Sowa Nete — Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
Small-group plant medicine retreats in the jungle of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
The first day at Sowa Nete runs on a clock. Pickup at noon, a welcome circle at one, a nourishing lunch, a rest. At five comes a flower bath, at six a hapé ceremony, and at seven the first ayahuasca ceremony. The site calls the schedule a guiding framework, and says each retreat unfolds in its own way.
What the site says plainly is that Sowa Nete does not yet own its retreat space. Owning one is the stated vision, and the team is working toward it. For now the accommodation is rented and varies with group size. It sits in tropical jungle, with a semi-open design, queen or king beds, air conditioning, a pool, and a hammock with a view. The pages say guests may hear birds and, sometimes, monkeys in the nearby trees. Groups are capped at eight, and meals follow a pescatarian menu.
The lineage is the other half of the story. Mario and Carolina, the facilitators, have travelled several times to the Shipibo people in the Peruvian Amazon. There they learned master plant dietas from teachers including Elisa Vargas Sanchez, Enrique Lopez and Wilma Mahua. The team works with Bobinsana, Ajo Sacha, Marusa and Piñon Colorado. In November 2026 the Costa Rica team leads an eleven-day retreat in Peru, with ceremonies guided by Maestra Elisa and her family. It includes three ceremonies in a traditional maloca, stays in jungle tambos, and two closing days in and around Pucallpa.
At home in Costa Rica, the offering is a five-day, four-night ayahuasca retreat with two ceremonies, or a four-day, three-night psilocybin retreat, also with two. Both include integration circles, yoga, meditation and breathwork. Private retreats for solo guests, couples, friends or families begin with preparation two to three weeks ahead. They continue with integration check-ins by text or call after guests return home.
Traditions: Ayahuasca ceremony, Shipibo master plant dieta, Psilocybin ceremony, Hapé, Sananga, Yoga and breathwork
Programs: Ayahuasca Retreat (5 days / 4 nights), Psilocybin Retreat (4 days / 3 nights), Private Retreats, Ayahuasca Retreat in the Peruvian Amazon, Sacred Valley Retreat, Peru, Master Plant Dieta, Integration Circles, Hapé Ceremony