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

Rumi Wasi: An In-Depth Review for Yagé and Plant Dieta Retreats near Mocoa, Colombia

Rumi Wasi, also called Rumi Wasi Kuna Pungo, is a small family-run eco-community on about two hectares of forest near Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia, founded around 2017 by yoga and Reiki teacher Shani and her partner Jefferson “JJ”, with yagé ceremonies led by Inga taitas Jesús and Edgar Garreta and a non-Indigenous healer called Taita Fuego, offering open-ended plant dietas from $500 a week plus $100 for medicine, per its Retreat Guru dieta page. Groups are capped at five. Against that, it publishes no medical staff, contraindications or emergency plan at a site reached by a muddy jungle path, offers kambo and ceremonies to work-exchange volunteers, and has no reviews from paying guests.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Forest land near Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia, 15 to 30 minutes from town plus a 15 to 20-minute walk from the road, near the Fin del Mundo waterfall trail, per its Workaway page; no address is published.
• Approach: Yagé ceremonies with Inga taitas, master plant dietas, temazcal, plant baths, tobacco cleansings, kambo, rapé and mambe, plus yoga, Reiki, massage, chiropractic, hypnotherapy and energy work.
• Suitable For: Adults wanting a small, rustic, family setting for a self-paced dieta who accept basic conditions. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $500 a week or $1,500 a month for the open-dates dieta, with plant medicine at $100 per person and therapies extra; the last dated 7-day retreat with three ceremonies cost $1,500 in 2024, per its program page. Retreat Guru shows a deposit refundable until a day before arrival; the operator’s own booking page shows no policy.
• Overall Assessment: Inga taitas, very small groups and a reported medical refusal, offset by no medical cover at a walk-in site, kambo without published contraindications, ceremonies for volunteers and misleading amenity listings. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Retreat Guru shows no reviews, and no listing was found on Tripadvisor, BookRetreats or other retreat platforms. Its Workaway volunteer page shows a 100% host rating from 24 reviews between 2020 and July 2026, praising warm hosts, community, the forest and rivers, yoga, music and ceremonies. The one lower-rated review, from July 2026, describes a relaxed hostel atmosphere with little guidance on ceremonies, mould, no hot water and a muddy access path, and says the host advised against yagé because of the reviewer’s medical condition and medications. 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 Rumi Wasi, Shani, Jefferson, Taita Jesús, Taita Edgar Garreta and Taita Fuego.

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

Most people here are named without surnames, which limits this search. A British student died after a yagé session with a different taita near Mocoa in 2014 or 2015, per Colombia Reports; no link to Rumi Wasi was found.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Shani lists yoga, Reiki, massage, cacao and “Angel Channelling” training and an MA in progress in clinical neuropsychology, per her Retreat Guru profile; Jefferson, from Sopó, lists yoga and biomagnetic therapy training. Taita Jesús says he learned from his mother and brothers in an Inga lineage, and Taita Edgar Garreta, from the Inga community of Cundagua, says he trained with his grandfather and uncle, per his profile. Taita Fuego, born in Cali and non-Indigenous by his own account, says he has served medicine for about four years, per his profile. All credentials are unverified, and no company or tax number was found.

Screening and medical support. Guests complete a call and a form, but no contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published, and kambo is offered. Travel and medical insurance are required. The nearest hospital is the public E.S.E. Hospital José María Hernández in Mocoa, likely 35 minutes to an hour away including the walk out (our estimate).

Volunteers and listings. Workaway volunteers can arrange ceremonies on request, and one reviewer says they happened once or twice a week; whether volunteers and paying guests share ceremonies is not stated. Retreat Guru shows a pool, spa, sauna, hot tub and air conditioning that contradict its own description of rustic cabins with shared bathrooms. The family’s young child lives on site.

Status. Operating, with Workaway activity in November 2026 and a live open-dates dieta on Retreat Guru; no dated retreat since October 2024 was found. The founders say they moved to new land nearer town after some years off-grid.

Legal context. There is no specific law permitting or prohibiting yagé in Colombia, where its use rests on Indigenous rights, per ICEERS; psychedelic retreats operate in a legal grey area, per TalkingDrugs.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Kambo and yagé together, with no published screening rules or medical cover, add risk. 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

Yagé served by Inga taitas; the recipe is not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Humid foothill forest where the Andes meet the Amazon, with a stream, small waterfalls, a maloca, temazcal and yoga shala.
• Rooms: A few private rooms or shared dorms in wooden cabins with mosquito nets and shared outdoor bathrooms, per its listings.
• Style: An informal family eco-community mixing Inga yagé with yoga, Reiki and other alternative therapies.

Practical guidance: Fly to Villagarzón or travel to Mocoa; pickup from either is included, followed by a short walk in.

Should You Book?

Possibly, if you want a tiny, rustic dieta setting and accept basic conditions. Ask in writing for the screening and contraindication rules for yagé and kambo, who on site is trained in first aid, how a guest is carried out to the Mocoa hospital at night and whether volunteers join your ceremonies. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Shani says the vision began in 2017 when the couple started living in the jungle; volunteer reviews date from 2020. It is a different center from Maha Devi, also near Mocoa. 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

The dieta is listed on 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.