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

PachaMama Eco Village: An In-Depth Review for Meditation and Plant Medicine Retreats in San Juanillo, Costa Rica

PachaMama Eco Village is an Osho-inspired meditation community founded in 1999 by a teacher known as Tyohar on about 500 acres of former cattle land near San Juanillo, roughly 40 minutes north of Nosara in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, according to its Retreat Guru page and Global Ecovillage Network profile. It has 70 to over 100 residents and a jungle school, and sells silent retreats, yoga, breathwork, fasting, cleanse and tantra programs from $304 to $4,870, alongside monthly all-night ceremonies, which a long-stay visitor said in 2022 often involve plant medicine, including Santo Daime-inspired ayahuasca. It rates 4.22 from nine Retreat Guru reviews and 5.0 from seven on BookRetreats. Against that, no booking page names the ceremony medicines or publishes screening, contraindications, medical staff or an emergency protocol, water fasts and colon cleanses run without named medical staff, a 2010 ex-follower blog alleged a disciple’s death, unverified, and no legal entity was found.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Finca PachaMama, Cuajiniquil district, Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, about 4 km north of Ostional, per a linked Retreat Guru listing; booked as San Juanillo. A 4×4 is recommended.
• Approach: Osho-lineage satsang and silent retreats, yoga, breathwork, water fasts and body cleanses, women’s tantra, and a calendar of tipi, sweat lodge, vision quest and all-night music ceremonies.
• Suitable For: People seeking a large meditation community, after confirming in writing which medicines any ceremony uses and what medical cover exists. Not suitable, for ceremonies, fasts or cleanses, for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: From $304 (three-day Vipassana) to $4,870 (breathwork training); silent retreats $794 to $2,250 by room; eight-day cleanses $1,335 to $1,720; meals mostly extra. Retreat Guru packages are “100% refundable for cancellation 60+ days before,” half at 30 to 59 days, per its package pages.
• Overall Assessment: An established community with published prices, a long schedule and mostly positive reviews, offset by undisclosed ceremony medicines, no screening or medical staff for ceremonies, fasts and cleanses, founder-centered governance, an unverified death allegation and no legal entity. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers praise the welcoming community, daily yoga, silent retreats, healthy food, the river and beach, and women’s workshops.

The negative feedback. A February 2026 two-star review describes ants in a bungalow bed, unhelpful staff, overpriced food, a hostile senior teacher and a participant asked to leave in front of the group. BookRetreats reviewers mention steep paths and high costs. Unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. Several BookRetreats reviewers are repeat volunteers or long-term returnees, and Retreat Guru package pages show a separate pool of undated five-star reviews rated 4.5. 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 German-language news for reports involving PachaMama and Tyohar.

• Deaths and serious injuries: A 2010 blog by an anonymous former follower alleged that a disciple died after being left behind during a retreat or expedition, giving no date, place or cause, as summarized in 2015 University of Richmond student papers. No news, police or court record was found. Unverified.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: None found. A 2006 travel blog questioned the founder’s reliance on visitors’ money, per the same papers. Unverified.
• Legal action: None found.

A long-stay visitor’s 2022 essay affectionately called the community “an ethical cult,” described thin integration after ceremonies and a COVID-era conspiracy echo chamber, and said he never sensed red flags. Our earlier profile noted documented concerns about the community, which these sources support.

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, medical staff or emergency protocol appears on any booking page, for ceremonies or for water fasts, daily colonics and liver flushes. Fast and cleanse leaders list coaching and Tai Chi training, not medical credentials, and a “clinic” is mentioned with no staff named. No nearest hospital is named.

What is served. Booking pages never name a psychoactive, and tipi ceremonies are paid on arrival with the medicine unnamed. The 2022 visitor described monthly gatherings that often involve plant medicine, including Santo Daime-inspired ayahuasca, without saying who serves it. The community’s directory entry says substance use “occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies.”

Who runs it. Tyohar, who uses only a spiritual name, describes discovering Osho in India in the late 1990s and later leading satsangs and silent retreats, per his Retreat Guru bio. Directory entries say leadership decides and the founder holds ultimate authority, with the land held by an unnamed trust or corporation. No Costa Rican legal entity was found.

Legal context. In January 2025 Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health warned that ayahuasca lacks sanitary registration and that healing rituals with psychoactive substances are unauthorized, as the Tico Times reported. No enforcement against PachaMama was found.

Corrections to our earlier profile. No source shows nightly rates of $48 to $58, a 13% tax, a ten-day minimum stay or the $48 sidebar price; these remain unverified, and current packages run four to 39 days. No “Prana Clinic” was found, only an unnamed clinic. “Osho-inspired leadership structure” and “charismatic founder” are our own characterizations; founder-led governance is confirmed. The name, San Juanillo location on the Nicoya Peninsula about 30 minutes from Nosara, 500 acres, off-grid setting, 70-plus residents, jungle school, Osho inspiration, Osho Hall, ayahuasca and plant medicine ceremonies, and documented concerns are confirmed.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No screening or contraindications are published. 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. Extended water fasts and colon cleanses carry their own risks; get your doctor’s clearance first. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

Ayahuasca, per a visitor’s account, combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. The medicine used in tipi ceremonies is not named.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Dry tropical forest near the Pacific coast with a river, temples, an Osho Hall and a vegetarian restaurant.
• Rooms: From camping and open casitas with shared compost toilets to bungalows, air-conditioned rooms, houses and villas.
• Style: A large, founder-led meditation community with a monthly ceremony calendar.

Practical guidance: Fly to Liberia, 2.5 to 3 hours away, or to Nosara; transfers are not included on most packages.

Should You Book?

For meditation programs, possibly. For ceremonies, fasts or cleanses, only after getting the medicines named, screening rules, medical cover and an emergency plan in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The community was founded in 1999 on a former cattle farm and reported about 70 residents and up to 250 visitors in high season in 2019. Program facilitators include Ramya, Agni, Dao Earl and Patricia (Udipti). Programs are listed through 2029. 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: Post-ceremony sharing circles are short, per the 2022 visitor; 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 the community’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.