Awakenings Ayahuasca Retreat

Name: Awakenings Ayahuasca Retreat
Rating: 5

Santo Domingo Ecuador

5.0 (129 reviews)

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Awakenings Ayahuasca Retreat

A Sacred Journey with Indigenous Roots

Only Retreat Certified by Ecuador’s Ministry of Health | 100% Indigenous-Owned & Operated.

Why Choose Awakenings?

• The only retreat in Ecuador certified by the Ministry of Health

• Located on sacred Tsáchila ancestral land

• 100% Indigenous-owned and operated by the Tsáchila tribe

• Medicine is prepared on-site and you are invited to participate in the process

• Small groups & personalized retreats — you choose your dates

• Your money helps local indigenous and some of the money supports the local elementary school as well; supporting many minorities in need.

Medicine and Ceremony

At Awakenings, we work with authentic ancestral medicines and offer the opportunity to participate in the preparation of Ayahuasca and San Pedro; allowing you to deposit your energy and intentions from the very beginning.

Our healing team includes:

• 4 experienced male Tsáchila shamans

• 1 female Tsáchila shaman (available upon request)

These are four generations of wisdom, born into the sacred path of medicine.

What Makes Us Different

• We live on the land, unlike other retreats that rent properties or hire outside shamans

• We run year-round with flexible dates

• No large groups — we keep it personal and safe

• Confidential integration support before and after ceremonies

• Wi-Fi available, but we encourage you to disconnect and reconnect with Mother Nature

Our Most Popular Package: 8 Days / 7 Nights – $1600 however you can do shorter or longer stays. Every journey is personalized for your needs on your time.

Includes:

• 3 Ayahuasca ceremonies

• 1 San Pedro ceremony

• 1 Kambo, 1 Sananga, and Rapé

• Private accommodations & meals

• Massage, Temazcal, reiki, sound healing

• Cultural immersions, waterfall hike, 1

Massage, preparation of cacao and more.

Additional: Cacao Ceremony, Bufo, Mushrooms, Xanga and Cannabis ceremonies available upon request.

Transport from Quito and laundry service available upon request but are not included on the packages.

Learn More About the Medicines

What is Ayahuasca?

“Ayahuasca” is the Quechua word for both the vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) and the sacred tea made from it, traditionally combined with Chacruna leaves. It contains harmine, harmaline, and tetrahydroharmine. Used by Amazonian tribes for centuries, it opens portals to emotional and spiritual healing. Our vine grows on the property, and we prepare the medicine in the traditional way.

What is San Pedro?

San Pedro (Trichocereus pachanoi) is a sacred cactus native to the Andes of Ecuador. It carries masculine energy and helps us open our hearts and expand our connection with all life. We also grow this cactus on the land, and ceremonies are done with great reverence.

What is Kambo?

Kambo is a powerful healing ritual that uses the secretion of the giant monkey frog (Phyllomedusa bicolor). Applied through small burns on the skin, Kambo detoxifies the body, boosts the immune system, and clears emotional blocks. It’s used for deep physical and energetic purification.

Your Healing Begins Here

We don’t just host retreats; we offer a path to rebirth, in harmony with Pachamama (Mother Earth) and the ancestral spirits of our land. You will not be asked to share in vulnerable settings, and everything is done with respect and care.

You are not here to escape. You are here to remember who you truly are.

USA: +1 (646) 300-9646

Ecuador / WhatsApp: +593 98 044 0627

Website: awakeningsayahuasca.com

We look forward to walking this sacred journey with you.

You are the medicine. Welcome home.

Reviews (129)

5.0 out of 5

Overall 5.0

Fi McGrath
August 14, 2025 at 10:06 pm

Stephanie and Juan run an incredible retreat. I attended two ayahuasca ceremonies both led by Juan who is an amazing Shaman and guide throughout the whole process. Each ceremony was unique with my second ceremony being just me and the Shaman which was truly an incredibly personal experience and something I hadn’t encountered at my previous retreats.

This truly is a centre for healing and they care deeply about the process to ensure you are getting the most out of it and also provide guidance on how to continue on your healing journey moving forward. The facilities are very high quality with healthy food and fully equipped huts with hot water. I would 100% recommend this centre for anyone on their healing journey. Incredible place with incredible people!
dsamaroo
August 12, 2025 at 10:01 am

My experience at Awakenings was like a homecoming. From the very first enquiry I sent to Juan and Stephany up till my departure I was attended to with utmost care. At Awakenings you are not simply going to have a memorable retreat you will be welcomed into a community/ family and form a healing connection. Unlike other retreats , every plant medicine here is administered with a Ceremony involving in depth explanation , protection, cleansing and safety guidelines for your most beneficial experience. Prior to arriving I was hesitant to try Kambo, Sananga and San Pedro but after 1 day I was swayed after witnessing the love , expertise and attention to detail the Shamans handled everything with. They provided a safe , sacred space in which I was confident that if I couldn’t endure the process I would be guided out without harm. From the peaceful, and safe environment surrounded by nature with access to a river, and comfortable huts ,it is the ideal place for rest, rejuvination and healing. I can’t recommend it enough. Look no further for one of the most authentic Ayahuasca and Plant Medicine Retreats in the world.
Haider
July 13, 2025 at 9:49 am

A Life-Changing Experience with the Tsáchila Tribe

I attended the 7-day Awakening Ayahuasca Retreat in Ecuador with the hope of healing from a 14-year chronic cannabis addiction, along with long-standing anxiety, isolation, and poor appetite. What I experienced was nothing short of profound. I returned home feeling completely refreshed—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—full of life, clarity, and positivity.

The retreat is 100% run by the local Tsáchila tribe, an Indigenous people with a deep and ancient relationship with plant medicine. Their traditions of healing stretch back generations, and being guided by them felt both powerful and sacred. What truly moved me is that all the profits from the retreat go directly to the development and support of the Tsáchila community.

From the moment I arrived, I was treated like family. The Tsáchila people took care of me with genuine warmth and kindness, making me feel safe, respected, and deeply supported throughout the entire process. Staying in traditional jungle huts, surrounded by the sounds of the river and tropical birds, allowed me to reconnect with nature in a way I’ve never felt before. The retreat is beautifully raw and deeply traditional—you’ll leave the modern world behind and experience something real.

A special thank you to Stephanie, the organiser and translator. She was incredibly supportive, kind, and helpful—she even went out of her way to help me replace a lost charger! Her presence made the experience smoother and more personal.

The food was also excellent—fresh, healthy, and nourishing, exactly what my body needed during this deep work.

All in all, this was the best healing experience of my life, and I would highly recommend it to anyone struggling with substance abuse or poor lifestyle habits. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made—and the beginning of a new chapter in my life
Jessbeaty
July 9, 2025 at 1:41 pm

I really cannot speak enough praise for Awakenings Ayahuasca and the family that owns and operates this retreat center. I had an extremely positive experience. The medicines are strong and the whole organization of my retreat was far beyond what I imagined. I did the 8 day 7 night retreat and it was perfectly balanced between medicine, relax, and play. I absolutely loved the activities included in that package(you must go on the waterfall hike!). I got 3 massages in one week(Johnathan is a crazy good massage therapist and helped release a lot of trauma stored in my body). In that package youre basically getting some sort of energetic cleansing every single day. I am extremely grateful to Stefany, Juan, Manuel, Tigui, Fernanda, Andrea and Johnathan .

Stefany is absolutely brilliant at retaining and translating large amounts of information at a time and is super supportive and mindful of the guests and their needs, my retreat would not have been possible without her. Juan is a brilliant Shaman and walked along with me through a very intense experience and had my back until it was finished. The ancestral reiki session he did was super strong and had me in an gentle altered state afterward haha. Juan also guided me on the waterfall hike- which i didnt realize that my soul needed(bring a bathing suit!). Manuel led my learning to make Ayahuasca class, and then my Ayahuasca ceremony that evening. The ceremony was very strong and out-of-this-world educational. Tigui did a cultural class which was super cool and my temazcal and flower bath- just, wow. Fernanda did my cacao and protection bracelet classes and I had so much fun! And last but not least, Andrea, who cooked my food the entire retreat. The food was simple but so viscerally nourishing. When I left the retreat, I continously found myself craving her cooking and maybe I always will lol.

From the depths of my heart, you all have my highest gratitude. I hope to return when I finish school to stay a little longer 🙂

Some additional notes for future participants:
My first aya ceremony was very light- I understand this to be very common for people everywhere on similar retreats and the remaining two were very strong. This process was necessary for me. If the first was any more intense, It would have been too much for me.

Absolutely take the private shuttle. The prices are unbeatable. When I arrived there were 2! crashes on the way to the retreat from quito. My driver took an alternate route through the jungle to bypass some of the traffic and that was suuper helpful in not losing any more time. You dont get that if you take a public bus.

And explore a bit in your free time. I had a super magical experience at the river right behind the retreat itself.

Also, the medicine is not child’s play. It can be very intense and healing isnt always comfortable or pleasant. Take it seriously.
QuietSwillSwaggUp
July 8, 2025 at 5:47 pm

It was a lovely two days for me, I felt very cozy there. Stephanie did a great job translating. The 1st night was with Manuel and the 2nd night was with Juan. I also did a Kambo on the 2nd morning. It was a very authentic experience. Hopefully I’ll see them again.