“Safe and Fantastic for English speakers

When I was researching ayahuasca retreats in Costa Rica, I was shocked by the prices. $3,000+ for week-long retreats at fancy resort-style locations. From my research, and the fact that such an experience is a deeply meditative, internal, and introspectively reflective one, I felt that the most authentic plant medicine experiences are led by people who are down to earth, unpretentious, and most importantly: focused on the medicine work itself. For that reason, I wasn’t interested in an overpriced, Ritzy retreat.

When I found Casa De La Luz on TripAdvisor, I loved that one of the past participants cited Andres’s ability to speak English as a big plus. Now reflecting back on the 3 day Ayahuasca private retreat I had with Andres, I can attest that his ability to communicate fluently in English really enhanced the therapeutic experience, making it all the more special, intimate, and life-altering. We shared some great heart-to-hearts. Further, the space he was able to create for us and the ceremony was perfect. It felt very organic and natural. Andres is also humble, an active listener, dedicated to the medicine, and radiates very good energy. He conducts his craft with the highest level of professionalism, diligence, and care.

The location for my retreat was at Andres’s home, which is the same location featured in the current pictures on Trip Advisor. Upon arriving, he gave my friend and me a tour of his property and the various plants and trees. I loved that the trees, now 30+ years old, were the same ones he climbed as a boy. I also liked seeing the plants, from which the plant medicine is derived, growing naturally near where we’d hold our ceremonies. It felt symbolic.

There is a lot of evident care and love in Andres’s property that you can immediately feel upon arriving, and it creates a wonderful and calming atmosphere for the ayahuasca ceremony that begins at night. When we ate breakfast and lunch, we ate at his table, and it was so nice to feel that he was taking us into his home and showering us with such kind and genuine hospitality.

His mom helped out behind the scenes with cooking, and the meals she prepared were among the best and tastiest I’ve had in Costa Rica. The pancakes had a great flavor and texture I still can’t put my finger on. Her presence and motherly support behind the scenes really contributed to the loving energy, caring concern, and comfortable atmosphere that made our experience so positive.

Overall, having been welcomed and invited into Andres’s home with such an outpouring of hospitality, I can attest that I never felt safer anywhere else during my entire week-long excursion through Costa Rica. I love local experiences. So being invited into the home of a local for a private, safe, and intimate ayahuasca ceremony will rank among the best travel and therapeutic experiences I’ve ever had, particularly due to the connection and encounter with Andres and his mom. Thank you both for such a positively life-altering experience! :)”

“For several years I have picked up and put down plans for an Ayahuasca journey, unable to resolve a tension between wanting an authentic experience tightly focused on Ayahuasca and feeling confident that I could accurately identify online a retreat that would offer me enough guidance and insight to help me process the experience.

I was generally turned off by the resort-style vibe that many retreats proudly offer because I only really wanted to experience Ayahuasca. I can get a massage or a colonic or take yoga classes in my own neighborhood—those experiences were were not important for me to have with the Ayahuasca.

But the resort-style retreats were attractive in that they seemed predictable, well-planned and safe-looking with many participants (which added to the perception of safety), and generally demanded less of a “leap of faith” to imagine that I was signing up for an experience I would not regret, even if it was a compromise in terms of surrendering to commercialism, upselling, and an experience shared with a large number of strangers.

And then I found a review online somewhere for Casa de La Luz and the description clicked for me—a simple four-day private retreat outside of San Jose (I loved Costa Rica, but not San Jose), with two ceremonies focused on the Ayahuasca and no opportunities or offers to upsell “additional” medicine or experiences. I could not have been happier with my choice. Casa de La Luz is his family’s home in rural Costa Rica. I had a private room—two beds, a light and a fan—with a bathroom and shower around back. The setup is simple and rustic.

His Mom cooked fantastic traditional Costa Rican food for us—it made me sad to eat in San Jose. Andres was a fantastic guide for me. He speaks English fluently and has a lot of experience with Ayahuasca and psychedelics in general, which made it easy to talk about my Ayahuasca experience in a productive way.

He has very calm, chill, mindful vibe that was relaxing and reassuring. He is in his mid-30’s and engaged with the world with a curious mind, which made a huge difference to my experience because through Andres I discovered I have aphantasia—I cannot produce images in my mind. I am very familiar with psychedelics and entheogens and their effects, and while I knew for certain I was consuming one, I never had a single vision on aya. The condition only got a name in 2015—and it only affects something like 4% of people, so it’s hardly well-known, widely-experienced or even generally understood. Andres knew about it specifically because he is curious and engaged with the mind and the world and interactions with Ayahuasca.

After poking around the internet and taking some self-assessment tests, I am certain Andres nailed it. I think there is zero chance I would have gained that insight from a traditional shaman in a jungle hut, and probably very little chance I would have had the opportunity to learn about or explore the subject in a detailed conversation with a facilitator like Andres if I were at a resort with 20 or 30 other participants. In the end, it seems like Aya is not for me, because I cannot see mental visions, psychedelic or otherwise, but Casa de La Luz was 100% the perfect Ayahuasca experience for me and Andres the perfect guide. The whole experience was very positive, authentic, safe, and genuine and I recommend Casa de La Luz to anyone considering an Ayahuasca journey.”

“My friend and I came to Casa de la Luz for our first experience with Ayahuasca.

I was anxious about encountering the Medicine, but when I arrived, I found this to be a very special place. Andres, Rocio, & Fernanda made me feel like part of the family from day one. There is so much Love in their hearts, and they took such good care of us. Rocio cooks amazing food and gives equally amazing hugs!! Andres is experienced with the Medicine, and he conducted the ceremonies with care.

I felt through each ceremony that I was being taken care of and guided, even at the times when I felt discomfort from the Medicine. Actually, I felt like I was being taken care of and guided the entire time I was there. Casa de la Luz is located in a place full of natural beauty, which enhanced the experience for me. In between ceremonies, we did activities like nature hikes which helped us to integrate everything in real-time.

The accommodations are simple and not a 5-star hotel, yet I was given everything I needed and more. This was a wonderful experience that gave me a peace I had never known.

I recommend Case de la Luz wholeheartedly for someone who wants to experience Plant Medicine.

”

“ Ayahuasca is a complete experience that heals your body, mind and soul, rebalancing your chakras and putting you in touch with the divine in a manner that is life changing, and I dare say life enhancing. Anyone who has had such an experience will know that the plant speaks to you in the language to end all languages, and that therefore there are no true words that will ever allow me to portray my experience accurately.”

“What an amazing experience! Fortunately, I had the opportunity to meet this place and be part of some Ayahuasca ceremonies. Andy is a lovely guy! He is respectful, attentive, friendly and above all, he is very dedicated to what he does, that’s why is very pleasant and interesting to work with him. The work developed there is beautiful, I highly recommend it to all workawayers who feel called to help people on someway.”

“ I truly felt honored to be there. The work they are doing at the center is something needed and very special. Being able to be involved in something that produces such profound positive transformations in people goes beyond words!”

“Andy is a really humble and a hardworking person. He is smart and kind and will always make sure that everyone is feeling comfortable. Working with him has been a lifechanging experience that I can totally recommend.”

“This is such a stunning place. Amazing property for a retreat! Beautiful trees and nature and space and serenity. My partner and I stayed for 2 nights to participate in a healing retreat. It was an incredible experience and one I will always hold dear in my heart. Andres and his mother are extememly kind people. They provided us with excellent hospitality and fed us the most delicious food every day! We were in awe of how well they looked after us and treated us like family. I highly recommend Casa de la Luz. Andres and his mother are authentic and heart-centred people who really care to help others and make a difference in this world. And it is the perfect place to relax and eat mangos. ”

“Andy is so kind, have a lot of awareness, and all the time was staying alert of the people, before, during and after the ceremony. Came to work here been one of the best experiences, I met wonder souls and was a pleasure helping them. ”

“Andres is a great host, so friendly and professional. The hapeh medicine and ayahuasca experience was perfect and peaceful. Beautiful natural surrounds & Food provided is healthy and delicious. See you next year!! X”

“Casa de la luz holistic is truly a retreat based on the kind of ideals we want to see more in the world. It provides a beautiful landscape to give you all the basic needs to explore the inner workings of our perception of reality. Through the sacred ancient art of shamanism in space purification and facilitation.”

“Andres is a wonderful knowledgable regular guy with a humble and grounded presence.

His giggly upbeat mother Rosyo was so welcoming and I felt like I was part of the family from the moment I arrived! Andres gave me a tour on the fruit orchard where we harvested oranges and lemons to juice with. Rocio cooked beautiful Traditional costa rican meals for us including vegan diet prior to the medicine.

The night of the medicine Andres stepped into where he shines best. He was incredible at holding space and ensuring you along your journey, knowing exactly how much to give you and being there to talk about your processes. His presence is very reassuring.

I had the greatest experience as my first workaway host and found Andres’ retreat to be a fabulous introduction to the plant on the beautiful tranquil and healing land. Was tough leaving this little piece of paradise! Looking forward to see it growing into it’s full potential 💖

Highly recommend anyone considering their first plant medicine journey and make sure you ask about the outdoor shower ;) mucho gusto!”