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

Sol Nueva Aurora: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Salto, Uruguay

Sol Nueva Aurora, the Instituto Espiritual Chamánico Sol Nueva Aurora, is a Uruguayan ayahuasca group founded in 2008 and led by Santos Victorino, with headquarters at Colonia 18 de Julio in Salto department, that held five and nine-day retreats about 20 km outside Salto for $300 and $540 in 2017, per its retreats page. It is a registered NGO and academic studies describe its Santo Daime-influenced ceremonies. Against that, it advertises drug addiction and depression treatment with no clinicians, claims its dose avoids “all kinds of contraindications”, publishes no medical staff or emergency plan, its only reviews date from one week in 2014, and no retreat has been dated since 2017.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Headquarters at Ruta 3 km 492, Colonia 18 de Julio, Salto, Uruguay, with retreats about 20 km outside Salto near the Argentine border; one retreat was advertised in Paysandú, and ceremonies have been held in other Uruguayan departments and in Argentina and Brazil.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies influenced by Santo Daime with Charrúa imagery, plus kambo, temazcal, tobacco prayer, meditation and workshops.
• Suitable For: Readers researching the group’s history; current activity is unconfirmed. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $300 for five days and $540 for nine days with vegetarian meals and basic lodging in 2017; guests bring a sleeping bag and mat. No deposit or refund terms are published.
• Overall Assessment: A long-standing, registered community group, offset by unsupported treatment and safety claims, no medical safeguards, stale reviews and no recent activity. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

AyaAdvisors shows 5.0 from 4 reviews, all posted between 20 and 25 January 2014 and copied to the group’s blog, praising a family feel, a safe setting and an approachable shaman. 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 Sol Nueva Aurora, Santos Victorino and Jean Daniel Darricarrère.

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

The group’s online presence is small and mostly old, 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. Santos Victorino directs the institute and describes himself as an “essentialist shaman”, with Jean Daniel Darricarrère as assistant director, per its 2014 post. The group says it is an NGO with legal status from Uruguay’s Ministry of Education and Culture; academic sources date its registration to 2010 in Paysandú. No teacher or lineage is named.

Treatment claims. Its pages advertise “Drug Addiction Treatment” and “Depression Treatment” without naming any clinician, and claim its brew is concentrated so as to avoid “all kinds of contraindications”. These claims are unsupported.

Screening and medical support. It advises against attending with heart conditions, recent surgery, prescription drugs or a history of mental illness, but screening is left to the spiritual leader, and no medical staff or emergency protocol is published.

Status. The latest dated retreat ran in April 2017, and the group’s other sites and social pages did not load. Treat it as possibly inactive.

Legal context. DMT is controlled in Uruguay and ayahuasca’s own legal status is unsettled, per ICEERS.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No brew strength removes the risk of combining ayahuasca with antidepressants. 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 group’s leader; 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: Temperate countryside with forest and water near the Uruguay River.
• Rooms: Basic shared lodging; bring a sleeping bag and mat.
• Style: Community ceremonies blending Santo Daime and local Indigenous imagery.

Practical guidance: Salto is reached by road from Montevideo or across the river from Concordia, Argentina; no pickup is offered.

Should You Book?

Only with caution, and it may no longer hold retreats. Ask in writing who leads ceremonies now, the screening criteria, who on site is trained in first aid, the emergency plan and nearest hospital, and the refund terms, and do not rely on it to treat addiction or depression. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Sol Nueva Aurora presents itself as a spiritual community that brought ayahuasca to Uruguay and adapted its ceremonies to local culture. 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

The group is listed on AyaAdvisors. 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.