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

Reunion Costa Rica: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Reunion Costa Rica is a self-described not-for-profit ayahuasca resort on Playa Pan de Azúcar (Sugar Beach) in Guanacaste, on the site of the former Sugar Beach hotel, founded in 2019 by Canadian Brad Wells, with medicine woman Wakana White Owl as full-time ceremonial leader since April 2025, according to its Retreat Guru page and press releases. Its weeks of up to 35 guests offer four ayahuasca ceremonies, integration, yoga, a pool, saunas and plunges for $3,850 shared or $4,450 private, including a gay men’s week. It rates 4.90 from 99 Retreat Guru reviews. Against that, it advertises a “medically licensed” campus without naming any licence while Costa Rica’s Health Ministry says no ayahuasca retreat holds permits, no legal entity or contraindication list is published, and two critical reviews describe a refund tied to a signed release and a midweek walkout.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Playa Pan de Azúcar, Potrero, Tempate district, Santa Cruz, Guanacaste, Costa Rica, under an hour from Liberia airport, per its event page.
• Approach: Four ayahuasca ceremonies in seven nights with a medical intake, breathwork, yoga, a learning series and an online integration program.
• Suitable For: Guests wanting a comfortable, structured resort retreat, after getting the medical cover and the clinic’s licence in writing. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: Seven nights $3,850 in a shared queen room or $4,450 private (up from $3,600 and $4,200 in 2023); shuttle from Liberia extra. Terms: payments are “either refunded or transferred as a credit” depending on notice, with credits expiring after 12 months.
• Overall Assessment: A polished resort with strong reviews and structured intake, offset by unsupported licensing and not-for-profit claims, large groups, no published contraindications and a disputed refund-for-release case. Directory evaluation: B-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers praise feeling safe and held, the facilitators and staff, integration, food, rooms, the beach and the pool, saunas and plunges.

The negative feedback. A one-star review from a solo woman says items were stolen from her room safe, she was told to leave with a guard outside her room and to file a police report herself, and a refund was offered only if she signed a non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreement; the founder disputes her account, citing her behavior and an unlocked safe, but confirms she “signed a release.” A three-star review says 4 of 11 guests left midweek over concerns about “the tea” and were offered 50% back; the center says they were refunded in full. Unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. Coverage is mostly paid or affiliate: Third Wave earns from a discount code, and newsletter and magazine features are labeled sponsored or branded. A refund tied to a release can keep complaints offline. 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 Reunion Costa Rica, Brad Wells, Wakana White Owl, past medicine carriers and listed medical and program staff.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found involving this center.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: One unverified review alleges theft from a room safe, disputed by the founder.
• Legal action: None found.

A US woman died after ibogaine at a different center, Soul Centro, in 2024, as the Tico Times reported; that case does not involve Reunion. 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. Guests complete a health intake reviewed before they may book flights, and a pre-ceremony medical assessment is included. Listings promise an “on-site licensed medical clinic,” and a directory lists a physician and a psychotherapist on the intake board, date unknown; a reviewer names a nurse. No contraindication list or emergency protocol is published, and no current physician is named.

Who runs it. Brad Wells says he came to ayahuasca as a guest and volunteer and has sat about 100 ceremonies. Wakana White Owl’s claimed Shipibo, Cherokee and Lakota training appears only in the center’s own releases. Reviewers name facilitators Sheldon and Alia. No US, Canadian or Costa Rican nonprofit registration was found for the not-for-profit claim.

Group size. Weeks are capped at 35 guests, which contradicts “small, intimate groups” in a 2024 interview. The site also sells ordinary hotel stays as Reunion Wellness Resort & Retreats.

Legal context. In January 2025 Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health warned that ayahuasca lacks sanitary registration and that no organization holds health permits for these rituals, as the Tico Times and A.M. Costa Rica reported.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Reviews do not show “no major issues”: the critical reviews above appear on 2024 and 2025 event pages. The not-for-profit status, Blue Zone setting and scholarships are the center’s own claims. No Google or AyaAdvisors reviews were found, so 250 five-star Google ratings remain unverified, as do a 2022 Reddit comment about feeling unsafe, an Indigenous Elders Fund, the 55% figure for difficult experiences and an eye covering on the packing list. Groups reach 35, so “intimate groups” is contradicted. Playa Pan de Azúcar, The Reunion Experience and the gay men’s week, eight days with four ceremonies, $3,850 and $4,450, the oceanfront setting, nearly 40 acres per the center, nurse supervision, the on-site clinic claim and the Liberia airport shuttle are confirmed.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

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, with medicine fees included in the price. It combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. Psilocybin and San Pedro weeks ran in 2023 but are not on current listings.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A private cove on Guanacaste’s dry tropical Pacific coast.
• Rooms: Air-conditioned queen rooms with private bathrooms and porches; private rooms and villas cost more.
• Style: An eco-luxury resort with a medicine woman, yoga, spa facilities and farm-to-table food.

Practical guidance: Fly into Liberia by noon on day one; a paid group shuttle runs from the airport.

Should You Book?

Possibly, after getting the clinic’s licence, the physician’s name, contraindications, an emergency plan and the full refund terms in writing, and confirming no release will be required for a refund. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The center completed a three-year campus renewal in April 2025 and lists weeks through February 2027, including a yoga festival. Its 2023 roster of Indigenous medicine carriers has since changed. 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 runs an online integration program; 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 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.