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

Tree of Light Retreats: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Dominical, Costa Rica

Tree of Light Retreats is an ayahuasca center in the coastal mountains of Costa Rica’s South Pacific, near Dominical and Uvita, run by a married couple known as Pedro and Carolina, who say they trained with more than 30 Shipibo healers since 2012 and offer retreats with ayahuasca and master plant dietas of Noya Rao and Bobinsana, per its website. It keeps groups to nine to eleven people, has a pool and villa setting, and ran retreats in Peru’s Sacred Valley from at least 2013 before moving. Against that, the facilitators give no surnames and no legal entity is shown, it markets healing of sexual abuse and deep trauma with no medical staff, screening or emergency plan published, no prices are visible, and it has no independent reviews or dated activity for its Costa Rica years.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: The coastal mountains of the South Pacific near Dominical and Uvita, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, per Behold Retreats and the Psyched CR directory; no village or GPS is published.
• Approach: Shipibo-style ayahuasca ceremonies and plant dietas led by non-Indigenous facilitators trained in Peru, with yoga and optional counseling.
• Suitable For: Small-group travelers who arrange their own medical screening. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: No prices, deposit or refund terms were found. An eleven-day retreat with four ceremonies is described by Behold Retreats.
• Overall Assessment: Long-running facilitators with a small-group model, offset by anonymous operators, trauma healing claims without clinical safeguards and no independent reviews. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The only reviews found are four five-star reviews on a VocalReferences page from its Peru years, collected and chosen by the business, praising caring facilitators and a safe space. No Retreat Guru, Tripadvisor or Google listing was found for the Costa Rica center. 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 Tree of Light Retreats and its facilitators Pedro and Carolina.

• 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 were not searched individually, 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. Pedro and Carolina describe their training on its website and cite the Mahua family’s Noya Rao lineage; Carolina discussed women-only ceremonies in a 2016 podcast. No surnames or company are given. Behold Retreats, which ranks it in its own list, spells it “Tree of Lights”; it is not part of Behold Retreats.

Screening and medical support. No questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency plan was found, although it says it supports cases of sexual abuse and deep trauma. Its women’s safety page states values but no concrete protections. Its site gives a maximum of nine guests on one page and eleven on another. The regional hospital is in San Isidro de El General, under an hour from Dominical (unverified).

Status. Unclear; no dated retreats for 2025 or 2026 were found, and in November 2026 its website domain redirected visitors to an unrelated gambling site, so we do not link to it.

Legal context. In January 2025 Costa Rica’s Health Ministry warned against advertising or using ayahuasca for therapeutic purposes and urged the public to avoid such retreats, per the Tico Times.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

People with a history of trauma should ask what clinical support is available before booking. 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 facilitators in a Shipibo style; its source is not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Tropical coastal mountains with waterfalls above the South Pacific beaches.
• Rooms: Private, modern rooms with a saltwater pool, hammocks and a yoga space, per Behold Retreats.
• Style: A couple-led small-group center following Shipibo ceremony and dieta practice.

Practical guidance: Transfers are not described; confirm the exact location before booking.

Should You Book?

Only after the gaps are filled. Ask in writing for the facilitators’ full names, the price and refund terms, the screening rules, who on site is trained in first aid or mental health care, and the emergency plan and hospital route. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Tree of Light Retreats presents itself as a safe, small-group center grounded in years of Shipibo training. 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 website redirected to an unrelated site when checked, so we do not link to it. 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.