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The Portal: One-Day Community Gathering at Libélula

Location icon
Libélula Healing Center, Esperanza, Esperanza, Turrubares, CR, 11605
Users icon
Up to 12 in group
Date
Mar 3, 2026

Retreat Highlights

  • Plant Medicine
  • Temezcal
  • Indigenous Communities
  • Land & Community Reciprocity
  • Rest & Integration
  • Community
  • Heart & Soul
  • Jungian Psychology Undercurrent

About this Retreat

Details of this retreat

The Portal: One-Day Community Gathering at Libélula

Saturday 14th February | 9:00am–8:00pm
A day of prayer, purification, wisdom, and song with our Huni Kuin family.

We’re opening the Libélula Sanctuary for a full-day gathering to bring the local community into the heart of the land, the medicines, and the living traditions we’re honoured to host.

This is a day to rest into presence, reconnect, and remember in the company of a beautiful loving & soul family.

We work with the Temazcal to cleanse the body and steady the spirit, the Txanas will then share a wisdom circle sharing their knowledge of the forest.
We will work with Hapé to clear the mind and anchor the heart before enjoying songs and prayers shared by the Huni Kuin to weave protection, alegria, and medicine through sound musical vibration.

We’ll share a buffet lunch, with the invitation to stay with us for the full day.

Schedule

9:00 – 9:45 Arrivals, welcome, grounding tea (please arrive before this to be ready for the lodge)
10:00 – 12:00 Temazcal (Sweat Lodge)
12:00 – 1:00 Cooling, rest & hydration
1:00 – 2:30 Buffet Lunch
2:30 – 4:00 Huni Kuin Wisdom Circle
4:00 – 5:00 Rest, integration & enjoying the land
5:00 – 6:30 Ayahuasca Ceremony

(Exact pacing may flex slightly based on the group and the land.)

The listed price is for the temezcal & wisdom circle - The ayahuasca ceremony is $250

What To Expect In Each Part Of The Day;

Temazcal

A purification lodge for the body, mind, and spirit.

Temazcal is an ancient sweat lodge tradition found across many Indigenous cultures. It’s a simple technology with deep power: heat, steam, prayer, breath, and the humility of being inside the dark. In that darkness; the nervous system softens, the body releases and the mind gets quieter so that something deeper can be witnessed and heard.

Inside the lodge, stones are brought in and herbal water is poured to create medicine infused steam. The experience often moves through waves with the invitation being not to “tough it out”, but to stay connected to your breath, your body, and your own inner yes/no.

People often feel deep cleansing through sweat, emotional release and nervous system settling creating a sense of reset and renewal and a quieter, more grounded state afterwards.

Important note
Temazcal is not about forcing. You can always step out if you need. We hold it with care, guidance, and respect for everyone’s limits.

Buffet Lunch

Food as medicine.

After Temazcal, the body is open and sensitive. Food becomes part of the integration. We’ll share an organic buffet lunch prepared to be nourishing, grounding, and supportive after heat and prayer.

Huni Kuin Wisdom Circle

Listening to living knowledge.

This is a space to receive directly from our Huni Kuin brothers and sister as a sharing from the heart about their relationship with the forest, the medicines, prayer, and ther way of ceremony.

You’ll have the chance to ask questions, learn about their worldview, and feel the grounded humility of people who carry tradition as a living path.

The circle will bring context for the medicines and the songs, a deeper sense of lineage and relationship, guidance on how to approach ceremony with respect and a feeling of being close to something real and rooted.

Huni Kuin Ayahuasca Ceremony

At Libélula, ayahuasca ceremonies are approached with humility, responsibility, and deep respect for the Indigenous traditions from which this medicine comes.

Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian plant preparation made from the Banisteriopsis caapi vine and companion plants. For generations, it has been used by Indigenous peoples as a tool for healing, insight, and restoring right relationship with self, community, nature, and spirit.

Our ceremonies are guided by Huni Kuin (Kaxinawá) medicine carriers within a living ceremonial lineage. Prayer, song (ícaros), and intentional structure form the foundation of the night. The medicine is never offered casually or as spectacle. It is held within a respectful, prayerful container designed to support safety, integration, and personal responsibility.

What to Expect

Each ceremony begins with an opening circle and intention setting. As night falls, the ceremonial space is opened in prayer. The first serving of ayahuasca is offered gently, and traditional songs are sung throughout the night to guide and protect the process.

Experiences vary widely. Some participants report emotional release, insight, clarity, or a deep sense of connection. Others encounter challenging material, physical purging, or periods of stillness and reflection. There is no “right” experience, and no expectation of intensity.

Support is present throughout the night. Our team provides trauma-aware care, clear boundaries, and optional one-to-one support where needed. Consent and autonomy are central: participation is always voluntary, and guests are free to decline additional servings.

Preparation & Safety

Ayahuasca is a powerful medicine and is not suitable for everyone. A thorough medical screening process is required before participation. Certain medications (including many antidepressants), medical conditions, and psychiatric histories may be contraindicated.

Guests receive detailed preparation guidance, including dietary recommendations, lifestyle adjustments, and integration support before and after the retreat.

We do not promise healing, enlightenment, or guaranteed outcomes. Ayahuasca can illuminate patterns, emotions, and areas of growth, but lasting change depends on integration and personal responsibility.

Integration & Aftercare

Integration is an essential part of the process. Time for rest, reflection, and structured sharing is built into the retreat schedule. Guests are encouraged to allow insights to unfold gradually and to avoid making major life decisions immediately following ceremony.

The intention at Libélula is not to chase intensity, but to create a safe and grounded environment where whatever arises can be met with care, presence, and respect.

If you feel called to work with this medicine, we welcome your inquiry and encourage you to ask questions so you can make an informed and conscious decisiare not entertainment, they are a form of medicine: protection, cleansing, guidance, joy, strength. Prayer and song create a field. The nervous system and heart recognise it with the prayers bringing a lot of uplifted & beautiful feelings to those who hear them.

We’ll close the day with songs and prayers which is a beautiful way to seal what’s been opened with vibration, gratitude, and presence.

What To Bring

Water bottle (very important)

Light towel + change of clothes for after Temazcal

Swimsuit

Comfortable clothes for the day

Journal

Any personal medicines you need (inhaler etc.)

Please avoid alcohol and recreational substances before coming.

Who This Day Is For

Locals and friends who feel curious about Libélula

People wanting a grounded introduction to the land & traditions

Those looking for community, prayer, cleansing, and connection

Anyone needing a reset without it being a full retreat experience

We look forward to hosting you! :)

Schedule

9:00 – 9:45 Arrivals, welcome, grounding tea (please arrive before this to be ready for the lodge)
10:00 – 12:00 Temazcal (Sweat Lodge)
12:00 – 1:00 Cooling, rest & hydration
1:00 – 2:30 Buffet Lunch
2:30 – 4:00 Huni Kuin Wisdom Circle
4:00 – 5:00 Rest, integration & enjoying the land
5:00 – 6:30 Cacao Circle
6:30 – 8:00 Songs, prayers, sharing + closing circle
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change

Getting Here

Location icon Libélula Retreat Center, Libélula Healing Center, Esperanza, Esperanza, Turrubares, CR, 11605

Directions

*The Above Map Is Not Accurate!*

We are a 45 minute drive into the mountains from the seaside town of Jaco. If you head for Bijagual there are two routes - the route near the Tarcoles bridge is well paved whereas the Jaco road just outside Jaco is quicker but you will need a 4x4 vehicle.

Once in Bijagual if you take a left from the Tarcoles road or go forward from the Jaco road past the shops & ferretaria we are a further 4 miles along the mountain range just outside Esperanza. Don't head for Macaw lodge - we are the other left turning.

Please contact Jesse on +447376124981 if you need further guidance.

From Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO), Costa Rica's main airport hub Libélula is just a 2 1/2 hour shuttle trip to either the center or Playa Hermosa

If we are collecting you from Playa Hermosa the journey is 45 - 60 mins up the mountain to the village of Bijagual.
From there the center is 4 miles further into the mountain range near the small village of Esperanza.

Accommodation

Accommodation
Abundance Exchange
Accommodation
Normal Exchange
Accommodation
Concession Exchange

Venue & Amenities

Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms icon A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi icon Free Wifi
Spa icon Spa
Sauna icon Sauna
Pool icon Pool
Towels icon Towels
Free Parking icon Free Parking
Kitchen icon Kitchen
Tour Assistance icon Tour Assistance
Hot Tub icon Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea icon Coffee/Tea
Cafe icon Cafe
Restaurant icon Restaurant
Fitness Center icon Fitness Center
Yoga Studio icon Yoga Studio
Housekeeping icon Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent icon Bicycles For Rent
Yoga Shala, lodgings, maloca, pool, guest hub & cuisine area

Meals

Menu
Menu

Menu Types

Our cuisine is organic, gluten free is vegan/vegetarian based and is grown in our gardens on the land as much as is possible prepared with love by our dedicated chefs.

What's Included

  • Indigenous Huni Kuin facilitated ceremonies
  • Live music
  • Temezcal
  • Cacao Ceremony
  • Plant medicine
  • Wisdom Circle
  • All programmed activities included

What's Not Included

  • Accommodation

Customer Reviews

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