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

Rite of Passage Mexico: An In-Depth Review for Ibogaine and Ayahuasca Addiction Treatment in Rosarito, Mexico

Rite of Passage Mexico (ROPmex) is an addiction treatment center near Rosarito, Baja California, co-founded by Luis Ortega Salas and Laura Edith Valenzuela Olea, whose core program is a 14-day ibogaine detox preceded by ayahuasca, kambo and bufo (5-MeO-DMT) as “preparation,” according to its website. The program adds IV drips with NAD, juice therapy, coffee enemas, massage and 24-hour nursing for $11,500, or $9,500 when at least two other patients are present, with pickup in San Diego. Against that, its “fully licensed” claim names no licence, while Baja California’s health regulator said in 2021 that no ibogaine clinic in the state was licensed; the doctor, cardiologist and nurses are not named; it stacks four high-risk medicines with no published emergency protocol or refund policy; and a 2018 review alleges violence and an unpaid refund.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Km 37 of the free Tijuana-Ensenada road, Rosarito, Baja California, Mexico, per HealingMaps; the website gives only Rosarito.
• Approach: Ibogaine detox for opioids, stimulants, alcohol and other dependencies, preceded by ayahuasca, kambo, bufo and rapé, with a holistic clinic program and coaching.
• Suitable For: No one until the center names its licence, physicians and emergency plan in writing. Not suitable for people with heart conditions, those taking antidepressants or QT-prolonging drugs, or people with psychiatric conditions, without specialist medical clearance.
• Costs: $11,500 for the program, $9,500 with two or more other patients present ($10,500 in 2023); $1,000 deposit; cash or wire only, per its cost page. No refund policy is published.
• Overall Assessment: Praised nursing care and a structured detox program, offset by an unproven licence, unnamed medical staff, a four-medicine protocol with no published emergency plan, unsupported health claims and serious unverified allegations. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers praise compassionate nurses, the founders, the chef’s food, freedom from cravings after two weeks, airport pickup and follow-up support; one says they would “likely be dead” without the program.

The negative feedback. A November 2018 review accuses Luis of violence, threats and yelling during a guest’s ibogaine session, says about $13,000 was owed in a refund, describes poor meals and a promised “pain-free” detox that was not delivered, and claims the business had been “shut down and relocated three times” and that police were looking for him. A five-star review 18 days later disputes it point by point. Unverified; no independent record was found.

Who is writing the reviews. Only about four unique reviews exist, shared across two directories, and both directory descriptions repeat the operator’s own copy. 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 Rite of Passage Mexico, ROPmex, Luis Ortega Salas and Laura Edith Valenzuela Olea.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found involving this center.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: An unverified 2018 review alleges an unpaid refund of about $13,000.
• Legal action: None found; the 2018 claim of police interest is unverified.

In 2021 a San Diego hospital told the San Diego Union-Tribune it was receiving ICU patients after ibogaine treatment in Mexico; no clinic was named. 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. The website describes lab work, a liver panel, an ECG, stress test and echocardiogram by an unnamed cardiologist, a doctor’s exam on arrival and 24-hour nursing. No physician, nurse licence or emergency protocol is published, and the kambo and bufo pages describe no screening. Ibogaine carries known cardiac risk, and this protocol gives ayahuasca, kambo and bufo beforehand.

Licensing. The site calls itself a “fully licensed alternative care facility” without naming any licence. In October 2021 the director of COEPRIS, Baja California’s health regulator, said the state had no licensed ibogaine clinics, as the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. No Mexican or US company is published.

Health claims. The site calls ayahuasca “THE WORLD’S ONLY EFFECTIVE AND NATURAL SSRI,” claims a 90% success rate for patients over 25, and says NAD and coffee enemas may ward off cancer. It also tells antidepressant users to choose ibogaine instead of ayahuasca, though ibogaine also interacts with many medications.

Legal context. DMT is controlled under Mexico’s General Health Law, and Indigenous healers carrying ayahuasca have been arrested at Mexico City airport, as the Tico Times reported. Ibogaine is unregulated in Mexico.

Corrections to our earlier profile. The core program is ibogaine, with ayahuasca as one of several preparation medicines, not an ayahuasca program. The price is $9,500 to $11,500, not $3,400. The center is not free of allegations, as described above. A guest calling it a “miracle,” a ceremony saving a guest from overdose or suicide and “tools for sobriety” remain unverified as worded; one review credits the whole program with saving the writer’s life. The ROPmex protocol, Luis and Edith, nurses including Paula, Chef Mike, the Rosarito coastal setting, urine drug tests, the claimed on-site doctor and 24-hour nursing, music-guided ceremonies in which guides also drink, and the requirement to be clean and sober before ayahuasca 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. Ibogaine can cause dangerous heart rhythm changes, so combining it with other medicines needs specialist medical oversight. Never stop a psychiatric or opioid-substitution medication to qualify for treatment without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

Ayahuasca from the vine and chacruna, prepared by unnamed “lineage-trained Ayahuasqueros,” per the website. It combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf, as Erowid explains. Ibogaine, kambo, smoked bufo and rapé are also given.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A gated property on the Baja California coast south of Tijuana.
• Rooms: Not described; the site calls the facility “safe and upscale.”
• Style: A clinic-style detox program with IVs, labs, gym, juices and ceremonies.

Practical guidance: A driver collects patients in San Diego; the balance is due before or on arrival.

Should You Book?

No, not until the center names its licence, physicians and nurses, publishes an emergency and hospital transfer plan and refund terms, and your own doctor has reviewed your heart and medications. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The website describes Luis as an ex-Marine who leads coaching and workouts and Edith as an ibogaine treatment provider, and claims 10 or 15 years in business; the earliest dated reviews are from 2018. 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: Arrange addiction aftercare and 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

Contact details are on its website. 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.