Harmonica Ayahuasca Retreat Center

Harmonica, formerly Guacamayo, is an ayahuasca retreat centre in Girardota, Antioquia, about 55 minutes from Medellín in Colombia. It runs group retreats of three, four and seven days at Finca Monterrey.

Approach

The founder, Oliver Glozik, is a former corporate manager turned integration coach. Ceremonies are led by Sergio Henao, a former philosophy professor who has trained with the Kamëntsá Biyá people for more than 17 years and led over 700 ceremonies; his wife, Vanessa Delgado, leads some. A ceremony starts after sunset and lasts four to eight hours, with icaros sung live and a closing circle at dawn. The ayahuasca comes from a Kamëntsá Biyá family in southern Colombia, whom the centre helps to buy land for growing it. Retreats add sharing circles, breathwork and ice baths, and the seven-day programme a cacao ceremony and art therapy.

Who it is for

The centre says most of its guests are first-timers, and it writes for people dealing with trauma, addiction or a life transition. It calls its rooms comfortable rather than luxurious.

Practical details

The three-day retreat costs $695, the four-day $895 and the seven-day $1,495. Guests share rooms of two to four or pay $70 a night more for a private room. Organic meals and transport from Medellín are included, and an airport pickup costs $80 each way. Groups are capped at 12.

Care and safety

Each guest starts with a free 30-minute call and a health survey, and the centre says every applicant is screened medically and psychologically. Anyone taking an SSRI, an MAOI or lithium, or with a serious heart condition, must speak with a doctor before being accepted. A physician, Kevin Zapata, MD, is on site at every retreat, with one facilitator for every two guests through the ceremony night. Afterwards there are free weekly integration calls.