Ayahuasca Retreat Reviews — Helping You Stay Safe with 5,000+ Independent Reviews
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Since 2014, New Life Rising has been in service to the ever-growing community of truth seekers. With over a decade of experience, we have amassed a wealth of knowledge and expertise that has enabled us to carefully create a retreat program that encompasses a balance of complimentary healing modalities, time for reflection, and community support. Through the years, we have witnessed incredible transformations through ayahuasca. Our reputation as the highest-rated retreat in Costa Rica is a testament to these life-changing experiences.
Our therapeutic journey is designed to support healing, release, and restoration through honest self-reflection and by fostering a profound connection to spirit. After more than a decade of working with ayahuasca, we have fine-tuned our ayahuasca retreat Costa Rica program to offer a variety of complementary healing modalities. From our ayahuasca ceremonies guided by Ayahuasqueros trained in the Peruvian Mestizo traditions to Hatha yoga sessions, massage therapy, group sharing circles, nature therapy, nutritional meals, and airport transfers, we have considered every element to best support you on your journey.
Connect with your higher self through our transformative ayahuasca Costa Rica retreat. Ayahuasca is a powerful sacred plant medicine that helps us reach our full potential by freeing us from self-limiting beliefs and destructive thought patterns. She invites us to confront and integrate all aspects of ourselves by embracing the light and dark energies within each of us. By acknowledging these contrasting energies we practice radical self-acceptance that is the catalyst for profound growth and the foundation for self-love.
Whats Included:
Medical Safety Screening via Phone Call
1pm Airport Pick-up from Liberia International Airport
8 Days of Retreat Programing
7 Nights Accommodation in our cozy Eco-cabinas
3 Traditionally guided Ayahuasca Ceremonies led by facilitators with over a decade of experience each
3 Hatha Yoga Sessions that include guided meditation with a focus on ceremonial intention
3 Group Integration/Share Circles
1 Therapeutic Massage
3 Beach trips
All meals – Nutritious and following the ayahuasca diet
Intimate group setting of 12 participants
10am Checkout with Airport Drop-off at Liberia International by 12pm
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Heath Jenson
Jan 19, 2026Where do I start?
My wife and I were celebrating 30 years of marriage. We wanted to create a new foundation for our next chapter together. After researching many retreats in Peru and Costa Rica my wife and I chose New Life Rising. I personally had some reservations about Matt and Jeanae being westerners but realized that I was prejudging them. After reading their biographies, I felt they respected and honored the shamanic practices of plant medicine. Their continued dedication to plant medicine and education is what convinced us to book our retreat with New Life Rising. We wanted an intimate setting with a small number of participants with a traditional ceremony and we both feel they delivered beyond our expectations.
Matt and Jeanae created a beautiful atmosphere that was warm and inviting. Their combined male and female energies felt well balanced. My wife and I felt very safe and well taken care of by them and the other facilitators (Eliza and Saul). The experience was very powerful and transformative.
I am extremely grateful to Jeanae, Matt and our new family to share this whole experience. I surprised my wife by renewing my vows at the opening of our second ceremony. The Maloka ceremonial space felt sacred. It couldn’t have been more perfect! The ayahuasca ceremony itself was incredibly special. I felt guided throughout the experience through song, music, and dance. Jeanae brought a beautiful feminine energy with her voice and Matt brought an amazing sense of mastery with his masculine energy.
We enjoyed the grounds and they provided wonderful meals. Very loving atmosphere and we enjoyed having their golden retrievers running around. Howler monkeys swinging in the trees and iguanas throughout . This place was rooted in nature and delivered a serene peaceful experience!
No matter where Matt and Jeanae plant their roots, I personally know they provide a safe and life changing plant medicine experience. My wife and I will definitely be doing ayahuasca with them in the future. Absolutely grateful for them and our experience!!! Soooo much love, Thank you 🙏🏾 -
Mason Jansen
Jan 19, 2026HIGHLY RECOMMEND ❤️!!!
My husband and I got back this week from Costa Rica, what an amazing experience! The grounds were beautiful, the family that runs it and the dogs that also run it ☺️, so much love. The home cooked meals were delicious, I never felt hungry, each meal was just right. Our group was perfect. Everyone came from different places, all of us ‘in’ different places yet created a bond so personal. And then Matt and Janae… They create and deliver such an intimate, safe, loving, balanced, authentic experience from start to finish. From traditional feeling ceremonies to casually hanging out, they are INCREDIBLE!!!
For my personal experience also my first experience with ayahuasca, it was great. I was so scared going into it, and i felt instantly Comforted after drinking my first cup. I typically don’t use hallucinogenics with so many people so close, and even with some struggling it still felt so intimate and safe.
And a shout out to my amazing husband who read a 30th wedding vowel renewal right before our second ceremony, started it off with such love in the miloko ❤️🥰. -
laura nicolescu
Jan 19, 2026My life is forever changed because of New Life Rising, and that’s heavily thanks to Matt and Janae. I have so much respect for their work and could not imagine going through this experience with any other shamans. I had extended my stay after the retreat ended for my integration and each time I shared with someone that I went to New Life Rising for my aya experience, relief and joy would always be the response.
The people on my retreat were amazing. They each showed up with so much openness and vulnerability, making my time there feel like I was surrounded by people I had known my whole life. I came alone as a 29 year old female and felt incredibly safe and cared for. Everything was done with love, from the home-cooked meals to the yoga sessions and share circles.
I loved every conversation and moment spent with Matt and Janae. If life ever brings me back to ayahuasca, it will be with New Life Rising. They set a new pace for my life filled with so much love, gratitude, and magic ❤️ -
T. Jackson Keenan
Jan 14, 2026️This was a very positive experience and also one of the hardest things I have done. I am grateful to have had Matt and Jeanae as our guides. They provided an atmosphere that was both safe and inviting.
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Noemie Thibault
Dec 24, 2025️A huge thank you to Janae and Matt for their profoundly human welcome and their perfectly balanced presence. You guided us with such kindness through one of the most transformative and enriching experiences of my life.
We were a group of 12 people—a perfect, intimate, and safe size that I couldn't have imagined any other way. Everything was thoughtfully planned: the safety, the comfort of the mini-cabins, the soothing beauty of the gardens, the professional massages, the outings to the beach… not to mention the absolutely exceptional food.
Every detail contributed to creating a space of trust, gentleness, and grounding, allowing us to fully let go and experience the three ceremonies with openness and serenity. These days will remain etched in my memory as a rare, aligned, and profoundly transformative experience. Plus, our group was fantastic.
A huge thank you to Travis and Eliza!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this invaluable support!
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Mirza Banda-Galindo
December 27, 2025 at 2:33 pmI went to New Life Rising retreat in October 2025 in Costa Rica. Prior to going I had PTSD, diagnosed and I was on lexapro (20mg) and hydroxyzine hydrochloride (50mg) just to get a good nights rest and to be functioning without getting triggered in the day to day. I tried therapy for depression as well as for PTSD. For 10 years I struggled with thoughts of suicide, daily, even with the medication. Medication helped somewhat but the feelings lingered and I used alcohol to cope. It really only made things worse and I attempted to leave the earth a couple of times. Once while on medication. I wanted relief from those thoughts and from reliving my trauma. A close friend of mine had struggled with something similar for a very long time as well and went to New Life Rising. She told me that she didn’t have those negative feelings anymore and thought that it was the Ayahuasca that cured her. Hearing this I was intrigued and we went together to try this plant healing. Each day at the retreat was so grounding and peaceful, the food is so healthy it made me feel clean. Jeanae held some yoga classes for us on the days of ceremony that helped to set intentions and move the chi in our bodies. For once I felt safe knowing Jeanae and Matt had experience with the medicine and would take care of us should any problems arise. The first ceremony felt like an introduction to mother ayahuasca. It was very beautiful and I felt like the branches of a tree connected to the earth. The second ceremony was where I felt the real work being done. It was hard, I saw the things that haunted me from childhood and my teenage years, I saw myself as a lone wolf going through it all but I remained myself, strong. After this hard night i was fortunate enough to talk about it with Jeanae who radiated love and understanding, despite being almost strangers. In this vulnerable state I felt like she was there for me in the way kid me needed and it healed me in a way. I will always be grateful for that experience. The third ceremony was a lot like the first, I felt joyful and i saw a lot of patterns and beautiful visions. I felt like my journey wasn’t over yet. Since going to this retreat (it has now been 2 full months) I have been off medication and sober. This is the happiest and most at peace I’ve felt in my life, I don’t get triggered, and I don’t want to die anymore. Ayahuasca helped me in a way that nothing else did before, and I will always be grateful to Matt and Jeanae for making it this beautiful experience for me and the groups that choose to keep growing. I feel fulfilled in this life and I never thought I would feel this way.
Jennifer
July 3, 2025 at 10:48 pmMy husband and I recently returned from a seven-day retreat with New Life Rising, and ever since getting home, I’ve been trying to draft a review that I’d appreciate as a prospective participant. Honestly, words fail to describe the powerful, life-changing experience that we found here. I arrived feeling skeptical that plant medicine could show me what I was looking for, and I’m so thankful to say that my mind has been changed; this was the most enlightening week of my life. If you’re even remotely considering an ayahuasca retreat, look no further. Matt and Jeanae are the most down-to-earth, genuine, caring individuals, and their commitment to and respect for plant medicine and knowledge is unparalleled. Every detail throughout the week was meticulously thought through and planned for, from the delicious vegan meals and lush ecolodge environment, to the yoga sessions and massage work – it was all in service of giving each participant the foundation to be in the best place to receive. My experience here allowed me to see my life, myself, and my relationships with greater clarity and perspective, lending me the insight on how to repair things that have needed attention. The way I fundamentally felt about certain conflicts was changed, and this was the greatest gift; I was able to lay down burdens I’d been carrying for far too long. The deep sense of knowing that I’ve gained from this experience has stuck with me even now that I’m back home, and it remains undeniable. I feel strongly that I would’ve never been able to make the connections or had the realizations that I had any place other than here. Attending with my spouse deepened our connection and has absolutely strengthened our bond. We are looking to the future with renewed excitement and thinking bigger for ourselves and what we want in life. My life has changed for the better knowing the wonderful people in our group, Matt and Jeanae, and our helpers Chris and Elisa. The small cohort size enables you to really get to know the others, and this is an asset as the conversations and connections that we made throughout the week felt nearly as important as the ceremonies. This is an individual experience, but so enhanced by the whole team as we cheered each other on and lent support to one another. What an unforgettable experience – my gratitude knows no bounds. We will absolutely be back! Thank you so much, Matt and Jeanae!
agil
June 21, 2025 at 6:27 pmHi! Is this your first time? the tenth time? it doesn’t matter .Oh no, you have no idea what awaits you my friend! Everyone has a different experience, mine was unimaginable – it was a miracle.
1. I came alone with only Russian and very weak English – I was accepted as a native, they supported me, they spoke to me through a translator, I never felt bad or awkward. This is a place where you are truly respected
2. Yes, I was terribly afraid, I had to fly 30 hours, I did not understand at all what to expect, because there are a lot of lies about Ayuvaska on the Internet.
3. This is beyond all my expectations, I am a new person. My phobias and fears have left me. My complexes will no longer make me sit at home and hide from people. Yes, I refreshed my mind and can create many new useful habits – I have one more chance.
4. If you feel that it is time – do not be afraid to change your life. Matt, Jene, Chris and Elizabeth will accompany you. Everything will be just fine
5. My head was a mess, I was lost, ayuvaska, my efforts, the masters and those present in this house gave me breath. Go ahead my friend – you will succeed, dear reader.
6. Thank you New Life Rising. Thank you for accepting me into the house, thank you for helping me, I love you.
I will invite all my friends to these people’s house, even my own mother. These are wonderful people!
kanecoolus
September 10, 2019 at 9:58 amThis was our (my wife and I) second visit to NLA in a little over a month. Our first was in July 2019. Seems a bit unorthodox to repeat an experience in a short period of time given the amount of information one gathers from a retreat such as this. Anyone who has ever gone through something like this knows exactly what I’m referring to.
Needless to say, it’s a testament to two points:
Our experience with plant medicine was so exceptionally profound we felt compelled to come back in search of answers to more questions we had about ourselves.
The care and support offered at NLA is nothing short of excellent. Without Matt, Jeanae and Drew to help facilitate our experience, there’s no way we would have had as profound an experience as we did (in our previous and most current experiences at NLA).
We signed up for the 7 day retreat (3 plant medicine ceremonies, 1 kambo, 1 rape, and 1 San Pedro experience). There were a total of 8 participants, which we felt was ideal. I know there are other centers that cater to larger groups and while I can’t comment on what that experience is like given that I’ve never engaged in plant medicine ceremonies of that caliber, I can say that with 8 people, it allowed for a more intimate experience with the other participants. Not only did we use the retreat as an opportunity to connect with ourselves, but we were able to connect with the other members from the group in a deep and meaningful manner, of which we were grateful. It’s not every day you to meet random strangers, open up about each other’s vulnerabilities, and go on several intense journeys of self discovery.
Matt’s presence as the ayahuascero is commanding and awe inspiring. How he is able to conjure up the strength to channel the medicine’s powers and convey them in such a manner that leaves a powerfully indelible impression is beyond comprehension. His live performance is one that will leave you feeling inspired.
If Matt is the engine of NLA, Jeanae is the soul. She keeps the place running by organizing the daily activities, leads the yoga classes, prepares the meals (which are delicious and nourishing for the soul), and provides emotional support during the ceremony. She has a wonderful caring disposition about her.
Drew is a jack of all trades. He does a little bit of everything to keep the facility running smoothly. There’s a magnetism about him that draws you to him. He has a remarkably positive way of viewing life (after going through some dark periods himself) that’s infectious and uplifting. There were several times during my experience where his presence positively impacted me (and my wife).
If safety is a concern, I can assure you that the only concern you’ll have is the one in your subconscious. Then again, that’s why people are signing up for this, aren’t they? To understand themselves in a deeper way but from a completely different and novel perspective. Other than that, NLA engages all of the plant ceremonies in a safe manner. They don’t coerce anyone to do anything that they’re not comfortable with. They’re available to answer whatever questions or concerns you may have about your experience. As previously mentioned, they purposefully keep the group sizes to 6-8 people at each retreat in order to be able to provide a more personalized experience.
We could not be more grateful for both of our experiences at NLA and we absolutely recommend this place to anyone who is interested in plant medicine ceremonies.
P.S. Chopper is one hell of a cat.
trowdy
January 18, 2019 at 6:35 pmI had a really amazing experience at NLA. Matt and Jeanae are very caring, friendly people and they run their retreat in a very professional manner. I was always well taken care of with great food and really comfortable rooms with a private bathroom. The house where the retreat is held is a really beautiful space to spend a week relaxing and taking part in the ceremonies. The ceremonies themselves usually have no more than 8 people and are really well guided by Matt with an additional 2 other people acting as ‘carers’ to assist people if they need anything.
It’s always best to do your own research when deciding on which retreat to go to because drinking plant medicines isn’t always an easy journey. But I can honestly say that NLA is a great place to start if you’re looking for a safe, comfortable place to partake where you’re guided in caring, professional hands at all times.