Find your retreat
09°42′N · 84°33′W
Mountains of Costa Rica
Tropical forest · 430 m
Est. 2019 · Libélula Retreat Center

A Sanctuary
for Metamorphosis.

Plant medicine retreats in the mountains of Costa Rica. Twelve guests. Huni Kuin tradition carriers. Held with care, not force.

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Group size 12 guests maximum
Duration 4 · 8 · 11 day retreats
Starting at $1,888
Next retreat July 8, 2026
I · The Land

Forty-eight hectares of primary rainforest.

Cool tropical forest air. Seven waterfalls. Rivers you can hear from your cabin. Most people feel something shift in their body within the first few hours — before any ceremony begins.

Aerial view of the property — canopy, river, cabins just visible
Aerial · property from above · canopy + river + cabins just visible · ratio 2:1
48ha Primary rainforest protected on the property
7 Waterfalls across the land
430m Elevation · cool tropical forest air
6 Cabins · private, wood, open to breeze
II · The Medicine Carriers

The Huni Kuin.

Our medicine carriers are Huni Kuin from the Brazilian Amazon. They carry their grandmother's lineage — a feminine tradition rare among Amazonian medicine families.

Their work goes deep. It's also full of joy, warmth, and celebration. Because healing and aliveness are the same thing.

Huni Kuin — ceremony preparation, song, real moment
Portrait · ceremony preparation · song · laughter · real moment · 4:5
III · Our People

Everyone here has walked through their own process.

This medicine changed their lives. That lived experience is what allows them to stay present and steady when things get intense for you.

Kene — Co-founder and facilitator
Kene
Co-founder · Facilitator

From England. Walked through years of addiction before finding this path. Tried everything conventional — nothing reached the root. When plant medicine finally did, he knew this was his life's work. His father's passing gave him the reason. Costa Rica gave him the land. He built this place with his hands and his heart.

Maisie — Co-founder, holder of the kitchen
Maisie
Co-founder

From England. Came to Costa Rica at seventeen and knew she'd come back. Together with Kene, she shaped Libélula into what it is — every garden, every meal, every detail of care that guests feel before they can name it. The retreat lives and breathes through her.

Txua — Huni Kuin medicine carrier
Txua
Huni Kuin tradition carrier

Born into the Huni Kuin lineage. Has walked this path since childhood — carrying ancestral knowledge passed down through thousands of years. Carries the jaguar lineage and his grandmother's songs. Leads ceremony from the heart, with a depth of healing that is felt before it's understood.

Caia Isa
Caia Isa
Huni Kuin tradition carrier

Txua's brother. Carries the same ancestral lineage with a lightness that fills the room. His songs bring joy, his presence brings ease. Where others go deep through intensity, he opens the way through celebration and warmth.

Syriani
Syriani
Huni Kuin tradition carrier

Txua's partner. Raised in the Huni Kuin tradition from birth. Carries the songs, the prayers, and the deep connection to the forest that her lineage has held for generations. Quiet presence, open heart.

Fito — Facilitator
Fito
Facilitator

From Argentina. Left home at twenty-one. Spent years traveling through Brazil before the Amazon drew him in — living and learning alongside indigenous tribes. Over a decade holding ceremony in Peru's Sacred Valley. Trained with Shipibo and Huni Kuin teachers. For Fito, the medicines are teachers, and ceremony is a living relationship rooted in devotion.

Matias — Emotional freedom coach
Matias
Emotional freedom coach

From Argentina. Walked through fifteen years of his own deep process — guided by shamans and healers across four countries who showed him the way back into his body. Holds breathwork, shadow work, emotional releasing, psychomagic, and energy healing. Works intuitively with whatever each person needs. Still walking. Still learning. That's what makes him good at this.

Ghazal — Space holder
Ghazal
Facilitator · Artist

From Iran. Artist and photographer. Found this path through migration, grief, and a near-death experience in the Amazon. Holds space with quiet honesty and deep care.

The family around a long table
Group · family around a long table at night · candlelight · 21:9 · NOT a staff photo
The family · After ceremony · Costa Rica
Bodywork in candlelight

The body lets go when it's met.

One hour under steady hands. Things you've been holding for years begin to move — and don't return.

IV · The Spaces

Seven places, each with a purpose.

Explore the spaces →
The Maloca — empty at dawn, circle of cushions
The Maloca · empty at dawn · circle of cushions · 2:1 — override --r to match your photo
01 · The Maloca

The Maloca.

Where ceremony happens. Open to the forest, lit only by candle. This is where we sit together, go deep, and come back.

The Spa — rose quartz tub and flower baths
The Spa · rose quartz tub · 3:4 portrait
02 · The Spa

The Spa.

Rose quartz tub, red light therapy, bioresonance, limpia flower baths. For when the body asks for more.

The Kitchen — long table in morning light
The Kitchen · long table · morning · 4:3
03 · The Kitchen

The Kitchen.

Where meals are shared. Some of the deepest conversations happen at 9am.

Yoga Shala — open to the forest at sunrise
Yoga Shala · open to forest · sunrise · 1:1
04 · The Yoga Shala

The Yoga Shala.

Sunrise practice. Evening sound baths.

Cabin interior — wood, breeze
Cabin interior · wood · breeze · 1:1
06 · The Cabins

The Cabins.

Six of them. Wood, breeze, the sound of the river.

Guests at one of the waterfalls on the land
Waterfall · people · 4:3
07 · The Waterfalls

The Waterfalls.

Seven across the property. On one retreat day, we walk to the deepest together.

Jungle path — light through the canopy
— The Paths

And the paths between.

The land itself is a space. Walk it slowly.

V · Ceremony
The Maloca at night, lit from within

We don't show ceremony. Some things need to be experienced, not watched.

1:1 Facilitator to guest ratio
Lived Every facilitator has walked this path themselves
Yes Bodywork available in ceremony
Screened Every guest is reviewed before acceptance
VI · Food
A shared meal dressed with flowers

Every meal is made with your body in mind.

Organic, biodynamic, grown in harmony with moon cycles — much of it on our own land. Recipes follow traditional dietary guidelines for plant medicine work. Clean, nourishing, simple.

We share meals at one long table. No one rushes. Some of the most meaningful conversations at Libélula happen at breakfast the morning after ceremony — when nothing needs to be explained.

VII · Integration

The ceremony opens something. Integration is how it becomes your life.

I've been on the medicine path for seven years. My biggest transformation happened at Libélula. Deborah
I've been to four other retreats. I can't believe how much growth I experienced here. I felt seen, held, able to go to the core. Matias
I left feeling more creative than I have in years. Something opened up — I processed what felt like years of therapy. Sian

We start the preparation two weeks before you arrive. After your retreat, your facilitator stays in touch. We don't disappear.

The land at Libélula
RECIPROCITY · wide land shot · river & canopy · 16:9
VIII · Reciprocity

Healing is never one-directional.

What you receive, you also give. What you take, you return. It's how this place was built, and how it stays standing.

01

The Land

A quarter acre of primary rainforest, protected in your name. A certificate. A tree planted. Yours, and not yours.

02

Community

A fixed percentage of every booking supports local families, Indigenous communities, and women's initiatives. Ongoing.

03

Built Local

The town below built this place. The same families maintain it. Every beam, every plate — made by people who are of the land.

04

The Lineage

The Huni Kuin: honored, compensated fully, supported as the keepers of wisdom they are. Direct, transparent, perpetual.

Read the full reciprocity page
Find your retreat
1Duration
2Tier
3Dates
Yours
Room one

How long do you have?

There is no right answer — only the answer that fits your life right now. Each length has its own character.

Room two

How closely held?

Every guest receives ceremony, meals, and care. The tiers are about how private, how personal, and how much of the spa and healing work you'd like beside them.

Room three

When will you arrive?

Twelve guests per retreat. Select the dates that work for you.

Your retreat

An 11-day metamorphosis.

Duration 11 days
Tier The Metamorphosis
Arriving November 11, 2026
Choose the length of your stay
IX · Book a conversation

A thirty-minute call with a founder.

Before any money is taken, before anything is booked, we talk. We'll tell you honestly whether Libélula is right for you. Some conditions aren't compatible with this work, and some goals are better served elsewhere. You'll leave the call knowing.

Kene and Maisie — co-founders
Kene & Maisie Co-founders
Times shown in your local timezone

FAQ

Is this safe?

Every guest goes through a medical screening before being accepted. Some conditions are not compatible with this work, and we'll tell you directly if that's the case. During ceremony, you have a dedicated facilitator who stays with you throughout. The entire team is trauma-informed, and bodywork practitioners are available if your body needs support. We take safety as seriously as we take the work itself.

I've never done anything like this. Is that OK?

Most guests haven't. You don't need experience with plant medicine or ceremony. You don't need to meditate, do yoga, or have any spiritual background. You just need to be honest about where you are and willing to be present with whatever comes up. We handle the rest.

What if I have a difficult experience during ceremony?

That's what we're here for. Every guest has their own facilitator — someone who knows your story and is right there with you through the entire night. Difficult moments are often where the deepest shifts happen. You won't be alone in them.

I'm on medication. Can I still come?

It depends on the medication. Some require a supervised washout period before the retreat. We'll review this with you during your screening — honestly and without judgment. Being on medication doesn't automatically exclude you, but full transparency is essential for your safety.

Can I take time off work without explaining what I'm doing?

Many guests tell their employer they're doing a wellness retreat in Costa Rica. That's exactly what it is. You don't owe anyone the details.

What does a typical day look like?

Morning practice in the yoga shala. Breakfast. One-on-one check-in with your facilitator. Lunch. Free time — trails, river, pool, rest. Afternoon meditation or sharing circle. Dinner. On ceremony evenings, ceremony begins around 8pm in the maloka.

Who else will be there?

Groups are a maximum of twelve people. Every group is different, but what they tend to share is a genuine desire to go deeper — people who've done some inner work and are ready for something that reaches further. Ages range from mid-twenties to mid-fifties. The community that forms in a few days often surprises people.

What makes this different from other retreat centers?

One facilitator per guest. Huni Kuin tradition carriers from the Brazilian Amazon who hold a rare feminine lineage. Bodywork available during ceremony. And a team where every person has walked through their own deep process — not trained in a weekend, but shaped by years of lived experience.

How do I get there?

Fly into Juan Santamaría Airport (SJO) in San José, Costa Rica. The center is about 2.5 hours from the airport, in the mountains above the Pacific coast. Airport transportation is included in The Deep Work and The Metamorphosis tiers, and available as an add-on for The Retreat tier.

What should I bring?

Comfortable clothes for warm days and cool evenings. A journal. Insect repellent. A flashlight or headlamp. We send a full packing list during your preparation period. You don't need to bring much — simplicity is part of the experience.

What dietary requirements can you accommodate?

All meals follow traditional dietary guidelines for working with plant medicine — organic, locally sourced, clean. We accommodate vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and other dietary needs. Let us know during your preparation call.

Is there WiFi?

Yes. It's available if you need it. Most guests find they don't use it much.

Do I need travel insurance?

We strongly recommend it. The center is in a beautiful but remote part of Costa Rica. Travel insurance with medical coverage, emergency evacuation, and trip cancellation gives you peace of mind. If you travel without it, you accept responsibility for any costs that arise.

Do you offer payment plans?

Yes. We can arrange payment plans during your discovery call. A deposit secures your spot, and the remaining balance is due before the retreat begins.

What's the cancellation policy?
  • More than 30 days before: deposit non-refundable, remaining payments refunded.
  • 15–30 days before: 50% refunded (minus deposit).
  • Less than 15 days: no refund.

If we cancel the retreat, you receive a full refund or the option to transfer dates.

Can I extend my retreat once I'm there?

Yes. Our 4-day retreat flows into the 8-day, and the 8-day flows into the 11-day — same group, same facilitators. Booking the longer retreat upfront is always better value, but the option to extend is there if the experience calls for it.

What happens after the retreat?

Integration calls with your facilitator. A WhatsApp group with your cohort and our team. Access to a network of therapists if you want continued support. We also offer a session for your loved ones so they understand how to support you when you return home.

The land from above
CLOSING · drone over land · 21:9 wide · auto-crops

Healing that feels like coming home.