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

Spirit Awakening Retreats: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica

Spirit Awakening Retreats is a small ayahuasca and cacao retreat run by a mother-daughter team at Tocacielo del Caribe, a property of wooden bungalows and open-air cabins about 350 meters from Playa Cocles near Puerto Viejo de Talamanca on Costa Rica’s southern Caribbean coast, according to its Retreat Guru page; the same address belongs to Svariana Essence Healing Academy, a German-language natural-medicine and coaching business. Groups are capped at five, and its hosts, named in reviews as Janica and Ariane, are praised for warmth and organization. Against that, no screening, contraindications, medical staff, emergency plan or refund terms are published, the hosts give first names only and claim no lineage, no current prices or dates exist after 2024, its only reviews are two 2024 Trustpilot posts that do not mention ayahuasca, and Costa Rica’s Health Ministry calls ayahuasca healing rituals illegal.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Tocacielo del Caribe on Calle Olé Caribe, Playa Cocles, Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Limón, Costa Rica, near the beach and the Bribri community.
• Approach: Four-day retreats with one ayahuasca ceremony and eight-day retreats with three, per our earlier profile, combined with cacao ceremonies, yoga, meditation, trauma release and nature hikes.
• Suitable For: No one until the operator publishes current dates, screening, contraindications, an emergency plan and refund terms. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: Our earlier profile listed EUR 1,500 to EUR 4,330 for four and eight-day programs; no current prices or refund terms appear on any platform, and its Retreat Guru page lists no events.
• Overall Assessment: A very small group in a beach-side jungle setting with warm hosts, offset by no published screening, medical cover or refund terms, first-name-only operators, almost no reviews, unclear status and legal exposure in Costa Rica. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Both reviewers praise the organization, a flexible schedule, help with arrival and departure, the oasis-like setting, the food, yin yoga, cacao ceremonies, nature hikes and warm hosts.

The negative feedback. None published.

Who is writing the reviews. The two Trustpilot reviews, both from Germany, describe a holistic retreat and do not mention ayahuasca. Our earlier profile cited a 4.8 average from onsite testimonials and positive July 2025 reviews on Retreat Guru and AyaAdvisors; none of these appears now, and Retreat Guru shows no reviews. 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 Spirit Awakening Retreats, Svariana Essence Healing Academy, Tocacielo del Caribe and its named facilitators.

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

The hosts are named by first name only, which limits name checks. Our earlier profile found no incidents as of August 2025.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Screening and medical support. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published. Our earlier profile described health and intention consultations and first-aid training only, and the team’s only health-related credential is in naturopathy. The nearest hospital distance is not stated.

Who runs it. Retreat Guru describes a mother-daughter team without names; the Trustpilot reviews name Janica and Ariane as hosts. Our earlier profile also listed an ayahuasca facilitator named Aleks and a holistic therapist named Marc, whose descriptions closely match the self-published bios of Aleks Madaras and Marc Olivella Lladó of Inner Journeys Agency, a separate operator in Talamanca; no page links them to Spirit Awakening (unverified). Aleks Madaras says he learned ceremony from a Spanish facilitator; no indigenous lineage is claimed. No company registration was found.

Status. No retreat dates after March 2024 appear on any platform, and Retreat Guru lists no events. Whether it still operates under this name is not established.

Legal context. Costa Rica’s Health Ministry warned in January 2025 that ayahuasca lacks sanitary registration, that it does not authorize ayahuasca healing practices and that DMT is a controlled substance, per the Tico Times.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Costa Rica does not permit plant medicine for religious use as our earlier profile said; the Health Ministry calls such rituals unauthorized. The sidebar price is in euros, not dollars. Retreat Guru gives self-travel directions rather than an included airport transfer, though one reviewer praises arrival help. Retreat Guru shows no reviews, so the July 2025 reviews cited there are not confirmed, and our earlier description of Retreat Guru and AyaAdvisors as “review farm” sites had no basis and is withdrawn. The euro prices, program lengths, credentials of Janica and Ariane, the brew recipe, rapé and sananga, vegetarian meals, post-retreat Zoom calls, the pre-retreat diet and the 4.8 rating have no current source and remain unverified. The Puerto Viejo location, the Bribri community nearby, small groups, cacao, yoga, meditation, trauma-sensitive framing and no incidents found are confirmed.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No contraindications are published. 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 undisclosed source and recipe, with cacao; our earlier profile also listed rapé and sananga (unverified). Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Caribbean lowland jungle a short walk from Playa Cocles, in the Puerto Viejo beach area.
• Rooms: Handcrafted wooden bungalows and open-air cabins, an elevated yoga deck, meditation gardens and an outdoor kitchen.
• Style: A European-run holistic retreat blending yoga, energy work and cacao with ayahuasca.

Practical guidance: Fly into San José and take a shuttle or bus via Limón, about four to five hours, or fly to Limón and drive about an hour.

Should You Book?

No, not until the operator publishes current dates, prices, screening, contraindications, an emergency plan and refund terms. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Retreat Guru says the team has worked in the local community for over six years, and Svariana claimed its Trustpilot profile in September 2023. 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 Guru page lists no upcoming events. 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.