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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.
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Lizzy Sommer
May 3, 2020 at 12:45 pmI volunteered at Vilcabamba for about a month and I had the most powerful experiences of my life. The medicine reacted with me strongly and took me to my deepest fears. It was scary at many points but I have learned that what I experienced was necessary for me to grow. When I had troubling visions, Miguel and other guests comforted me and helped me through them. They made me feel like family there and I felt very safe and comforted by everyone.
Everything about Chakapita was incredible, as well as the local town of Vilcabamba. It‘s perfect, a rural oasis with the friendliest people you could ever meet and the most amazing food (and surprisingly the best pizza in the world). There’s so many local excursions to experience while you’re there too like hiking and horseback riding in the mountains.
I have traveled to many places all around the world, but this little spot in Ecuador has stolen my heart and has become my favorite place I’ve ever been, as there’s absolutely nothing like it anywhere else.
Miguel is so kind, respectful, funny, welcoming, accommodating, wonderful, and knowledgeable.
Chakapita is a place you can always feel safe at.
Everyone in Vilcabamba knows Miguel and what he does and it’s awesome to be able to talk so openly about it with people in the town. He had a great reputation and is loved by everyone and anyone who says otherwise isn’t being honest. People in the town are also very friendly and easy to get to know.
The groups of people during ceremonies are often small and sometimes only 2 other people are participating with you. This helps you feel more connected and safe, as you can be focused on during the ceremony if you ever need anything.
Chakapita is in a great location right out of the rural Vilcabamba only a short taxi away. It is truly a beautiful and peaceful paradise within itself and it’s the perfect place to have experiences with Ayahuasca, San Pedro, and Wilka.
It’s a dream to be here and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking into ceremonies.
Ma2J
May 3, 2020 at 12:26 pmI had a wonderful time with Miguel and Katie in Chakapita. They are considerate and attentive to the well-being of residents.
Miguel shows amazing sensitivity in his great ability to guide a ceremony. And outside of the ceremony, he has an impressive intuition. He guessed without me even talking to him about the questions I was asking myself at this period of my life.
The ayahuasca of Miguel is not intended to provoke strong sensations, the curative side is privileged.
Those looking for a psychedelic experience will be a little disappointed, but this place is perfect for those who want to have a real shamanic experience.
lonelytrooper
May 2, 2020 at 5:24 amMiguel is not a Shaman, nor does he claim to be. Just a local with some basic knowledge of the medicine trying to organize ceremonies based on his experience.
What you need to be aware of is that there is no guarantee for Ayahuasca to have any effects on you. You may end up paying over $450 for two nights of diarrhea and sickness. So if you are looking for an authentic Ayahuasca experience with some real Shaman with spiritual supervision and guidance and certain outcome, Chakapita may not be for you. Real ones usually don’t have a profile on the internet!
The construct of Chakapita is beautiful, however a bit far from everywhere. There are retreats with the same price and better facilities that are closer to the town. For a one-week or 10-day retreat it is fine, however, if you are planning to stay there longer or use it as a hostel this might be problematic.
The facilities are basics, so don’t expect nets on windows, hot shower or fast internet.
Based on my own experience, if you are lucky and the group you are doing the retreat is right, you will have a great experience. We were lucky to have a fun and caring volunteers, so we could ignore the fact that some of us didn’t feel the Ayahuasca at all and the lack of real spiritual supervision.
For San Pedro, you will be fine to do it with your friends, since the medicine is easy to make and does the job on its own. 😉
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Admin’s note: AyaAdvisors does not condone taking San Pedro without an experienced sitter. It is a powerful medicine that can take even the most experienced person by surprise (ask me how I know).
Chakapita
May 4, 2020 at 12:34 pmHi lonelytrooper,
I am deeply sorry you did not enjoy your experience here. I would like to comment on a couple things- for one our ceremonies have never cost as much as you claim- it is $400 for 4 days and 2 ceremonies with Ayahuasca. For 2 nights of ceremonies it would be $200. Additionally we discounted you $50 on two ceremonies, gave you discounts on other things as well, and drove you to town many times for free.
Often people do not have visions during the experience with Ayahuasca. Many people do, but some do not. For some this is not what they need in this moment. This was your first experience with sacred plants so with time and more experience you will learn this is true. Also your attitude during the retreat was not someone looking for healing, but you referred to these sacred plants as drugs and getting “high.” They are to heal and with them I clean my guests; I do not sell drugs.
I apprenticed for years in the jungle with Shuar shamans and in the mountains with respected native shamans of the Andes with San Pedro and Wilka. I studied for years and then gave free ceremonies for 10 years to Ecuadorians before asking payment. In total I have given ceremonies for 23 years.
Again, I am very sorry. We did not ask you to stay for 3 weeks after your retreat ended, especially if you were not happy here. We wish you all the best in your life.
liliana
April 26, 2020 at 4:05 pmI would not recommend this retreat center to others. I don’t consider it ideal or safe for women.
The shaman and manager of the site was disrespectful towards female volunteers and predatory towards me.
The dieta surrounding sex is not followed by Miguel. He had sex with me during a ceremony heavily under the influence after I refused him sober, and it was a terrible experience. He asked me to lie about this so that his girlfriend was not surprised or angered.
When I told Miguel I didn’t want that with him at first, I really thought he understood and would respect it. I also felt some sense of safety in numbers since there was a small, caring group participating in the ceremonies together. Ultimately, he got me away from the group during ceremony to grope and have sex with me.
I was really surprised by the experience because of positive reviews I read about this place.
Besides these gross boundary violations, there is other evidence of financial exploitation. He asks volunteers at the center to pay money for “their food” each week which actually covers food for an entire household or retreat for the whole week. He told me he lost a lot of his money and is trying to make it back. He does this by selling retreats to foreigners and by taking foreign volunteers who pay. Whereas, it would be more appropriate to have reliable people in the local economy cook and clean.
The only positive is the physical site itself–picturesque, beautiful and everything you could hope for regarding a natural environment.
After going through all this, I learned that Miguel has a *very* poor reputation in the surrounding community for the way that he interacts with women and other reasons. I wish I would have known this before turning up there.
I feel obligated to write this review to protect other unsuspecting people who would go here for any reason, especially women who might have unwanted advances and experiences as I did.
Chakapita
May 4, 2020 at 12:28 pmLiliana,
It is obvious you are deeply hurt. Your accusations are lies, however. We have never harassed anyone, and absolutely no one has ever been sexually assaulted as you claim. I would like to explain that this person was a volunteer. They were very difficult to work with- talking negatively to guests, complaining in front of guests about how things are run here, and not doing their job of cleaning rooms, kitchen and cooking. The money for volunteers is the minimum to cover their own food per week, which they agree to pay before coming here. We had to ask them to leave early and I believe for this reason they are seeking some sort of revenge.
We wish you peace in your heart. Blessings.
Applefree
April 9, 2020 at 8:57 pmMiguel and Katie are adorables and take good care of their residents and off the all being. I spend 3 weeks their wich seemed like few days. They gave me help and opportunities to experiment what I was looking for.
Muchas gracias and many blessings to Chakapita.