Atmosphere

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Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (October 2026). They will be updated if Corazón de Pachamama submits its own information.

Corazón de Pachamama: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Malacatos, Ecuador

Corazón de Pachamama is a plant medicine center in Landangui, a few minutes from Malacatos and about 10 minutes from Vilcabamba in Ecuador’s Loja province, led by a mestizo healer from Cuenca who goes by Mukipa Ayllu and appears in reviews as “Taita Miguel.” He says he learned San Pedro from Andean taitas, Wilka from a northern Bolivian shaman and ayahuasca from Shuar healers in Gualaquiza. It sells a 12-day retreat for $1,700, shaman trainings from 16 days to four years ($5,200 to $8,800), a 30-day “freedom from anxiety and depression” program for $6,700 and a three-month addiction “rehabilitation” for $19,200. BookRetreats reviewers rate it 5.0 from 13 reviews. But it presents itself as a treatment for addiction and depression with no named medical staff or license, says “We do not handle emergency cases,” claims Wilka can help cure terminal disease, publishes no medication screening, and offers a 16-day program with 21 ceremonies of a snuff it says contains 5-MeO-DMT. No surname or legal entity is published. We found no incidents.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Landangui, Malacatos parish, Loja, about 45 minutes from Loja, according to its BookRetreats listing; one program is listed in Macará, on the Peruvian border. No GPS is published.
• Approach: Ayahuasca, San Pedro (huachuma) and Wilka (Anadenanthera snuff) ceremonies, tobacco, temazcal, energetic cleansings and shaman consultations, with long apprenticeships including fire vigils, isolation and vision quests.
• Suitable For: Experienced adults seeking an apprenticeship who accept that there is no medical cover. Not suitable for people seeking treatment for addiction, depression or anxiety, people taking antidepressants, or people with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $1,700 for the 12-day retreat with two ayahuasca, two San Pedro and an optional Wilka ceremony; $5,200 to $8,800 for trainings; $6,700 for the 30-day program; $19,200 for the three-month addiction program, according to its Retreat Guru page. Deposits are refundable until a day before arrival and full payment until 30 days before. Trainees buy and cook their own food.
• Overall Assessment: An experienced healer, clear prices and warm reviews, offset by unlicensed addiction and depression “treatment,” cure claims, no medication screening, medical staff or emergency plan, intensive Wilka programs, no legal entity and inconsistent listings. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers describe feeling safe and grounded, patient and detailed teaching of icaros and cleansings, life-changing experiences, excursions to waterfalls and steam lodges, and excellent food. Our earlier profile cited website testimonials reporting relief from chronic migraines after three ceremonies, calling the setting paradise-like and “one of the safest places on earth,” praising “maestro Mukipal” as “by far the best” shaman, and French-speaking guests praising Miguel’s mastery; those testimonials remain unverified.

The negative feedback. No review below five stars is visible.

Who is writing the reviews. Five of the ten visible reviews were posted within a month in late 2024, most describe programs other than the one they sit on, and only three are marked verified. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English, Spanish and French-language news for reports involving Corazón de Pachamama, Mukipa Ayllu, Taita Miguel, Allpa Mama Healing and their associated healers.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: No complaints found.
• Legal action: No police action, regulatory action or lawsuits found.

Our earlier profile also found no incidents, and its March 2026 update reported none. The healer’s surname is not published, which limits any search.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Treatment claims. The center sells a three-month “rehabilitation of addiction,” describing it as different from what AA or NA offer, and a 30-day program for anxiety and depression with a “designated psychologist” who is not named. It says Wilka can help with “curing terminal disease and very strong addictions” and that pharmaceuticals “do not address the root cause.” No medical license, clinic registration or credentialed clinician is published.

Wilka. The 16-day Wilka training includes 21 ceremonies with a snuff the center describes as containing DMT and 5-MeO-DMT, with no screening text.

Related brands. The healer’s partner, Katie Mullan, runs Allpa Mama Healing in Malacatos with him, selling the same trainings at the same prices. A 2020 review names “Chakapita,” possibly an earlier brand. No company or tax registration (RUC) was found for any of them.

Listing inconsistencies. Several programs say food is covered “for 8 days” regardless of length, group sizes range from “up to 8” to “1 to 20,” and the stated years of experience vary from 27 to nearly 30.

Ecuador’s legal picture. Ecuador’s constitution recognizes ancestral medicine, and its Constitutional Court has said drug bans should not apply absolutely to Indigenous peoples’ ancestral practices, according to a 2025 legal review; that protection is framed around Indigenous peoples rather than commercial retreats. There is no registry of healers or licensing of retreats.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Prices are published and run from $1,700 to $19,200, not $1,500 to $3,000. The center is listed on Retreat Guru and BookRetreats, and its healer’s lineage is described. It is about 10 minutes from Vilcabamba, a busy tourist and expat town. We found no source for “Raimis” retreats at equinoxes and solstices, for reforestation specifically with ayahuasca plants (it says it gives 20% of income to reforestation and abandoned dogs) or for its statement that illness can stem from trauma, spirit loss or negative energies; those details remain unverified.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Most programs require only a video interview. The 30-day program asks for a health declaration and excludes people with psychosis, schizophrenia or serious illness, but no program mentions antidepressants, MAOI interactions, tapering or heart conditions. No medical staff are named, the 30-day program states “We do not handle emergency cases,” and Malacatos has no dedicated ambulance; hospitals are in Loja, about 30 minutes away. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes it dangerous with SSRIs and other serotonergic drugs and that it is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance, and seek licensed care for addiction or depression.

🧪 Brew Substance

The center does not publish its ayahuasca recipe; its 40-day training teaches brew preparation. Amazonian ayahuasca usually combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with chacruna leaves, which supply the DMT, as Erowid explains. San Pedro is a mescaline cactus, and Wilka is a snuff from Anadenanthera seeds; tobacco and temazcal are also used.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A temperate Andean valley outside Malacatos, reached by an unpaved road.
• Rooms: Trainees live in a private house with electricity, Wi-Fi and, by the operator’s account, a pool, Turkish bath and sauna; listings also mention an eco lodge and glamping tent.
• Style: A traditional apprenticeship-focused program with limpias, icaros, fire vigils and isolation retreats, for small groups.

Practical guidance: Fly to Catamayo (Loja) via Quito or take a bus to Loja; transfers are not included. Retreat meals are included, but trainees cook their own food.

Should You Book?

Do not book it as treatment for addiction, depression or anxiety. For an apprenticeship, ask about medication screening, who on site has first-aid training, emergency transport to Loja, how Wilka sessions are supervised and the full refund terms, and get the answers in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Mukipa Ayllu says he was born in Cuenca, began helping taitas in ceremony at 20 and has more than 27 years of experience; listings show the same biography for “Taita Miguel,” the contact person, and reviewers use that name. The center says it has operated for about nine years. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing and plan any change with your own doctor. After you return: Arrange support from a qualified therapist at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

Programs have open dates and are booked through Retreat Guru or BookRetreats. Before paying, confirm the screening, emergency plan and refund terms in writing. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed October 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.