Samadhi Journeys
Atmosphere
Features
Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (November 2026). They will be updated if Samadhi Journeys submits its own information.
Samadhi Journeys: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific
Samadhi Journeys is a traveling retreat organizer run by Bianca Kempe and her partner, known as “Mango Joe”, with facilitator Jose Reynoso, that has sold seven-day Costa Rica retreats with two ayahuasca ceremonies plus kambo, sananga, rapé, temazcal and cold plunges at a farm venue it places in the Diamante Valley on the southern Pacific coast, per its Costa Rica page. It names its facilitators. Against that, it publishes no prices, refund terms, screening, medical staff or emergency plan while combining kambo and ayahuasca, names no ceremony lineage, gives conflicting locations, has one review in total, and shows no Costa Rica retreat since April 2024.
🎯 At a Glance
- Locations: A farm it calls HOME Farm in the Diamante Valley, southern Pacific Costa Rica, while a third-party list places it in Tinamaste, Pérez Zeledón; no GPS is published.
- Approach: A wellness “bootcamp” mixing ayahuasca and kambo with breathwork, yoga, cold exposure, temazcal and cacao.
- Suitable For: No one until current dates, venue and safeguards are confirmed. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
- Costs: No price is published on its site; one third party says from $2,050 for seven days (unverified). No deposit or refund terms were found.
- Overall Assessment: Named organizers, offset by no published safeguards for a kambo and ayahuasca program, thin operator information, conflicting locations and no confirmed recent activity. Directory evaluation: C-.
💬 What Guests Are Saying
The only review found is a positive one on its Retreat Guru page, for a retreat in Spain. No Tripadvisor, Google or BookRetreats listing was found. 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 Samadhi Journeys, Bianca Kempe and Jose Reynoso.
- Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
- Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
- Theft and fraud: None found.
- Legal action: None found.
Searches combined several names, and “Mango Joe” has no published surname, so this absence offers limited assurance.
If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.
🔍 Critical Notes
Who runs it. Kempe describes a background in finance, yoga and Vedanta; Reynoso is called an “entheogenic facilitator” with no named lineage. No legal entity was found.
Screening and medical support. No questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency plan is published, although kambo and ayahuasca are given in the same week. Its page also claims the program can release “genetic coding”, without evidence.
Status. Unknown; the latest dated Costa Rica retreat was in April 2024.
Legal context. Costa Rica’s Health Ministry warned in January 2025 that promoting ayahuasca for healing is not authorized and that DMT is a controlled substance, per The Tico Times.
🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks
Ask for written screening rules for both kambo and ayahuasca before paying. 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 the facilitators; its source is not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf, as Erowid explains.
📍 Location, Setting & Style
- Setting: Jungle valley farm in Costa Rica’s southern zone, with waterfalls and cold plunges.
- Rooms: A farmhouse; no room details are published.
- Style: Western-led wellness program built around plant medicine.
Practical guidance: Confirm the exact venue and transport before booking; transfers are not described.
Should You Book?
Not until current dates and venue are confirmed. Ask in writing for the price and refund terms, the screening rules for kambo and ayahuasca, the facilitators’ training, who on site is trained in first aid, and the emergency plan and hospital route. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.
The Team & Story
Samadhi Journeys presents itself as a transformational retreat combining ancient medicine with modern wellness. 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
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Named organizers | Kambo and ayahuasca with no published screening |
| Farm setting with waterfalls | No prices or refund terms |
| No incidents found | Conflicting locations |
| Plant-based meals | No Costa Rica retreat found since 2024 |
Book Your Ceremony
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Last reviewed November 2026.
This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.