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

Shamanic Place: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica

Shamanic Place is a private retreat operator on Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean coast, near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca in Limón, whose website, shamanicplace.com, was titled “VIP Ayahuasca Retreat” before its domain stopped resolving, and whose BookRetreats page offers a six-day luxury private ceremonial retreat with what it calls hereditary healers from Peru and counsellors from different fields of psychology. Its few reviews are positive and name facilitators Igor and Katya. Against that, no one is identified by full name, the healers are unnamed, no prices, refund terms, screening, medical staff or emergency plan were found, its only detailed review describes kambo and rapé rather than ayahuasca, and no legal entity is shown.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica, a 10-minute walk from the beach per its Retreat Guru page, with a third-party list placing it in Punta Uva; no address or GPS is published.
• Approach: Private ceremonies with Peruvian healers, plus kambo and rapé, with psychology counsellors.
• Suitable For: No one until the healers, prices and safeguards are confirmed in writing. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: The operator publishes no price; a competing retreat’s comparison table lists it from $12,000 for five to seven days (unverified), per Jungle Gayborhood. No deposit or refund terms were found.
• Overall Assessment: A handful of positive reviews, offset by an unidentified operator and healers, no published safeguards and a luxury price claim with no terms. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Retreat Guru shows 5.0 from one review, dated December 2023, describing a private kambo and rapé session with Igor, and BookRetreats shows 5.0 from two reviews, one calling the retreat with Igor and Katya eye-opening. No review found describes an ayahuasca ceremony, and no Tripadvisor or Google 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 Shamanic Place and its facilitators Igor and Katya.

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

The facilitators are known by first name only and the healers are unnamed, 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. Only the first names Igor and Katya appear, in reviews. The claim that its healers are Shipibo-Konibo with more than 20 years of experience comes from a competitor’s list, not the operator. No company or tax number was found. It is a different operator from Sowa Soma in Punta Uva.

Screening and medical support. No questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency plan was found, and its Retreat Guru page ticks spa, sauna, pool and hot tub boxes with no photos or text to support them. The regional hospital is in Limón city, about an hour or more by road (unverified).

Status. Unclear: its booking listings are live and marked year-round, but its website domain no longer resolved when checked in November 2026 and the latest dated review is from December 2023.

Legal context. In January 2025 Costa Rica’s Health Ministry called healing rituals with ayahuasca an unauthorized practice and warned against promoting it for therapeutic purposes, per its health warning; as of October 2026 the country still has no law written for the retreat industry, per the Tico Times.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Kambo adds its own risks; ask for written screening rules for every medicine offered. 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 from Peruvian healers it does not name; its source is not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Hot Caribbean lowland coast, a short walk from the beach.
• Rooms: Air conditioning is listed; no room details or photos are published.
• Style: Private VIP retreats pairing Peruvian healers with Western counsellors.

Practical guidance: Its listing places it 60 km from Limón airport; transfers are not described.

Should You Book?

Not until the operator identifies itself. Ask in writing for the full names and training of the healers and facilitators, the price and refund terms, the screening rules for ayahuasca and kambo, 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

Shamanic Place presents itself as a VIP journey of healing with hereditary healers from Peru. 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

Its retreat is listed on BookRetreats. 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.