Atmosphere

Features

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

Hayulima: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Mindo, Ecuador

Hayulima Spiritual Sanctuary runs ayahuasca, San Pedro and temazcal ceremonies on a cloud forest reserve of more than 112 hectares on the Mindo to Lloa road, about 2.5 hours from Quito airport. It is led by Salvador Villalobos, a Mexican practitioner of the Red Path (Camino Rojo) tradition, with Shiram Ucucuy and sisters Diana and Amalia Oviedo, and is registered as Hayulima Santuario S.A.S. Prices run from $150 for a single ceremony to $1,700 for 10 days. It rates 5.00 from 71 reviews on Retreat Guru, 4.8 from 40 on AyaAdvisors and 5.0 from 54 on Google, and it publishes a firm 30-day SSRI washout rule. Against that, a June 2024 review alleges a full cup instead of a small requested serving, staff “drunk on the ayahuasca,” dismissed concerns and lasting psychological harm, with no owner reply; an April 2024 review made a boundary allegation against the lead facilitator that the owner calls “entirely false”; and no medical staff or emergency protocol is published at a remote site.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: “Via El Cinto Alto #7, Mindo, Pichincha,” according to its Retreat Guru center page, about 30 minutes outside Mindo town in the Chocó cloud forest.
• Approach: Family-run Red Path and Andean ceremonies with live music: ayahuasca, San Pedro, temazcal, optional kambo and Andean cleansings, plus an annual vision quest.
• Suitable For: Adults comfortable with a remote forest site and simple facilities, after confirming medical and emergency arrangements. Not suitable for people who cannot meet the SSRI washout or have heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $150 for a single ceremony with a night’s lodging, $600 for a four-day weekend, $950 for six days and $1,700 for 10 days, according to Retreat Guru. Retreat Guru notes that payments through it do not include “plant medicine, psychedelics or similar products.”
• Overall Assessment: A long record, small groups, strong ratings and a written SSRI policy, offset by serious unverified 2024 allegations of over-serving and intoxicated staff, a denied boundary allegation, no medical staff or emergency protocol, and a basic health center as the nearest public facility. Directory evaluation: B-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers praise a family atmosphere, live music, small groups, the forest and river, the cooks, and follow-up after the retreat.

The negative feedback. A June 2024 AyaAdvisors review says the guest asked for “a very small second serving” and got “a full cup,” that staff “were so drunk on the auahuasca they weren’t able to help me to the restroom,” that concerns raised afterward were dismissed, and that the guest had “some suicidal thoughts” and still struggles with PTSD-like symptoms; no owner reply appears. An April 2024 review complains of being made to stay an extra 24 hours after deciding to leave, no internet, no food or water during overnight ceremonies and loud mowing afterward. The owner replied that the 24-hour rest is for safety and no one is forced to stay, and that Starlink is now installed. A February 2024 review called the medicine “very weak.” All are unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. At least six five-star AyaAdvisors reviews followed the June 2024 complaint within two weeks, one of them rebutting the claim that staff were not properly trained. Several reviewers are volunteers or long-term community members, and a podcast host who later released a promotional episode about Hayulima appears to have reviewed it in 2022. 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 Hayulima, Salvador Villalobos, Arutam Panki, Shiram Ucucuy, the Oviedo sisters and ayahuasca in Mindo.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found. The June 2024 review alleges lasting psychological harm; unverified.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegation of misconduct toward a guest. The April 2024 review alleged that “Salvador is sleeping with one of his very young former students.” The owner replied that facilitators “have absolutely never entered into a relationship with one of their former or current guests” and called the claim “entirely false.” Unverified.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: No news report, court record or police action found.

Our earlier profile found no theft, sexual misconduct or crime.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Medical cover. No doctor, nurse or emergency protocol is named. Mindo’s public health center has no listed emergency service; the nearest listed 24-hour emergency care is in San Miguel de los Bancos. The UK government warns of a “lack of nearby medical help” at remote ceremonies in its Ecuador travel advice, which also says “The penalties for drug trafficking or drug use are harsh.”

Vision quest. The annual quest spends four days and nights alone on the mountain without food or water, opening with an all-night peyote ceremony, according to the center’s blog. A participant’s account describes no medical monitoring during the solo period.

Legal context. DMT is controlled under Ecuador’s criminal code, small personal-use amounts were decriminalized in 2013, and retreats operate without a licensing framework.

Listing inconsistencies. Retreat Guru lists two ayahuasca ceremonies in the 10-day retreat while the center’s own page says three. Retreat Guru’s amenity icons show a pool, spa and sauna that the center’s accommodation page does not mention. Refunds carry a 15% fee three months out and 30% one month out, with nothing stated inside a month.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Hayulima is in the Mindo cloud forest in Ecuador, not the Amazon or the Tamshiyacu Tahuayo area near Iquitos, Peru, and its ceremonies follow the Red Path and Andean traditions rather than Shipibo shamans. Prices run from $150 to $1,700; no program costs $510. Reviews continue through October 2026. Most reviews praise integration and follow-up, though the June 2024 review alleges concerns were dismissed. We found no source for Quora comments that ceremonies “opened hearts”; that remains unverified.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

The center requires guests to be “completely free from SSRIs for at least 30 days” before ayahuasca, six weeks for fluoxetine, and two weeks before San Pedro, calling it “a firm requirement,” according to its SSRI guidance. Guests disclose conditions and medications before booking, and the 10-day retreat includes individual interviews; heart and psychiatric conditions are not listed as exclusions. 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 says “The medicine is prepared by the Hayulima family.” The leaf admixture is not published; ayahuasca’s DMT comes from leaves such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. San Pedro (Aguacolla), optional kambo, cacao and, in the vision quest, peyote are also used.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Protected cloud forest at about 1,250 meters, with malokas, teepees, sweat lodges, a river, a pond and forest trails.
• Rooms: Eco guest houses with shared or private rooms and shared bathrooms with hot showers; Starlink internet since 2024.
• Style: Mesoamerican, Lakota-influenced and Andean ceremony with live music, for groups of up to 10.

Practical guidance: The 10-day retreat includes a round-trip Quito airport transfer. Meals are a vegetarian buffet with vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. Bring insect repellent; reviewers mention mosquitoes.

Should You Book?

Hayulima has a long, well-reviewed record. Before booking, ask how doses and second servings are decided, whether facilitators drink during ceremonies, who handles medical emergencies and how guests are transported, and how the center responded to the 2024 complaints. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Salvador Villalobos is described as the guardian and ceremonial leader, initiated in the sweat lodge, vision quest and sun dance, with about 25 years of work with sacred plants; a Retreat Guru teacher page for “Arutam Panki (México)” carries the same bio. Shiram Ucucuy, listed as from Cuba and Ecuador, conducts temazcal and also appears on a separate Mindo center’s listing. Diana Oviedo runs the kitchen and leads temazcal, and Amalia Oviedo is described as a medicine woman. Hayulima Santuario S.A.S. was incorporated in February 2023, and a 2022 reviewer said they had attended for “over five 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

Hayulima books through Retreat Guru and its own website, with dates listed through March 2027. Confirm what the price covers, including the medicine, and the 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.