Plant Medicine for Recovery Retreat on Lake Atitlán, Guatemala

This ayahuasca retreat on Lake Atitlán in Guatemala brings a small group together for two plant medicine ceremonies over five nights, alongside trauma-informed yoga, meditation and sharing circles. It is hosted by Bigger Life Adventures, with the ceremonies facilitated by The Forest Path, at Casa Floresta near the town of San Marcos La Laguna in Sololá. It is a substance-free, recovery-supportive retreat, open to people in recovery and to anyone who is willing to step away from recreational substances for the length of the stay.

What to Expect

The first day is for arriving and settling in, followed by a welcome circle, yoga and meditation, a plant-based dinner and a campfire. The two ayahuasca ceremonies fall on the second and third nights, starting at 5:30 pm and lasting six to eight hours each. They include live music and chanting, one-on-one guidance on how much medicine to take each night, and optional rapé for grounding near the end. Grounding soup and rest follow each ceremony.

The days around the ceremonies are kept spacious. Mornings offer yoga and meditation, all of it optional, and free time is for resting, swimming, paddleboarding or sitting by the lake. On the fourth day there is a post-ceremony integration and sharing circle in the late morning, then sound healing with The Forest Path in the late afternoon. The fifth day brings a group sauna and plant baths, and ends with a closing cacao ceremony and ecstatic dance. The last morning begins with a sunrise meditation and closes with a circle before departures at midday.

The group is capped at 14 to 18 people.

About Bigger Life Adventures

Bigger Life Adventures is a yoga and adventure retreat company founded in 2018 by Carrie Hoffman and Zach Minnich, a couple who share a love of travel, yoga, conscious living, food and healing in nature. Both are in long-term recovery, and that experience shapes the plant-based, alcohol-free retreats they host. Their work blends trauma-informed yoga, vegan Ayurveda-inspired menus and purposeful adventure. Carrie is a trauma-informed E-RYT500 and an 800-hour Ayurvedic Health Counselor, as well as a Wilderness First Responder, outdoor guide and writer. She says yoga helped her quit drinking and reconnect with herself after years of addiction. The hosts first took part in a ceremony at Casa Floresta in 2023 and have since returned twice with private groups.

The Setting

Casa Floresta sits on the shore of Lake Atitlán beneath the volcanoes, among Mayan villages and steep green hills. Guests arrive by boat. Lodging is in Casa Floresta and the neighboring Casa Colibri, with shared or private rooms, volcano views, steps down to the lake and a private dock for each accommodation. San Marcos La Laguna is a couple of kilometers away by hiking trail, boat taxi or tuk tuk, though the hosts encourage keeping free time close to the house, since ayahuasca can leave people feeling vulnerable.

Meals are vegetarian and plant-based: a morning smoothie, coffee or tea, brunch, an afternoon snack and dinner. Dieta-friendly snacks are available.

Before You Go

Every guest completes a pre-interview with Carrie or Zach, and the hosts decline anyone for whom the retreat is not a good fit, refunding or transferring the deposit. Guests must be free of alcohol, drugs, antidepressants including SSRIs, and other plant medicines for a set period before and during the retreat, because interactions with ayahuasca can be dangerous. The hosts are clear that plant medicine is not right for everyone.

Included are a preparation call with The Forest Path's integration guide, both ceremonies, lodging, meals, yoga and meditation, the sauna and plant bath, the sound healing session, paddleboards, and two online integration calls after you return home. International flights to Guatemala City, travel insurance (recommended) and optional excursions are not included. Flight booking assistance is available for a small add-on fee.