Ayahuasca Retreats at the Hummingbird Center
An ayahuasca retreat at the Hummingbird Center offers an opportunity for deep healing and personal transformation, of the body, mind, and spirit through the wisdom of an experienced shaman rooted in Amazonian plant medicine traditions. This journey targets the underlying causes of disharmony, operating at both energetic and consciousness levels. It not only cleanses and revitalizes our energies but also facilitates a shift in our consciousness, helping to uncover and release limiting beliefs and misconceptions about our true nature.
More about our Ayahuasca RetreatsTransform Your Life at an Ayahuasca Retreat
The Hummingbird Center is an ayahuasca retreat center dedicated to helping people make life better. Founded in 2010, Hummingbird offers ayahuasca and san pedro healing retreats that stay true to this ancient plant-medicine tradition. Our curandero Manain is a 4th generation ayahuasquero with over 45 years of experience, and has mastered the subtleties of this plant-spirit medicine world.
Ayahuasca and the medicine spirits penetrate to the very roots of what ails us, bringing harmony and balance back to our energetic and spiritual bodies. This powerful medicine has the ability to show us the contents of our subconscious minds, so we clearly see patterns and beliefs that have kept us limited. It helps us make new choices, to shift our default mode of being, so we more naturally express our authentic selves and live in alignment with our desires.
Our holistic approach encompasses the physical, emotional, energetic and spiritual aspects of healing, as well as changing negative patterns in our thoughts and belief systems. In the shamanic view of illness, physical and psychological problems have their source in negative thought forms, a reflection of one's spiritual state of consciousness. Illness is an effect of these distorted thoughts. Unfavorable thoughts arise in the conscious mind and are then held in the subconscious, from which they can be transferred into the physical body. Because of this, true healing always has to begin at the spiritual level, and this is one of the ways ayahuasca works with us.
Our Retreats
12 Day Ayahuasca Retreats
Experience the deep healing and teaching of Peru’s two visionary medicine plants on a 12-day ayahuasca retreat. Led by a shaman with over 45 years of experience, participants benefit from six traditional ayahuasca ceremonies and one san pedro ceremony. Allow these powerful medicine plants to get at to root of your problems, clearing energies, beliefs and thought patterns that keep you limited in your daily life.
$2800
► 6 Ayahuasca Ceremonies► 1 San Pedro Ceremony
► Vapor and Mud Baths
► Meditation and Breath Work
► Talks on Changing Belief Systems
► Plant Baths Every Afternoon
9 Day Ayahuasca Retreats
Our 9 day retreat is an introduction to the magic of ayahuasca and the san pedro visionary cactus, with 5 total ceremonies. This retreat is a great choice for those looking for clarity of purpose, relief from minor emotional struggles, and a deeper understanding and acceptance of themselves. This shorter stay is also ideal for those who's primary intention is to deepen their spiritual lives and connection with the true Self.
$2400
► 4 Ayahuasca Ceremonies► 1 San Pedro Ceremony
► Vapor and Mud Baths
► Meditation and Breath Work
►Healing on Days Without Ceremony
► Plant Baths Every Afternoon
Immersion Ayahuasca Retreats
Immersion retreats are for those looking for extended work with ayahuasca, or whose condition needs a longer treatment plan. We offer extended stays of 3 or 4 weeks. Immersion retreats include at least one 8 day dieta with a master medicine plant chosen by the shaman to help with your healing and learning. Immersion retreats are an opportunity for profound transformation and growth.
$4000 -$4900
► 3 or 4 Week Stays►8 -12 Ayahuasca Ceremonies
►2 -3 San Pedro Ceremonies
► Master Plant Dietas
► Private Consultations With Shaman
► All Features of the 12 Day Retreat
Empowering People
The ultimate goal of the Hummingbird is to empower people. To not only receive deep healing, growth and transformation, but to acquire skill in managing our own emotional and energetic state. To take charge of our thoughts and emotions, and therefore our lives. To realize the power, love and joy that is an inherent part of our nature. Ayahuasca and san pedro accelerate this change.
We emphasize taking personal responsibility for our lives. To become mindful. To start paying attention to our inner world. Our thoughts, our emotions, our body, and the interplay between them. To accept ourselves exactly as we are in the moment, knowing we have the power to change, if we choose to exercise that power. Choice. We have Choice.
The medicine and doctor spirits, through the magic of ayahuasca and huachuma (San Pedro Cactus), help us to realize this. They clear our bodies of energies that keep us limited, help to free us from limiting beliefs acquired in childhood, and show us a better way to walk our lives. They help us to accept, like and love ourselves. To know we have conscious choice and agency to change our thinking, our behavior, our emotional response to events in our lives. An ayahuasca retreat is an opportunity to accelerate the journey to self awareness and awakening to our true selves.
Working With Highly Skilled Healers
It takes many years of training to develop good relationships with the medicine spirits and skill working with subtle spiritual energies to effect lasting healing. True mastery requires decades of experience, and Manain has been working with ayahuasca since he was 16 years old. Our lead facilitator has been guiding people through this healing process since 2010, and has facilitated over 1400 ayahuasca ceremonies.
At the Hummingbird you are under the care of highly experienced, caring, and compassionate practitioners dedicated to helping people heal and transform their lives. The depth of growth and change achieved has many saying they feel as though they have been reborn.
More about our Healers
Integrating What is Learned
Integrating the lessons learned in ayahuasca ceremony is what brings about lasting healing and transformation. Integration is about changing our behavior about showing up in life in more healthy, loving and effective ways. This is a simple and natural process. We learn something new and decide we want to incorporate it into our lives. After a period of attention, intention, and effort, it becomes a natural part of how we respond to life. It becomes integrated.
Taking conscious and focused action to anchor new ways of being into our lives accelerates the integration process. The Hummingbird includes a pre and post integration session with a professional as part of the retreat price. We also have a private integration group, and detailed information on how to help develop these new habits in your life.
More about Ayahuasca Integration
Upcoming Ayahuasca Retreats
| Date | Description | Price | Status | Book Now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1 - 12, 2025 | 9 - 12 Day Ayahuasca Retreat | $2400 - $2800 | Open | Book Now |
| May 15 - 26, 2025 | 9 - 12 Day Ayahuasca Retreat | $2400 - $2800 | Open | Book Now |
| June 1 - 9, 2025 | 9 Day Ayahuasca Retreat | $2400 | Open | Book Now |
| July 1 - 12, 2025 | 9 - 12 Day Ayahuasca Retreat | $2400 - $2800 | Open | Book Now |
| July 15 - 26, 2025 | 9 - 12 Day Ayahuasca Retreat | $2400 - $2800 | Open | Book Now |
Grandfather Huachuma - San Pedro
The Hummingbird Center also works with huachuma, the visionary and heart opening cactus of the Andes also known as san pedro. We have found ayahuasca and huachuma to be very complementary. Some individuals have a special affinity for one or the other of the medicines.
Occasionally huachuma will clear blocks in an individual that ayahuasca does not seem to touch. We have seen a number of people who were not having rich experiences with ayahuasca have significant breakthroughs with san pedro, then move on to have wonderful and productive ceremonies with ayahuasca.
The spirits of ayahuasca and San Pedro clearly know people are working with both. During the San Pedro ceremony many find their ayahuasca experiences come into focus understanding the lessons in much deeper and meaningful way. People have wanted to work on a specific area of their life during ayahuasca, and been told by the medicine that would be addressed with San Pedro, and it happened. The opposite has also occurred where people were clearly told something would be addressed in their next ayahuasca ceremony, and that also occurred. A beautiful and gentle healer and teacher, grandfather San Pedro tends to bring very clear lessons and most enjoy the experience.
After the first group San Pedro ceremony, if you prefer to work with it instead of ayahuasca you may do so. It is easy to arrange and we will work that out on a case by case basis. While the experience is very different than ayahuasca, it is a peer in its ability to heal and some people get much more from working with this medicine than with ayahuasca.
Prepare for your Ayahuasca Retreat
Good preparation is essential for maximizing the benefits of your time in ayahuasca ceremony. The cleaner our bodies and the clearer our minds when we arrive, the sooner ayahuasca can get to the root level of our troubles, the sooner she can begin imparting wisdom and insights that can transform our lives.
The body, mind and spirit all benefit from simple, time-proven practices that promote health, harmony and vitality. These practices are simply clean, healthy living, and one’s life would be better if they were always practiced. An ayahuasca retreat is a significant investment of your resources and energy. Get the most from this investment by arriving well prepared.
More about Preparing for Ayahauasca
Master Plant Dietas
A master plant dieta is a wonderful way to enhance your ayahuasca retreat experience, to deepen your experience with the plant medicine spirits and the healing they bring. They are a traditional method of physical and mental detoxification, and of forming a connection with the spirit of a plant for the purpose of learning or healing. Dietas at the Hummingbird Center are primarily done for the purpose of healing. As such they are not as rigorous as those required to learn to work with the plant spirits. Individual guidelines may vary, but usually it is a process done in addition to the regular retreat program, and the person dieting may participate in all scheduled retreat activities.
The work of the medicine plant spirits is energetic, spiritual and subtle. Some fairly strict rules need to be followed to minimize the energy that impacts your body so the spirits may do their work. These rules are simply the necessary conditions for the dieta to be effective. It is a time of quiet, reflection and meditation, of allowing the medicine to permeate the body and mind, gently removing blocks and realigning our energetic systems so they function as nature intended. Done well, the dieta will slowly reorganize the dieter’s mind, body and spirit, bringing the system into greater harmony, health and well-being.
The Hummingbird Center offers dietas on our 12 day ayahuasca retreats, and our 3 and 4 week Immersion Retreats. Plant dietas are a fundamental part of Amazonian healing traditions. Ayahuasca by itself will bring a certain, and often profound, level of cleansing, insight and healing. Including a dieta with a master medicine plant can take this to a much deeper level resulting in growth and healing far beyond what working with ayahuasca alone can achieve. Depending on what is being addressed or sought, a dieta may be required to realize meaningful results.
With any process of growth, transformation and healing, the individual’s attitude and commitment makes a profound difference in the results received. Strict adherence to the dieta, without complaint and maintaining a positive attitude, is also a clear demonstration of their commitment to heal, to step into a new way of being. Deep commitment lends strength and energy, removing resistance and lethargy. And the Universe always responds to a true commitment!
Included in our Ayahuasca Retreats
Ayahuasca Retreat Programs
Our retreats begin on the 1st and 15th of most months, and there is the option of either a 9 Day or 12 Day stay. All retreats include at least one San Pedro ceremony. We also have an Immersion Retreat program with 3 or 4 week stay for those looking to go deep with the medicine or who have more serious issues they want to address.
Ayahuasca Ceremonies
Our 9 day retreats include four ayahuasca and one San Pedro ceremony. The 12 day retreats have 6 ayahuasca and one San Pedro ceremony. The number of ceremonies on our Immersion retreats vary depending on whether they span the end of the month or not. Most people choose to sit out at least one ceremony to rest and integrate.
Master Shaman and Curandero
Master ayahuasquero Don Manain Amacifen has over 45 years of experience working with ayahuasca. Manain is a 4th generation curandero who began learning from his father and grandfather when he was sixteen years old.
Additional Plant Treatments
We have a plant based energetic cleanse before each ayahuasca ceremony. Every day of the retreat there is a plant bath made from medicinal and aromatic plants chosen for their ability to purify our energy. Before the third ayahuasca ceremony, groups benefit from a traditional cleansing vapor bath that has a guided process lasting around 20 minutes. Many have experienced significant shifts from this healing process, and some feel their ceremony began in the vapor bath.
Individual Shamanic Healing
In the first ayahuasca ceremony, our curandero Don Manain examines the group and individuals from the alter. In following ceremonies each guest will receive individual healing during ceremony from Don Manain. Manain is also an oracionista, a prayer healer. He will sit in front of you and take your hands and pray for you, and then will sing icaros for your specific needs. Most people clearly feel the powerful energy of his work as he is working on them.
Ayahuasca Integration Circles
The morning after each ayahuasca ceremony we hold an integration circle where people get to share their experience and get feedback from the shaman and facilitators. This is a time to get help understanding what your experience means, how your process is unfolding and details about the specific work the shaman was doing on your behalf.
Changing Our Perception
Two talks will be given on the working of our subconscious mind, how our belief systems influence our lives, and what we can do to change them. When we change our beliefs, we change our perception, and therefore our experience of ourselves and all of life. We are inherently powerful and can change our life for the better!
Other Activities
Our retreats include a variety of other activities including a cleansing mud bath, a guided walk through the jungle with Don Hector talking about the different plants and a fire ceremony to release from our lives something that no longer serves. We also offer an introduction to shamanic journeying where people have a change to meet their power animals and spirit teachers.
Accommodations
All guests get a private room in our tambos (hut) with a toilet, very comfortable full size bed, hammock, writing desk and shelving for your personal items. Most tambos are set back in the jungle along a well groomed trail. We also have two tambos overlooking our pond, where you can sit and watch the turtles. The owner Gina loves landscaping our grounds, and are filled with a number of flowering gardens, and beautiful plants from the jungle.
Ayahuasca Meals
All meals are included and we have excellent cooks who surprise all guests with just how good food can be at an ayahuasca retreat. Meals are mostly vegetarian, but we do serve fish or chicken every other day for lunch. Fresh juices are served every morning with breakfast, and fruit based “refrescos”, a dilute fruit juice, are served with lunch. You will get to enjoy a variety of delicious fruit drinks only available in the Amazon!
What to Expect
Ayahuasca has the ability to open us to spiritual realms and other dimensions. A fascinating aspect of this medicine is everyone has a unique experience and is taken through an individualized process of healing. There is incredible variety of experience, and it is best to set aside all expectations. Your process will almost certainly be different than what you have read.
Ayahuasca Healing
Ayahuasca is a powerful medicine and teacher plant that brings deep multi-level level healing physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. While a very large number of issues may be addressed with ayahuasca and other medicine plants, it is not a cure all or magic bullet. Understanding the possibilities of what you may experience in an ayahuasca retreat allows one to relax into their journey.
Responsible Ceremonies
Ayahuasca ceremonies at the Hummingbird are led by Don Manain who has over 45 years of experience, a true master plant spirit medicine. The owner is the lead facilitator and has been guiding people through the medicine plant process since 2010. Our priority is to provide a safe and sacred space for healing where you can relax into the experience knowing you will be well cared for.
I thought I had worked myself out and overcome my demons before I arrived at your retreat (or at least was on a very positive path), but I had no idea I could only see and feel the tip of the iceberg. I thought I was okay, but I was nowhere near it. What has happened now though is that I feel like I have overshot my target and am on a spiritual journey which I am having trouble accepting that I deserve. I feel so, so, so lucky to have the mindset I have now. The universe makes sense to me. Everything aligns.
On my first experience with San Pedro, I sat on the grass, put my hands to the soil and felt everything. I felt everything, everywhere, all at once. Past and present. Mother nature spoke to me and she made me feel all the pain at once. It was hard to take. But then she let me feel al the love. I felt like I was going to explode. I felt the constant energy transfer around us. It has been here since the beginning of time and will be here forever. I realise it is all about LOVE.
I just wanted to extend to you my gratitude for facilitating the experience which will probably be the most profound and life-altering event I will ever live. Thank you, Jim. Please also extend my warmest regards to Gina, Manain and the rest of the staff who made our stay so comfortable. It was a privilege.