What the eight days of an iboga retreat look like
Eight days at Ananda Villa, with the ceremony in the middle. Here is each day, from landing to departure, including what happens to your phone along the way.
The eight days at a glance
The first day and a half are for settling in. On the afternoon of day 2 the preparation begins, the ceremony is on day 4, and the last four days are for integration and rest.
The grid shows the whole week, and under it comes each day in more detail.
The first day and a half: arriving and settling in
Arrival and transfer
You land in Zanzibar, and a driver is waiting in the airport car park with a sign bearing the hotel's name. The transfer to Ananda Villa is included in the price.
The day ends with the beach and the sunset over the Indian Ocean.
Spice Tour
Zanzibar is known as the Spice Island, and the Spice Tour is an outing across it. The first half of the day is still about settling in.
Day 2 afternoon and day 3: preparing
On the afternoon of day 2 the retreat proper begins. From here until the ceremony you work on preparation: the group, the individual session and your intentions.
Group meeting and the start of the digital detox
In the afternoon the retreat proper begins, with the group meeting, where all the participants and facilitators come together.
In the evening you hand over your phone: the digital detox begins, more on that below.
Individual psychotherapy and setting intentions
The day before the ceremony is yours. You have a private psychotherapy session, and the facilitators help you bring your intention into the form that is most useful to you.
Setting intentions begins before the interview. Here you settle it with them, ahead of the ceremony.
Day 4: the ceremony
Sacred bath, offerings and the iboga ceremony
Ceremony day begins with ritual preparation in the Bwiti tradition: the sacred bath and the offerings. Then comes the iboga ceremony, the one the rest of the retreat is arranged around.
The ceremonial offerings are a small contribution and are not part of the retreat price; they are listed on the cost page.
What the night itself is like, hour by hour, is described in the guide to the iboga experience.
What shapes a ceremony is not the dose. It is your intention, the space you step into, and the hands that hold that space for you.
The facilitators and assistants are there to guide and support you, quite literally and in every other way, in your most vulnerable moments.
Whatever falls to us, let it be ours to carry. You can rest easy: we are here so that your only task is to tend to your soul and the intentions that brought you to us.
Days 5–6: integration and closing
Integration
The day after the ceremony you may feel sensitive and in need of rest. It is a day of guided reflection: the facilitators and the integration sessions help you make sense of what you went through, because every journey is different.
A day in three parts
- Sharing circle
- Massage, included in the price
- The closing ceremony
The closing ceremony also ends the digital detox.
Days 7–8: rest and departure
Rest and an optional excursion
A day to rest. If you feel like moving, there is also an optional excursion.
Free morning and departure
The last morning is free. Then comes the airport transfer, included in the price, and the journey home.
Digital detox
Iboga works best in a quiet mind. That is why the preparation guide asks you to cut back on TV, computer and social media, and why in Zanzibar the phone leaves the schedule altogether.
Digital detox. From Friday 26 March in the evening until the closing ceremony (Tuesday 30 March) you will have no access to your phone — about 4 days. Let your family and friends know in advance and leave your affairs in order.
Pack a book and a journal with a pen.