Harmonica Ayahuasca Retreat (formerly Guacamayo)

Incredible retreat center run by warm, knowledgeable, caring folks. Oliver, Kevin, Jenna, Sergio, and Luna (and the rest of the large team) are exceptional people: mindful, smart, and highly expert in leading these retreats. This is NOT easy work -- for the participants, nor for the facilitators. But thanks in great part to their wonderful work, I had one of the most meaningful and transformative experiences of my 58 years.

The setting is beautiful (and only an hour from central Medellin). The food was hearty and healthy, and the my room was a serene cabin-like one with a shared terrace overlooking the valley and mountains.

The ayahuasca experience itself was filled with beautiful music, respectful ceremonial aspects (Sergio leads these incredibly well), and a great deal of planning and pre-work with each participant. We had 12 participants in our sessions (from all around the world) and 6 facilitators and staff to take care of us and lead us: a really great ratio, especially for the low $$ price of this experience.

Absolutely highest recommendation.

This wasn't the first time I did ayahuasca, but it was the first time I experienced an authentically led indigenous ceremony and what a powerful experience it was! Sergio the titan who leads the ceremony and his wife Vanessa are wonderful people that truly understand the plant medicine at its core they create a safe environment so we can work on ourselves. It all the times I've worked with this plant medicine, I never felt such a deep connection, Oliver and Luna the organizers of the retreat help make sure everyone feels safe, secure, and supported throughout the whole process. They even have a doctor who left western medicine to deepen his practice use medicines that actually work. I come from a past of intense addiction with crystal meth and I have used plant medicines to help me work through traumas of my childhood so I can help connect with my inner child. Ever since coming to Harmonica, I have found a deep sense of peace within myself as I transition out of my old lifestyle to embrace a renewed sense of self. Ill be forever grateful for what Harmonica Ayahuasca Retreat has done for me and I can't wait to go back and go deeper within myself.

I recently attended an Ayahuasca retreat with them, and it was truly a transformative experience. The facility was located in a gorgeous place with an amazing view, far from any noise and surrounded by the sounds of nature. The retreat center was impeccably clean, and the facilitators felt like family, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere that made everything go smoothly and easily.
The food was delicious, healthy, and diverse, catering to all dietary needs. The schedule was beyond perfect, offering much more than we paid for, including meditation, yoga, sound healing, ice baths, massages, and more. It was not just an Ayahuasca retreat but a full package that you won't find anywhere else.
I am so happy and grateful that I chose to do it with these amazing people. I will definitely go back!

Words cannot describe the life changing impact this retreat had on my wife and myself. It was deeply impactful on so many levels. I suggest you come physically and mentally ready for a journey into yourself, a vast expanse of which we seldom know or are aware of. Your soul will appreciate it.

There is a reason this retreat center has so many 5 star ratings. In the past, I was bitten by not doing my due diligence and picking a "Shaman" that did not have expertise working with ayahuasca. The guy had no idea how to handle the most basic of scenarios and it absolutely ruined my experience and robbed me of the growth I was looking for. For this reason, I was very careful when picking this retreat center. I'm so happy to say that the level of awareness, maturity, intuition, and unboastful wisdom that Oliver, Luna, Sergio, Kevin, and the rest of the team bring to this experience, provided the space to make it truly life-changing. You will feel like they are close friends by the end of the retreat. Being a natural skeptic, I am, for better or worse always looking for where the bullshit is hiding. I'm so grateful to be able to say, that I was unable to find any throughout my experience during this retreat. The environment and container for the experience are very well thought through.

I've tried to bracket this out into some cliff notes, for those of you who don't want to read a novel.

PROS:

No sales bullshit or advance level "mastermind course" you have to buy into.

No price gouging or secret hidden "Medicine Fees" as I have seen elsewhere.

No creepy ego stuff being injected into the experiences and discussions.

The flexibility to move around during the sessions/ceremonies was very beneficial (They'll let you know when this is appropriate).

Oliver, Luna, and the team do an excellent job of setting the format and tone. Try to pay close attention. It will be helpful for you and others as it is a shared central hall/room.

The food is phenomenal and the head chef is wonderful. I think I had the best omelet of my life there. It didn't even have cheese in it.

The musical talent is excellent. It may take a few times hearing some of the songs to fully appreciate them as they are largely in Spanish, but by the end of the retreat, you will leave singing them and wishing you could hear them one more time. Shout out to Kevin and Julian.

THINGS I WOULD DO DIFFERENTYL NEXT TIME:

Should have brought a proper hoodie/sweatshirt

Should have brought some lighter, more comfortable style pants.

Should have upgraded to a private room. You will need as much rest as possible between sessions/ceremonies.

Hydrate as much as possible, not just casually. You'll need your fluids. For real.

OTHER ADVICE FOR FIRST TIMERS:

Pay attention to the etiquette for behavior. The large majority of it is just to make sure everyone can get the most out of their experience. The team will talk you through this before each ceremony.

If you have night vision or eyesight issues, bring your glasses to the ceremony. It'll help you see better when you need to.

COOL STUFF THAT HAPPENED OUTSODE OF THE CEREMONIES:

Ice Bath: I was honestly dreading this part of the retreat. It, like everything, is optional, but I wanted to force myself to do it. This along with other parts of the retreat, left me leaving with the knowledge I could handle more than I previously believed, both mentally and physically, and I was already a very physical person.

Massage: Check out the "hard" massage if you are ok with pain. They offer a light and a "Hard" version. I went there on crutches, due to a recent knee injury. Julian was able to have me walking on my own after 1 deep tissue session. I literally hobbled in on crutches and walked out on both legs carrying the crutches with my hands. It was VERY difficult but worth it. In the end my mind was blown as I went to a western doctor the week before who did nothing for the knee. Side note: the "light" massage is more gentle if that's more your speed, however the hard one had all my knots and posture imbalances back in alignment. Even without the knee being fixed, the rest of my body felt great and in perfect alignment again.

Fasting: My body felt great from the light fasting during the retreat. It was just nice to be eating super clean foods and then giving my body a chance/break from constantly processing food to repair itself. It made me re-examine some of my self-soothing/distracting relationships with eating.

I can see so much more clearly how useful mine and the rest of my groups experiences were to their lives. I believe every single one of use left, catapulted to a new level of personal, emotional, and spiritual growth. Oliver, Luna, Sergio, Kevin and the rest of the team were invaluable to helping me get what I needed from, what turned out to be an extremely challenging and transformative experience. I can tell that they truly had my best interests in mind and I am beyond grateful for it. The level of selflessness and openness that they displayed allowed me to fully integrate the lessons I learned during the deeper parts of the experience. In the end, it felt like I was being helped by wise friends who just so happen to be well versed in working with Aya. People like them are among the rarest kind. You will see what I mean.