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

Sítio dos Oriundos: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Itacaré, Brazil

Sítio dos Oriundos, also listed as Santuario Ayahuasca Sítio dos Oriundos, is a small ayahuasca retreat on a 20-hectare Atlantic Forest property about 13 km from Itacaré, Bahia, Brazil, run by facilitators who give only their first names, Oriam and Luiza, and offering 4 to 12-day stays for up to four guests from $790, per its Retreat Guru page. Against that, it publishes no contraindications or medical staff, sells packages promising to cure depression and addiction despite Brazil’s rules against commercial and therapeutic ayahuasca use, and all of its reviews come from two booking platforms.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Campo Cheiroso, Vila Camboinha, Itacaré, Bahia, Brazil, off the BA-001 coastal road with the last 5 km on dirt, about 50 km from Ilhéus airport, per Retreat Guru.
• Approach: Night ayahuasca ceremonies and a daytime ceremony with ayahuasca “or possibly another medicine plant”, which is not named, plus qigong, breathwork, massage, a birth-chart reading and integration circles; yoga and cacao programs are also offered.
• Suitable For: Adults wanting a very small, flexible-date stay who accept no medical support. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $790 for 4 days, $1,240 for 7 days and $1,660 for 10 days; yoga and ayahuasca packages $990 to $2,460, per BookRetreats. Refund terms differ between platforms.
• Overall Assessment: Intimate and flexible, offset by no published screening rules or medical staff, unverifiable facilitators, cure claims and an all-platform, all five-star review record. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

BookRetreats shows 5.0 from 22 reviews dated July 2025 to August 2026, and Retreat Guru 5.0 from 1 review (March 2026). Guests praise Oriam and Luiza’s care, feeling safe, the forest setting and the ceremony music. Eight of the ten visible BookRetreats reviews were posted within 22 days in July and August 2025, and the same pool of reviews appears on every listing (unverified pattern). No reviews of 3 stars or lower were found, and no Google, Tripadvisor or Trustpilot presence was 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 Portuguese-language news for reports involving Sítio dos Oriundos, its religious body and its facilitators.

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

The facilitators publish no surnames, which limits this search.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. The founder, Oriam, describes 40 years in consciousness work, psychology, music and sport, 30 years of energy healing and study with shamans on several continents, with no teachers or lineage named, per his BookRetreats profile. Luiza is listed as a therapist with no stated credentials, and Merve, a yoga and breathwork teacher based in Thailand, leads some yoga programs. No link to Santo Daime, the UDV or an Indigenous lineage is claimed. The listings say the center’s religious body, Templo Vivo do Chá de Todos os Santos, was registered under Brazil’s company registry on March 30, 2026 and gives “full protection for international participants”; no registration number is published and the claim is unverified.

Screening and medical support. No contraindications for antidepressants, MAOIs, heart or psychiatric conditions are published, and the only medication guidance is to avoid “medicines (even natural)” before arrival. Only one listing mentions a health questionnaire and an emergency plan “which includes access to medical support”, with no details, per BookRetreats. No medical staff are named; doses are set individually by Oriam and Luiza. The municipal hospital in Itacaré is roughly 20 to 30 minutes away by car, and the regional hospital in Ilhéus, with 24-hour emergency and cardiac care, roughly an hour, per the Bahia state government (our estimate of travel times).

Claims and contradictions. Listings promise healing from “depression, anxiety, dependencies, and addictions” and use “Cure” in program titles. Retreat Guru says the deposit is refundable until a day before arrival, while BookRetreats uses tiered refunds and in one place asks for the balance in cash on arrival; one listing offers airport transfers at $60 each way while others say transfers are not included; Retreat Guru’s amenity list includes a pool, spa and sauna that no other listing mentions.

Status. Operating, with nine programs on Retreat Guru and ten on BookRetreats on flexible year-round dates. The latest dated review is from August 2026. The property is also listed as a bed and breakfast on Hostelworld.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is permitted in Brazil for religious use, while DMT is prohibited, per ICEERS. The national drug council’s Resolution 1/2010 says selling ayahuasca is commerce rather than an act of faith, that tourism should be avoided and that therapeutic use should be barred until proven by research. Federal prosecutors in Acre noted in 2024 that sale or use outside a religious context may be sanctioned, per the MPF. No enforcement against this center was found.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

With no published contraindications and an unnamed second plant medicine, guests must screen themselves. 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 of unpublished origin and recipe; a second daytime plant medicine is offered but not named. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A 20-hectare Atlantic Forest estate near the Itacarezinho and Engenhoca beaches on Bahia’s cocoa coast.
• Rooms: Wooden bungalows with mosquito nets, terraces and hammocks, one private with its own bathroom and one shared, per BookRetreats.
• Style: An eclectic, self-described “own synthesis” mixing ayahuasca with bodywork, qigong, astrology and yoga.

Practical guidance: Transfers are generally not included; listings quote taxis of about R$250 from Ilhéus airport or R$120 from the Itacaré bus station.

Should You Book?

Only with care. Ask in writing for the facilitators’ full names and training, the name and source of every medicine served, the full contraindication list and how a guest reaches the Ilhéus hospital at night. Treat any promise to cure depression or addiction as a warning sign. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The center’s dated traces begin with 2023 and 2024 gallery images, its first BookRetreats reviews in July 2025 and its claimed temple registration in March 2026. Oriam’s profile describes a healing mission over the last six years. 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

Programs are listed on Retreat Guru and 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.