is not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A 60-acre organic farm in the forested foothills of southern Costa Rica, with a natural pool, a round ceremony space and a nearby waterfall.
• Rooms: Private and shared rooms with bathrooms, recently remodeled.
• Style: A Western-led retreat mixing ceremony with yoga, breathwork, sound healing, spa treatments and a beach day.

Practical guidance: Fly to San José (SJO) the day before; the shuttle to the venue is included, but the return trip and arrival hotel are not.

Should You Book?

Only with caution. Ask in writing for the names and training of everyone who serves medicine, the legal entity you are paying, the refund policy, the screening questions and contraindication list, the gap between ayahuasca and the other medicines, who on site is trained in first aid, and the emergency plan and nearest hospital. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Nicole Boyer says her own path began with a ceremony in Costa Rica; Open Paths has run small hosted retreats since at least 2024. 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 decide in advance which extra medicines you will decline. After you return: Join the integration calls 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 its website and Retreat Guru. 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.