Forget about returning from vacation with beach selfies and a tan. A whole new industry of luxury “trips”—guided psychedelic journeys that break down inner barriers and provide spiritual healing—is taking hold. Instead of souvenirs and sand in all the wrong places, you may come home with a brand-new outlook on life. But are you destined for a Bwiti fire ceremony at the Root Healing center in Portugal, or a magic mushroom voyage in Canadian wine country with the Journeymen Collective?
Root Healing Portugal |
The Journeymen Collective Canada |
THE RESORTA mountaintop villa in the forests of Sintra, Portugal. The retreat is close enough to the Portuguese Riviera for a beach picnic. Lord Byron called the region “a glorious Eden.” |
THE RESORTA “six-star” luxury estate in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley. Its exact location is not disclosed for privacy reasons, making it difficult for English poets to find. |
THE MEDICINEIboga The hallucinogenic second layer of root bark from the rainforest shrub Tabernanthe iboga, native to equatorial West Africa. 
Steeve Jordan/AFP via Getty Images |
THE MEDICINEPsilocybin The psychedelic compound derived from “magic mushrooms.” There are around 100 species in the genus psilocybe, found primarily in the Americas and Europe.
Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images |
WHAT IT DOESIboga produces hallucinations that some claim increase neuroplasticity, which can help treat addiction, trauma, depression, and the forming of new habits. |
WHAT IT DOESPsilocybin also causes hallucinations, as well as an altered sense of time and space, enhanced sensation of colors, and profound reactions to Pink Floyd’s The Wall. |
IS IT LEGAL?Portugal decriminalized the consumption of all drugs in 2001. But keep your inner rock star focused—you’re here for self-improvement, not partying. |
IS IT LEGAL?There are movements to legalize psilocybin throughout Canada. For now, let’s just say restricting its use is… unenforced. |
WHEN THEY STARTED TRIPPING?Utilized for thousands of years in ceremonies by the spiritual tradition Bwiti, practiced in Gabon, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Jorge Fernández/LightRocket via Getty Images |
WHEN THEY STARTED TRIPPING?Art depicting psilocybe mushrooms dates back over 6,000 years in Europe, and the fungi are known to have been used in pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.
Alex Peña/LatinContent via Getty Images |
THE TRIP WITHIN THE TRIPTwo Iboga ceremonies over eight days. Following Bwiti tradition, the medicine is ingested during a fire ceremony. Participants are then led to a candlelit room to lie down while it takes effect. |
THE TRIP WITHIN THE TRIPYou can take two journeys over four days, though you can extend your stay to 16. Ignoring Canadian tradition, no beer is served, and Bachman–Turner Overdrive is not played by candlelight. |
WHAT ELSE YOU’LL BE INGESTINGYou’ll have locally sourced organic meals, but on ceremony days, the last dish is served at 2 p.m. On “processing” days, people typically can’t handle more than one full meal, fruit, and soup. |
WHAT ELSE YOU’LL BE INGESTINGThe primarily vegetarian menu offers some customization, but there’s one thing you won’t have a choice about: No alcohol is allowed.
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COSTS$3,400 Includes preparatory calls, a medical screening, an eight-day stay with ceremonies, and follow-ups after the retreat that help integrate your perceptions into your daily life.
Courtesy of Root Healing |
COSTS$11,000 Includes one month of preparation, a medical screening, a four-day stay, and three months of scheduled aftercare with further check-ins as needed.
Courtesy of The Journeyman Collective |
WOULD IT MAKE A GOOD RISSOTO?No. The bark tastes bitter and numbs the mouth. |
WOULD IT MAKE A GOOD RISSOTO?It’d be a tasty way to mask the flavor of magic mushrooms. But be careful: Psilocybin starts to degrade at 162°F, at which point the magic starts to wear off. |
