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

Cumbres de Arutam: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Palora, Ecuador

Cumbres de Arutam is an ayahuasca center in Palora canton, Morona Santiago, on the edge of Sangay National Park in Ecuador’s Amazon foothills, about 90 minutes from Puyo. It is run by a Spanish-born healer who goes by Arutam Ruymán, whose own biography gives his birth name as Ruymán Barceló Solano, from Tenerife, and by center director Jordi Juncadella, known as Jordi Tucán Rojo. Ruymán says he trained for 15 years with his Shuar wife’s family and with a teacher he calls Major Jimbikit; booking listings call him “an heir to the ancestral lineage” of the Shuar without saying the lineage is by marriage and apprenticeship. The center sells 7-, 14- and 21-day retreats with three or four eight-hour ayahuasca ceremonies a week, plus San Pedro and tobacco, at $1,200 to $3,300. Tripadvisor shows 5.0 from 31 reviews, but most visible reviews arrived in a short burst in 2026. No medical staff, contraindication list or emergency plan is published, deposits are largely non-refundable, and no legal entity was found. We found no incidents.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A forest property the operator puts at “hundreds of hectares” or 600 hectares, inside or bordering Sangay National Park in Palora canton, Morona Santiago, about six hours from Quito airport, according to its Retreat Guru page. The operator also holds ceremonies abroad, including in England.
• Approach: Shuar-style Natem (ayahuasca) ceremonies of about eight hours, three or four times a week, with San Pedro initiations, tobacco, “power transmissions” and, on the 21-day program, a waterfall ceremony and a ceremony with the vine alone.
• Suitable For: Experienced, physically fit adults comfortable with rustic, remote conditions and long ceremonies. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $1,200 for 7 days, $2,300 for 14 days and $3,300 for 21 days in the February 2026 program, according to its booking page; private rooms cost more. A 14% booking deposit and a further 30% are refundable only if someone else takes the place, and cancellations within 60 days are non-refundable. Transfers are extra.
• Overall Assessment: An established operation with a long ceremonial program and warm reviews, offset by no medical staff, contraindication list or emergency plan at a remote site, marketing that blurs the founder’s adoptive lineage, a recent review burst, strict refund terms and no legal entity. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers, many writing in Russian, describe an authentic Shuar setting, Ruymán’s warmth and icaros, feeling safe, a family atmosphere, rivers, waterfalls and clean air, simple fresh food and deep personal healing. Our earlier profile cited a 2024 Tripadvisor review saying guests felt “reborn,” Quora posts praising the Shuar lineage teachings and elder Rosa Jimpikit’s stories, and a platform review calling the setting “enchanting”; those quotes remain unverified.

The negative feedback. No review below five stars is visible. Reviewers call the work very hard and challenging.

Who is writing the reviews. Seven of the ten visible Tripadvisor reviews were written between May and early June 2026, three on one day, mostly by single-review accounts, and one reviewer says they had not yet visited. The center’s website widget shows the same 31 reviews. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English and Spanish-language news for reports involving Cumbres de Arutam, Union in Arutam, Arutam Ruymán, Ruymán Barceló Solano, Jordi Juncadella, Rosa Jimpikit and the Horizonte Esmeralda foundation.

• 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 theft, sexual misconduct or crime.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Lineage. Ruymán’s own biography says he was born in Spain, studied Chinese medicine and psychology, married into a Shuar healing family, trained with its elders and was certified by an unnamed Shuar organization. Booking listings describe him as an heir to Shuar lineage without that context. We found no independent confirmation of his credentials.

Who runs it. Ruymán says he founded and presides over Horizonte Esmeralda, described as a European foundation for native cultures, which a directory says runs the Sangay retreats; its country of registration was not found, and no Ecuadorian company or tax registration (RUC) was found for the center.

Ceremonies abroad. The operator advertises ayahuasca ceremonies in England, mainly around London and the New Forest, for groups of 20 to 28, and lists November 2026 events in Buenos Aires, Berlin and Geneva. DMT is a controlled drug in the UK, Germany and Switzerland.

Plants. The center cultivates floripondio (Brugmansia), and its YouTube channel lists it among ceremonial plants; whether guests are given it is not stated. Brugmansia contains potent anticholinergic alkaloids.

Ecuador’s legal picture. Ecuador’s constitution recognizes ancestral medicine, but there is no detailed regulation, registry of healers or retreat licensing, according to a 2026 legal briefing. Our earlier profile said ayahuasca is regulated in Ecuador; that overstates it.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Prices run from $1,200 to $3,300, not $1,500 to $3,500, and no source supports our $1,899 sidebar figure. The center lists 2027 dates and 2026 reviews, so it is not undated. Its own site calls fasting “dangerous and useless” except for experts, so we found no source for extended fasting on the longer programs; it asks guests to eat lightly and skip dinner on ceremony days. We found no source for a quoted statement by Ruymán about shamanism being eroded; it remains unverified.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Applicants must have a video interview and disclose illnesses and medications, and the center says people in medical or psychological treatment “may not be eligible,” but it publishes no list of excluded medications or conditions. A psychologist, Liina, is on the team; no doctor or nurse is named, Rosa Jimpikit is described as a former nurse who visits, and no emergency plan or nearest hospital is published. Puyo is about 90 minutes away. Ceremonies last about eight hours, three or four times a week, with San Pedro in the same programs. 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.

🧪 Brew Substance

The center does not publish its recipe; the 21-day program includes a ceremony with the Banisteriopsis caapi vine alone. Ayahuasca usually combines the vine with leaves that supply DMT, such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. San Pedro (a mescaline cactus) and Amazonian tobacco are also used.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Foothill rainforest between the hot and cold jungles, with rivers, waterfalls and trails, by the operator’s account.
• Rooms: A shared thatched “Shuar House” with a central fire is standard; private rooms in wooden houses and private huts cost extra. Guests bathe in rivers.
• Style: A traditional, strict program for groups of up to 18 or 20, led mostly in Spanish with Russian translation.

Practical guidance: Fly to Quito and travel about six hours, or reach Puyo; local drivers can be arranged at extra cost. Meals are simple, mostly plant-based, sometimes with fish, with no dinner on ceremony nights.

Should You Book?

Only with care. Ask which medications and conditions exclude you, who on site has medical training, how emergencies reach a hospital, which legal entity takes your deposit and whether any plant other than ayahuasca, San Pedro and tobacco is served, and get the answers in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Arutam Ruymán has written two books on ayahuasca and tobacco, made two films and says he has taught in Europe, Russia, Turkey and South America for about 20 years. Jordi Juncadella says he began his path under Ruymán in 2012 and co-created the center. Rosa Jimpikit is presented as a Shuar elder and storyteller; Nunkui, a therapist and Russian translator, and Liina, a psychologist and translator, give first names only. 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

Retreats are booked through Retreat Guru or the center’s website after an interview; the operator lists a January and February 2027 retreat. 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.