Prepare
Preparing for your journey
A good experience with iboga begins long before you arrive. Treat the weeks leading up to your retreat with reverence and intention.
01
Medical preparation
Your safety comes first. Iboga acts on the heart and nervous system, so these steps are not optional.
- Complete your screening
- Send a recent EKG and blood work (including liver and kidney panels) so Dr. Nick can review them well before your arrival.
- Check every label
- Be completely open about every prescription, over-the-counter medicine, and supplement you take. Some, especially antidepressants, heart medications, and stimulants, must be fully cleared from your system first. Never stop a prescription on your own; any change is planned with your prescribing doctor.
- Clean up your diet
- For at least a week before you arrive, leave out alcohol, caffeine, processed sugar, and heavy, greasy food. Eat clean protein and whole foods, and drink plenty of water to support your liver and heart.
- Clear other substances
- No recreational drugs, cannabis, or other plant medicines in the weeks before your retreat. Your system should arrive as a clean slate.
02
Mental and emotional preparation
- Clarify your intentions
- Iboga is not a passive experience; it is an active dialogue with your inner self. Write down why you are coming. What are you ready to face? What are you ready to lay to rest?
- Release expectations
- Come with an open hand. Let go of what you think the visions should look like, or how fast you should heal. Trust the intelligence of the root.
- Practise silence
- Spend fifteen to twenty minutes a day in complete silence: no phone, no music, no distractions. It prepares your nervous system for the deep solitude of ceremony.
03
What to bring
Weather on this coast can turn from hot sun to heavy rain in minutes. Pack light, comfortable layers.
- Loose, soft clothing
- Linen trousers, loose cotton shirts, sweatpants. Nothing tight or restrictive, especially for ceremony days.
- Warm layers
- Your body temperature can drop during and after ceremony. Bring thick socks and a warm hoodie or fleece.
- Rain and trail gear
- A light rain jacket, broken-in walking shoes for jungle paths, and slip-on sandals for the grounds.
- A journal and pen
- You will want to catch insights and dreams as they come.
- An eye mask and earplugs
- Helpful for light and sound sensitivity in the days after ceremony.
- A quiet book
- Poetry, spiritual texts, or a blank sketchbook. Leave the news, business books, and true crime at home.
04
What to leave behind
- Work
- This is a chance to step fully away. Tell people you will be unreachable, and let your devices rest.
- Scents and finery
- Leave perfume, heavy scents, and valuables at home. This time is about setting the outer mask aside.
Arrival
Getting here
Fly into Hilo (ITO). On arrival day we pick you up in Hilo at 11 am and drive you through the jungle canopy to the edge of the sea. We will confirm the details with you before you travel.
Are you ready to return to your roots?
Retreat groups are kept small, so places are limited. Start with a short inquiry, and Daisy or Nick will write back personally.