EccoMunay
Atmosphere
Features
Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (October 2026). They will be updated if EccoMunay submits its own information.
EccoMunay: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca and Temazcal Retreats on the Rio Arapiuns, Brazil
EccoMunay (Sítio EccoMunay) is a small site in the Enseada do Pilão near Vila Gorete on the Rio Arapiuns, in Pará, Brazil, about five hours by boat from Alter do Chão, that advertises a “Retiro de Medicinas Ancestrais” combining ayahuasca and temazcal (sweat lodge). Its Portuguese-language brochure says it was founded by Rafael Lemos Guerra, who arrived in Alter do Chão in 2016, and Anezzio Martins Santana, a massage and Ayurvedic therapist, and that Rafael leads the ceremonies with Anezzio and a facilitator named Patrícia. A five-day package includes the boat trip, a temazcal, one ayahuasca ceremony, massage and agroforestry. Beyond that brochure, the operation has almost no public footprint: no website, reviews, prices, legal entity, screening policy or emergency plan were found, and the site is hours by boat from the nearest hospital. Brazil allows ayahuasca for religious use but bans its commercial sale and tourism packages. Our earlier profile placed it in Ecuador; that was wrong. We found no incidents.
🎯 At a Glance
- Locations: Sítio EccoMunay, Enseada do Pilão, near Vila Gorete on the Rio Arapiuns, in the Santarém area of western Pará, according to its brochure; guests travel by boat from Alter do Chão. No address or GPS is published.
- Approach: A temazcal at sunset, an ayahuasca ceremony at night, sharing circles, massage, forest walks and agroforestry, led by the founders.
- Suitable For: Experienced adults comfortable with a remote river site who confirm the program, legal basis and safety arrangements in writing. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
- Costs: Not published; the brochure offers custom packages by phone. No source supports the $1,000 on our sidebar.
- Overall Assessment: Named founders and a clear itinerary, offset by no published screening, medical cover or emergency plan at a site hours from a hospital, no reviews, prices or legal entity, and a paid tourist package that conflicts with Brazil’s rules on ayahuasca. Directory evaluation: D+.
💬 What Guests Are Saying
| Platform | Rating | Reviews | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tripadvisor, Google, Retreat Guru, BookRetreats, AyaAdvisors | No rating | 0 | No listings found |
The positive picture. No guest reviews exist.
The negative feedback. None found.
Who is writing the reviews. No reviews exist anywhere. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.
🚩 Incident Report
We searched review platforms and Portuguese, Spanish and English-language news for reports involving EccoMunay and its founders.
- Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
- Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
- Theft and fraud: No complaints found.
- Legal action: No police action or lawsuits found.
The operation’s small footprint limits any search. Our earlier profile also found no theft, sexual misconduct or crime.
If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this group, please report it confidentially.
🔍 Critical Notes
Brazil’s legal picture. Brazil recognizes religious use of ayahuasca, but CONAD Resolution 1/2010 bans charging for it and says groups should avoid tourism packages, and it bars therapeutic claims, according to ICEERS. A packaged boat retreat for paying visitors sits in tension with those rules.
Who runs it. No company or association registration (CNPJ) was found for EccoMunay. A similarly named eco-campsite in Alter do Chão, EccoMuna, is listed on lodging sites with no plant medicine; no source links the two.
Remoteness. The site is reached by a boat trip of about five hours, and Santarém, the nearest city with hospitals, is farther still. No emergency plan is published.
Corrections to our earlier profile. EccoMunay is on the Rio Arapiuns in Brazil, not in Ecuador, and its founders and program are described in its brochure. We found no source for the statement that Ecuador permits plant medicine with certified shamans, or for any Instagram activity beyond the brochure images; those remain unverified.
🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks
No medical questionnaire, contraindication policy, medical staff, integration support or emergency protocol is published. Anezzio is described as a massage and Ayurvedic therapist, not a medical professional. 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 brochure describes ayahuasca as a brew of the mariri or jagube vine and chacrona leaves, cooked over several days, combining an MAO inhibitor from the vine with DMT from the leaf, as Erowid also explains. Who prepares it and where it comes from is not stated. A temazcal (sweat lodge) is held before the ceremony.
📍 Location, Setting & Style
- Setting: A riverside forest site on the clear-water Rio Arapiuns, with beaches along the boat route.
- Rooms: Not described.
- Style: A small, founder-led ceremonial retreat combining Amazonian ayahuasca with a Mesoamerican-style temazcal and bodywork.
Practical guidance: The boat leaves Alter do Chão at 6 am on day one and returns on day five. Alter do Chão is reached via Santarém.
Should You Book?
Only with strong safeguards. Ask for the full price and refund terms, who prepares and serves the ayahuasca, how health conditions and medications are screened, how an emergency would reach Santarém, and how the retreat fits Brazil’s rules on ayahuasca, and get the answers in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.
The Team & Story
Rafael Lemos Guerra, from Minas Gerais, says he travelled the Americas, first drank ayahuasca about 15 years ago near Iquitos, Peru, and spent six years with a vision quest group in Alter do Chão, where he learned to lead temazcal. Anezzio Martins Santana, from Mato Grosso, says he studied Ayurvedic medicine, reflexology and marma therapy and has worked with ayahuasca and temazcal for two 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
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Named founders; clear itinerary | No screening, medical staff or emergency plan |
| Small, founder-led format | Remote river site hours from a hospital |
| No incidents found | No reviews, prices or legal entity |
| Paid tourist package conflicts with Brazil’s ayahuasca rules |
Book Your Ceremony
The brochure lists phone contacts for custom packages; no website or booking platform was found. Before paying, confirm the program, safety arrangements 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.