How Much Does an Ayahuasca Retreat Cost?

In short:

A five-night Ayahuasca retreat at Soltara in Costa Rica starts at $3,850 per person and a seven-night retreat at $4,150, as of November 2026. The price depends on the center, the program and the room. It covers safe medical screening, preparation, the onsite retreat experience, and long-term integration support. During the retreat itself, this includes lodging, all meals, retreat programming, the ceremonies, onsite health checks from a doctor in our clinic, ground transport from San José, and personalized support throughout the retreat.

Cost is one of the first things people ask us on a discovery call, and we believe transparency is important, especially for this sacred work. Below are our current prices, everything the price includes, the costs it leaves out, and how deposits, payment plans and scholarships work, so you can budget for the whole trip before you choose a date.

How much does an Ayahuasca retreat at Soltara cost?

Our retreats start at $3,850 for five nights and $4,150 for seven nights. These are the starting prices per person at each center:

• Scarlet Valley, five nights with three ceremonies, from $3,850
• Scarlet Valley, seven nights with four ceremonies, from $4,150
• Playa Blanca, five nights with three ceremonies, from $3,975
• Playa Blanca, seven nights with four ceremonies, from $4,275

Private rooms and suites cost more than shared rooms, and the exact price for each room and date appears when you open a program on our booking page. Guests who have already been to Soltara can book a retreat designed for returning guests, with fewer introductory sessions, and every past guest receives 10% off future retreats (one discount or promotion per registration).

What is included in the price?

The price covers your room, meals, ceremonies, the program and group transport from the pickup hotel in San José and back, plus the support we give before and after the retreat. In detail, it includes:

• The medical and psychological intake, reviewed by our psychologists
• A private 50-minute preparation session before the retreat and a private 50-minute integration session after it
• A preparation guidebook, an integration journal and three months of integration emails
• Comfortable and spacious lodging for five or seven nights
• Nourishing meals, cooked to the Ayahuasca preparation diet with local and organic ingredients
• Three or four Ayahuasca ceremonies led by two Shipibo Maestros, with personal icaros (healing songs) for each guest in every ceremony
• A team of facilitators trained in trauma-informed care, on call at any hour
• Consultations with the Maestros, integration circles, yoga, breathwork, meditation, sound sessions and flower baths
• Group transport in both directions between the pickup hotel near San José airport (SJO) and the center
• Retreat facilities including an onsite pool, jungle gym, cozy common areas, tropical garden and nature trails, and our spa
• Access to our online community platform, with resources, recipes, and ongoing group circles for connection and support
• At Scarlet Valley, a guided tour of Carara National Park on the last day

What is not included?

Flights, travel insurance and your hotel nights in San José are the main costs outside the retreat price. Here is what to add to your budget:

• Flights to San José (SJO), which we ask you to book only once your place is confirmed
• Travel medical insurance for the dates of your trip, which is required for every guest
• A hotel night before the retreat and, ideally, one after it. Many guests stay at the pickup hotel, the Fairfield by Marriott San José Airport, at a discounted Soltara rate
• Spending money for gratuities, spa services, the Shipibo market at the end of the retreat and meals while you travel. Our packing list suggests bringing $300 to $1,000 in cash
• A private transfer, if you prefer to arrive or leave separately from the included group shuttle

Why does the price depend on the room?

Within each center the program, care, ceremonies and the team are the same for every guest, so the price changes only with the room. Playa Blanca starts $125 higher than Scarlet Valley for both lengths. Both centers have shared rooms, and solo guests who book one are paired with a guest of the same gender.

At Scarlet Valley the rooms are the Vista Triple Room, the Garden Triple Room, the Mountain Double Room, the Rainforest Single Room, the Private Terrace Room and the Vista Suite. At Playa Blanca the options are the Double Shared Suite, the Private Single Suite, the Canopy Suite and the Eco-Tambo.

The two centers also sit in different landscapes. Playa Blanca is on a cliff above the Gulf of Nicoya, with two beaches a few minutes' walk away. Scarlet Valley is in the mountains of the Central Pacific Valley, beside protected rainforest near Carara National Park.

What does the price pay for?

The price pays for a large team relative to the size of the group. Each retreat has two Shipibo Maestros, three facilitators, an assistant facilitator, a guardian, a retreat director and a yoga teacher, along with the kitchen and hospitality teams. They look after a group that averages 15 guests and is capped at 22. Before anyone arrives, our psychologists review every application, and every guest has an intake call and a preparation session with a facilitator.

The price also pays for working under a permit from the Costa Rican Ministry of Health, for our safety equipment and protocols, and for our reciprocity work with Shipibo communities. When you compare prices between centers, it helps to compare what each price covers: the number of ceremonies, the size of the group and of the team around it, the lodging options, and the support before and after. Our guide to choosing an Ayahuasca retreat lists the questions we would ask.

How do deposits, payments and cancellations work?

A deposit holds your place when you register, and the rest is due on or before the first day of your retreat. About two weeks before you arrive we send a statement for the remaining balance, which you can pay by credit card. Where possible, we ask guests to bring the last $500 in like-new US dollar bills, which we collect on site.

Payment plans are available on request. If spreading the cost would help, please contact our team before you book.

If our intake review finds that a retreat is medically or psychologically unsafe for you, we refund your deposit in full. In other cases the deposit is non-refundable, and part or all of it can be transferred. How much transfers depends on your notice: all of it with four weeks or more, 80% with three to four weeks, 60% with ten days to three weeks, and none inside ten days. The complete terms are on our policies page.

Are there scholarships?

We run three scholarship programs for people who could not otherwise afford a retreat. Two are full scholarships drawn by lottery, one open to everyone and one for BIPOC applicants, and the third is a partial scholarship awarded by application. The general full scholarship covers a five-night or seven-night retreat, with flights left to the guest, and recipients must pass the same intake screening as any other guest. You can apply on the financial aid page.

Is seven nights worth $300 more than five?

The seven-night retreat costs $300 more than the five-night retreat at both centers, and it adds a fourth ceremony and a second full integration day. It is our most popular program. If your time away is limited, the five-night retreat still includes three ceremonies and a full integration day, and it is the shortest stay we offer.

If you would like a price for a specific date and room, or want to talk through which center fits you, you can book a discovery call with our team, with no deposit and no commitment. You can also read the frequently asked questions or see both centers on the retreats page. The prices in this article were last checked on 12 November 2026.