Atmosphere

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

Tonkiri Sanctuary: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Antigua, Guatemala

Tonkiri Sanctuary (Santuario Tonkiri) is a small, family-run ceremony center on the slopes of Volcán de Agua near San Juan Alotenango, about 15 km from Antigua, Guatemala, run by Peruvian-born vegetalista Roonin Kushi with his partner and co-host Vicky Kiej Ix’kik, offering three to ten-night ayahuasca programs from US$500 and Saturday group ceremonies for US$200, per its retreats page. Guests rate it 4.9 from 33 Tripadvisor reviews. Against that, its only negative review alleges the founder made advances toward a guest’s wife (unverified, unanswered), screening is by personal interview with no published contraindications or medical staff, it also sells peyote, psilocybin and kambo, and it claims ayahuasca helps cure disease.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: On the road to La Eminencia, on the slopes of Volcán de Agua, San Juan Alotenango, Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, per its Tripadvisor listing.
• Approach: An ayahuasca ceremony every second night, flower baths and plant purges, with options to swap one ceremony for huachuma (San Pedro) and to add kambo, temazcal, Maya fire ceremonies and readings, yoga and bodywork. Separate peyote and psilocybin ceremonies are also offered.
• Suitable For: Adults who want an intimate, family-style setting near Antigua and arrange their own medical clearance. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: US$500 to US$600 for three nights with two ceremonies, up to US$1,150 to US$1,300 for ten nights with five; Saturday group ceremonies US$200 and private ceremonies US$300 for one person, per its ayahuasca page. No deposit or refund terms are published.
• Overall Assessment: Warm, consistent reviews, small groups and clear prices, offset by an unanswered misconduct allegation against the founder, no medical safeguards, a wide menu of controlled substances and unsupported health claims. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Tripadvisor shows 4.9 from 33 reviews from January 2025 to October 2026, with 32 rated excellent and one rated terrible, per its Tripadvisor listing, where it is listed as lodging. Guests praise transformative ceremonies, Roonin’s care, Vicky’s readings and support, the family atmosphere, fresh food and volcano views; minor complaints cover basic rooms, unreliable hot water, rainy-season damp, a difficult journey and a cash-only town. The one-star review is described below. It has no reviews on Retreat Guru, BookRetreats, AyaAdvisors or Trustpilot. 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 Tonkiri Sanctuary, Roonin Kushi (Gonzalo Rodríguez), Vicky Mejía (Kiej Ix’kik) and the center’s earlier brand, Ayaguate.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: One allegation (unverified). In a January 2025 one-star review of a November 2024 stay, a guest wrote that the man running the center made the couple very uncomfortable, that he leered at the reviewer’s wife and attempted to make a pass at her, and that no one guided participants during or after the ceremony, per Tripadvisor. No response from the center was found.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

Gonzalo Rodríguez is a very common name, which limits this search.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Roonin Kushi, who is Peruvian-born, describes himself as a founder, healer and vegetalista with more than 20 years with master plants and his own dietas, naming no teacher, per the resident guides page; he used the name Gonzalo Rodriguez on a 2019 fundraiser for Tonkiri. Vicky Kiej Ix’kik, a Guatemalan yoga teacher and Maya priestess, co-hosts. Its peyote brochure also claims Native American Church membership. No company or tax number is published. An older site, ayahuascaceremonies.org, uses the same phone number.

Screening and medical support. Guides decide “based on previous personal interviews”, and no medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published, per its ayahuasca page. Its peyote brochure asks guests to disclose antidepressants or anxiolytics and says the “therapist” will give instructions, which may include stopping them a day or more before. The nearest major public hospital is near Antigua, roughly 30 to 45 minutes by road (our estimate).

Health claims and medicines. The ayahuasca page says ceremonies help in “curing psychosomatic ailment and diseases”. Besides ayahuasca, the center sells huachuma, psilocybin mushrooms, kambo and a Q2,000 one-night peyote ceremony.

Status. Operating, with reviews from May to October 2026 and site updates in 2026. It claims to have operated since 2012; the earliest dated evidence found is from 2019.

Legal context. We found no Guatemalan law or court ruling specific to ayahuasca and no reported enforcement against ceremony centers from 2024 to 2026, and ayahuasca retreats are advertised openly in the country, per BookRetreats.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Stopping antidepressants a day before ceremony on a non-medical guide’s instructions is not enough with ayahuasca and can itself be risky. 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 prepared within the founder’s vegetalismo practice, with icaros, per its ayahuasca page; the 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: Volcanic highland forest between Volcán de Agua and Acatenango, with a maloka and fire circle.
• Rooms: Five rooms in glamping cabins and larger cottages with private bathrooms; drop-in ceremony guests sleep on mats in the maloka, per its listings.
• Style: Peruvian vegetalismo blended with Maya ceremony, temazcal, peyote rites and yoga.

Practical guidance: Fly to Guatemala City (GUA); airport transport is listed as available. Bring local cash, as shops in town do not take cards.

Should You Book?

Possibly, if you are comfortable with the allegation above and screen yourself carefully. Ask in writing for the contraindication list, who on site is trained in first aid, the emergency plan to a hospital, the refund terms, and how the center handles complaints about staff conduct. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Roonin Kushi and Vicky Kiej Ix’kik run Tonkiri as a resident couple, with a small staff and a cook. 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

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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.