Ayahuasca ceremonies are available in several countries across South America, Central America, and, in limited forms, the United States and parts of Europe. The most established destinations are Peru, Brazil, and Costa Rica, where the brew has deep cultural roots or operates in a legal gray area that permits retreat centers. Costs range from roughly $700 for a week in Peru to $9,000 for a premium retreat in Costa Rica, and most reputable centers require medical screening before you participate.
Peru: The Traditional Heartland
Peru is the most popular destination for ayahuasca retreats, with the highest concentration of centers in and around Iquitos, a city in the Amazon basin accessible only by air or river. Retreats here typically range from 7 to 14 days, though some centers offer intensive stays of 21 to 30 days that include traditional plant dietas, where you follow a restricted diet alongside multiple ceremonies. A common format is a 9- to 10-day retreat with three ceremonies, though longer stays often include more.
The Sacred Valley near Cusco is another well-known region, and some travelers combine both locations into a two-week trip that covers jungle and highland settings. Ayahuasca use by indigenous communities and trained healers is legal and culturally protected in Peru, making it the most straightforward destination in terms of legal status. Because Costa Rica and other countries charge significantly more, Peru remains the most affordable option, with week-long retreats often starting around $700 to $1,500 depending on the center and level of accommodation.
Costa Rica: Accessible but Pricier
Costa Rica has become a popular alternative for people who want a shorter flight from the United States or Canada. The country’s drug law references international conventions that ban synthetic DMT, but the plants that make up ayahuasca are not explicitly scheduled. This legal ambiguity has allowed a growing number of retreat centers to operate, though the regulatory framework remains undefined. Legal analysts in Costa Rica have pointed out that the plants grow naturally in the region and are practically impossible to classify as illegal under current statutes.
The trade-off is cost. A week-long retreat in Costa Rica with three ceremonies typically runs between $2,000 and $9,000. Budget options around $2,000 usually mean shared rooms, communal bathrooms, and higher participant-to-facilitator ratios. Higher-end centers offer private accommodations, on-site medical staff, and more personalized attention. On average, retreats in Costa Rica cost about three times more than comparable programs in Peru, Brazil, Ecuador, or Mexico.
Brazil: Legal Within Religious Practice
Brazil is the only country that has built a formal regulatory framework specifically for ayahuasca. Indigenous Amazonian communities have used the brew for centuries, and since the 1930s, syncretic religious movements adopted it as a sacrament. The two largest are the Santo Daime and the União do Vegetal (UDV), both of which hold regular ceremonies for their members.
After a period of prohibition in the mid-1980s, Brazil’s national drug policy council adopted a resolution in 2010 establishing rules, norms, and ethical principles for the religious and ritual use of ayahuasca. The Brazilian constitution protects freedom of belief and worship, and the regulatory process was notably progressive, involving anthropologists and representatives from ayahuasca religions. If you’re interested in the Brazilian route, participation generally means joining a religious community rather than booking a tourist retreat, though some centers in the Amazon do cater to visitors.
The United States: Limited Legal Pathways
DMT, the primary psychoactive compound in ayahuasca, is a Schedule I controlled substance in the United States. However, two narrow legal pathways exist.
The first is religious exemption. In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal that the UDV could legally use ayahuasca as a religious sacrament. The court found that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 required the government to prove that banning the practice served a compelling interest, and the government failed to demonstrate that the tea was unsafe or that it had ever been diverted for recreational use. The Santo Daime church has received similar protections. These exemptions apply specifically to recognized religious organizations with documented, sincere spiritual practice, not to commercial retreats or individual use.
The second pathway is local decriminalization. A growing number of cities have made enforcement of laws against entheogenic plants, including ayahuasca ingredients, their lowest police priority. In California, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Arcata, Berkeley, and San Francisco have all passed resolutions deprioritizing personal use and possession. In Washington state, Seattle, Port Townsend, Jefferson County, Olympia, and Tacoma have done the same. Other cities with similar policies include Ann Arbor, Detroit, Hazel Park, and Ypsilanti in Michigan; Minneapolis in Minnesota; and Somerville, Cambridge, Northampton, Salem, and Easthampton in Massachusetts. Denver was the first U.S. city to take this step in 2019, initially for psilocybin, and Colorado later expanded its approach statewide.
Decriminalization is not legalization. It means police are directed not to prioritize arrests, but the substances remain federally illegal. Underground ceremonies do operate in many U.S. cities, though they carry legal risk for both facilitators and participants.
Europe: Mostly Illegal
Nearly all European countries classify ayahuasca as illegal because it contains DMT. Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Ireland all prohibit its production, possession, and use. France briefly allowed Santo Daime ceremonies after a 2005 court ruling, but within months the government scheduled the ayahuasca plants themselves as narcotics, closing that door. The Netherlands, once considered permissive, explicitly banned ayahuasca after a 2019 Supreme Court decision. Italy made it illegal in 2022.
Portugal is a partial exception. Since 2001, the country has decriminalized personal possession and use of all previously illegal drugs, including ayahuasca. You won’t face criminal charges or jail time for possessing or consuming it, but selling, transporting, or cultivating it remains a criminal offense. Spain restricts ayahuasca’s sale to the public due to its toxicity classification, limiting its use to pharmaceutical or research settings. For European residents looking for a legal ceremony, traveling to South or Central America remains the most reliable option.
What Reputable Centers Screen For
Any center worth attending will require a medical screening process before you’re approved to participate. This typically begins weeks before arrival, during initial conversations with the center’s intake team, and continues with an in-person evaluation when you arrive. The screening covers cardiovascular issues, neurological disorders, unmanaged mental health conditions, and your current medications and supplements.
The most critical safety concern is medication interactions. Ayahuasca contains compounds that inhibit an enzyme called MAO-A, which changes how your body processes serotonin. If you’re taking SSRIs or other antidepressants, combining them with ayahuasca can produce dangerously high serotonin levels, a condition called serotonin syndrome that can be life-threatening. Even modest increases in serotonin activity can intensify cardiovascular and perceptual effects to dangerous levels. Most centers require you to stop SSRIs weeks before a ceremony, and the exact timeline depends on the specific medication. Centers also evaluate emotional stability and psychological history, since ayahuasca produces intense introspective experiences that can destabilize people with certain conditions.
How to Evaluate a Center
The quality and safety of ayahuasca retreats varies enormously. Some markers of a responsible center include a thorough medical intake process, trained facilitators with years of experience, a low participant-to-facilitator ratio, and clear communication about what to expect before, during, and after ceremonies. Sustainability is another consideration: the ayahuasca vine takes years to mature, and the growing global demand has raised concerns about overharvesting. Some organizations have developed certification systems for centers that use sustainably cultivated plant materials and pay fair wages to local communities.
Price alone is not a reliable indicator of quality, but unusually cheap retreats often cut corners on staffing, screening, or the experience of their ceremony leaders. Reading firsthand accounts from past participants, asking detailed questions about the center’s safety protocols, and verifying that the facilitators have a documented lineage or training background are all practical steps before committing.