Soltara Healing Center

At 5:30 each evening of a Soltara retreat, guests gather in the maloca for yoga, breathwork and a sound bath. An hour later, in the same room, ceremony begins. The maloca is a traditional ceremonial space, and everything at Soltara is arranged around it: Ayahuasca served in the Shipibo tradition, with each guest receiving individual icaros, or healing songs, sung by the Maestros.

The work happens at two centers in Costa Rica. Playa Blanca is a cliffside sanctuary on the Nicoya Peninsula, overlooking the Gulf of Nicoya in a region named as one of the world's five Blue Zones. It holds 20 to 22 guests in suites with king beds and ocean-view balconies, and has a pool, stardeck, yoga palapa, hammock areas and access to two semi-private beaches. Scarlet Valley lies in the mountains of the Central Pacific Valley near Carara National Park, along a historic wildlife corridor and one of the last remaining habitats of the Scarlet Macaw, for which the center is named.

The brew is made from two plants only, the Ayahuasca vine and Chacruna leaves, and is served by Onanya, the Shipibo word for "one who has wisdom." Retreats run five, seven or twelve nights; the five-night program includes three ceremonies and the seven-night four. Between them come flower baths at the pool, morning yoga, consultations with the healers, integration workshops and sharing circles.

Soltara frames the retreat with a full year of support: an intake and medical screening, preparation guidance, 1:1 coaching with a facilitator, and community afterward. It keeps an onsite clinic and holds a medical permit through the Costa Rican Ministry of Health. Its advisory board includes Dr. Gabor Maté, Dr. Dennis McKenna and Dr. Bia Labate. The center also offers private group retreats and a scholarship lottery for guests without the means to attend.