Atmosphere

Features

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

Renacer Ayahuasca Retreats: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Tumbaco, Ecuador

Renacer Ayahuasca Retreats is a small operator hosted by Nadia Hannout with facilitator Mercedes Andino that runs private six-day ayahuasca retreats with two ceremonies in the Andean valley of Tumbaco, near Quito, Ecuador, from US$3,600, per its BookRetreats listing, with optional San Pedro, temazcal and plant baths. Guests rate it 5.00 from 12 reviews since 2023 and praise the facilitators’ care. Against that, no contraindications, medical staff or emergency plan are published, the refund terms contradict each other, half the price is paid in cash on arrival, and no company is named.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A lodge in Tumbaco, Pichincha, Ecuador, about 27 km from Quito airport, per its listing; a Retreat Guru program that appears to be run by the same team places a similar retreat in Imbabura. No address is published.
• Approach: Two private ayahuasca ceremonies with music and aromatherapy, a plant bath, a BioEnergetics session and integration activities, with optional San Pedro (huachuma), a temazcal with huachuma, family constellations and therapy sessions; group solstice retreats add rapé and mambe.
• Suitable For: People wanting a private or very small retreat close to Quito with airport pickup. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: From US$3,600 for a private six-day retreat in a single room, with a US$1,800 deposit and the balance in cash on arrival; a June solstice group retreat for up to eight with three ceremonies has been advertised from $2,100. The same listing says both “72 hour FREE cancellation” and “All deposits are non-refundable.”
• Overall Assessment: Warmly reviewed private retreats with close personal attention, offset by no published medical safeguards, contradictory payment terms, an unnamed legal entity and conflicting listings. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

BookRetreats shows 5.00 from 12 reviews dated August 2023 to December 2025, per its organizer page. Guests praise the facilitators’ sensitivity and knowledge, a strong and safe container, a family feel and a thoughtfully designed venue. Four reviews were posted between 9 and 11 December 2025, and some describe nine-day or multi-week stays rather than the listed program. Retreat Guru shows none, and no reviews of 3 stars or lower were found, nor any on Google, Tripadvisor or Trustpilot. 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 Renacer Ayahuasca Retreats, Nadia Hannout and Mercedes Andino.

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

Its online presence is limited to booking platforms, so this absence offers limited assurance.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Nadia Hannout describes herself as “a seeker, mentor, and student of the sacred” with a personal healing path of more than five years who moved to Ecuador to reconnect with her roots, per her BookRetreats profile. Mercedes Andino describes herself as a mestiza from a family of healers and herbalists who studied ritual ayahuasca use with Indigenous communities including the Inga, and as a psychotherapist, per her profile (unverified; no license or training body is named). The Retreat Guru program gives Mercedes’s biography to “Nadia”. No legal entity, website terms or registration number appear on its listings.

Screening and medical support. The listing promises a “health and medical review” and a cleansing diet for one to two weeks before, but no contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published. Tumbaco is part of the Quito metropolitan area, where major hospitals are available; the distance from the venue is not stated.

Listings. Listings disagree on the location (Tumbaco or Imbabura) and the number of ceremonies (two or three); photo captions on the private-room listing describe a shared dormitory and rice terraces; and a year-round private retreat shows “2 spots left.”

Status. Operating, with the private retreat bookable in November 2026; the most recent review is from December 2025, and two older solstice listings have expired.

Legal context. Ecuador’s 2015 drug law contains no exemption for ancestral or ritual use and lists coca leaf, the traditional base of mambe, as controlled, per the law text. Ayahuasca ceremonies are generally tolerated and there is no licensing framework for retreats, per Mind Medicine Law.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

With no published contraindication list or medical staff, guests must screen themselves. 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 Mercedes Andino; the source of the brew is not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A garden lodge in a temperate Andean valley east of Quito.
• Rooms: Private rooms for private retreats, with private or shared rooms on group retreats.
• Style: Inga-influenced ceremony led by a mestiza facilitator and blended with therapy, family constellations and flower essences.

Practical guidance: Fly to Quito (UIO); pickup and drop-off are included. Bring cash for the balance only after confirming the refund terms in writing.

Should You Book?

Possibly, if you want a private retreat near Quito. Ask in writing which refund terms apply, the legal entity you are paying, where the retreat is held, the screening questions and contraindication list, Mercedes’s training and license, who on site is trained in first aid, and the emergency plan and nearest hospital. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Renacer, Spanish for “rebirth”, has reviews dating from August 2023 and is led by two women who combine ayahuasca with therapeutic work. 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: Use the integration session 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

Dates are listed on BookRetreats and Retreat Guru. 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.