Frequently asked questions
FAQs Pratical
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Customs Information:
When arriving at Immigration in Bogotá, provide the following address and telephone number at customs:
- Address: Finca Villasantana, Villagarzón, Putumayo, Colombia
- Tel: (+57) 3224238251
Travel Recommendations:
- Arrival in Bogotá: It is important to fly to Bogotá the day before the retreat and stay in a hotel for one night. Additionally, plan to spend one night in a hotel after the retreat.
- Flight to Putumayo:
- Take a short flight from Bogotá to Villagarzón with Satena Airlines.
- Satena is not a reliable airline and may change flight times by many hours, so be prepared for potential changes in your travel plans.
- The Satena website can be challenging to use and only accepts certain bank cards. If a card doesn’t work, try another bank card or ask a friend to help with the purchase. Satena offers only one flight per day, so it's important to book your ticket well in advance.
- Once booked, please send us your flight information to Bogotá and Villagarzón ASAP, including the airline name, flight number, and landing time.
- Airport Terminal: Flights to Villagarzón depart from the domestic terminal at El Dorado International Airport (BOG), which is just a three-minute drive from the main airport.
Shuttle Service:
- The price of the retreat includes a shuttle from Villagarzón Airport to Ambiwasi Putumayo. We will be there to meet you on arrival day and shuttle you back on departure day.
Hotel Suggestions in Bogotá:
- Past participants have stayed at the Aloft Hotel, the Courtyard Marriott, and the Holiday Inn.
- Airbnb is also a great option in Bogotá, but hotels can be more convenient for a one-night stay.
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The Nature Within reserves the right to cancel a program at any time. If The Nature Within cancels a program, you will receive a full refund. A refund, minus 3% stripe fee of your room cost and a $200 processing fee, will be offered for cancellations made on or before the close of business, 45 days before each program. No refund or credit will be offered for cancellations made with less than 45 days notice; if you do not show up; or if you leave a program early.
We highly recommend that you purchase travel insurance, which insures you against unforeseen sickness, injury, job loss, inclement weather, and more.
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Retreat Schedule Example:
This schedule is a base example and will vary from depending on what is needed for the most healing experience for us all.
Due to the nature of this retreat, we ask all participants to stay for the entire duration. The initial days are designed to prepare you for the ceremonies, and after the ceremonies, integration tools will be shared. Every part of the retreat is important.
Sunday, Oct 20:
- 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Arrival Time & Check-In
- 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Dinner
Monday, Oct 21:
- 7:00 am – 8:00 am: Breathwork / Meditation with Eli
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast
- 10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Ancestral Plant Wisdom Talk with Taita
- 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Lunch
- 1:00 pm – 3:40 pm: Consultations with Taita Carlos
- 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm: Plant Steam Showers
- 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Dinner
Tuesday, Oct 22:
- 6:30 am: Purgative Bobinsana
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast
- 11:00 am – 12:30 pm: Steam Showers
- 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch
- 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm: Jungle Hike and River Swim
- 5:30 pm – 7:00 am: Sacred Ancestral Plant Medicine Ceremony
Wednesday, Oct 23:
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast
- 9:00 am – 10:30 am: Steam Showers
- 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch
- 6:30 pm – 7:00 am: Sacred Ancestral Plant Medicine Ceremony
Thursday, Oct 24:
- 7:00 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast
- 9:00 am – 10:30 am: Steam Showers
- 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch
- 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm: River Swim
- 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Dinner
Friday, Oct 25:
- 7:00 am – 8:00 am: Qigong and Breathwork
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast
- 10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Spiritual Payment
- 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch
- 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Steam Showers
- 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Dinner
Saturday, Oct 26:
- 6:30 am – 1:30 pm: Ancestral Plant Medicine Ceremony Day
- 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Lunch
- 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Steam Showers
- 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Dinner
Sunday, Oct 27:
- 6:30 am – 1:30 pm: Ancestral Plant Medicine Ceremony Day
- 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Lunch
- 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Steam Showers
- 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Dinner
Monday, Oct 28:
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast
- 9:30 am – 11:30 am: Consultations with Taita
- 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm: Lunch
- 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm: Steam Showers
- 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Meditation and Qigong
- 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Dinner
Tuesday, Oct 29:
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast
- 10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Ancestral Plant Wisdom Talk with Taita
- 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Lunch
- 3:00pm – 4:30 pm: Plant Steam Showers
- 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm: Dinner
- 7:30 pm – 9:00 pm: Celebration Fire
Wednesday, Oct 30:
- 8:00 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast
- 9:30 am: Departure Day
This retreat schedule is subject to change, depending on the energy of the group. Each retreat is unique, and adjustments will be made to best fit the transformation and spiritual growth of the group and each participant.
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Ambiwasi Putumayo is located about 15 minutes from local city Villagarzon or about 25 minutes from the Villagarzon airport.. This center is located in department of Putumayo in Colombia which borders Ecuador.
Putumayo is part of the Amazon Basin and is known for its incredible biodiversity. The department is characterized by its lush jungles, rivers, and diverse ecosystems. The Putumayo River, a major tributary of the Amazon River, runs through the region.
Putumayo is also the key center of the Yage tradition in Colombia and is home to many medicinal plants. In Putumayo, you find Indigenous tribes, including the Ingano, Siona, Kofan, and Kamentsá. These communities have rich traditions and maintain a deep connection to the land and its natural resources.
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The retreat is from Oct 20th to 30th. The first retreat activity takes place on Oct 21st and last activity is on the night of Oct 29th.
Due to the nature of this retreat, we ask all the participants to stay for the whole ten days. The first days are designed to prepare you for the ceremonies. After the ceremonies we have particular activities and tools that will be shared as we go back into life. Everything is important.
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Upon request, Ambiwasi Putumayo will do its best to provide for special meal needs (such as lactose intolerance, food allergies, …etc.). We require that these requests be communicated upon registration. Please keep in mind that a huge variety of non-allergic products are not as easily available in Colombia (as for example in the U.S.). Once you have arrived and settled in you can please check in with the organizers of the retreat.
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Packing and Preparation:
Upon Arrival:
- We will take you to a local store to buy affordable rain boots and a hammock. The rain boots are essential for walking through the jungle, and the hammock will also be used during the ceremonies.
Clothing:
- A couple of good pairs of socks for rain boots
- Raincoat and layers (it is warm but can cool down at night)
- Shorts, t-shirts, a sunhat, and sunscreen
- A bathing suit and a water bottle for hot days
- A thin piece of cloth to wrap around your bathing suit, such as a lungi or shawl (please avoid speedo-type or overly exposing bathing suits)
- Natural insect repellent
- Comfortable shoes for walking outside and flip-flops
- A small flashlight or head torch for nighttime
Toiletries:
- Due to all waste going to the land, please do not bring non-plant-based toiletries and cosmetics.
- Bring your own biodegradable products such as soap, toothpaste, shampoo, moisturizer, deodorant, and sunscreen. Many products marketed as “natural” contain chemicals, so please read the ingredient list.
Additional Items:
- A small mirror if you like
- Vitamins and minerals
- Extra batteries for any of your devices
Books:
- If reading is important for you, we recommend books on spirituality, nature, healing, philosophy, or personal development to keep you focused on your purpose and intention.
Sacred Items:
- Bring something personally significant and sacred for which you can ask for a blessing from the Taita during one of the ceremonies (e.g., crystals, amulets, etc.).
Creative Materials:
- You can channel your healing process using creative materials such as pens, paper, paints, crafts, and musical instruments.
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Feel free to let me know if there are any other details you'd like to include or adjust.
FAQs Spiritual
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There are many different traditions which serve Ayahuasca. Each one has their own uniqueness in how their ceremonies are held. Our ceremonies are held through the union of the Inga and Siona traditions. Our teachers are direct descendants of the Inga people but they were brought up in a Siona community and thus we have these two influences.
The Inga people are botanists and so they have vast knowledge of the jungle fauna and how to make remedies for all sorts of ailment’s whether they are physical, mental or spiritual. Whereas the Siona tribe have a strong understanding in the use of different elements in the Yage ceremonies such as the chondur, wyra, ortiga, cuyangillas and other allies which bring the ceremony together for more healing.
Through this union we have structured our ceremonies in a very particular way. Upon arrival in the ceremonial space, we are all welcomed in and given time to settle. As we enter, we can already feel the vibration of prayer. In some time, one of the team members gives an introduction to the night which goes into full depth of what we should and shouldn’t do. These are practical and spiritual tips to support your journey. We share about the importance of using your breath as a way to calm the nervous system, tips on prayer and ways to connect with the Yage, what is the flow of the evening, and many other pointers.
Always before the night starts the Taita, who is leading the ceremony will offer some ancestral words and then he will pray on the medicine with some of the team. The journey itself will start around 9pm and goes until the sun comes out in the morning. During the night every participant will receive a healing directly with the Taita and team. We also have live musicians playing and there is space to dance. In our ceremonies there is a fire present and this is area where we can go outside and connect with nature. In the morning time there is space for questions and sharing’s. The Taita will also have a morning ancestral wisdom talk and then we all go for breakfast together.
In the day we recommend everyone to rest as much as possible. In this lineage we have two ceremonies back-to-back nights because we find this is the way we get the deepest healing. The first night is often more bitter and the second is sweeter so in this way we find balance. In the first night we often have emotions, pains or traumas that surface and the medicine is cleaning this out of our system. In the second night we are lighter and more open to connect with the medicine and we can uncover insights for our life.
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We all have different blocks inside of ourselves. These could be carried from our genetic lines, excessive thinking, karmic winds, societal influence and our daily life. These blocks show up and they create stagnation in our subtle body. The energy field which connects our consciousness with our body.
Ayahuasca works in a very beautiful way with us as she starts a dialogue with our heart. There is an investigation that starts to happen from the side of the Ayahuasca and in the same way there is an investigation that is happening within ourselves. In time we may find ourselves there with an old memory from childhood, or with a situation happening in our lives now that we haven’t really been able to confront. In this way the medicine helps us to bring to light what is already in our heart.
Then the journey becomes sweet because we have rediscovered a part of ourself and now we can work on becoming friends. These areas of ourselves that are uncomfortable are small child parts that feel they have been abandoned and are really just looking for love. So, we start to talk with these parts and see what is it that they need. This is the journey of healing as we come into wholeness within ourselves, we then in a natural way live in that wholeness with life.
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Our retreats are very safe. However, this is not always the case with all medicine retreats. At our retreats we have a highly experienced team who is supporting you during the whole week. The Taita’s have 30 years of experience, the retreat leader has 15 years of experience and the entire team is well trained. We recognize that it is deep healing work that is happening on our retreats and as a result we need to be held appropriately.
We ensure quality at all levels. As an example, we know where the medicine comes from, who cooks it, how they have prepared it, where they harvested the plants from and most importantly what prayers are going into this sacred brew we will be drinking. You will also see that the Ambiwasi Putumayo retreat centers is a space which was created by Taita Juan and it holds the container in just the right way.
The retreat leader Eli is very experienced in many different modalities of self-practice such as meditation, breath work and internal family systems. These practices are woven together around the ceremonies to create an environment that is safe and joyous. Feel free to always reach out if you have any doubts or concerns.
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If you were to go to receive heart surgery you would want to make sure that you were getting this procedure from the best. Going to drink medicine is like going for a spiritual surgery where we go to heal old karmic wounds from the past, to clean out energy stagnation in our subtle body and to come back to wholeness.
Who knows if this will be your only time drinking the medicine or if you will come to drink again. Either way our spiritual growth is the most important thing we can invest in our whole lives. If our spiritual path is full then everything else in life comes into balance as result of this ground.
In our retreats we realize that all of us are from different backgrounds and need a different tool set to bring us back to peace. In these retreats we weave together a wide spectrum of modalities from different traditions so that you can find the most supportive tools to go home empowered and ready to continue the path of true freedom.
With our team at The Nature Within you can expect excellency and we hope to be able to support you in this journey sometime soon.
