Casa del Sol Retreat Center

Casa del Sol is a family-run plant medicine retreat centre in the San Pedro valley at Vilcabamba, in Ecuador’s Loja province, beside a river. It runs six-day and ten-day ayahuasca and San Pedro retreats about once a month.

Approach

The centre is kept by Ximena Morales, a curandera born in Peru who has lived in Vilcabamba for 26 years, with Santiago Ayala, under whose supervision the medicines are given. Mateo Buki leads sound ceremonies, breathwork and kambo, and visiting healers such as Mira Jempe join the ceremonies. Ayahuasca nights run until sunrise with live music and icaros; San Pedro ceremonies last the day and close with an offering to Pachamama. Around them come kambo, a temazcal, plant baths and chi kung, and the ten-day retreat adds a second ayahuasca night and a San Pedro mountain hike. The San Pedro grows on the property; the ayahuasca is brewed in the Ecuadorian jungle and the kambo comes from the Matse of Peru.

Who it is for

The centre writes for people seeking personal growth, clarity about their purpose, or emotional and physical healing.

Practical details

The six-day retreat costs $925 in a shared riverside cabin, $1,125 in a shared room in the main house and $1,375 in a private room; the ten-day retreat costs $2,100 to $2,500. Groups are kept to 15 or fewer, and meals are vegetarian and mostly vegan. Ceremonies open and close in English or with a translator. An airport pickup costs $30.

Care and safety

Applicants complete a detailed medical and family history form. They must stop psychiatric and neurological medications at least two months ahead, with their doctor’s advice, and avoid recreational drugs, then follow an online preparation course and a preparatory diet. Each retreat opens with one-to-one interviews, and integration workshops run throughout.