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

Yage Heals: An In-Depth Review for Yagé Retreats near Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia

Yage Heals is a yagé (ayahuasca) retreat brand that advertises a six-day all-inclusive retreat led by Kamëntsá Taita Miguel Mavisoy, his apprentices and healer Mamita Ruth Beronica Juajibioy at “Casa de Taita Miguel” in the Villanueva reserve near Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia, per its website and Retreat Guru page. Its taita also leads ceremonies for Maha Devi Ayahuasca Retreats, a separate brand with a different venue. Against that, the organizer behind Yage Heals is not named, no prices, refund terms, screening rules, medical staff or emergency plan are published, its listings include stock and generated images and implausible amenities, and it has no independent reviews or dated retreats.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: The taita’s home in the Villanueva Indigenous reserve, reached by taxi from Mocoa, Putumayo, Colombia; no address or GPS is published.
• Approach: Kamëntsá yagé ceremonies with medicines it says are grown on the reserve, framed around adventure, culture and rest.
• Suitable For: No one until the organizer and current dates can be confirmed. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: No prices are published in its listings, and no deposit or refund terms were found.
• Overall Assessment: An Indigenous taita with an active practice elsewhere, offset by an unnamed organizer, no published prices or safeguards, questionable listing content and no evidence of recent retreats. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Retreat Guru shows no reviews, and its own site has one undated positive testimonial. A retreat with the same taita under the Maha Devi brand has separate reviews that do not apply to Yage Heals. No reviews of 3 stars or lower were found. 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 Yage Heals, Taita Miguel Mavisoy and Ruth Beronica Juajibioy.

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

The organizer is unnamed and was not searched, so this absence offers limited assurance. The 2021 killing of Kamëntsá leader Taita Miguel Ángel Muchavisoy in Sibundoy involved a different person.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Unverified. The site gives only a Gmail address and a WhatsApp number with a US area code, and no company or person is named as organizer. Whether Yage Heals is an older brand of the Maha Devi operation or runs alongside it is unknown.

Listings. Its Retreat Guru page lists a pool, spa, sauna and fitness center that do not fit a home on a reserve, includes a stock photo and an apparently generated image, and shows a “2027 Schedule” heading with no events.

Screening and medical support. No questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency plan was found. Mocoa’s hospital is the likely nearest (unverified).

Status. Probably dormant; its site and listing are live but show no dates, and the newest dated material is from around August 2025.

Legal context. Colombia has no specific law permitting or prohibiting yagé, per ICEERS.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Do not pay an organizer you cannot identify. 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 that the site says is grown and prepared on the reserve. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Mountainous jungle in the Amazon foothills near Mocoa.
• Rooms: The taita’s home on the reserve; no room details are published.
• Style: Traditional Kamëntsá ceremonies at a family home.

Practical guidance: Take a taxi from Mocoa to the Villanueva reserve, per its listing; airport pickup is not offered.

Should You Book?

Not until the organizer can be identified. Ask in writing who takes your payment, the price and refund terms, the dates, the contraindication rules, who on site is trained in first aid, and the emergency plan and hospital route. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Yage Heals presents itself as a way to experience yagé on sacred Indigenous land with a Kamëntsá family. 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 brand is listed on its website. 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.