The Independent Watchdog for Ayahuasca Retreats
Why We Built Best Retreats
The ayahuasca retreat industry has a serious problem. Operators pay to get listed. Reviews get curated. Red flags disappear. And the people making the most consequential decisions of their lives – where to go, who to trust, whether their medications are safe, whether the facilitator has any real accountability – are left to figure it out from testimonial pages and Instagram.
Best Retreats was built to fix that. We are an initiative of The Retreat Safety Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which means no booking commissions, no operator payments, no ads, and no financial incentive to protect anyone’s reputation. Our evaluations are based on incident history, Reddit commentary, forum analysis, court records, safety alerts, and direct community reports – not what a retreat center wants you to read about itself.
The platform was co-founded in 2021 by an anthropologist and compliance professional with direct fieldwork experience across South America, and a board that includes compliance officers, consumer protection specialists, and veterans advocates. We understand risk frameworks, cultural power dynamics, and what happens when accountability systems fail. We built this because those skills are exactly what this industry needs and almost nobody is applying them.
Best Retreats is not a booking site. It’s not a review directory. It’s a living archive of every known ayahuasca retreat center in the world – clean, sketchy, and everything in between.
What Makes Us Different
🛡️ Safety First
Our evaluations cover each retreat’s full incident history using a social listening system that scans Reddit, forums, Facebook groups, ICEERS reports, media coverage, and court records for misconduct, complaints, and safety concerns. Listings include sourced incident summaries, red flags, and safety alerts — helping participants make informed decisions before committing significant money, time, and emotional vulnerability to a high-risk experience. According to the Global Ayahuasca Survey, 55% of participants reported challenging psychological effects; outcomes improve substantially in properly supervised settings with rigorous pre-screening. (Global Public Health, 2023)
🚫 No Ads. No Affiliates.
We operate without advertisements, commissions, or paid promotions. Listings are included based on verifiable data regardless of whether a retreat has paid us anything – because none of them have. This matters in a category where ICEERS has documented 58 media-attributed deaths between 1994 and 2022, with 40% linked to tourist retreat centers. An industry with those stakes does not need another directory with financial skin in the game. Our independence fosters honest insights, aligned with calls for standardized safety in psychedelic research.
🌿 Respect for the Medicine
Ayahuasca is not a product. It is a ceremonial practice rooted in indigenous Amazonian traditions that predate Western interest by centuries. We spotlight centers that honor that context – with legitimate lineage, cultural accountability, and integration support – and we name the ones that borrow the aesthetic without the substance. Research consistently shows that therapeutic outcomes improve when ceremony is conducted within a proper cultural and clinical container. (National Library of Medicine)
What We Value
- Truth over polish. If it’s shady, we’ll say so.
- All voices welcome. Submit your experience, good or bad, and help others stay safe.
- Zero nonsense. Everything you see here exists to help you choose consciously. Heroic Hearts Project
Our Mission
To become the Better Business Bureau of the ayahuasca world – a trusted public resource that holds retreat centers accountable and keeps participants informed. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit with no financial stake in your booking decision.
🌀 Explore the world’s most complete ayahuasca retreat directory
🗂️ FAQ.
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📢 Report an incident
This is what transparency in the ayahuasca space should look like.
Disclaimer: This page is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, psychological, or legal advice. Ayahuasca carries real risks including psychological distress, physical side effects, and rare severe reactions in predisposed individuals. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before attending any retreat. Best Retreats does not facilitate bookings and is funded entirely through our nonprofit mission.
Meet our leadership team