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

Kurikindi Kawsay Centre: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Puyo, Ecuador

Kurikindi Kawsay Centre is a plant medicine center on 45 hectares about an hour’s drive from Puyo in Pastaza Province, opened in 2022 by an Ecuadorian shaman known as Kurikindi, “The Golden Hummingbird,” who spent years teaching in the UK, according to its own website. It offers bespoke and private ayahuasca retreats on enquiry, in cabanas with hot showers, with farm-raised food. It rates 4.2 on AyaAdvisors from five reviews, four praising a caring, family-like team and one alleging spiritual harm. Against that, no prices, medical screening or contraindications are published, there is no medical staff, the 50% deposit is non-refundable, no Ecuadorian legal entity was found, and the founder’s own site calls him an Achuar elder while every other listing calls him Kichwa.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: About an hour’s drive from Puyo, Pastaza, on a plateau with “mountains in the distance,” according to the center’s website. No village or GPS is published.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies led by Kurikindi, often interactive, with plant cleansings and teachings; one review mentions master plant work.
• Suitable For: People who want a small, family-run setting and can get screening and emergency terms in writing first. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: No price is published; the retreats page says to get in touch. A 50% deposit is non-refundable, the balance is due 30 days before arrival, and there are no refunds for leaving early, per its FAQ. Our earlier price of $1,489 is unverified.
• Overall Assessment: A real, public founder, a registered UK charity and warm reviews, offset by no published screening or contraindications, no medical staff, a non-refundable deposit, no Ecuadorian entity, conflicting lineage claims and one unverified allegation of harm. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers praise caring, family-like hosts, including Kurikindi’s sister Sisa, safe and well-held ceremonies, clean cabanas, good food and a mountainside setting with a waterfall, natural pools and sacred stones. Several are repeat visitors, one with a one-year-old.

The negative feedback. A June 2025 one-star reviewer, after an eight-day stay, says energy workers later told them their soul had been displaced and describes energetic harm, warning: “If they decide that doing harm is justified, they will do harm.” No physical injury or medical event is described. Unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. Only five reviews exist, on one unclaimed directory, mostly from repeat guests close to the center. Testimonials on the founder’s UK site concern UK workshops, not the center. 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 Kurikindi Kawsay Centre, Kurikindi and Sisa.

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

The only adverse item is the unverified 2025 review above. Our earlier profile found no incidents.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Screening. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list or medication policy appears anywhere. The FAQ says there are “no medical facilities” or medical staff on site and that the center “aims” to have at least one first-aid-qualified person present. Puyo’s hospital is about 45 minutes by car. Dosing is “within their own limits,” guided by a maestro who is not named.

Children. The FAQ says children are “welcome and encouraged” but does not say whether minors take part in ceremonies.

Who runs it. Kurikindi publishes no surname, and no Ecuadorian company, foundation or tax number (RUC) was found. In the UK, the Kurikindi Foundation is a registered charity for Amazon community and rainforest work, with income of £302 in its 2025 financial year; nothing names it as the center’s operator. A 2024 GoFundMe in the center’s name for a Sapara community has raised about a third of its goal.

Identity claims. The center’s website calls Kurikindi an “elder of the Achuar tribe,” while Retreat Guru, AyaAdvisors and partner platforms describe him as Kichwa. His own pages give varying accounts of his experience, from ayahuasca since age nine to “more than 40 years of shamanic life.”

Listings. Retreat Guru lists air conditioning, a spa, sauna, pool, hot tub and gym; neither the center’s website nor any review supports this.

Legal context. Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution recognizes ancestral medicine, but ceremonies have no unified registry or protocols, and DMT is controlled under the UN 1971 Convention while plant brews are not internationally controlled, according to ICEERS.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Sisa is described in reviews as Kurikindi’s sister, not his partner, and the FAQ says no separate integration support is offered. The center’s website calls him Achuar, not Kichwa, though other listings say Kichwa. Its retreats page lists no dates, so it does not confirm active retreats. The $1,489 price, “over 36 years” of experience, tobacco and chili medicine ceremonies at the center, a communal space with a balcony, snow-capped mountain views, Quora (2023) praise for the waterfall pools, and website testimonials about Sisa remain unverified. The founder’s account of serving as president of the Sani Isla community in 2009 during an oil dispute and moving to the UK in 2015 is his own and was not independently checked. The Puyo location, Kurikindi’s leadership, ayahuasca ceremonies, waterfall and pool visits, garden-to-table meals, sacred stones and 2024 platform praise are confirmed.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No screening, contraindications, medical staff or written emergency protocol is published; the nearest hospital is in Puyo, about 45 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.

🧪 Brew Substance

The brew’s preparation is not described. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Amazon rainforest on a plateau with a waterfall and natural pools, by the center’s and reviewers’ accounts.
• Rooms: Twelve rooms, two in each cabana, with hot showers and flushing toilets; a ceremonial cabana is under construction, and the dining area doubles as the ceremony space.
• Style: Indigenous-led, family-run ceremonies, with bespoke and private retreats.

Practical guidance: Transfers are not described on the center’s website; Retreat Guru says to meet in Quito. Balance payments can be made in cash, and guests leave the land only on organized excursions.

Should You Book?

Only after getting the price, a contraindication policy, emergency arrangements and the refund terms in writing, and confirming who leads ceremonies. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Kurikindi describes himself as born into a long lineage of shamans, drinking ayahuasca from age nine and initiated young, and as having taught in the UK since 2017, including tobacco ceremonies and workshops. A 2021 news photo shows him blessing a totem in London ahead of COP26. Sisa is part of the care team. 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: The center says integration happens during the stay, so 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 by enquiry through the center’s retreats page. 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.