4 Day Ayahuasca Retreats 2025
Location: Departing from the Quito area, retreat in Mindo cloudforest.
Price: $700 per person
Retreat guides: Paulina and Sandra
Price Includes: transport to Mindo (read details below), meals, accommodation, ceremonies & accompaniment
Weather: Tropical cloudforest, can get chilly when it rains and at night. Packing list provided below.
General information about 4 day ayahuasca retreat in Mindo cloudforest
This 4 day ayahuasca retreat takes place on an off-grid wilderness compound deep in the cloudforest and is a unique opportunity to connect with grandmother medicine during a day time and night time ceremony. The environment is pristine and idea for nature-lovers and those that aren’t afraid of a little adventure! The retreat is led by Paulina, a medicine woman and therapist with over 25 years of experience, and Sandra, her partner and assistant, also an experienced retreat facilitator. Read more about them below.
This retreat is for those of you looking for healthy and transformative experiences with plant medicine and the opportunity to learn more about yourself, find clarity in your purpose and work decisions, reconnect with your essence and feel connections with the divine, however you might define that.
The price of this 4 day ayahuasca retreat ($700 per person) includes:
-
- Accommodation
- Meals
- 2 ayahuasca ceremonies (1 night time, 1 day time)
- Rapé/Hape circles before ceremonies
- Group activity (meditation/body work) on Day 2 before ceremony
- Hike to waterfall and swims in a pristine river
- Transport TO Mindo and retreat space and back to North Quito (Mitad del Mundo – we don’t drive into Quito itself) or Tumbaco/Cumbaya, if you are returning with us. If you are not returning with us on Day 4, you will need to cover your own transport.
What is NOT INCLUDED:
- If you are not returning with us on the last day of the retreat, we do not cover transportation.
- Airport transfer to your hotel/s before and after retreat (though we are happy to coordinate these for you).
- Airfare
Photo gallery - 4 Day Ayahuasca Retreat in Ecuador
Reserve by emailing: [email protected]
Retreat healers / hosts
This retreat is led by Paulina Quilla Pakari -Tsunkinua, an Ecuadorian medicine woman dedicated to supporting others in their healing journey. She has worked with plant medicine for more than 20 years, including ayahuasca, aguacolla (San Pedro), peyote and mushrooms.
She was adopted by the original peoples of Shuar nationality (indigenous tribe in the Amazon); their elders gave her the blessing to continue her calling as a healer. She has also shared with and learned from the Shipibo in Peru and the Piaroa in Venezuela. She is an advocate for feminine collectives, an artist, and investigator of ancestral songs and chants.
Paulina hosts regular women’s retreats in Ecuador and Mexico where ancestral rituals and medicines are used to facilitate deep personal work and transformation. She is the Founder of an international women’s collective, Mujeres de Luna, and is also a trained Gestalt therapist, specialized in accompanying processes in a holistic and integral way.
Finally, she is a leader of the Sacred Fire of Itzachilatlan, a sun dancer, vision quester, and healer of the Chakana altar, Andean table, and Heart of the Carnation altar from the Andean elders.
During these 4-day ayahuasca retreats, Paulina shares with those that wish to experience the healing power of ayahuasca and sacred rituals to enhance greater self-awareness and healing.
The ayahuasca ceremony guide is usually accompanied by 1 or 2 ceremony assistants, depending on retreat group size.
4 day ayahuasca retreat schedule
1. Pick up/drop off in Tumbaco/Cumbaya area or the north of Quito by Middle of the World. We do not drive into Quito city itself, however we can help you coordinate safe taxis/cars to take you to/from your hotels if they are not on our route.
2. To get to the retreat space, we must walk 20 minutes along a dirt path. It is not a difficult path, but you must be capable of walking this distance (there is a short, steep section near the end). We normally have horses to help carry packs, but please do not bring a large suitcase. Backpacks or carry-on suitcases are ideal.
| Day 1 | Travel Day |
| 11:00am | Depart Tumbaco/Quito area. Pick up in Tumbaco/Cumbaya area or the north of Quito by Middle of the World (we do not drive into Quito city itself) We can help you coordinate safe taxis/cars to take you to your hotels if they are not on our route. |
| 1:30pm | Arrive in Mindo, Lunch, walk around Mindo |
| 2:30pm | Depart Mindo for retreat space (40 min drive) |
| 3pm | Unpack cars, hike to retreat space (20 minute walk, we usually have horses to help carry things, please do not bring a large suitcase). |
| 3:30pm | Arrive to retreat space, settle in, introductions and orientation |
| 6pm | Light dinner (keep in mind there will be a ceremony the next day, so we won't be eating a full meal) |
| Day 2 | Day-time Ayahuasca Ceremony |
| 8am | Breakfast |
| 9-10am | We encourage you to take advantage of the morning to relax and connect with your breath and body: swim in river, go on hike to waterfall, journal, yoga |
| 10am | Group integration activity |
| 11am | Gather at ceremonial space to share intentions and receive explanation of ayahuasca, the process, guidelines. |
| 12pm | Open ceremony with rapeh circle |
| 6pm | Close Ceremony |
| 8pm | Dinner and Rest |
| Day 3 | Rest Day and Night-time Ayahuasca Ceremony |
| 8/9:00 am | Breakfast |
| 9am-2pm | Time to hike, go to river, journal, help around the space etc |
| 2pm-3pm | Lunch (if you think you'll need to eat before, we will have fruit or you can also bring snacks). |
| 3pm - 5pm | Nap, rest so that you will be awake during the night! |
| 5pm - 6pm | Sharing Circle |
| 6pm - 1am | Gather at ceremonial space to open night-time ceremony |
| 1:30am | Eat something light (soup) to hep ground, then go to beds to rest |
| Day 4 | |
| 8:00 am | Breakfast |
| 9am | Ritual by the river to give thanks and close the retreat |
| 10am | Pack up and walk out to where cars are parked (20 min hike) |
| 10:30am | Drive out to Mindo, quick bathroom break and onwards to Quito! |
| 1pm | Drop off in the north of Quito by Middle of the World (we do not drive into Quito city itself) or drop off in Tumbaco/Cumbaya area. We can help you coordinate safe taxis/cars to take you to your hotels if they are not on our route. |
Accommodation during the retreat
The main house, made of bamboo and wood, was built specifically for these retreats. It is a large, well-illuminated two-story structure (80 m2 / 860 square feet), the beds are located on the second floor along with a large balcony overlooking the lush cloud forest.
Each bed has its own mosquito net.
The bottom floor of the house is our dining hall and kitchen.
In the main house, we have a large dorm room that can hold up to 12 people. We tend to get between 4-8 participants at these retreats, so there is more than enough space. Accommodation is shared.
Retreat location
This retreat location is a 3 hour drive from Quito, another 40 minutes past the town of Mindo. This retreat brings you very close to nature in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, allowing you to connect with a natural, deep, and rooted experience.
It is set amidst the lush beauty of the cloud forest, a place teeming with life, pure, fresh air and clean water. It is off-grid so there is no internet or cellular data, ensuring a real detox from the modern world. Our facilities are basic, accommodation is shared in an ample, luminous dorm room.
There is a nearby river where you can bathe, and a hiking path where you can explore the forest for hours, birdwatching, forest-bathing, listening.
The dream for this place was born 15 years ago from the need to create an integral community space, combining healing tools such as art and master plants to enable transformative, therapeutic processes while respecting and conserving the environment in a sustainable way.
The retreat space sits on a 10 hectares (25 acres) property of primary and secondary forest and beside Nuestra Tierra Aldea Creativa, a local nonprofit and sister project. The essence of this space, in general, is meant for community living dynamics such as cleaning shared spaces, gardening, kitchen service, caring for ceremonial areas, carrying firewood, and taking care of grandfather fire.
What to bring to ayahuasca retreat
- Offerings: It is customary to bring a gift to the person that prepares and serves sacred medicine. We would be grateful to receive sage flat cedar, sweetgrass, frankincense resin, good quality essential oils and/or organic tobacco offerings, which are all difficult to get in Ecuador.
- Ideally pack using a backpacking backpack. This is helpful for the hike in and out of the retreat space.
- Sun protection – sunscreen, hat, sunglasses (remember, we are on the equator; the sun is strong!)
- Clothes to hike: loose/breathable, comfortable long sleeve is best. Short sleeves and shorts lead to more bug bites.
- Other changes of clothes comfortable for humid weather, e.g.leggings can be used under shorts or skirts
- Bathing suit and towel (IMPORTANT: We do not carry towels, please bring your own!)
- 1-2 sweaters – evenings and mornings sometimes get chilly
- Waterproof jacket or poncho (cheap poncho can be bought in Mindo)
- Hiking or trekking boots, closed toes, waterproof preferable
- Rubber boots (while it will be the dry season, we recommend that you come with rubber boots, especially for the hike-in. Cheap $6 boots can be bought in Mindo, sometimes we have extras depending on shoe size).
- Socks (these are essential, especially if there are mosquitos)
- Headlamp/flashlight
- Extra battery for phone/camera/headlamp
- Sarong or wrap for entering the sweat lodge (optional; you can also wear shorts and a tank top)
- Flip-flops or sandals to wear when not in hiking boots
- Sugar-free electrolytes
- You may need medication; antihistamines can be useful (you can purchase histacalm in Mindo locally). Remember that all medications should be mentioned in advance.
- Kindle, book and/or journal
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- Other toiletries (always prefer natural since everything is released into the earth)
- Phone for pictures
- Bug spray (preferably natural)
- Cash, especially small change (bills above $20 can be difficult to change, though if paying for the retreat we accept $50 and $100 bills.)
- Ear plugs & sleep mask – accommodations are shared
Dietary Guidelines Ayahuasca Retreat
If you’d like to follow a cleansing protocol, here’s what we recommend in general (section 1) and then more specifically leading up to the retreat (section 2):
Section 1: General guidelines
– avoid excessive alcohol and weed (pure CBD is fine)- avoid pork
– eat organic plant-based whole foods as much as possible
– limit refined sugar and flour
– practice intermittent fasting
2-3 week before the ceremony (or more, if you can) reduce and, if possible, completely remove:
- Alcohol
- Cannabis
- Recreational drugs of any kind, especially synthetic DMT or other psychoactive substances
- Avoid opiates and other drugs
- Medications (antibiotics, injections, pills, vitamins, supplements, etc.)
- Avoid drinks with stimulants (such as coffee, black tea, green tea, yerba mate, etc.), chocolate, chili, soft drinks, dairy, fried foods, canned foods, red meat and pork
- Eat as many healthy, fresh, organic greens and fruit as you want!
- Stay well hydrated
- Though it’s quite difficult while traveling through Ecuador, try to reduce onion and garlic consumption as this can decrease the visionary effect of ayahuasca.
Two days before, reduce salt, sugar and spicy foods as much as possible, if not completely. Also avoid fermented foods.
Upcoming dates for 4-day ayahuasca retreat in Quito-Ecuador
