Ayahuasca Retreats in California:
A Comprehensive Guide

No law in California allows ayahuasca retreats. DMT, the main active compound of ayahuasca, is a Schedule I substance under federal law and is controlled under California law, and a 2023 bill to decriminalise it was vetoed. Some cities ask their police to deprioritise enforcement against entheogenic plants, and a few churches hold ceremonies under federal religious-freedom rules, but neither makes a retreat legal. That is why many Californians travel abroad, most often to Peru, where the tradition comes from, or to Spain.

California has a strong interest in ayahuasca, from Los Angeles and San Diego to the Bay Area. This guide explains what exists in the state today, what it costs, and how to choose a retreat abroad.

Outside a small number of churches, ayahuasca ceremonies in California take place in private, underground settings, without legal protection for the organisers or the guests.

DMT is a Schedule I substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act. The ayahuasca brew is not named in the law, but because it contains DMT, federal authorities treat it the same way.

DMT is also listed as a Schedule I substance under the California Health and Safety Code (section 11054). In 2023 the state legislature passed SB 58, which would have decriminalised personal possession of DMT, psilocybin and mescaline for adults aged 21 and over, but Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed it on October 7, 2023. A 2024 bill to create regulated psychedelic therapy, SB 1012, died in committee. No state law today allows ayahuasca retreats.

Oakland (2019), Santa Cruz (2020), Arcata (2021), San Francisco (2022) and Berkeley (2023) have passed resolutions asking their police to deprioritise enforcement against personal use of entheogenic plants. These resolutions are largely symbolic: they do not change state or federal law, they do not cover sharing or serving the brew to others, and they do not make it legal to run a retreat or protect anyone from prosecution.

A few churches have won the right to use ayahuasca as a sacrament under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Participation usually requires membership in the church; these are religious services, not retreats open to the public.

União do Vegetal (UDV): In 2006 the U.S. Supreme Court, in Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal, upheld an injunction that allows this Brazilian-origin church to use ayahuasca, known as hoasca, in its religious services.

Santo Daime: In 2009 a federal court in Oregon allowed the Church of the Holy Light of the Queen in Ashland to import and use ayahuasca in its rituals. The ruling applies to that church.

Church of the Eagle and the Condor (CEC): Based in Arizona, the CEC announced a settlement with federal agencies in April 2024 that allows it to import and use ayahuasca for religious ceremonies only.

Church of the Celestial Heart: This church in Tulare, California, sued the federal government in 2023 after a shipment of ayahuasca was seized. In 2025 the church announced that the government would not contest its sacramental use; the terms have not been published.

There are no legally sanctioned ayahuasca clinics or retreats in California. Wellness centers that advertise plant ceremony weekends do not operate under any licence for ayahuasca.

In California, ayahuasca remains a controlled substance, and the only protected ceremonies take place inside churches with federal religious exemptions. Most people who look for a retreat therefore compare centers abroad. When you consider any ayahuasca retreat, research the center thoroughly, understand its protocols, and make sure it matches your intentions and safety needs.

For churches and retreats in other states, see our guide to ayahuasca retreats in the USA.

Search for an ayahuasca retreat near you in California and the results are booking platforms, private Facebook groups and a few churches. Listings for Mount Shasta, Santa Cruz and the Bay Area in the north, and for Los Angeles, Topanga, Ojai, Joshua Tree and San Diego in the south, are weekend ceremonies in rented houses or on private land. None of them operates under a licence, because California issues none. Retreats advertised across the border in Tijuana or Baja California run under Mexican law, not Californian. If you are looking at one of these listings, ask three things before you pay: who leads the ceremony and where they trained, whether anyone reviews your health questionnaire before you are accepted, and what happens after the night ends. Most listings cannot answer the second and third question.

Several established ayahuasca retreat centers operate in countries where ceremonies can take place openly and where the tradition is part of the culture.


Gaia Sagrada, Ecuador
Gaia Sagrada, Ecuador: Gaia Sagrada is an ayahuasca retreat center in Ecuador that offers traditional ceremonies in a supportive setting.

APL Shamanic Journeys, Spain & Peru
APL Journeys: APL Journeys runs ayahuasca retreats in Spain and Peru, with ceremonies led by Peruvian maestros of the Shipibo lineage. The 7-day ayahuasca retreat in Spain takes place at an oceanfront venue in Andalusia; the 8-day ayahuasca retreat in Peru and 12-day master plant dietas take place at APL's own camp in the Amazon near Pucallpa. APL has on-site therapists and trauma-informed facilitators and keeps groups small: around 15 people in Spain and 6 to 12 in Peru. Every retreat directly supports the livelihood of the Shipibo maestros and their tradition preservation projects.

Temple of the Way of Light, Peru
Temple of the Way of Light, Peru: The Temple of the Way of Light is a traditional plant center in the Peruvian Amazon. It offers intensive ayahuasca retreats with female and male Shipibo maestros, with a focus on personal and spiritual work.

Soltara, Peru
Soltara, Costa Rica and Peru: Soltara runs retreat centers in Costa Rica and Peru that work with Shipibo maestros. The Costa Rica center is an oceanfront resort setting; the Peru center offers a more immersive Amazon experience. Both focus on traditional ayahuasca ceremonies with icaros, the sacred songs of the maestros.

Most Californians who want a traditional ceremony choose between Peru, the home of the Shipibo tradition, and Spain, one of the few European countries where ayahuasca is not listed as a controlled substance. Both require fluent English at APL, because preparation, the screening questionnaire and the sharing circles are held in English.

LATAM flies non-stop from Los Angeles to Lima in about eight and a half hours; from Lima, a short domestic flight takes you to Pucallpa in the Amazon. US citizens can enter Peru as tourists without a visa. APL runs an 8-day ayahuasca retreat in Peru and 12-day master plant dietas at its own camp near Pucallpa, in groups of 6 to 12. Prices start from $2,900 per person in a shared room for the 8-day retreat and from $3,800 for the 12-day dieta, with accommodation, meals, ceremonies and the group transfer from the Pucallpa hotel to the camp included; flights are not included.

Flights from California to Seville or Málaga usually have one connection. US citizens can visit Spain for short stays without a visa; check the current Schengen entry rules before you book.

APL holds a 7-day ayahuasca retreat in Spain at an oceanfront venue in Andalusia, in groups of around 15. Prices start from €2,650 per person in a shared apartment, €3,300 in a private room and €3,500 in a private apartment.

In both places, ceremonies are led by Peruvian maestros of the Shipibo lineage, with on-site therapists in a non-clinical role, and every guest completes a screening questionnaire before being accepted.

1. Legal uncertainty: ayahuasca remains a Schedule I substance under federal law, and outside a few churches, ceremonies in the US take place without legal protection for organisers or guests.
2. Distance from the tradition: ayahuasca comes from Amazonian traditions, where ceremonies are led by indigenous maestros with years of training. In the US, many ceremonies are led by people without that training.
3. Unknown brew: in underground settings you usually cannot check where the brew came from, how it was made or what is in it.
4. Screening and support: underground ceremonies rarely screen guests for health conditions or medications that interact with ayahuasca, and there is often no support once the night is over.
5. Cost: weekend ceremonies in the US often cost as much as a full week abroad, which includes accommodation, meals, preparation and support.
6. Setting: traditional ceremonies take place in nature, with time to rest between them. Many US ceremonies are held in a house over one weekend.

For many Californians, the safest way to meet the tradition is to travel to a country where ceremonies can take place openly, with a team that knows your health history before you arrive.

Ceremonies in California are usually short, often one weekend, and the price rarely includes preparation, screening or support afterwards. Luxury ayahuasca retreats, with private rooms, spa treatments and prices of $5,000 and more, pay for comfort, not for the ceremonies, and the law is the same for them. For a full comparison of prices worldwide, see our guide to ayahuasca retreat costs.

The cost of an Ayahuasca retreat in California is typically higher than in South America due to several factors:

1. Legal risk: organisations that operate in a legal grey area or under religious exemptions carry legal costs and restrictions that raise prices.
2. Venue & Accommodation: Many retreats take place in upscale or private venues, often in nature-focused locations, which come with high rental and maintenance costs.
3. Facilitator fees: US ceremonies are often led by Western facilitators, and their fees are part of the price.
4. Ayahuasca Importation: Since Ayahuasca is not legally cultivated in the U.S., sourcing the brew from South America involves additional costs for importation, transportation, and preparation.
5. Limited Availability: With fewer legal or semi-legal options, demand is high, allowing retreat organizers to charge premium prices.

Prices in California vary widely, and most organisers do not publish them openly. Booking platforms list weekend and three-night ceremonies in California from about $1,100 to $3,500 per person (October 2026). Check what the price includes: the number of ceremonies, screening, accommodation and support afterwards.

There are many questions people might have. Discover the most common below:

No. Ayahuasca contains DMT, a Schedule I substance under federal law that is also controlled under California law. A 2023 bill to decriminalise it, SB 58, was vetoed. A few churches, such as the UDV and some Santo Daime churches, have federal religious exemptions, but most ceremonies in California take place without legal protection. Many Californians travel to Peru, or to Spain, where ayahuasca is not listed as a controlled substance. For other countries, see our guide to ayahuasca legality by country.

Oakland (2019), Santa Cruz (2020), Arcata (2021), San Francisco (2022) and Berkeley (2023) have passed resolutions asking local police to deprioritise enforcement against personal use of entheogenic plants. These resolutions do not change state or federal law, do not cover sharing or serving the brew, and do not allow retreats.

Only as a member of a church with a federal religious exemption. Ceremonies advertised as retreats or weekends in Los Angeles, San Francisco or San Diego take place without legal protection, even in cities with decriminalisation resolutions.

LATAM flies non-stop from Los Angeles to Lima in about eight and a half hours. From Lima, a domestic flight takes you to Pucallpa in the Amazon.

Yes. At APL, ceremonies, sharing circles and all communication with the team are in English, and you need to speak English fluently to take part.

No. California issues no licence for ayahuasca, and no state agency regulates ceremonies. A church with a federal religious exemption is the only form of legal protection, and it covers members of that church, not retreat guests.

Ceremonies are advertised around the Bay Area, Santa Cruz and Mount Shasta, but they take place without legal protection, like everywhere else in the state. Oakland, Santa Cruz, San Francisco and Berkeley have deprioritised enforcement against personal use of entheogenic plants; this does not make a retreat legal.

Some organisers offer private rooms, spa treatments and prices of $5,000 and more. The comfort is real; the legal situation and the risks of an unscreened ceremony are the same as at a cheaper event. A full week abroad with screening, preparation and integration support usually costs less.

Ayahuasca (also searched as "iowaska" or "ayawaska") is a sacred Amazonian brew made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and the leaves of Psychotria viridis, which contains DMT. Indigenous cultures of the Amazon have used it for generations in ceremonies for spiritual insight. In a ceremonial setting guided by experienced maestros, it is known for deep introspection and visionary experiences.

The best country for an Ayahuasca experience depends on what you're looking for. If you seek full immersion, the Amazon and Peru offer an authentic setting, though it comes with challenges like basic accommodations, jungle humidity, and mosquito bites. Alternatively, you can choose a more comfortable retreat in a structured environment, for example in Spain, where the physical setting is easier but the mental and emotional journey remains intense. Whatever you decide, ensure you trust the hosts and that they uphold the highest standards of authenticity and quality.