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

River City Kambo: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats at Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

River City Kambo, also trading as Guided by Anura, is a kambo practice in Richmond, Virginia, run by Elizabeth “Anura” Gottwald, that organized an eight-night “Soul Harmony” retreat with three ayahuasca ceremonies, one huachuma ceremony and a temazcal at Casa Floresta near San Marcos La Laguna, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala, in January 2025 for $3,275, per its retreat page. The ayahuasca was served by curandera Letizia Xiuh, with Shahaf Shvarzman supporting. It offers preparation and integration calls and a sliding BIPOC rate. Against that, the organizer has no medical training, no medical staff or emergency plan is published, its site claims ayahuasca and kambo help cancer and other diseases, it has no independent reviews, and no ayahuasca retreat has been dated since.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: The organizer is based in Richmond, Virginia, USA. Its 2025 retreat used Casa Floresta and Casa Colibri at Pasajcap, between San Marcos La Laguna and Tzununá, Sololá, Guatemala, the same venue and team as Forest Path.
• Approach: A coordinator-led group retreat with a hired curandera: ayahuasca, huachuma, temazcal, a Mayan fire ceremony, breathwork and art.
• Suitable For: Readers researching the organizer; no current ayahuasca dates are offered. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $3,275 in a shared room or $2,875 at the BIPOC rate in 2025, with a non-refundable $500 deposit; transport is not included.
• Overall Assessment: Structured preparation and integration and named facilitators, offset by no medical safeguards, unsupported disease claims, no independent reviews and no recent activity. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

No reviews were found on Retreat Guru, Tripadvisor, Yelp, Trustpilot or AyaAdvisors. Its own site shows about 11 positive testimonials praising the facilitators, music and setting. 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 River City Kambo, Guided by Anura, Elizabeth Gottwald, Letizia Xiuh and Shahaf Shvarzman.

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

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. The about page lists psychedelic facilitator, harm reduction, kambo and Reiki trainings, and the owner says she holds no medical or mental health degree. Her medicine page says she offers ayahuasca “as a retreat coordinator and guardian support” with a medicine family. Letizia Xiuh describes Northern Peruvian, Putumayo and Venezuelan training (unverified). No company or registration is named.

Screening and medical support. Its ayahuasca FAQ lists SSRIs, antipsychotics, heart conditions and psychiatric conditions as contraindications but gives no washout periods, and no medical staff, emergency protocol or nearest hospital is published.

Health claims. The FAQ says ayahuasca has been used to treat cancer and to regrow insulin-producing cells, and its kambo pages list cancer, HIV and Parkinson’s among conditions kambo has helped. These claims are unsupported.

Status. The site is live, but its last dated ayahuasca retreat was January 2025 and a later Peru retreat was announced only as a signup. Treat its ayahuasca retreats as inactive.

Legal context. Guatemala’s drug law does not name ayahuasca, but DMT and mescaline are controlled, and possession is generally unenforced, per Living in Guatemala.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Ask for washout guidance in writing if you take any medication. 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 curandera Letizia Xiuh; its source is not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Mild highland lakeshore at Lake Atitlán, reached by boat.
• Rooms: Shared lakefront rooms at Casa Floresta and Casa Colibri.
• Style: A small, coordinator-led group retreat with a hired ceremony team.

Practical guidance: Fly to Guatemala City (GUA) and travel about three hours to the lake; transport is not included.

Should You Book?

Not until new dates are published. If they are, ask in writing who will serve the medicine, the screening and washout rules, who on site is medically trained, the emergency plan and hospital route, and the refund terms. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

River City Kambo presents itself as a kambo and integration practice that also guides small plant medicine retreats abroad. 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 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

Offerings are listed 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.