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

Kumankaya Healing Center (Apotheosis): An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Mexico

Kumankaya Healing Center is an 11-hectare jungle center near Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico, about two hours from Tulum, founded around 2018 by Remi and Ashley Delaune, who say they trained in the Shipibo tradition under Ricardo Amaringo at Nihue Rao in Peru; it runs its own dietas and hosts visiting retreats such as the HighExistence team’s Apotheosis, which pairs ayahuasca with bufo (5-MeO-DMT) for up to 12 guests from $3,500, per its Retreat Guru program page. Its owners have about a decade on the medicine path and keep groups small. Against that, it has no independent reviews, publishes no contraindication list, medical staff or emergency plan while serving bufo days before ayahuasca, and the nearest hospital has had staffing gaps.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A jungle property on Camino Blanco in Felipe Carrillo Puerto municipality, Quintana Roo, Mexico, per its Retreat Guru page; the exact site is not published.
• Approach: Shipibo-style ayahuasca ceremonies with icaros in a maloca, master plant dietas such as marosa and shihuahuaco, and, on organizer retreats, bufo, breathwork, rapé, mapacho, yoga and coaching workshops.
• Suitable For: Adults wanting a small Shipibo-trained center or a longer dieta who can accept basic facilities. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: Apotheosis retreats were $2,800 in 2024 (discounted to $2,100) and $3,500 on Retreat Guru, its marosa dieta program is $3,333 to $3,600, per Apotheosis, and a December 2026 organizer retreat is donation-based. Kumankaya’s own prices are not public. Retreat Guru shows the deposit refundable until a day before and full payment until 30 days before.
• Overall Assessment: Experienced Shipibo-trained owners and small groups, offset by no published medical safeguards for an ayahuasca and bufo program, no independent reviews, paid referrals and inaccurate listings. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Kumankaya and Apotheosis have no reviews on Retreat Guru, and none were found on Google, Tripadvisor or BookRetreats. Testimonials curated by organizers praise the Delaunes’ care, the maloca and the depth of healing, and a 2025 guest blog describes eight weeks with 32 ceremonies and two dietas, noting it “is not a spa”, per MappyEverAfter. Most online praise comes from organizers who sell retreats there. 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 Kumankaya, Remi and Ashley Delaune, Apotheosis, Jordan Bates, Eric Brown and other named facilitators.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

The center says it has had “no serious incidents” on its property (unverified). A different person named Eric Brown in the news is unrelated.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Remi Delaune, from the French Alps, and Ashley Delaune describe themselves as curanderos who met near Iquitos in 2016 and apprenticed with Ricardo Amaringo at Nihue Rao, per The Universe Within podcast (unverified). Accounts of Remi’s background differ: he is described as a Christian, Greek Orthodox or Orthodox monk for about 20 years, and as holding two PhDs, one PhD or a self-study doctorate. The Apotheosis program is run by Jordan Bates and Eric Brown of HighExistence, per Apotheosis. No company or tax registration was found.

Screening and medical support. Apotheosis reviews each application and asks about medications and medical history, but no contraindication list is published. No medical staff are named; the team claims Wilderness First Responder training. Retreat Guru’s schedule places bufo one to two days before ayahuasca. The town hospital had 30 beds in 2023, per Riviera Maya News, and in April 2026 had no surgeon or anesthesiologist on duty for an emergency, per Ruptura 360.

Listings. Retreat Guru lists a pool, spa, air conditioning and gym, while the center’s own site describes solar power with electricity in one building. The Apotheosis listing still shows a November 2024 retreat, and one program lists both two and three ayahuasca ceremonies. Apotheosis has paid $200 per referral and records guest testimonials during retreats.

Status. Kumankaya is operating, with an organizer retreat from 6 to 12 December 2026; the Apotheosis brand has no retreat listed after 2024.

Legal context. DMT is a controlled psychotropic under Mexico’s General Health Law, and in September 2026 authorities seized 930 g of ayahuasca extract from Peru at Mexico City airport, per Infobae. Kumankaya does not publish where its brew comes from.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Serving bufo, a serotonergic drug, within days of ayahuasca with no published contraindication list or medical cover is a serious concern. 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

Ayahuasca served by Remi and Ashley Delaune in the Shipibo style; the source and recipe are not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Hot lowland Yucatán jungle, with most of the land held in conservation and occasional venomous snakes.
• Rooms: Raised Maya-style tambos and a wooden bungalow with shared bathrooms; well water is not drinkable.
• Style: Shipibo ceremony and dieta run by Western curanderos, with visiting organizers adding bufo and workshops.

Practical guidance: Fly to Cancún (CUN) or Tulum (TQO); Apotheosis includes a shuttle from Tulum, but airport transfers are not included.

Should You Book?

Possibly, if you want a small Shipibo-trained center. Ask in writing for the contraindication list, the gap between bufo and ayahuasca, who on site holds first-aid training, the emergency plan and which hospital is used, where the brew comes from, the refund policy, and the legal entity you are paying. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The Delaunes bought land in Quintana Roo after meeting in Peru and opened Kumankaya around 2018; HighExistence has run Apotheosis retreats there since about 2021, after earlier editions in Costa Rica. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing, plan any change with your own doctor, and decide in advance whether to take bufo. After you return: Use the integration calls offered and 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 are listed on Retreat Guru and through Apotheosis. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed November 2026.

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