Retreats

Our Retreats

The retreats we offer are focused on going deep within yourself. We accomplish this by offering early morning sunrise renewal ceremonies to cleanse the body and clear the mind, followed by multiple Yagé ceremonies. Time spent in the jungle with the family will put you into a different rhythm. Sharing traditional foods, walks into the jungle, relaxing by the river, and long talks with your new friends are all part of the process. By allowing yourself to let go into the experience you will learn invaluable tools to take home with you.

We keep our groups small with a maximum of 6-8 people. By doing this we make sure everyone gets the attention they deserve. This also makes it easier for everyone to connect with each other, building strong relationships that can continue beyond the jungle.

We offer a few different formats depending on what you are seeking.

Our typical deep immersion includes 2 sunrise renewals and 2 proper Yagé ceremonies over 8 days. This can be quite intense and will without a doubt have a profound impact.

We have recently been adding 5 days on at the end in the Highlands where we relax in local high mountain hot springs, connect with Huachuma, go hiking, explore local markets, and integrate our jungle experience.

We are also open to creating a retreat specifically for your group. We can add in other purgative renewals that help with the liver, gallbladder, or lungs. We can do more or fewer ceremonies, etc

Basillio our beloved Elder and host, one of the last remaining Yagé maestros of the Siekopia. We are blessed that he is willing to open up his home and traditions to us.

-Tentative dates-

12/1 - 12/12/24

&

1/28/2025 - 2/8/2025

This winter we are hosting a traditional Plant Medicine Immersion with our beloved Siekopai family in Ecuador

We will be gathering in the homelands of the Indigenous Siekopai people deep in the Ecuadorian Amazon along with tapping into the energy of the Ecuadorian Andes for a 11 night/12 day gathering. The focus of this journey is on connecting with the traditional and native medicinal plants of the Amazon and the Andes. We will be learning directly from the Siekopai Elders as they show us the different medicinal plants and the ways they are used. We will be working along side the family in identifying, harvesting, creating medicines, and energetic cleansing flora waters. This is a unique opportunity to connect with the traditions and the people. We are also working together to create new ways to share their herbal wisdom. During our time together we will be researching for a new medicinal/traditional plant book of the Siekopai so that this knowledge is not lost. We will also be creating products with the family to continue to grow their herbal business.

During this time we will be living and working closely with the family. The gathering will include one sunrise renewal ceremony, one- two all night Yagé ceremonies. Along with one San Pedro/Huachuma journey in the Andes. The retreat will end at the epic Papallacta hot springs where we will soak and integrating our time together. These retreats will be intimate groups of 8 people or less. This way everyone really gets to connect with each other, the elders, and the family.

All travel, food, and lodging are included
*Not included are flights to and from Ecuador and any" special foods" or "special spa services"while we are in Papallacta or traveling to and from the jungle

*Subject to changes due to COVID19 regulations*COVID safety measures will be practiced for the duration of the retreat.

Itinerary: Fly into UIO (Quito Airport) a day or two before the retreat and leave at least a day after it ends

Day 1: Early morning Shuttle pick up. We will be taking a 10-hour journey via shuttle and boat where we will arrive in time for dinner.

Day 2: Our first day in the jungle is a great day to start to get familiar with the land and the family, we will start the day with breakfast then have an opening circle/ cacao ceremony. We will then take a Plant walk into the jungle to learn and harvest some medicinal plants/barks. After lunch we will go to the ceremony lodge so everyone is comfortable knowing their way around. Dinner will be served early and will be a light soup as we need to wake up at 3am for our Yagé Hao ceremony.

Day 3: Yagé Hao - 3 am wake up, walk to the ceremonial lodge for a Sunrise Renewal ceremony to clean and prepare our bodies, mind, and spirit. Yoco and herbal tea will be available. The rest of the day we will be open for possible jungle hikes, processing and creating herbal products.

Day 4: Yajérepá "Yagé Ceremony" - All-day fast in preparation for the ceremony (food will be available for those who are not participating). Meeting at the Tuikë wë’e, time to learn some handcrafts, traditional foods & herbal medicines or just relax. 4 pm, flower bath, and traditional face painting. 6 pm, walk to the ceremony lodge and settle into your hammock for the ceremony.

Day 5: At sunrise – the elders will offer personal healings. Guayusa, herbal teas, and Yoco will be available. Around 9 am, we will have some fruit and possibly juice brought down to the lodge for us. Lunch will be around 11 am. We then will have time to relax, socialize, journal, play music, and bathe in the river. We will have an early dinner and you may go to bed as early as you like.

Day 6: Yajérepá "Yagé Ceremony" - All-day fast in preparation for the ceremony (food will be available for those who are not participating). Meeting at the Tuikë wë’e to learn some handcrafts, traditional foods & herbal medicines or just relax. 4 pm, flower bath, and traditional face painting. 6 pm, walk to the ceremony lodge and settle into your hammock for the ceremony.

Day 7: At sunrise – the elders will offer personal healings. Guayusa, herbal teas, and Yoco will be available. Around 9 am, we will have some fruit and possibly juice brought down to the lodge for us. Lunch will be around 11 am. We then will have time to relax, socialize, journal, play music, and bathe in the river. We will have an early dinner and you may go to bed as early as you like.

Day 8: Rest day- Integration - we will go with the vibe of the group to see where everyones energy is at.

Day 9: 6 am wake up to catch the shuttle by 8 am - Journey back up to the Hot springs where we will stop for an hour or two before heading down a bit in elevation where we will be staying

Day 10: Rest/ acclimatize day- Guayusa ceremony, visit the local Markets, learn about some of the traditional medicines of the highlands and enjoy relaxing in our beautiful home.

Day 11-Sacred day of hiking with the spirit of Huachuma in the mountains of above Papallacta. Spend the night at the hot springs

Day 12- A nice hearty Breakfast, morning soak, Tea Ceremony and Integration circle. Head into town for lunch then everyone will head their separate ways

*Everyone will receive one healing with an elder. All of the elders have been drinking since early childhood, allowing them to fully tap into the Heavenly Beings and transfer that energy to us.

While staying here we become part of the family. They are very caring and go out of their way to make us comfortable and taken care of. They frequently ask me about everyone from past retreats and truly care about all of us.

*Itinerary subject to change* Due to the reality of going into the jungle things can shift from day to day so please come with an open mind and heart. The jungle always likes through curveballs but in the end everyone gets what they seeking in one form or another.

*Please send a email for pricing and any questions*

* Contact us for Pricing

Retreat option by Request

We are excited to invite you to come down to the Apoya Palm Center located in the homelands of the Secoya for a 15 night/16-day medicine gathering. During this time we will be living and working closely with our beloved Siekopai family. The gathering will include 2 sunrise renewal ceremonies and 3 proper Yagé ceremonies. These will be intimate groups of 10 people or under. This way everyone really gets to connect with each other, the elders, and the family.

After spending 11 days in the jungle we will head to the Papallacta Hotsprings region and the Otavalo/Ibarra region.

Giving us some time to integrate our medicine experience while settling into the highland beauty and culture of Ecuador. Some of the things we can do are visit the Otavalo market (one of the largest indigenous markets in South America), learn to prepare traditional cacao and participate in a cacao ceremony, work with and learn about different medicinal plants, preparing Huachuma for our sacred medicine hike, relax in the magical hot springs and visit some of the beautiful areas for hiking and exploring the natural beauty of Ecuador.

*Subject to changes due to COVID19 regulations*COVID safety measures will be practiced for the duration of the retreat.

Itinerary: Fly into UIO (Quito Airport)

Day 1: Early morning Shuttle pick up. We will be taking a 10-hour journey via shuttle and boat where we will arrive in time for dinner. Along the way, we will stop at Papallacta Hot springs to enjoy the healing energies of the waters.

Day 2: Yagé Hao - 3 am wake up, walk to the ceremonial lodge for a Sunrise Renewal ceremony to clean and prepare our bodies, mind, and spirit. Yoco and herbal tea will be available. The rest of the day we will be open for possible jungle hikes, crafting, talks with the elders, medicinal plant info, etc.

Day 4: Yajérepá "Yagé Ceremony" - All-day fast in preparation for the ceremony (food will be available for those who are not participating). Meeting at the Tuikë wë’e, time to learn some handcrafts, traditional foods, or just relax. 4 pm, flower bath, and traditional face painting. 6 pm, walk to the ceremony lodge and settle into your hammock for the ceremony.

Day 6: Rest day, possible activities are jungle trek, beading, music, cacao ceremony or just relaxing

Day 7: Yajérepá "Yagé Ceremony" - All-day fast in preparation for the ceremony (food will be available for those who are not participating). Meeting at the Tuikë wë’e to learn some handcrafts, traditional foods, or just relax. 4 pm, flower bath, and traditional face painting. 6 pm, walk to the ceremony lodge and settle into your hammock for the ceremony.

Day 8: At sunrise – the elders will offer personal healings. Guayusa, herbal teas, and Yoco will be available. Around 9 am, we will have some fruit and possibly juice brought down to the lodge for us. Lunch will be around 11 am. We then will have time to relax, socialize, journal, play music, and bathe in the river. We will have an early dinner and you may go to bed as early as you like.

Day 9: Yajérepá "Yagé Ceremony" - All-day fast in preparation for the ceremony (food will be available for those who are not participating). Meeting at the Tuikë wë’e, time to learn some handcrafts, traditional foods, or just relax. 4 pm, flower bath, and traditional face painting. 6 pm, walk to the ceremony lodge and settle into your hammock for the ceremony.

Day 10: At sunrise – the elders will offer personal healings. Guayusa, herbal teas, and Yoco will be available. Around 9 am, we will have some fruit and possibly juice brought down to the lodge for us. Lunch will be around 11 am. We then will have time to relax, socialize, journal, play music, and bathe in the river. We will have an early dinner with a closing circle and then you may go to bed as early as you like.

Day 11: 6 am wake up to catch the shuttle by 8 am. Journey back up to the Hot springs where we will stop for an hour or two before heading to Otavalo where we will stay for the next 4 days.

Day 12: Rest day- Prepare Cacao and have a ceremony, visit the Market and enjoy relaxing in our beautiful home.

Day 13: Prepare Huacuma for our journey the next day. Learn about some of the medicinal plants of the highlands and make some medicines, go on a short hike or day trip to Cotacachi, and more relaxing

Day 14: Sacred day of hiking with the spirit of Huachuma at the beautiful Cuicocha lake

Day 15: Eat delicious food and recharge our "batteries".

Day 16: Guayusa closing ceremony along with an amazing breakfast. Travel to the Airport