Atmosphere

Features

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

Movement Music Medicina: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Palomino, Colombia

Movement Music Medicina runs small ayahuasca and wellness retreats at an eco-retreat center on the Troncal del Caribe about ten minutes from Palomino, on Colombia’s Caribbean coast below the Sierra Nevada, organized by Alice Culligan, a UK-born yoga teacher, dancer and musician, according to its Retreat Guru page. Four-night retreats for up to six guests include two ayahuasca ceremonies with a female curandera, yoga, breathwork, massage and wild swimming for $1,900. Its operator site describes the curandera as Kofán-trained with over 18 years of practice, and guest testimonials call her Eliana. Against that, the curandera is unnamed on booking pages, the operator’s site offers “long term treatments for those wanting to stop taking antidepressants and mood stabilizers” and calls the medicine “100% safe,” no medical staff or emergency plan is published, Kogui involvement is claimed without names, and no legal entity was found.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: An unnamed eco-retreat center on Ruta Nacional 90 about ten minutes from Palomino, near the La Guajira and Magdalena border, per Retreat Guru. In 2024 retreats ran at UUTTAAKA Eco Hotel near Palomino.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies with a curandera claiming Kofán training, cacao, rapé, coca and ambil, plus yoga, kirtan, sound healing, breathwork and dance; the operator site also lists 15 and 20-night master plant dietas.
• Suitable For: Adults wanting a short beach retreat with wellness activities, after confirming who serves the medicine and the emergency plan. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or mood stabilizers, or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $1,900 for four nights with two ceremonies, accommodation, vegetarian meals and a massage, per Retreat Guru; transfers are extra. The deposit is refundable until a day before and full payment until ten days before. In 2024 an ayahuasca ceremony was a $170 add-on. Our earlier sterling prices are unverified.
• Overall Assessment: Very small groups and clear refund terms, offset by an offer to help people stop psychiatric medication, a “100% safe” claim with no medical staff, an unnamed curandera, an unproven Kogui partnership and no legal entity. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Testimonials praise Alice’s facilitation, Eliana’s presence, individualized care and feeling safe.

The negative feedback. None found.

Who is writing the reviews. The only testimonials are first-name, operator-hosted posts from 2023, and the Google rating is visible only through a commission-earning aggregator. 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 Movement Music Medicina, Alice Culligan, a curandera named Eliana and ayahuasca in Palomino.

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

Without the curandera’s full name, the search is less conclusive. Our earlier profile found no incidents.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Psychiatric medication. The operator’s medicine page says: “We offer long term treatments for those wanting to stop taking antidepressants and mood stabilizers,” with no prescriber involvement or tapering plan described, and says the medicine given correctly “is 100% safe.” Stopping these drugs without medical supervision is dangerous, and ayahuasca interacts with serotonergic medication.

Screening and medical support. A personal consultation on diet and medical history is described, but no contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published. Palomino has a small health post; Santa Marta is about 70 km away, according to Wikipedia. Ocean currents near Palomino are strong, and the program includes wild swimming.

Who runs it. No UK company or Colombian tax number (NIT) was found, and bookings are handled through a personal contact. The curandera’s surname and lineage are not published.

Kogui involvement. Listings highlight “Indigenous Kogui Representatives from the Sierra Nevada” but name no person or community and show no consent. An academic study reports that most Kogui, including their representative body, oppose tourism (Pyhälä). Ayahuasca is not a Kogui medicine.

Legal context. No Colombian law specifically permits or prohibits yagé, which has cultural recognition and has never been banned, according to ICEERS.

Corrections to our earlier profile. No source links the retreats to a Casa Gaia or to the Palomino River; the 2024 venue was UUTTAAKA Eco Hotel and the current one is unnamed. Current pricing is $1,900 for four nights on Retreat Guru, and bookings are not only through the operator’s site. Sterling prices of £950 to £2,200, an 800,000 peso extra ceremony, private apartments, solar power, organic meals, toucans and howler monkeys nearby, a prep diet, mental coaching, a 2025 Reddit post about Palomino logistics and advice against SSRIs remain unverified; the operator’s own site invites people to stop antidepressants. The Palomino and Sierra Nevada setting, two ceremonies with Curandera Eliana, yoga, meditation, dance, sound healing, bonfires, wild swimming, optional rapé, vegetarian meals, small groups and the absence of incidents are confirmed.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Only a consultation is described, and the operator markets help coming off psychiatric medication. 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

No recipe is published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. Dieta plants named include chuchuhuasi, chiric sanango and bobinsana, alongside rapé, coca and ambil.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Caribbean coast near Palomino, with sea views and a natural swimming pool.
• Rooms: Described as comfortable, clean private accommodation.
• Style: Wellness retreat built around yoga, music and dance with two evening ceremonies.

Practical guidance: Fly to Santa Marta; transfers can be arranged at extra cost.

Should You Book?

Only after getting the curandera’s full name, a contraindication list, the emergency plan and the operator’s position on psychiatric medication in writing, and never stop a medication to attend. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Alice Culligan describes training as a dancer, a 200-hour yoga certification, Reiki and work as a jazz and soul musician, and coordinates the ceremonies. The curandera, called Eliana in testimonials, is described as trained by the Kofán. The retreats have run since at least 2023. 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 offers sharing circles; 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

Open dates are on the center’s Retreat Guru 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.