Lawayra (Ayahuasca in Colombia)

I decided to wait a while before leaving a review. There is often an afterglow effect with hallucinogens and I wanted to wait for things to settle a bit before making any comments on my experience at Lawayra. It seems more honest that way. I'll also add that the former facilitator and a volunteer left a few months ago, and things are a lot less structured and professional now at this retreat than in the past.

With that being said, my experience overall was just okay. There were a few circumstances that really reduced the quality of the experience. And some things came across as a bit disrespectful to the medicine and the seriousness of this ancient tradition.

Lawayra is cheaper than many other retreat centers. That itself doesn't make the place bad, but I do think that a cheaper price does invite SOME people who may take things a lot less seriously. You can end up with people who do things such as talk during ceremonies, people who bring processed junk food to the center because they refuse to stick to the diet, people who spend all their free time on their phones, etc.

As a participant I had no say over other people's actions, which I accept. But as a paying customer, I expected the environment to be a bit more strict and rigid and to hold the guests accountable so that everyone can get the most from their experience. The people who are a part of your group can really affect the atmosphere at the retreat. The place is quite small for the amount of people who are there at any given time. Ayahuasca opens you up to other energy which is why it's so important to have a solid environment to drink the medicine and work through the processes.

Lawayra was a place full of distractions. WiFi stays on full time and I often saw people occupying their minds with Facebook and Netflix and whatever else. It was frustrating that the people running the facility aren't more strict with such things. Phones and social media can easily be as addictive and harmful as drugs or alcohol. Some people might go to an Ayahuasca center in the hopes of disconnecting for a little while.

Socializing was overly encouraged, rather than quiet introspection and taking time to self reflect. There were times when it was difficult to find a quiet place to rest due to all the loud conversations, music, construction noise, etc. It became more of a social event or party than anything else. People were even playing rap music on a speaker at one point. Something I never expected to experience at an Ayahuasca center. I'm also not sure how we were expected to be able to relax and be well rested, when the ceremonies would often keep us up until 1 or 2am and then construction workers show up at 6am and immediately start using grinders and other loud equipment.

I am not writing this review to trash talk Lawayra or the people who own and operate the place. I only want those who are considering this retreat to have the opportunity to see both sides. I think that it is common for these retreats involving plant medicine that most people who have a less than optimal experience remain quiet rather than say anything bad or negative most of the time, but I'd rather speak my mind.

I didn't walk away from my experience completely empty handed. The medicine is strong and the music is beautiful. The taita is a good guide. But the retreat just didn't really seem optimized for deep work and healing. They appeal more to the crowd who want to experiment or want a cool story or pictures for Instagram. If you're searching for a more authentic experience or somewhere to do deep healing, I would recommend going elsewhere. They often said at the retreat that there are many different traditions related to consuming Ayahuasca and that everyone does it differently. But to me they seemed overly dismissive of getting negative input from the guests (or seeming offended by it honestly). There was a strong my way or the highway type of attitude and that's fine. The inability to handle negative criticism in an empathetic and constructive manner is what made me decide to never return to Lawayra. Thanks for taking the time to read and I hope it was helpful. Good luck on your journey.

In a world where sadly even sacred Ayahuasca is often improperly served among retreat centers that are not always honoring every consideration as to who and how sacred medicines are served and how to hold proper ceremony, Lawayra is doing a fine job, staffed and managed by entirely capable, and ethically super sound team.

I undertook four ceremonies (three nighttime and one daytime ceremony) in the Fall of 2023 with LaWayra, and my time with them has been nothing short of life changing.

First, being a recent college grad traveling the world on a gap year student budget, I conducted a bunch of research into affordable ayahuasca retreats. LaWayra was the most ideal combination between affordability and credible reviews all over the internet (including on Reddit). One tip I wish I knew before booking - book directly on LaWayra’s website instead of on third party sites like retreat guru. Third party sites charge much more for the same ceremony. Use the money you saved to tip the retreat staff!

The ceremony, housekeeping, and volunteer staff are an incredibly skilled, warm-hearted, and attentive individuals. I’m vegan, and there was plenty of solid vegan breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The taita’s presence was a supremely warming presence during ceremonies, and the combination of healing music, pre-ceremony mediation, and the pristine nature around the ceremony center were amazing additions to ceremonies. Group sizes of 15-25 are a great balance between individualized attention from ceremony staff before, during, and after ceremonies and a diverse community from all over the world with a wealth of different life stories and purposes for pursuing the healing power of ayahuasca.

I came into the ceremony looking to challenge the limits of my perception and to unroot my most ingrained worldviews and beliefs. During the ceremonies, I’ve traveled to fantastical dimensions and had visions/experiences that have fundamentally changed the way I view the world and my place on earth, spirituality, and the bonds between the living/nonliving, human and non human entities of the world. I am forever grateful to the healing and revelatory powers of the medicine whose lessons will profoundly shape me for the rest of my life.

Lawayra is a magical place. The experience I have had in the week I spent here has been life-changing. It gave me new optimism for the future and provided me answers to questions I did not even know I had. The place is very well managed, it's clean, the food is good, and there is plenty of kind and attentive staff to make you feel safe and at home. Here, I would like to express my thanks to the whole team, Sam, Jarrod, the Taita, the cooks, cleaning ladies, musicians, dogs, and everyone else who helped me have this amazing experience. If you feel the calling for Ayahuasca, I cannot recommend this place enough.

I'll try to say things not mentioned often in other reviews:
-If you're skeptical as to why there are only 5 star reviews, its because every single thing that you could think to complain about LaWayra feels so insignificant in the wake of the experience that you couldn't imagine taking even half a star off the rating.
-It's not a luxurious place, though there are many projects in the works to turn it into one. It's going to be an extremely interesting place in 6 months and beyond.
-Take bug spray and be prepared for a wet environment (you're in the clouds) and you likely wont be able to wash any clothes during you stay so pack accordingly.
-The experience is different for everyone, don't have any expectations based on somebody elses experience.
-Jarrod and the team at LaWayra are lovely people that kept me feeling safe and taken care of
-I personally didn't have a very strong connection to the Ayahuasca and I was the only person not to, in a group of roughly 20 people. i still was so glad to have gone through the experience for the little connection i had, and for the lifelong friendships and realizations i picked up.
-Really try and respect the diet, especially for drugs. I wish i had stopped smoking weed sooner, i feel confident it blocked my connection to the ayahuasca.