Are you ready to embark on a transformative journey that extends beyond traditional plant medicine experiences? Join us for an eight-day all-inclusive (excluding airfare) retreat in the breathtaking Andes Mountains of Ecuador. This immersive experience offers not only access to authentic plant medicines—Ayahuasca, San Pedro Wachuma, Hapeh, and Psilocybin—but also a unique opportunity to connect deeply with a harmonious community dedicated to spiritual growth and emotional healing. 

 Under the guidance of experienced Amazonian healers, you will explore profound dimensions of self through ancient rituals and the nurturing power of nature. This is more than a retreat; it’s a doorway to personal awakening and healing, where every element is aligned to support your journey to wholeness. 

 Don’t miss this chance to transform your life. Your path to healing and self-discovery awaits—step into this sacred space and embrace the power of unity and tradition.

For as long as humans have walked this beautiful planet, plants have held a sacred and critical space for our physical development and personal growth. Plant medicines can help us know our place in the Universe, heal our bodies, and connect us to Spirit. You can explore with us in a safe and grounded manner with truly gifted and experienced Healers.

Thrilling News! Our 2024 Ecuador Plant Medicine Retreat is booked solid!

We can’t wait to set off on this transformative journey with you all this July. It’s going to be an incredible experience! ✨

Don’t worry if you missed out this time! We’re already buzzing with excitement as we plan our next healing adventure to Ecuador. ️

Stay in the loop! Fill out the form below to join our trip mailing list. We’ll be sure to let you know as soon as the next adventure is scheduled. 

Here’s to unforgettable experiences and healing!

Dates: February 14 to 22nd
Location: Peguche, Ecuador

Price$6,500 $5500

* Payment plans available

A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot.

For more info and if you have any questions or concerns please email jessica@hautehealingtours.com

Fill out the form below to start the reservation process.

Cancellation Policy

Please note that there is a $1000 non-refundable deposit for the Healing Tours. The trip is non-refundable unless we can find a replacement for your spot. If you need to cancel more than 60 days before the retreat, you will receive a full refund of the remaining balance (excluding the deposit). For cancellations made between 30 and 59 days before the retreat, 40% of the remaining balance will be refunded. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made less than 30 days before the retreat unless a replacement is found for your spot.

Conversations with Ecuadorian Shamans

Ignite your spirit on April 2 at 7 PM with “Conversations with Ecuadorian Shamans.” We’re thrilled to host Tita Tuamari, revered shaman and plant medicine sage, alongside HHO’s luminary Dr. Jessica Chichester and esteemed trauma and LMFT Erin Doolittle for a transformative virtual encounter. Don’t miss this fusion of expertise and passion.

Preview our July 2024 retreat to Ecuador, where ancient shamanic teachings and nature’s power promise a personal evolution.

What’s included in this trip?

Private Health Assessment

Ensuring your wellness before embarking on the journey.

Airport Transfers

Smooth transportation to and from Quito International Airport.

Local Transfers

Convenient travel for all group activities.

Accommodation

Stay at the serene Andean Mountain Lodge in Peguche, Ecuador, with options for single or double occupancy and private showers.

Farm-to-Table Dining

Delight in meals freshly prepared with locally sourced ingredients.

Welcome Celebration

Immerse in Indigenous music and dance to kickstart the experience.

Breathwork & Sound Healing

Engage in transformative sessions from international healers designed to soothe and rejuvenate.

Cultural Insights

Gain knowledge from Ecuadorian Cultural History Experts.

Natural Wonders

Explore the majestic local Waterfalls and wildlife.

Creative Workshops

Craft your own traditional dream catcher.

Cultural Expedition

Journey to South America’s oldest artisan market for shopping and local cuisine.

Healing Ceremonies

Participate in a Shamanic healing ceremony

Massage

Enjoy a Lomi Lomi Hawaiian massage.

Intuitive Healing Bath

Experience a reading with a revered, local healer, that includes a ritual bath with crystals, herbs, and flowers.

Nature Walks

Traverse a mountain forest and embark on a nature discovery tour of the local area.Integration Sessions: Reflect and integrate your experiences during and after the retreat.

Healing Ceremonies

Chanupa (Tobacco)

A traditional ceremony for connection and grounding.

Ayahuasca

A transformative plant medicine journey.

San Pedro Wachuma Forest Ceremony

Experience healing in nature.

Psilocybin

Navigate a path of self-discovery.

Temazcal (Sweat Lodge)

Purify body and soul in this ancient ritual.

Pachamanka

Celebrate Mother Earth with a traditional meal.

Rapé

Connect with this sacred tobacco for clarity and cleansing.

“I am beyond grateful that with your help and energy that surrounded me, I was able to release and shed so much darkness that was holding me down. I truly feel like a new person!”
– Charlie S.

PLANT MEDICINE OPPORTUNITIES

Be guided by Plant Medicine Healers with many decades of experience in the tradittion of the amazong region.

Ayahyuasca

A combination of two plant species, a vine, Banisteriopsis caapi, and leaves of the shrubby plant, Psychotria viridis (or a similar substitute) are used to produce a psychotrophic experience. Mother ayahuasca will guide you through your spirit travels – never the same path is taken.

Wachuma (San Pedro Cactus)

Derived from the outer green layer of the San Pedro Cactus plant, Echinopsis pachanoi, Wachuma is a relaxed and grounding journey. You can anticipate a reduction of your conscious filters, allowing a look at the world in a very different context.

Psilocybin

The spirits of the mushrooms are at times playful and mischievous. Joyfully known as the “Smurfs” of the psychedelic world, they provide you with a magical connection to the Universe.

PLANT MEDICINE HEALERS & FACILITATORS

Meet Your Guides

Tuamari Lema

Tuamari Lema

20 years of Healing Training

Taita Mayor Simón Lucitande Yaiguaje

Taita Mayor Simón Lucitande Yaiguaje

Nearly 7 decades of Healing others with plant medicines & ceremony

Taita Juan Bautista

Taita Juan Bautista

25 years of recognized Amazonian plant medicine therapeutics and healing

Natalia

Natalia

Facilitator, Guide & Translator

Gabo and Liz

Gabo and Liz

Facilitator & Guide

Flor

Flor

Facilitator & Guide

Erin Doolittle

Erin Doolittle

Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT)

Dr. Jessica Scofield Chichester

Dr. Jessica Scofield Chichester

Facilitator & Guide

“Thank you both SO MUCH for the best, most transformative and fun week of my life!!!”

Nicole C.

Date: January 2025 Location: Peguche, Ecuador Price:  $6,500 * Payment plans available A $1,000 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot.

For more info and if you have any questions or concerns please email jessica@hautehealingtours.com

Fill out the form below to start the reservation process.

Cancellation Policy
Please note that there is a $1000 non-refundable deposit for the Healing Tours. The trip is non-refundable unless we can find a replacement for your spot. If you need to cancel more than 60 days before the retreat, you will receive a full refund of the remaining balance (excluding the deposit). For cancellations made between 30 and 59 days before the retreat, 40% of the remaining balance will be refunded. No refunds will be issued for cancellations made less than 30 days before the retreat unless a replacement is found for your spot.

WAIVER AND RELEASE OF LIABILITY

Zoom 9/7/22
Dr. Stephen O’Connor and Shamans in Ecuador, giving a detailed account about the trip – what the trip includes, what to expect, and all your questions answered.

Watch Zoom ⇾

Ayahuasca FAQ’S

What is ayahuasca?

Ayahuasca is a drink made by brewing the leaves of plants from the Amazon rainforest into a tea. Some of the leaves that are brewed contain the active substance DMT. Other leaves help to slow down how your body absorbs DMT. This extends the effects you feel and creates a longer experience.

In South America, drinking ayahuasca has been done for hundreds of years in rituals and religious practices among the people who are native to the region. In recent years, American and European tourists have been traveling to the area to experience the effects of ayahuasca first hand. Others are importing the leaves to the U.S. through legal loopholes and religious exemptions and offering the drink as part of ceremonies linked to Native American beliefs.

What is DMT, and how does it relate to ayahuasca?

DMT is a naturally occurring substance that creates the hallucinogenic effects of ayahuasca. DMT is found in various plants native to the Amazon, but the substance also occurs naturally in the human brain and can be found in the blood and urine. It’s role in the body is not well understood, though.

In 1931, a British chemist was able to create artificial DMT in a lab. The drug became a controlled substance in the early 1970s, after it gained increased interest and popularity in the 1960s.

Pure DMT can be injected, but it is usually smoked by those wanting a shorter period of hallucinations. When you consume pure DMT, the effects may only last between 30 and 45 minutes.

 

What can I expect from using ayahuasca?

Depending on the setting, you could have a very traditional ceremony in the jungles of South America or a weekend retreat somewhere in the U.S. There could be someone reputable on hand to help you understand the drink, what to expect, and how to make the most of the experience. Or you could receive very little guidance at all.

Shortly after consuming ayahuasca, the drug will cause vomiting and intense diarrhea before the visions appear. This “purging” is part of the process and is supposed to cleanse and prepare you for what is to come.

Soon after, the hallucinations begin. The visions are believed to reveal the nature of life, disease, and being human. You may feel enlightened and connect to some greater understanding of life and truth.

A wonderful experience is not promised, though. You could be transported to a scary and painful experience due to intensely negative hallucinations.

DMT can create effects in the body very quickly, but the addition of other leaves in the brew extends the duration of the hallucinations, causing them to last for several hours.

How is ayahuasca taken?

How is ayahuasca taken?

Traditional use of ayahuasca in South America involves small ceremonies where a shaman and a small group of people would take the drink to address and resolve specific illnesses. Current ayahuasca ceremonies in the U.S. may be led by someone who calls themselves a “shaman” or “healer” and presents the drink to a larger group.

 

What are the wanted effects of ayahuasca?

Rather than seeking physical wellness or healing, you may be interested in using the drug to resolve some sort of spiritual or life crisis. You may seek enlightenment or a way to overcome struggles that have weighed you down.

You may use the drug to create the wanted effects of ayahuasca like:

Hallucinations
Intensified feelings and sensory perceptions
Mixing senses where you feel colors or see sounds
Distorted sense of time
Increased energy
With ayahuasca, you can note hallucinations that involve “otherworldly imagery” that could include heavenly experiences or hellish visions.

 

What are some of the risks involved?

The process of drinking ayahuasca is uncomfortable, so you should understand what you face before using the substance. When you drink the tea, you can expect significant side effects of ayahuasca like:

High blood pressure
Dizziness
Nausea and vomiting
Increased heart rate
Agitation
Risk of seizures
There is no information to suggest that repeated use of ayahuasca results in any unwanted physical or mental health issues in the long term, but not much research has been conducted on the drug. Issues like tolerance, addiction, and dependence do not seem to appear with DMT.

What mental health issues may ayahuasca help with?

Because of the drug’s legal status, conducting research studies about ayahuasca and DMT is challenging. Instead, experts conduct surveys to gather information about the drug and its potential benefits.

One survey found that 80% of people who used the drug reported significant improvements in their mental health symptoms. There were also reports of less depression and higher quality of life.

Other findings show that users of ayahuasca report:

Elimination of depressive, anxious, and addictive symptoms
Higher social and emotional functioning
Increased self-awareness, creativity, and empathy
Based on these findings, experts are pursuing the study of ayahuasca in the treatment of:

Addictions including cocaine use disorders, alcohol use disorders, and opioid use disorders.
Depressive disorders
Anxiety disorders
No one is sure how DMT produces these results, but experts guess that the substance interacts with chemicals in the brain, like dopamine, to change brain chemistry. They also suspect that the resolution of past trauma with the drug can help you better understand yourself. This improved understanding is why some believe ayahuasca can enhance psychotherapy.

* Reference GoodRX Health

Huachuma San Pedro FAQ’S

What to expect?

After consuming San Pedro, most people start to feel the effects within 15-40 minutes, but it could take up to three hours to peak. Coming down can take another three hours, and the whole experience usually lasts 10 hours or so. San Pedro also usually leaves a lasting afterglow, which can make it difficult to sleep after the effects wear off. [1]

Many people are surprised at how different San Pedro (and mescaline, in general) is from other psychedelics they’ve tried. San Pedro can leave you feeling relaxed and in control, for instance, even if you’re tripping heavily. [2][3][4][5][6] One user compared its effects to MDMA, but felt they were “more amazing.” “Mescaline didn’t feel like rolling [being high on MDMA],” he said, “Rolling felt like mescaline.” The same user went on to say that it was “like all the best effects from all the drugs all put into one… the great body feeling and incredible empathy and understanding of ecstasy… the focus and energy and drive of acid… the journey effect that I always enjoyed from shrooms… It was the soberest we had ever felt in our life.”[4]

When the effects of San Pedro first hit, it’s common to feel drowsy or dizzy, often with a sense of tingling or electricity in the veins.[7][5] Nausea, vomiting, and perspiration are also common on the come-up.[8]

San Pedro usually produces visual effects, including whirlpools of colored light, flashes in the peripheral vision, kaleidoscopic patterns, and white, ghostlike outlines around people.[8] “Out-of-body” experiences are also common, as is synesthesia (e.g. “feeling” and “smelling” sights and sounds), mild depersonalization, and distortions of spatial awareness.[9][10][8][11][12] At the same time, ordinary things around you can appear more interesting, beautiful, and amazingly mystical—qualities that define the mescaline experience.[13]

All of this often culminates in a clear and connected thought, self-realization, empathy, and euphoria. However, “bad trips” and dysphoric symptoms may be more common among people who don’t pay attention to set and setting and/or have histories of mental illness.[14]

 

What are San Pedro ceremonies?

For safety and ethical reasons, it’s best to experience San Pedro in the context of a ceremony with a qualified curandero (healer), which are becoming more common in the West, in addition to the growing number of retreats in South America.

These ceremonies often last all night and are repeated over several days. In addition to San Pedro, curanderos may use other plants, including other cacti and succulents, lycopods (clubmosses), datura, brugmansia, and Isotoma/Hippobroma longiflora (aka the “Star of Bethlehem”).[8][7][15][16][17]

Ceremonies traditionally center on a “healing altar” or mesa, covered with “power objects”—ancient artifacts, staffs, stones, crosses, images of saints, and more. These are usually sorted into three zones or fields (campos) according to their energy alignment—positive (life-giving), negative (death-taking), or neutral.[8][15][18]

Before ingesting San Pedro, ceremony participants are “purified” with a bath of “spiritual flowering” or baño de florecimiento, and often snort tobacco. After, each person is diagnosed and treated by the healer, which might involve the invocation of spirits from both Andean and Christian cosmology and passing a sword or staff over the patient in the form of a cross.[8][19] Sometimes a guinea pig is passed over the body instead, then killed and dissected to determine the activity or source of an illness.[19][15]

Whatever takes place in the ceremony, cures are generally attributed to the plant as opposed to the healer or shaman. The healer is considered a facilitator, “activated” by the cactus to stimulate “the five senses of the patient in a familiar cultural environment” using music, perfumes, symbols, and other ritual elements.[8]

In a traditional ceremony, distinctions between the body and mind go by the wayside. Shamans may recognize the medical causes of disease—and even integrate pharmaceuticals into practice—but they’ll generally look beyond the strictly physical for an underlying spiritual basis for the illness.[8][1][16] Contemporary practitioners tend to frame this in psychosomatic terms, viewing “illness as a thoughtform” and the “guidance of the plant” as helping patients “to see the origin of [their] own illness without judgments or interpretations from others.”[20][21]

What are the effects?

Pharmacology
San Pedro contains highly variable concentrations of mescaline, which is densest in the outermost, greenest layer of the cacti’s flesh. [9][7][22][23][24][25][26][27] Like MDMA and 2-CB, mescaline is a phenethylamine, which puts it in a different class of psychedelics than the tryptamines (psilocybin, DMT) and ergolines (LSD, LSA). The cactus also contains hordenine, anhalonidine, anhalonine, trichocerine, tyramine, and several substituted phenethylamines besides mescaline.[22][26] While their effects are thought to be secondary or negligible compared to mescaline’s, they may account for some of San Pedro’s purported medicinal benefits. Hordenine, for example, is an antibiotic, and anhalonidine has a mildly sedative effect.[28]

Dive deeper into San Pedro’s full spectrum of active ingredients, including mescaline, anhalonidine, and anhalonine in our recent article.

Receptor binding
Mescaline binds to virtually all serotonin receptors in the brain but has a stronger affinity for the 1A and 2A/B/C receptors. It is structurally similar to LSD and often used as a benchmark hallucinogen when comparing psychedelics.

Like nearly all hallucinogens, the psychedelic effects of mescaline are likely due to its action on serotonin 2A receptors.[29]

Mescaline also has an affinity for the dopamine receptors, either as a selective reuptake inhibitor or as a dopamine receptor agonist.[30]

 

What is a good dosage?

There’s no way to tell how much mescaline a cactus contains just by looking at it, which can make finding the right dosage tricky—especially given San Pedro’s variability. Just 50g dried cactus material might contain as little as 150mg of mescaline (a threshold dose) or as much as 1150mg of mescaline (a potential overdose).[27] It’s best to work with a qualified San Pedro ceremony facilitator to ensure you get the right dose.

What are the benefits & risks?

Potential Benefits
San Pedro has long been considered a powerful agent for healing and change, making it a central component of the shamanic ceremonies of many indigenous groups in the Americas. For many, a San Pedro journey offers deep insight into the self and the universe, giving one a greater sense of connection and spirituality. Mescaline is also known for fostering compassion and gratitude, while alleviating psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, PTSD and addiction.

Mescaline has also been shown to help people solve problems, access their creativity, be more environmentally conscious, and improve learning. In its original use, the plant medicine was also used to treat a number of ailments, including snake bites, wounds, skin conditions, and general pain.

Risks
Due to its status as an internationally controlled substance, research into the harm potential of mescaline—especially long-term—has been limited. A lethal dose has never been identified, probably because it’s too high to be taken accidentally.[31] But that doesn’t mean it’s entirely safe. People have died as an indirect result of mescaline use, including suicides and one fatal case from excessive vomiting. That’s why it’s important to monitor dosing closely. According to the Erowid Mescaline Dosage page, the maximum safe amount for a heavy trip is about 500 mg of San Pedro.[32]. However, dosage depends on the consumption method. For pure San Pedro extracts, Erowid indicates the maximum dosage is much lower–somewhere between 75 – 100 mg.

A 2005 study into the ceremonial use of peyote among Native American populations found there to be no detrimental long-term effects. [33] It should be noted, however, that its use in other contexts may not be as safe (remember: set and setting). However, its use in other contexts may not be as safe—later studies have found an association between prior mental health problems and “bad trips.” Stil, mescaline appears to present little risk of flashbacks, or hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD).[34][35]

Most mescaline goes straight to the liver, so it may not be safe if you have liver problems (although it was given to many chronic, often severely liver-diseased alcoholics in the 1950s and ’60s without any obvious complications).[28] People with colon problems, high blood pressure, heart conditions, diabetes, or mental illness should also be cautious.[20][36] Although peyote (which also contains mescaline) is traditionally consumed by Huichol women during pregnancy, mescaline has been linked to fetal abnormalities and should also be avoided by pregnant or breastfeeding women. [37][38]

San Pedro may not be safe in combination with MAOIs (natural or synthetic), including the antidepressants phenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate). Some use MAOIs like moclobemide (Amira, Aurorix, Clobemix, Depnil, Manerix) to enhance the effects or prevent nausea but they may not be safe for everyone’s biochemistry. In fact, MAOIs may actually increase or induce nausea.[39]

It’s possible that non-MAOI antidepressants (such as SSRIs) may dampen San Pedro’s psychoactive effects, but as far we know, combining the two is not physically dangerous.[36]