The name Chakapita comes from a beautiful healing song that is sung by the Shaman during ceremonies. These songs are known as Ikaros. Chakapita is also the name of a plant that is used for cleaning auras and removal of negative energies.

Our retreat, Chakapita is a beautiful spiritual place which has been created with the intention to help people and introduce them to the spirit of power plants such as ayahuasca, huachuma and wilka for healing. We offer the opportunity to participate in ceremonies or attend retreats at our home location or to practice true ancestral ceremonies at sacred sites and archaeological ruins of great importance and potential energy in the south of Ecuador. We pride ourselves on the service and healing that is provided to our clients. During the retreats the Shaman is at hand for questions and help throughout the entire stay.

The sacred plant ceremonies at Chakapita are really traditional of South America. Our Shamans have a lot of experience and have come a long way in the spiritual world. We offer the ability to participate in ceremonies with Ecuadorian Indians from the Andes Mountains called the Saraguros and the Indians of the jungle known as the Shuar.
We offer ceremonies of:

Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca is a teacher plant with a feminine spirit, known as ?Grandmother Ayahuasca?. Sometimes we can experience the vision of a young or old woman, depending on the age of the plant that has been prepared. The spirit is in direct relationship with the wisdom of the snake. Visions of the jaguar or anaconda are common, as these are the sacred spirits of the forest, known to the natives as the Arutam. Ayahuasca is like a big snake that carries the memories of life. It is known as the vine of souls and has been used for thousands of years by the people of the Amazon to cure physical, mental and emotional illnesses by taking the participants on a journey to altered states of consciousness for healing. Like all power plants, the healing depends on the willingness of the participant to make the changes shown by the medicine, commitment to healing and the severity of the disease. It is also very important that a clean diet is followed whilst using this traditional medicine, to detoxify the physical body for true healing of the soul.

WILKA
Wilka is considered to be the most sacred of all power plants. During the times of the Incas, Wilka was used as their sacred medicine. It was used only by the privileged class of the Incas and was not accessible to all people.

This female spirit presents herself as a young mother and has the virtues of curing terminal diseases and very strong addictions. The journey with Wilka offers the chance of rebirth by showing changes that are necessary in the life to become a better people. During a journey with Wilka, it is very common to see geometric visions, typical of a mathematics lesson! Reason being, the spirit of the plant is very precise and strict! Mama Wilka proposes a commitment to improve all aspects of our lives and this we can experience when we know the essence of true love.

Huachuma is a masculine spirit plant, also known as ahuacoya and San Pedro. Some people say that this name is related to the Apostle Peter, because he holds the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. This plant has been used by the Indians of the Andes of South America for millennia. The active ingredient is mescaline. The spirit of the grandfather Huachuma is very generous. Like all power plants, the journey depends very much on the current lifestyle and state of mind of the people participating. It is also very important that a clean diet is followed whilst using this traditional medicine, to detoxify the physical body for true healing of the soul.

Reviews (34)

4.6 out of 5
Overall 4.6
  • Tom86
    Tom86
    May 6, 2021 at 11:47 am

    I cannot express all my gratitude to the people in the retreat and to the shaman Miguel, This was a truly life changing experience and I have to say that it changed my way of thinking for good. Everything from the beautiful garden and mountains to the staff and the dogs who also had their role in the entire experience were perfect. Thanks Chakapita

  • Elizabeth
    Elizabeth
    May 5, 2021 at 12:28 pm

    I would definitely choose this place again after the fantastic 3 days/ 2 nights retreat.
    Exceptional team. Katie and Shaman are very attentive and guide you carefully through the whole journey. Curated process. As someone, who is very new to this kind of experience, I was worried about pretty much everything. Well, the team did excellent job in explaining the details and supporting me and others. They stroke unique balance in providing safety and comfort while leaving enough personal space
    The tranquility and the location of the place are jaw dropping. Make sure you block some time for trails in the valley nearby.
    You will share the room with other but just trust that this is irrelevant and will on the contrary enrich your experience as you share observations with others I’m very thankful for everyone who made this retreat possible and highly recommend this place.

  • Ruth
    Ruth
    May 4, 2021 at 9:11 am

    Chakapita is a wonderful retreat, my experience was 10/10. Definitely ask for a ceremony with maestro Miguel. I have met many shamans throughout my life and he is by far the best. He helped me with a lot of issues and his positive work still has a tremendous impact on my life. Other people in my group had a similar experience.

  • sierrahull
    sierrahull
    April 7, 2021 at 11:40 am

    I had an amazing experience at Chakapita!! Miguel and Katie are down to earth and take great care of their guests. I was able to have a more private retreat and got to experience the medicines of ayahuasca, san pedro and wilka. I have drank ayahuasca before in Peru but this was a more profound and healing experience than the last. I felt very relaxed with these two and knew I was being take care of and protected. The san pedro was also different than the first time I had drank, Miguel does an awesome job at creating a journey full of love and good intentions. The wilka was my first time and that blew my mind and taught me a lot about past traumas and experiences in my life. This is a non-commercial retreat and you can tell Katie and Miguel have a lot of love and respect for the medicines and truly are here to help. They also took me to see some waterfalls, mountains, and visit other traditional healers. For an authentic healing experience I highly recommend visiting them. Pedro and Andrea and their children are also the sweetest humans ever and they welcomed me into their home with open arms. I will definitely be back some day.

  • earthlover
    earthlover
    March 25, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    I had an incredible retreat at Chakapita with Miguel and Katie over a month ago and I still feel rejuvenated and inspired. Miguel is an incredible shaman and a true healer. I had been having problems with my stomach and had been suffering from migraines for a long time. Miguel was able to feel this before I even mentioned there was a problem and even now the stomach issues and migraines are still gone. He gave me a wonderful cleansing in addition to the both of them creating beautiful ceremonies with Ayahuasca, San Pedro and the remarkable plant Wilka. The medicine was amazing and showed me many things about my life. Katie and Miguel have a wonderful energy, and created a beautiful space for learning, healing and growing. They truly care about their guests and have their hearts in the right place. As I woman I felt very safe and at home with them. I will never forget my time here and highly recommend this place to other people for a safe, authentic, humble and life changing experience. I have had other experiences with Ayahuasca and San Pedro but this was by far my most transformative experience! And since the retreat they have kept in touch, so it is nice they still want to help and make sure I´m on the right track even after the retreat. Thank you Chakapita 🙂

  • Derekdietz88
    Derekdietz88
    March 20, 2021 at 4:24 pm

    I feel so grateful and blessed to have had the opportunity to attend a ceremony with Katie and Miguel… I was volunteering at a local workaway farm near vilcabamba and realized that I had there contact info from months ago and was super close to them.
    From the first time I was in contact and touched base with them I could tell they were warm-hearted and caring people who really believed in the use of plant medicine to help people grow spiritually, unlike many tourists traps I have heard about that abuse the plant medicine for only monetary purposes. I got very lucky and had a private ceremony at one of there friends homes( and farm) he was a local, and absolutely amazing man that lived with his family and they welcomed me with open arms. I have never felt such hospitality and comfort in a place so far from home and I was so happy to be there.
    As far as the ayahuasca experience goes, it was very powerful and pleasant experience for me. I am a person in recovery from many drug addictions, and already have a pretty solid tool box to help me with all of my mental health issues.
    The experience (trip) was my first with Aya and definitely intense but luckily I just stuck to my gratitude practice and faith in my higher power to guide me to see the light and the importance of love. My belief that “God” is actually jus a loving and compassionate higher power that we can feed off of anytime through prayer and gratitude and true faith was just fortified by the medicine and experience.
    Miguel answered all questions thoroughly and explained his history with the medicine and prepared me very well. The best advice was that what ever your thinking or feeling will be exasperated (x10) when u drink the drink, so I just made sure my full focus was on the love and protection of the God of my understanding and on how grateful I am for every moment and second that I am blessed with.
    There is so much trouble and problems and pain in this world and in the end all we really have and all that really matters is love, kindness and compassion. God is love, and I am so thankful to God for everything!!!

    I definitely highly recommend Chakapita and plant medicine if used properly and for spiritual purposes, but more importantly i recommend finding the brightest and most powerful light in this world (which I call love) and following it and relying on it to cure and help with all problems.

    We don’t need no more trouble, what we need is love, to guide and protect us all.
    – Bob Marley

    Love is all you need
    -John Lennon

    God is Love
    -jesus christ

  • ezgican
    May 18, 2020 at 2:24 am

    I spent about 3 weeks in this amazing place with beautiful spirited people…Of course, I will not forget crazy and lovable dogs.I missed 🙂
    The safest and most peaceful place if you want to try something new. You already feel it at the entrance with its nature but you are even more confident when you communicate with Miguel and Katie .Thanks to these beautiful guides, I still had an experience that I felt in my soul.The experience was far better than I could have imagined it to be. Everything from the people, the setting, and the medicine were all beautiful…
    Thanks to the trust of Miguel and Katie, I met Mama Wilca which I did not know about before and again I had an unforgettable experience.

    I will always remember this peaceful place that they allowed me to stay voluntarily with good memories…I really had such an amazing and inspiring time here and I highly recommend it to anyone considering. I am also sure that we will meet again !

  • Lena1212
    Lena1212
    May 8, 2020 at 9:36 am

    I would not recommend this place. I stayed at Miguel’s place for almost two weeks and even though the place itself is very beautiful, I didn’t feel safe there at all. Miguel was always absent and didn’t take care of the retreat participants in a way they deserve. He didn’t really explain anything about the plant or about the ceremonies and because of the bad guidance and general atmosphere half of the guests (!!) decided to quit the retreat. I believe that these numbers speak for themselves. Miguel was not interested in talking about the situation either, he didn’t understand why people didn’t feel save or supported by him and didn’t even give participants who paid for a whole week, but had to quit it after two days, any money back. Later I also learned that he took advantage of volunteers when they were on medicine after they refused him sober. On top of that, he betrayed his girlfriend when she was on vacation, what lead to a very weird atmosphere when she came back, since everybody knew about it. That is neither professional, nor fair for his girlfriend or the participants. Furthermore, Miguel owns around 6 big dogs, most of them are German Shepards. One of them is deeply traumatized, always chasing his tail, and just not Master if his senses. Even though I appreciate the fact that Miguel tries to heal this dog, I didn’t feel save at a place where a mental dog is running around. Later, after having some disagreements with volunteers, Miguel even threatened one of the volunteers to put the dogs on her. From my perspective she didn’t do anything wrong, but asked a lot of questions about medicine and how to become a shaman, which just shows her interest in the place and Miguel’s work and shouldn’t be a reason for kicking her out and threatening her. But maybe she hit a sore spot, since Miguel never finished his shaman training. I don’t want to be unfair in any way, so I need to mention that Miguel never told me that himself, but the volunteers that were around (some of them for over a month). Moreover, Miguel asks the volunteers to pay a weekly fee of 30 dollars. Everybody who went to Ecuador before knows that there is no way to spend 30 dollars per week on casual food like pasta, rice, lentils, vegetables and fruits. After asking him if the volunteers could do the groceries by themselves, he denied it. I suspect that he does not use the money only for the volunteers food, but also for the food for the guests. I believe that Chakapita could be a very beautiful place, since the surrounding is simply amazing. But I don’t think that Miguel will ever be able to give participants the comfort and the security they need. His reputation in vilcabamba is also very bad, especially when it comes to how he treats women. My advise to all future participants: don’t go to this place. There are so many nice retreat places around Ecuador and Peru, look for a saver, more renowned and professional place where you can enjoy the whole magic of plant medicine in a safe environment with positive vibes !

  • LucyS
    LucyS
    May 7, 2020 at 1:47 am

    I have visited Chakapita 4 years ago. I decided to try aya medicine because I suffered from very strong headaches – migraines. My pain was so severe, that I was not able to go to work for two or three days.
    I attended four ceremonies – three during the night and one early at the morning (my favourite one). Miguel, the shaman who led the ceremonies helped me „walked“ through them. I felt safe and comfortable. The medicine reacted strongly with me especially physically, which means, that I lost my painfull migrains. Miguel helped me a lot in improving of my health. During the one ceremony Miguel removed black circle which he saw and which occured around my stomach. I think due to the Miguel ´s guidance during the ceremonies I lost problems with my migrains. Miguel did a great job and after my arrival I never had migrain again.
    Moreover, I loved the nature there and horse trip which Miguel organized for me and my friend.

  • Poeny
    Poeny
    May 6, 2020 at 8:42 pm

    When I first met Miguel at the Chakapita retreat center, I felt surprised not very comfortable. I had already booked a week long retreat and thought it would be hard to recoup my investment. I had some questions about the schedule and things we would be doing. He was displeased to receive these questions, annoyed and didn’t answer all of them. I was hesitant to continue on with the retreat. After a couple days and one ayahuasca evening session or ceremony, I left early. It did not feel like a safe space for me to be doing this work.

    Gratefully, I have worked with plant medicine before and I know what it feels like to be in a respectful and safe environment where the space is well held. I wish that for everybody.

    The grounds are very pretty. There are 5-7 dogs there. The dogs are loud and they bit someone. Unstable guard dogs don’t seem like a great fit for a healing retreat center. One runs in circles almost nonstop and seems traumatized. I don’t know what happened to them.

    The volunteers who were to help throughout the week that I met there were very kind. I only felt disappointed that they were extremely new and did not know anything about the overall schedule or the plants or the surrounding area.

    As I was leaving, I noticed Miguel smelled strongly of alcohol and his eyes were red. This made me feel like I made the right decision to exit the situation. He seems to be struggling with life in some ways and I wish him the best in his own healing journey. I don’t feel he is stable enough to be running a retreat center for other people necessarily.

    The surrounding area of Vilcabamba is amazing! Chakapita is about a 30 minute drive away from there and it is not always easy to get transportation but it is possible at certain times.

    There are many places to explore plant medicine around the world. I am so grateful that I have found other places that have helped on this path. I don’t recommend Chakapita or Miguel as a place or guide to my friends or family, but I wish them all peace in their journey towards wholeness.

1 2 3 4

Add Review

Leave a Reply

Recent Reviews

  • Mirco sadielync Review of Marosa Healing Center by Marosa is a down to earth, authentic haven for healing. The experience is very individualize, from the master plant diets to flexibility in schedules for focusing on your intentions. I appreciate the intimate groups that allow for a calmer atmosphere,… Read More from sadielync Mar 9, 20:14
  • Mirco karl Review of Lighthouse by I found choosing a retreat centre a bit of an ordeal but I can assure you I am extremely happy that I chose The Lighthouse. While in Iquitos for the weekend prior to the beginning of my retreat I was… Read More from karl Mar 9, 17:09
  • Mirco misamuel Review of Maharani Medicine Circles by A magical experience. These people are very idealistic, dedicated, knowledgeable and genuine. They work hard to make it really affordable. It does mean somewhat rustic conditions. Some people get to sleep on beds, others slept on mattresses on the floor.… Read More from misamuel Mar 9, 16:41
  • Mirco Guillaume n.g Review of Ayahuasca and Alternative Healing by What a Beautiful experience I had 🙂 The people that runs this place have their hearts in the right place, they are welcoming, care for and encourage the growth and development of yourself, they are amazing. Cute spot, small group… Read More from Guillaume n.g Mar 8, 19:56
  • Mirco pradeepbh Review of Lighthouse by My 13-day journey at The Lighthouse Ayahuasca retreat was nothing short of miraculous. As someone with no prior experience with Indigenous medicines, I had many apprehensions. However, the initial discussions with Ivan dispelled most of my fears, who offered a… Read More from pradeepbh Mar 8, 05:31