By Maja Krauss (M.Sc. Nature-based Therapy, trained psychedelic facilitator) and Willak (seventh-generation Kichwa Otavalo Yachak), co-founders of Kinti Yaya

Quick answer: The cost of an Ayahuasca retreat varies widely, and the price alone tells you little. What matters is what it covers: who holds the ceremonies and how well they are trained, how small the group is, and what happens on the days between and after ceremonies. At Kinti Yaya, the fee includes the ceremonies, accommodation, local food, excursions to sacred sites, daily practices and teachings, and preparation and integration. Current prices are on our retreat page.

How much does an Ayahuasca retreat cost? It is one of the first questions people ask, and the honest answer starts with another one: do you want an Ayahuasca experience, or a healing journey? The two can look alike from the outside, but they ask very different things of the people who hold the space, and that difference explains most of what you see in the price.

If you are new to the medicine itself, our article What is Ayahuasca? An Honest Introduction explains where it comes from and how it works, from both the Andean and the scientific side.

Why is it so hard to put a price on an Ayahuasca retreat?

In the Kichwa tradition, healing and medicine belong to a cycle of giving and receiving called randi-randi, so they do not fit easily into a market price. Tayta Willak, a seventh-generation Kichwa Otavalo Yachak, explains it with the life of a seed: you grow, Mother Nature nourishes you, you become a fruit, and you give back the seeds. Her kindness is unconditional, and we do our part by giving back whenever we receive, closing the circle.

A Yachak (Kichwa for “the one who knows”, often translated as shaman) trains for many years to learn how to work with the medicine and with the spaces a ceremony opens. The closer comparison is what we pay a doctor or a therapist, not a tourist activity. Payment is a symbolic and energetic way of closing randi-randi. Mental health, inner peace, and connection have no price.

Why do Ayahuasca retreat prices differ so much?

Prices differ mainly because of group size, who owns and leads the center, and how much time you actually get with the people guiding you. In many retreats you never speak with the healer directly. You arrive with a large group and have no chance to build a personal relationship with him, so if you want to share something, there is simply no room. People often assume they are paying for Ayahuasca itself. Ayahuasca will of course give an experience and healing, but it shows you what to do, not always how, and that guidance is hard to find in a big group.

Ownership plays a role too. Many centers are not owned by the person leading the ceremonies, and some ceremony leaders use the title without being authorized within their own tradition and community. When the fee mostly goes to owners outside that tradition, less of it reaches the healer and the indigenous community the medicine comes from. It is a fair question to ask any retreat you are considering.

Why does safety depend so much on the person leading the ceremony?

In an Ayahuasca ceremony, the person leading it holds the space for everyone in the room, and no protocol can replace that skill. Many of the people who come to us have had harmful experiences with healers who were poorly trained or driven by their ego. Those experiences usually fall into three kinds.

The first is a misuse of trust. In ceremony, people open themselves deeply, and that openness deserves a healer who protects it and never uses it for his own needs. Because this is not always the case, the Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines has published a community guide to help participants recognize healthy boundaries in ceremonial settings. A good healer welcomes your questions about this. At Kinti Yaya, ceremonies are always held by both of us together, so no one is alone in a vulnerable moment.

The second is spiritual harm. A ceremony opens doors to other dimensions. A trained Yachak knows how to protect the space while those doors are open and how to close them carefully when the ceremony ends. When this is not done well, people can leave feeling unprotected, or as if something stayed open in them.

The third is guidance that does not fit. After a ceremony, people need help understanding what they lived through and bringing it into their everyday lives. When the healer’s life is very far from the life of a guest from Europe or North America, the advice can be sincere and still hard to use in an office, a family, or a city back home. This is a large part of why Kinti Yaya is led by two people. Tayta Willak brings the depth of his lineage. Maja knows the realities many of our guests return to, and she helps translate what the medicine shows into steps that work there.

So what does a trustworthy healer look like? They have trained intensively for many years, know the language of the medicine, and know how to protect the space and accompany each person’s journey. They are authorized and entrusted by their community and elders to share the medicine, live by its values, and keep being reflected by those elders. In our tradition we also recommend that a feminine and a masculine presence hold the ceremony together.

Is a cheaper Ayahuasca retreat less safe?

Not automatically, and a higher price does not guarantee safety either. Beyond the healer, safety depends on how screening is done, how participants are prepared, and how much attention each person receives. Someone who is vulnerable or already unwell needs more of the healer’s direct attention than a large group allows. That is why our groups stay small, with up to 8 participants, so Tayta Willak has time to work individually with every person in the room.

Screening matters because some medications, heart conditions, and psychiatric histories make participation unsafe, and Ayahuasca is no replacement for medical or psychiatric care. Maja’s therapeutic background means we can screen carefully beforehand and respond if someone moves into a psychological crisis during the retreat, not only during a ceremony.

The most important advice we can give about safety: trust your gut feeling. If something feels off, leave.

Who leads a Kinti Yaya retreat?

Tayta Willak and Maja lead every retreat together. Willak holds the ceremonies, the spiritual responsibility, and the transmission of Andean cosmovision. Maja is responsible for the organization, the integration process, and the nature-based therapeutic and psychological side of the work. Willak works exactly as his tradition prescribes, and nothing is staged for guests.

What happens during a retreat besides the ceremonies?

The days between ceremonies are where preparation and integration actually happen. At Kinti Yaya, days include Kuyuriy, a pre-Incan yoga practice, and teachings from Tayta Willak and his lineage on healing practices guests can keep using at home. We take excursions to sacred natural sites such as waterfalls, mountains, and volcano lakes, and hold nature ceremonies there. We also spend one full day at the thermal baths of Papallacta. Maja leads somatic movement and nature-based therapy sessions alongside the ceremonial work, and every participant has a one-on-one session with Tayta Willak and Maja to go deeper into their personal process.

We also live together for the length of the retreat: guests eat, stay, and spend their days with us rather than moving through a schedule of separate activities. Our retreats are as intimate as we can make them, and guests become part of our family for that time. That closeness takes more attention than a program where guests move between activities on their own, and it is part of what the fee covers.

What does the cost of an Ayahuasca retreat include?

Compare items rather than totals. This table shows what to ask any retreat, and what the answer looks like at Kinti Yaya.

Why does the person leading the ceremony charge a fee?

The fee honors a Yachak’s years of training and lets them continue the work in other communities. Willak describes it this way: by valuing and paying for the work, you put gas in the shaman’s car so he can go and help another community. Shamans care about your healing for a wider reason too: when one person heals, Mother Nature is relieved. This is also why it matters who receives the fee. When it goes to the person carrying the tradition and the responsibility, reciprocity works the way randi-randi intends.

How does Kinti Yaya handle the cost of an Ayahuasca retreat?

Randi-randi is a circle, and a circle should not exclude people who cannot pay a full fee. In precarious circumstances we offer a discount. We regularly welcome people from the local community, who contribute a much lower amount and take part in ceremonies, and people who work with us can also join. If money is your main obstacle, write to us and tell us your situation.

Frequently asked questions

Why are some Ayahuasca retreats much cheaper than others?
Price differences mostly reflect group size, who owns and leads the center, and what is offered between ceremonies. Compare what is included, item by item, rather than totals.

Does it matter who owns the retreat center?
Yes. When a center is owned by investors rather than by the healer, less of your fee tends to reach the tradition the medicine comes from. Asking who owns the center is a fair question.

Is a more expensive Ayahuasca retreat safer?
Not necessarily. Safety depends on the healer, on screening, and on the attention each participant receives, not on price or comfort. Ask who holds the ceremonies, what screening happens before booking, and what support exists during the retreat.

How can I tell whether a shaman is trustworthy?
Ask how long they trained, who authorized them to share the medicine, and whether their elders and community still accompany their work. Notice whether you can speak with them directly before and after ceremony. Above all, trust your gut feeling: if something feels off, leave.

Does Kinti Yaya offer reduced prices?
Yes, in precarious circumstances, and community members and people who work with us often pay significantly less. Write to us and explain your situation.

What is randi-randi?
A Kichwa principle that everything moves in a cycle of giving and receiving, like the life of a seed. Paying for a ceremony or a healer’s time closes that circle symbolically and energetically.

Where to go from here

If you are looking for a healing journey rather than a single experience, look first at who will hold the space for you, then at the price. Use the table above to compare retreats, and ask about the healer and ownership as openly as you ask about cost. You can get in touch with us with any question.