Helping to keep you safe by providing an independent place for thousands of Ayahuasca retreat reviews, as well as other plant medicines.
We invite you on a magical and life-transforming journey to the Upper Amazon region in Ecuador. This land is the homeland of the sacred plant Ayahuasca, from which the doctors of the jungle – the indigenous kichwa shamans – prepare the magical & visionary brew of the same name.
This brew cleanses the body and mind, purifies the soul and allows us to access the knowledge of one’s heart and the transcendental well of wisdom. It allows us to directly experience and converse with the Divine and the spirits of the Nature.
You are welcome to participate and receive healing and blessing from both Ayahuasca brew and the healer spirits it brings.
Add Review
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Recent Reviews
Review of Maharani Medicine Circles by Sat with Eliana and Austin in April as a birthday gift to myself, I’ve been wanting to take this next step in my journey for several years. It was a beautiful experience from the first phone call with Austin, I… Read More from oppiesax1983 Apr 18, 20:45- Review of Sapan Inka Retreat Center by I have attended retreat in March of 2023 and planning to visit again. Eric and Nikda were great hosts and healers. Higly recommend Sapan Inka. Thank you! Read More from Sasa1480 Apr 17, 15:59
- Review of Hummingbird Healing Center by The nine days that I spent at Hummingbird where the most transformative of my life. It has impacted my life in the most profound way. Don Manain and Jim were exceptional not just during ceremonies but also during the days… Read More from SashaG Apr 16, 16:41
- Review of Sapan Inka Retreat Center by I participated in a five day retreat with Sapan Inka (Erik and Nilda) in October of 2023. The retreat consisted of two ayahuasca ceremonies and one san pedro ceremony. Sapan Inka arranged for transportation for Cusco city to their home… Read More from psauerborn Apr 16, 13:53
- Review of Aya Madre Healing Center by Beautiful, Raw, Humble, Unique, not for the faint hearted. I love the rawness and how they have manged to keep authentic, your Tambo (room) is just a hut with a bed and shelve. the food is ok, you can have… Read More from Andres.Toro Apr 16, 05:33
leadoff
June 7, 2023 at 3:58 pmSo I was a guest two years ago and have been negatively impacted by the experience.
I’m not trying to hurt the reputation of the center in anyway but I want to provide comprehensive experiential information so that others can make the best decision for themselves.
I’m a psychotherapist with a decade and half of experience and have been studying indigenous cultures for nearly a decade. I’ve drank ayahuasca upwards of 100 times within the Santo Daime religion, and various shamanic cultures in Peru, Costa Rica, Columbia, Ecuador, and Mexico.
I’ll start with some of the good things about the retreat. Most of the support staff including Omar and the cook were great and treated you like family. The shaman was a solid approachable guy. The food was great and prepared with genuine love. The medicine was pretty smooth for what it is and not overly purgative. The weather and the mosquitoes were not too bad for the jungle.
Some of the so so things included the structure of the ceremony. After the shaman sang and worked on everyone he left. It was a little uneasy for me to see this because it was typically fairly early in the night and to not see someone holding the space caused a little bit of fear. Also, most of the guests are from the Czech Republic and don’t speak English. They were very nice folks but I wished this was revealed to me before I booked the trip because integrating with other guests is an important component of medicine work for me. Additionally, the integration in three languages was very long and tiring. And the facilitators could have put a little more effort in connecting to the guests, maybe in eating with them occasionally for example. A few folks have given respectful constructive feedback on google but it always seems to get taken down.
The uglier side of things…
There was no psychological screening at all. There was a guest with very severe borderline personality that caused lots of problems. I got a cold during the trip and went to lay down. Upon waking up I discovered that the guest with borderline was presenting my cold as plague like symptoms and scaring guests. I offered to take a covid test to satisfy their concerns and the facilitator told me that he wasn’t concerned because I didn’t have a fever. This upset the guest with borderline and she decided to access and share confidential medical records. I do not believe the breach to have been intentional but the owner did not seem to understand the damage that this caused. I believe that he could have done several things to make the situation right (refund, time with shaman, looking into the incident, etc) but he didn’t. I decided to look into the incident for myself after the trip to see how much of my information was leaked and it led to the center creating a fake website in my name which detailed my profession, my location, and even had a private picture of me. They also shared my demographic and contact information with at least 1 guest without my consent. I asked repeatedly and respectfully for the website to be taken down, as did a lawyer friend, but one year later it still hasn’t been. I’m backed into a corner in writing this review but I hope that it will help others. I still have nightmares about this experience but I don’t want to fight with the center. I send them love, peace, healing, and success.
Joao
September 21, 2022 at 2:03 amI feel truly blessed to have chosen Feather Crown as my first retreat on this medicial plant, and can’t recommend enough.
First of all, the place itself is absolutely magic. You are in the middle of the jungle, isolated, surrounded by lush green and a few minutes walk from the purest river I have ever been.
Secondly, the facilities and the hospitaly of the staff are exceptional. Really basic but comfortable huts that give you a deep forest experience and the quality of the food is superb! Truly incredible job of the cooks who every day presented us with rich food without salt, sugar or grease.
Last but not least, the Shaman (Don Carlos) and the team were expectional in every term. Don Carlos gives you a proper authentic experience with all the knowledge that his 78 years provide and the team, Barbara and Omar who made every feel compeltely safe, and were tireless and available for anything you need (and I really mean everything).
I couldn’t have asked for a better first experience to deep dive into the depth of this medicinal plant and I am deeply thankful to have found Feather Crown Retreat.
aintwasted
April 18, 2022 at 11:49 amFeather Crown is absolutely magical! It was our first time sitting with Ayahuasca and I’m so happy we went here! It’s a very intimate experience, I think they only allow up to 12 people at a time. So you get one on one time with the shaman during the ceremony. I’ve now done the 5 day and 13 day experience. I definitely recommend the 13 if you can. Taking 2 weeks to really be in it and focus on healing was the best experience I could have given myself!!
The complex is super rustic, but very comfortable and built in such a sustainable way! I felt my entire nervous system relax when I arrived. And you can go swim in this incredible river that’s just a short walk from the cabins. We were there daily.
It’s high enough altitude that there really aren’t mosquitos (huge plus haha). The entire staff has a heart of gold. Everyones super welcoming and knowledgable, the food is AMAZING!
I also love that you don’t super pack in ceremonies, especially for beginners. They take safety super seriously and really honor doing the experience in a gentle way and having plenty of time for rest and being with nature to integrate what you learn. And you get to go on rainforest walks on the off days and learn about other medicinal plants in the area.
I also love that they have a really close working relationship with the Indigenous communities in the area and do a lot of environmental advocacy. Feather crown is the real deal. You’ll be taken really good care of and they have a psychologist on staff and the Shamans have like over 50+ years of experience.
aseeker2
March 15, 2022 at 7:10 pmFeather Crown is the perfect Retreat Center to experience plant medicine whether it is your first time or 100th. Jan and his professional staff will ensure that your stay is all that you could ask for. The location, the food, the activities and experiences are all top notch. I hope to return some day!
sham
March 6, 2022 at 4:32 pmWhen you partake in an ayahuasca ceremony you are in a state of extreme vulnerability both physically and mentally. This is not only during the ceremonies but throughout the whole retreat and it’s very important to be and feel safe. The entire team is dedicated to keeping you safe on both the physical and emotional levels. During the ceremony, there are two people (Omar and Baru) who are responsible for looking after you and they do a tremendous job at doing so. Outside of the ceremony Omar and Baru are your guides for jungle walks and most importantly your friends. Fanny, Carlos, and Amada make sure you are well-fed with the best food possible and keep the center clean and amazing 24/7.
Aside from safety, I chose this center over others for authenticity and closeness to the indigenous culture/people and all my expectations here were met and exceeded. You cannot separate the indigenous from this whole experience as I see many other centers’s doing ceremonies in 5-star hotels. I was able to learn quite a lot about kichwa values and ways of life.
Gibi
March 5, 2022 at 12:27 pmGreat experience. Can’t imagine a better place to relax, meditate and get new perspectives. It’s located deep in Ecuadorian jungle nearby beautiful pristine river. Really an ideal atmosphere for such retreats.
Approach of organizers was professional. I always felt safe throughout the retreat and most of all throughout ceremonies. Staff was very helpful and our shaman was looking like he knows exactly what is he doing 🙂
Bonus is great food and activities such as crafting out own Ayahuasca neckless or jungle trips.
It was my first experience with plant medicine and I’m happy I chose this place.
aylahuasca
August 25, 2021 at 9:06 pmThe healing that I received during my stay at feather crown was beyond words. If you are already feeling the call to drink ayahuasca, this place provides a safe, caring space for you to go deep inside of yourself and heal your deepest wounds. I recommend it.
ArtW.
October 18, 2020 at 12:30 pmAs a first time experience with Ayahuasca one could not ask for a better environment, caring people and a considered approach to plant medicine. The folks were simply caring, warm, welcoming and extremely kind over a 10 day period. Did this in September 2020 and look forward to returning in 2021. Jan is a wonderful person and quite considerate. The whole team really makes one feel welcomed and cared for during the time you are there.
johnmedicine
January 5, 2020 at 3:26 pm2 very positive experiences at feather crown, one for 5 days, one for 8 days.
Don Carlos is a great shaman, so much time spent before, after, and during, on what you need individually.
Accomodation has all you need plus close to the maloka and the river.
Lovely food, great assistants.
Accessible from Quito and reasonably priced.
I came back after going somewhere else that did not focus enough on my needs.
Would recommend
Taylor
December 7, 2019 at 8:26 pmIn late September I was privileged to take part in a 13 day retreat. Having never in my life taken part in anything like this and with no experience with medicines/psychedelics of any type I was honestly a little unsure of what to expect, yet had high expectations. My experiences with Ayahuasca were very challenging– it’s very powerful– and within the first 30 minutes of ramping up and up and up I was sure I’d bitten off more than I could chew. My psyche was split into at least three. My mind-body and spirit became separate parts of the whole as flashing visions of spirals and tunnels of lights and thought streams took me to all kinds of strange revelations that I’m still trying to comprehend. Yet not once during my 4 ceremonies did I feel any fear, or apprehension. The professionalism and genuine care we received from Jan, Omar, Don Carlos and the team was second to none. They looked after us so well that even at the peek of Ayahuasca’s influence I felt perfectly safe.
The retreat was an amazing place. I’d honestly use the word “magical” to describe it. The fire-flies at night moving through the trees and following the paths between the huts and the temple were dream-like. The Amazon jungle too surprised me with the shear variety of plants and insects and animals. The noise of the jungle nightlife was really quite loud to be honest, but still a pleasant sound. Even the smell of the jungle, that natural perfume, it didn’t fade, if anything it grew stronger as the days progressed. I loved the fact we had no electricity, no radios, no WIFI for social media to distract us from living. Swimming in the sacred river, walking through the jungle, or swinging in the hammocks gave us plenty of time to rest and integrate what the medicine was teaching us. Oh yes, the food too was amazingly good. I could not have wished for a better group of people to be with and to share the experience with.
Thanks Jan and the Team,
I would do it all again.
Tim T
(New Zealand)