Awakenings Ayahuasca Retreat

Name: Awakenings Ayahuasca Retreat
Rating: 5

Santo Domingo Ecuador

5.0 (130 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 (130)

5.0 out of 5

Overall 5.0

angiebell
April 3, 2025 at 3:24 pm

I work as a medical doctor in Australia. I’ve been to Awakenings twice with two ceremonies each time (so total of four). I won’t go anywhere else and I will go back after I’ve reflected on what I’ve just experienced. I’m happy to be contacted directly with any questions (just tell Stephanie who can give you my number). The experience itself is beyond comprehension. I can honestly say it is changing me and my life for the better. As a solo female traveller, I feel safe at awakenings, which is incredibly important when the medicine shows you confronting things. The medicine is real. It will answer your questions, heal old wounds, crumble your ego, help you to reconnect with yourself, identify what’s most important, and it will push you to transcend to a better more peaceful version of yourself. Msg me if you want. Cheers.
– Angie
samfromflorida
April 1, 2025 at 7:03 am

I had been thinking of trying I/O Oscar for more than five years. Fortunately I found awakenings and could not have been happier. First, their flexibility in scheduling is very different than many of the other places on the Internet. They specialize in small groups and run programs continuously so that you have tremendous freedom in scheduling and I/O Oscar ceremony. Awakenings is an indigenous and family led experience. The shaman, Juan and his wife Stephanie are truly delightful and caring people. Juan’s knowledge as a shaman and the naturalist are exceptional. All of the staff showed their care and conceern for each guest and their comfort and satisfaction. I could not have been happier. I highly recommend this place and will certainly be back.
via
March 20, 2025 at 3:24 pm

I was led to Awakenings Ayahuasca, just like I have been led to many reveling experiences in this life. I have experienced Iboga and regularly meditate. When my mother transitioned recently, I knew I had to find a ceremony to work with my mental grief. Thank the universe I was led to this place. This is the real place, the ayahuasca is not shipped in , its growing everywhere. When I arrived I knew in my spirit I was in the right place, I knew I found the right people to help me. The living conditions are simple, clean , respectful. I not at one time was concerned for my health or well being. The community and this is a traditional community is loving and kind. My ceremony started with a herbal sauna and floral sauna. Later that night I received my first powerful drink of the mother Ayahuasca. I received a second bowl later. I was led through many awakenings, from my mother wanting to leave this life to the love that surrounded me in my life, to the presence of my mother. I will not reveal all of the things I was shown, I can only say that this is something everyone on this planet should experience. The truth does set you free, I have less anxiety, I fell more energy and I become aware of more day by day. I will be back later this year for another ceremony. We live in a very limited reality guided by what we perceive as a physical mind. We live in this mind, Ayahuasca removes the limitations and shows the truth if I want to accept and truly open myself to see it. I am for ever grateful to this community, they are family and they are my spiritual guides as long as I am in this life.
Drumachris1
March 8, 2025 at 2:18 am

Where to start?! I was going through a very hard time in my life when I felt the calling to Mother Aya. I knew it was time and I had a vision as to what the experience might look like but nothing will ever actually prepare you.. Truth be told I choose two different retreat centers before landing on Awakenings. I’m so glad I trusted my gut. There are fancier, more modern retreat centers available in Ecuador but I woke up with an undeniable sensation that these retreats weren’t the authentic experience that I was longing for. After learning about the history of the Tsachila Tribe and reading other peoples experiences at Awakenings I suddenly felt at ease and made my decision. Me and a good friend stayed 5 days on this ancestral property with the Juan, Manuel, and Tigui leading us through various ceremonies. I was very impressed with how many activities were planned for us while we were there. These excursions included hikes in banana fields where we tastes all sorts of native fruits, hunted fresh water crabs, and drank water from giant bamboo. A tour of a scared forest with the city center of Santo Domingo where the rare Mata Palo tree resides among others…. We even saw a Sloth! Their family has lived on these grounds for hundred of years. These shamans take their work very seriously. No shaman will does two days of ceremonies in a row as it takes a lot out of them energetically. They are family yet have slightly different approaches to the way they conduct this ceremonies. Hard to describe in words… just go. The energetic exchange is mind blowing. The music is ravishing. They setting is unreal. I can’t speak of any other retreat center but we left feeling so happy we choose to spend our first ( and certainly not our last) Aya experience at the Shaman HQ and not some fancy spot in a touristy place. I can’t thank Juan, Stefany, Manuel, Tigui, Jennifer, and the others enough. There is a very noticeable change in the regulation of my nervous system since my time at Awakenings and can’t wait to return. Thank you so much <3

Note: This review was edited for over punctualization, but has otherwise been lefts in its original form.
Nat
February 21, 2025 at 9:36 pm

I felt so held and supported. Manuel is magic. He is an extremely gifted Shaman and I could feel the support of him, and his ancestors when I needed it during my ceremony.
I am incredibly touched and deeply moved by my experience on this land and with this community.

When deciding where to do my ayahuasca ceremony, something about a large retreat center with scheduled retreat dates and a Shaman who comes to the center for the ceremony did not resonate with me. It seemed like the "easiest" path because I had some fear going into this as a solo female traveler. However, my truth beyond the fear is that I wanted to connect to the land, to the culture, to an authentic energy that held healing higher than monetary gain.
That's how I found myself at Awakenings Ayahuasca, they lead with love, and I couldn't be happier about my decision. My only regret is that I was unable to stay longer.
If you want to "trip", this might not be the place for you.
If you want to heal, don't look any further.

This is an incredibly special and life-changing place. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I will be back for a longer stay.
For any other solo female travelers reading this, you will be safe here, you will be held here.