Ayahuasca Retreat USA (2025)
We posted an article back in 2019 titled Ayahuasca Retreat USA, which is a common search term in Google, but I thought it might be helpful to give an update.
So jumping right in, here’s a rundown of the ayahuasca retreats in the USA that we’re aware of:
1) Maharani Medicine Circles
This “mobile ministry” alternates between New York and Arizona, depending on the time of year, and is headed by Ms. Eliana who always seems to get rave reviews that often mention how touching her singing was in ceremony.
Groups are small; there’s no website; and booking is simply done via email.
Accommodations are described as “humble and communally shared”.
And every single one of the 35 people who’ve left a review for Maharani have given it 5 stars! So that says a lot.
2) Kamentsa Inga Church
These folks operate out of New Hampshire, and have a solid 5-star rating from 9 reviews.
They aren’t currently members of the site, they can be contacted for a small $5 fee.
Honorable Mention
They don’t yet serve Ayahuasca, but the folks at Divine Nature due provide magic mushroom retreats in the Boulder Colorado area.
They’re fairly new to the space, so their reputation is still being established, but so far, 2 people seem to be happy with their time there.
And it looks like a 1-ceremony weekend retreat starts is $1233, with a 3-ceremony week-long retreat costing $2471.
Previously, these were ayahuasca retreats in the U.S. but no longer are:
1) Aya Quest Kentucky – which had a reality TV series dedicated to it on Vice – is no longer offering ceremonies after the owner, Steve Hupp, sadly passed away in January of 2023.
2) Bird Song Visions (formerly Sangha House) is no longer offering services in Maine either, as the owner Krysta cited too much of a focus on money and business in the plant medicine community.
Legalities
“What is the current state of affairs when it comes to legalities of Ayahuasca retreats in the U.S.” you might be wondering?
Well, it’s still a gray area, but let’s call it charcoal gray since it’s not black and white just yet, but we’re slowly moving in the right direction and more and more States and localities are legalizing or decriminalizing the use of natural psychedelics, such as Magic Mushrooms, San Pedro, and Ayahuasca.
Combine that with several cases that have been fought on a federal level all the way to the Supreme Court and prevailed, and you can plainly see that there’s significant legal precedent.
The government doesn’t really have any authority to say what is and is not a legitimate religion, but they do try. And it seems that anyone who just slaps the name “church” on themselves without the “accoutrements” of a religion risk having to defend themselves in court, and as we all know, ‘justice’ can be quite expensive in the U.S.
Note: Nothing in this article should be considered legal advice.
The debate of religious freedom in the U.S. is a messy topic though, and one that may never truly be resolved once and for all.
That is, the First Amendment says that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” So if that’s the case, how could they possibly say one religion is legitimate and one isn’t? It would quite literally be unconstitutional!
Anyway, for more detailed news at it pertains to specific States, you might find these other articles enlightening:
Magic Mushrooms Legalization Timeline Has Colorado Regulators Freaked Out
Until next time,
Tim G.
AyaAdvisors.org
