Awakenings Ayahuasca Retreat

Name: Awakenings Ayahuasca Retreat
Rating: 5

Santo Domingo Ecuador

5.0 (127 reviews)

Room Features

Property Features

Overview
Reviews
Add Review

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 (127)

5.0 out of 5

Overall 5.0

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.
Tony Vinter
February 10, 2025 at 5:33 pm

Tried Ayuasca first time, and I had to say it was life changing experience., which I can’t recommend well enough! Full ceremony with shaman was excellent, and everyone cares about me very well. Second day I tried San Pedro which was very exciting as well. I wish I could do both ceremonies again soon!
Adiaz89
February 2, 2025 at 7:31 pm

My time at Awakenings Ayahuasca was life changing. From the people (the Tsachilla are a beautiful people and culture) to the medicine to the natural beauty and connectedness of the place. I have never experienced anything like it before and will definitely be planning a return visit. I felt seen just as I am with no pretense or conditions for possibly the first time in my life. The medicine although maybe the most difficult thing emotionally I’ve ever done showed me things and helped me change and process my pain in ways I didn’t even know I needed. All while feeling completely safe and looked after while I went through it. I’ve been recommending Awakenings Ayahuasca to any and everyone as I believe whether you’re 10 years old or 110 years old it can help you with your personal journey through existence, worth every penny. Thank you to everyone there ❤️
Sea Love
January 29, 2025 at 10:50 am

Thank you Awakenings Ayahuasca for my retreat. It has been just over a decade since my first (and only) time with Ayahuasca in Peru, and for my second time, I wanted to experience Ayahuasca with a shaman in Ecuador as I understood that shamans in Ecuador are certified. This time, I came to Ayahuasca with my partner, and I’m truly glad that we decided to come to Awakenings Ayahuasca for our experience together. It was tailored to our needs with flexible dates and activities, and felt like a custom retreat for us. We had booked 3 ceremonies over 5 nights as a package. The first ceremony we shared with one other person, and the second ceremony was just us as a couple, which was truly phenomenal given the popularity of Ayahuasca these days and the large numbers of participants seen in other group ceremonies with Ayahuasca offering organisations. After my second ceremony, I had truly gone through the transformation I knew I needed, and I felt complete. I did not go ahead with my 3rd ceremony, as I felt my body needed to rest. My partner went on to do the 3rd ceremony we had booked, and he ended up with a private ceremony with our shaman Manuel from the 2nd ceremony, which was truly special. Manuel is an elder, and it was amazing to be held by him during our ceremony, I could feel his amazing nurturing energy and wisdom as an elder shaman. It was an honour to have come to Ecuador and experience the Tsachila culture at Awakenings Ayahuasca.