VILCABAMBA RETREAT

RITES OF RENEWAL
Ecuador Retreat

A guided pilgrimage for men, women and couples through Ecuador’s living landscapes, designed for those in transition and at life’s thresholds.

The journey begins in Vilcabamba, a region known for longevity and coherence between lifestyle, nature, and social structure. Here, participants engage in daily practices, relational rituals, San Pedro ceremonies, temazcal, ancestral practices, daily yoga, song and mantra, and educational sessions that support clarity and cognitive resilience during periods of change.

The pilgrimage concludes in Papallacta, where high-altitude thermal waters are used as an integration and rejuvenation phase. Mineral-rich heat, rest, and guided reflection support neuroplasticity, stress recovery, and the consolidation of insights into sustainable behavioral change. This final threshold marks the completion of the initiation — moving from insight to embodiment.

Held in community, this pilgrimage supports long term brain health, deep nervous system renewal, and embodied integration for the path ahead.

WHO IS THIS RETREAT FOR?

This is an invitation to a transformative journey in my beloved Ecuador. This retreat is for men and women in transition—whether you are stepping into midlife, navigating changes in your body, work, or identity, or simply feeling the quiet knowing that something new is asking to be born.

Here, we gather at the river’s edge, at the mountain’s foot, by the fire, in the wind, to remember: transitions are sacred.

Together in Vilcabamba, we will
• Work with lineage-rooted ceremonies and intentional practices held with care and cultural respect with local elders and wisdom keepers.
• Gather in community around shared rites — morning circles, integration dialogues, medicine songs, fire, movement, and communal tasks.
• Spend time with the land, the water, and one another in nature.
• Engage in practical embodiment practices — from hikes to waterfalls, to temazcal and horseback riding.
• Create space for real dialogue about what’s shifting, ending, or emerging in your life.

Throughout our journey, we will delve deep into the heart of Ecuador’s rich cultural tapestry, ancient wisdom, earth medicines, and breathtaking natural landscapes.

the retreat includes:

the retreat includes:

ROUNDTRIP DOMESTIC FLIGHT FORM QUITO TO VILCABAMBA

7 NIGHTS OF SHARED ACCOMMODATIONS AT FINCA LA SOFIA WITH COMFORTABLE BEDDING AND LINENS AND COMPLEMENTARY LAUNDRY SERVICE

TRANSPORTATION TO PAPALLACTA HOT SPRINGS AFTER RETREAT FOR REJUVENATION JOURNEY

2 NIGHTS OF SHARED ACCOMMODATIONS AT TERMAS DE PAPALLACTA HOT SPRINGS WITH BREAKFAST INCLUDED

ENGLISH, FRENCH AND SPANISH SPEAKING EXPERIENCED FACILITATORS, LOCAL RITUALISTS, SHAMANS AND MEDICINE MEN AND WOMEN

DAILY YOGA PRACTICE

A DAILY MENU OF THREE MEALS A DAY AND SNACKS OF DELICIOUS FARM TO TABLE ORGANIC, LOCAL DISHES WITH INGREDIENTS CAREFULLY PREPARED AND CHOSEN TO SUPPORT COGNITIVE HEALTH

MEDICINE SONGS WILL BE LEARNED AND PRACTICED IN GROUP ON CERTAIN DAYS AROUND THE FIRE.

EARLY MORNING HIKE TO MANDANGO SACRED MOUNTAIN, COCA LEAVES WORK, GUAYUSA BLESSINGS, DESPACHO CEREMONY

POTTERY WORKSHOP

TEMAZCAL (SWEAT-LODGE) CEREMONY

CACAO CEREMONY AND SOUND JOURNEY

HORSEBACK RIDING MORNING THROUGH THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS OPTIONAL

EVENING SAN PEDRO MEDICINE CEREMONY

DAYTIME SAN PEDRO POWER WALK CEREMONY

WATERFALL BATHING

INTEGRATION AND SHARING CIRCLES

A MORNING OF LEISURE IN VILCABAMBA TOWN

1:1 INTERVIEWS IN PREPARATION FOR RETREAT

1:1 INTEGRATION PROCESS