The stages of a Hollandia trip, waypoint by waypoint

A Hollandia trip passes through six recognisable stages: the start, a quiet wait, a steep ascent, the summit around the second hour, a long descent and a tired base camp in the evening. The times below are rough ranges. They come from Dutch public health information, from laboratory studies with pure psilocybin and from the shop's own description, and they shift with the dose, the pack, your stomach and your body.

Dutch public information gives 20 to 60 minutes before effects begin and about three to four hours of main effects, adding that you are not sober once they have passed (DRUGSinfo, Trimbos Institute). Avalon gives four to six hours for Hollandia. In a laboratory study with pure psilocybin, psilocin in the blood peaked after about two hours on average, and the effects lasted 5.5 to 6.4 hours depending on the dose (Holze et al., 2023).

Waypoint 1, the trailhead

The route starts the moment you eat. Chewed truffles reach the stomach slowly; tea arrives faster and, according to many users, with a steeper start. Write down the time. Later, when an hour can feel like ten minutes or the other way round, that note tells you and your sitter where you are on the route.

Waypoint 2, the wait

For the first half hour most people notice little. Then the body arrives before the mind does: yawning, a chill in the hands and feet, a heavy or unsettled stomach, sometimes restlessness or a mild sense of tension. Some people feel sick for a while.

This is the stage where people decide that "nothing is happening" and take more. With a strong truffle that is the most avoidable mistake on the whole route. Both portions arrive together, and the summit ends up far higher than planned. Lie down, put on calm music and wait the full hour.

Waypoint 3, the ascent

The ascent with Hollandia is often described as steep. Colours become brighter, surfaces start to breathe or ripple, patterns appear on walls and fabrics, and sounds gain depth. Thoughts start to jump. There is often laughter at very little, and just as often a short spell of unease while the body adjusts.

Avalon describes Hollandia as standing out for the intensity and colour of its visual effects, with colours and patterns that stay vivid for longer. In a dose study with pure psilocybin, every core dimension of altered consciousness rose with the dose, and ratings for "dreaminess" and emotional excitability went up at the medium and high doses (Hasler et al., 2004).

A useful habit on the ascent: stop trying to measure how strong it is getting. Pick a comfortable spot and let the rise finish.

Waypoint 4, the summit

The summit usually falls somewhere between the first and third hour. At a strong dose the ordinary sense of time and of self can loosen completely. With eyes closed, many people see detailed, moving imagery; with eyes open, the room may look unfamiliar. Following a conversation, reading or using a phone becomes hard. In the same laboratory study, performance on an attention test fell by about half at the medium and high doses (Hasler et al., 2004).

Emotion is part of the summit. Reports describe laughter and tears close together, strong memories, a feeling of closeness to the people present, or simply long stretches of watching patterns to music. Difficult moments happen here most often, and they are usually short when someone changes one thing in the setting.

What helps at the summit is simple: stay where you are, keep the light low, let the sitter handle doors, phones and visitors, and choose one thing to attend to, such as music or your breathing.

Waypoint 5, the descent

The descent is longer than most first-timers expect. Effects come back in waves: a calm half hour, then colours sharpen again for a while. Thinking becomes clearer and many people want to talk, write a few lines or go to a window or garden for fresh air. Hunger and thirst return.

This is the stage to be careful with plans. You feel more normal than you are. Do not go out into traffic, do not drive and do not decide to take a second portion "to get back up". The sitter is still needed.

Waypoint 6, base camp

Somewhere after the fifth hour most of the effects are gone, leaving tiredness, a slightly raw or open mood and often a strong appetite. DRUGSinfo notes that you are not sober at this point and cannot drive safely (DRUGSinfo). Eat something simple, drink water and plan nothing more ambitious than a shower and an early night. The evening and next morning are covered in coming down and the day after.

How a lower route differs

At half a pack the stages are the same, only lower and often a little shorter. The wait and the ascent feel similar, the summit is less overwhelming and easier to steer, and the descent arrives sooner. That is why a first Hollandia trip should start there.

Magic Truffles Hollandia - Magic Truffles €17.95Avalon Magic Plants View at Avalon Magic Truffles Atlantis Magic Truffles - 15 grams €14.95Avalon Magic Plants View at Avalon

For how Hollandia compares with milder truffles, see the strength ladder.