Huni Kuin Kambo Retreat | Libélula | Costa Rica |
Huni Kuin Kambo Retreat | Libélula | Costa Rica |
Libélula Healing Center, Esperanza, Esperanza, Turrubares, CR, 11605
Up to 12 in group
Mar 12, 2026
A preparation course valued at $109 is included with the retreat at no extra cost
Retreat Highlights
- Indigenous Teachings & Experiences
- Indigenous Communities
- Land & Community Reciprocity
- Rest & Integration
- Community
- Organic Land Grown Food
- Heart & Soul
- Jungian Psychology Undercurrent
About this Retreat
Kene is the co‑founder of Libélula and a long‑time walker of the ceremonial path. His work is rooted in lived experience, humility, and deep respect for Indigenous wisdom. Through plant medicine, meditation, and embodied practices, Kene supports others in reconnecting with themselves and remembering their innate capacity to heal.
Txua is a Txana of the Huni Kuin people from Yube Nawa village, carrying a lineage of deep relationship with the plants, the forest, and the unseen worlds they reveal. For Txua, this work is not something learned in theory or chosen as a role. It is something listened for, something remembered & something that grows through years of devotion and discipline.
His first teachers were his grandmother and the elders of his community, who passed on both the knowledge of the plants and the permission to work with them. In Huni Kuin tradition, becoming a pajé is not a title that can be trained for or claimed. It is a calling that unfolds through long diets, prayer, and direct relationship with the medicine itself. Txua will tell you that the training never truly ends with these works!
Txua began drinking medicine at a young age, entering more deeply into the work as a teenager. Over the years, he has completed two major dietas working with the plants for very long extended periods of time; these dietas span years. He continues walking the path toward the third, a stage in which the medicine itself reveals which role a pajé is meant to carry.
In his tradition, there are different ways of serving: those who pass the medicine, those who heal through spiritual work during ceremony, and those who work intimately with the plants themselves, understanding their qualities, spirits, and teachings.
Txua regards the plants as professors who teach how to care for the body, how to restore balance & how to work with the spirit world in service of healing. During ceremony, he works closely with specific plant spirits, including the spirit of the muca plant, which is the spirit of a specific potato which guides his prayers and songs. His icaros (Sacred chants) are living tools used to cleanse, protect, and hold people through different stages of their process
When someone’s journey becomes difficult or intense, Txua listens carefully to what is needed in that moment. Different icaros serve different purposes: some clear heavy energy, some protect, some soothe, some help restore balance.
What Txua hopes guests carry with them after ceremony is not just insight, but realignment. A return to the heart. A sense of happiness, protection, and right relationship with their path in life. For him, the medicine is ultimately about reconnection: with oneself, with others, and with the joy of being alive.
Beyond ceremony, Txua also carries a deep responsibility to his family and village. While the forest holds abundance in plants and knowledge, there is often scarcity in practical resources needed to support healers and connect communities, such as tools, instruments, and transportation. His work is rooted in service: helping his people, supporting his home, and bringing prosperity back to the village so the tradition can continue.
He describes his village as holding an essence of the desire to help - help humanity transform & move closer to the path of love in all they do.
Txua walks this path with humility, gratitude, and devotion. He does not claim to know how long he has been with the medicine. In his words, the medicine has simply always been there, guiding the work as it continues to unfold.
Syriani carries the medicine of the feminine force of the forest. As a Txana, her role is to bring balance, sacred geometry & the wisdom of the serpent into ceremony, embodying the receptive, intuitive, and deeply listening current of the medicine.
She works in relationship with the jiboia which is the great boa constrictor spirit & is a living intelligence that moves through geometry, breath & sensation within the body. Through this connection, Syriani listens to what is unfolding inside each person who has received the medicine, allowing her songs to arise directly from the process being lived
For Syriani, the serpent is not symbolic. It is a presence felt within the body itself. By attuning to this spirit, she can sense where energy is moving, where it is held, and what is ready to be softened or released. Her ícaros help guide guests back into their centre, anchoring them through breath, slowness, and embodied awareness.
When someone’s process becomes intense, Syriani meets them gently. She first asks whether support is needed, honouring choice and consent. If assistance is welcomed, her songs work to calm the nervous system, reconnect the person with their core, and restore inner rhythm. In keeping with tradition, women support women and men support men, preserving safety and energetic integrity.
Syriani hopes guests leave with a deeper sense of happiness, peace & alignment with their life path. Her wish is that the strength found in ceremony continues long after the retreat, supporting each person to walk their path with clarity and heart.
She carries deep gratitude for her family and the Great Spirit & for the opportunity to share the knowledge passed down through her lineage. Her journey with the medicine began at the age of eleven alongside her father. She has been working ceremonially since her teens and continues to walk a lifelong path of learning, dietas, and devotion
For Syriani & the other Txias this work is never finished. It is a living relationship with the forest, the ancestors, and the unfolding wisdom of the medicine — offered in service, song, and alegria!
Kaya Isa carries the path of the Txana as a living relationship with the spirit of the medicine, the ancestors, and the joy that moves through song. For him, this work is not learned in the mind, but remembered through listening: to the plants, to prayer, and to the guidance of those who walked before him.
His journey with the medicine began at a young age, first drinking alongside his brother Txua and his uncle. Like all his brothers, his grandmother has been his greatest teacher, transmitting the lineage through presence, prayer, and lived experience rather than instruction alone.
Kaya Isa understands the medicines as teachers that work through vibration, sound, and feeling. When he sings, he channels the spirit of the Txana itself: the spirit of music, play, joy, and healing. His songs are guided by ancestral presence and arise in direct response to what is needed in the moment.
In ceremony, Kaya Isa meets each person with attentiveness and respect. When processes feel intense, he first listens deeply, sensing whether support is needed or whether the medicine is already doing its work. From there, specific ícaros are offered to cleanse, hold, or restore balance, always guided by the spirit.
What Kaya Isa hopes guests carry with them is an open heart, happiness, and a renewed sense of alignment. His focus is alegria: a joy that comes from reconnection with oneself and with life. A prayer often heard in ceremony, Eskawata Kayaway, reflects this understanding: the healing is already happening. The cleaning is already working. Everything is in motion, and everything is well.
Kaya Isa feels deep honour to share the ancestral knowledge he carries alongside his family, offering this work with humility, devotion, and love.
Eskawata Kayaway, Kayaway Kiki - Constant Transformation Through Love.
Originally from Argentina, Fito has walked the medicine path from a young age, guided by lived experience, travel, and a deep listening to life’s unseen currents. Leaving home at twenty-one, he spent many years travelling through Brazil, often living simply and working on the road, gradually being drawn into relationship with sacred medicines.
A profound life-changing event marked a turning point, leading him into deeper study with the medicines in Brazil and later in the Amazon, where he lived and learned alongside different Indigenous tribes. His path eventually carried him to Peru, where he connected deeply with Huachuma and the spirit of the Condor, spending over a decade in the Sacred Valley holding ceremonies, living in community, and weaving medicine work into daily life.
Fito’s journey has included powerful spiritual initiations & deep inner transformation. With the guidance of trusted teachers, these experiences were gradually grounded into disciplined practice, purification, and humility, shaping a steady and embodied way of working with the medicines.
He later trained with Shipibo teachers and continued his path with the Huni Kuin, supporting ceremonies with quiet presence, care, and respect for lineage. For Fito, the medicines are teachers rather than experiences, and ceremony is a living relationship rooted in responsibility and devotion.
At Libélula, Fito brings the wisdom of a long and deeply lived path, offering grounded support within ceremony and holding the space with integrity, warmth, and reverence.
Details of this retreat
This one-day ceremonial container at Libélula Retreat Center is an opportunity to work with Kambo in the presence of Huni Kuin medicine carriers from the Yuba Nawa village.
Held in the rainforest mountains of Costa Rica, this is a focused and intentional space for cleansing, recalibration and prayer. It is not a retreat in the traditional sense, but a contained ceremonial gathering designed to support clarity, grounding and renewal.
Kambo in the Huni Kuin Tradition
Kambo is a traditional Amazonian medicine derived from the secretion of the Phyllomedusa bicolor frog. Within Indigenous traditions, it is not approached as a substance, but as a powerful forest ally used for cleansing, strengthening and clearing heavy energies from the body and spirit.
For the Huni Kuin, Kambo is administered within prayer. It is often worked with before ceremony to clear stagnation, sharpen perception and prepare the body. The process is direct and physical, and is traditionally understood as a way of strengthening resilience and restoring balance.
In this lineage, medicines are relational. They respond to humility, intention and respect. The ceremony is held through prayer, song and focused presence.
You may hear the phrase spoken or sung:
Eskawata Kayaway, Kayaway Kiki
Often translated as “Constant transformation through love.”
This prayer reminds us that even powerful cleansing unfolds through right pacing and care.
What Kambo May Be Like
Kambo is a short but intense process. After small points are applied to the skin, the medicine enters the lymphatic system quickly.
Common effects may include:
A rapid increase in heart rate
Flushing or heat in the body
Nausea and vomiting
Sweating
Temporary swelling
Emotional release
The acute effects typically last between 15 and 30 minutes, followed by a period of rest and recovery.
Many people report feeling clear, light, grounded or deeply reset afterwards. Others experience fatigue and require rest. Each body responds differently.
Kambo is not psychedelic. It does not produce visionary states. Its action is primarily physical and energetic, with psychological clarity often following the cleanse.
Safety & Suitability
Kambo is not appropriate for everyone. It may not be suitable for individuals with certain cardiovascular conditions, history of stroke, aneurysm, severe mental health conditions, pregnancy, recent major surgery, or those taking specific medications.
Full medical disclosure is required prior to participation. This ceremony is approached seriously and responsibly, with screening and support in place.
Participation is voluntary. You are free to choose not to receive Kambo at any time.
Ceremonial Flow
Arrival
8:00am – 9:00am
Guests arrive into the sanctuary space and are welcomed quietly into the land. This is a gentle arrival designed to allow you to settle and prepare inwardly.
Intention Setting
9:00am – 10:00am
We gather in circle to open the container. The Huni Kuin medicine carriers offer prayer, and guests are guided to clarify their intention for the work.
This is an important part of the process. Kambo responds to clarity. The more honest and grounded your intention, the more aligned the experience tends to be.
Preparation & Administration
10:30am – Kambo Ceremony
The ceremony begins with prayer. Kambo is administered individually in a supported and attentive setting.
The team remains present throughout. You will be guided through breath, posture and grounding as needed.
After your cleanse, you will rest quietly. The space remains held in prayerful silence and presence.
Closing & Grounding
12:00pm
Fresh coconuts are served to support hydration and mineral replenishment. We close the ceremonial space with gratitude and sealing prayer.
Departure
1:00pm
Guests depart quietly and are encouraged to keep the remainder of the day spacious and restful.
What to Bring
Please wear loose, comfortable clothing that you do not mind getting slightly wet or stained.
Bring:
A large bottle of water
A light blanket or shawl
A small towel
A journal and pen
Light snacks for after the ceremony such as fruit, nuts or simple whole foods
Electrolyte powder if you use it
We recommend eating very lightly the evening before and avoiding alcohol or heavy foods for at least 24 hours prior.
It is important not to come completely fasted unless instructed. A light, simple breakfast several hours before arrival is recommended.
Aftercare
Following Kambo, the body may feel tired, clear, emotional or neutral. We recommend:
Hydrating well
Eating simple nourishing food
Resting
Avoiding strenuous activity
Keeping the day quiet
The medicine continues integrating after the ceremony. Listen to your body and allow space for the process.
A Note on Holding
This is not a performance or spectacle. It is a serious ceremonial space held within living Indigenous tradition.
At Libélula, our commitment is to safety, consent and respect. You will not be pushed toward intensity. You will be supported at your own pace.
If you feel called to this work, we look forward to welcoming you into the sanctuary for this focused day of cleansing and renewal.
Held in the rainforest mountains of Costa Rica, this is a focused and intentional space for cleansing, recalibration and prayer. It is not a retreat in the traditional sense, but a contained ceremonial gathering designed to support clarity, grounding and renewal.
Kambo in the Huni Kuin Tradition
Kambo is a traditional Amazonian medicine derived from the secretion of the Phyllomedusa bicolor frog. Within Indigenous traditions, it is not approached as a substance, but as a powerful forest ally used for cleansing, strengthening and clearing heavy energies from the body and spirit.
For the Huni Kuin, Kambo is administered within prayer. It is often worked with before ceremony to clear stagnation, sharpen perception and prepare the body. The process is direct and physical, and is traditionally understood as a way of strengthening resilience and restoring balance.
In this lineage, medicines are relational. They respond to humility, intention and respect. The ceremony is held through prayer, song and focused presence.
You may hear the phrase spoken or sung:
Eskawata Kayaway, Kayaway Kiki
Often translated as “Constant transformation through love.”
This prayer reminds us that even powerful cleansing unfolds through right pacing and care.
What Kambo May Be Like
Kambo is a short but intense process. After small points are applied to the skin, the medicine enters the lymphatic system quickly.
Common effects may include:
A rapid increase in heart rate
Flushing or heat in the body
Nausea and vomiting
Sweating
Temporary swelling
Emotional release
The acute effects typically last between 15 and 30 minutes, followed by a period of rest and recovery.
Many people report feeling clear, light, grounded or deeply reset afterwards. Others experience fatigue and require rest. Each body responds differently.
Kambo is not psychedelic. It does not produce visionary states. Its action is primarily physical and energetic, with psychological clarity often following the cleanse.
Safety & Suitability
Kambo is not appropriate for everyone. It may not be suitable for individuals with certain cardiovascular conditions, history of stroke, aneurysm, severe mental health conditions, pregnancy, recent major surgery, or those taking specific medications.
Full medical disclosure is required prior to participation. This ceremony is approached seriously and responsibly, with screening and support in place.
Participation is voluntary. You are free to choose not to receive Kambo at any time.
Ceremonial Flow
Arrival
8:00am – 9:00am
Guests arrive into the sanctuary space and are welcomed quietly into the land. This is a gentle arrival designed to allow you to settle and prepare inwardly.
Intention Setting
9:00am – 10:00am
We gather in circle to open the container. The Huni Kuin medicine carriers offer prayer, and guests are guided to clarify their intention for the work.
This is an important part of the process. Kambo responds to clarity. The more honest and grounded your intention, the more aligned the experience tends to be.
Preparation & Administration
10:30am – Kambo Ceremony
The ceremony begins with prayer. Kambo is administered individually in a supported and attentive setting.
The team remains present throughout. You will be guided through breath, posture and grounding as needed.
After your cleanse, you will rest quietly. The space remains held in prayerful silence and presence.
Closing & Grounding
12:00pm
Fresh coconuts are served to support hydration and mineral replenishment. We close the ceremonial space with gratitude and sealing prayer.
Departure
1:00pm
Guests depart quietly and are encouraged to keep the remainder of the day spacious and restful.
What to Bring
Please wear loose, comfortable clothing that you do not mind getting slightly wet or stained.
Bring:
A large bottle of water
A light blanket or shawl
A small towel
A journal and pen
Light snacks for after the ceremony such as fruit, nuts or simple whole foods
Electrolyte powder if you use it
We recommend eating very lightly the evening before and avoiding alcohol or heavy foods for at least 24 hours prior.
It is important not to come completely fasted unless instructed. A light, simple breakfast several hours before arrival is recommended.
Aftercare
Following Kambo, the body may feel tired, clear, emotional or neutral. We recommend:
Hydrating well
Eating simple nourishing food
Resting
Avoiding strenuous activity
Keeping the day quiet
The medicine continues integrating after the ceremony. Listen to your body and allow space for the process.
A Note on Holding
This is not a performance or spectacle. It is a serious ceremonial space held within living Indigenous tradition.
At Libélula, our commitment is to safety, consent and respect. You will not be pushed toward intensity. You will be supported at your own pace.
If you feel called to this work, we look forward to welcoming you into the sanctuary for this focused day of cleansing and renewal.
Schedule
Each day of our retreat structure is different but typically you will experience;
Rising with a morning ritual of yoga, movement, breathwork & heart connection
Morning activities which may be ceremonial or workshop based
Spa treatments
Rest & integration
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Evening or daytime ceremonies depending on the retreat schedule
Rising with a morning ritual of yoga, movement, breathwork & heart connection
Morning activities which may be ceremonial or workshop based
Spa treatments
Rest & integration
Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Evening or daytime ceremonies depending on the retreat schedule
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Libélula Retreat Center, Libélula Healing Center, Esperanza, Esperanza, Turrubares, CR, 11605
Directions
*The Above Map Is Not Accurate!*
We are a 45 minute drive into the mountains from the seaside town of Jaco. If you head for Bijagual there are two routes - the route near the Tarcoles bridge is well paved whereas the Jaco road just outside Jaco is quicker but you will need a 4x4 vehicle.
Once in Bijagual if you take a left from the Tarcoles road or go forward from the Jaco road past the shops & ferretaria we are a further 4 miles along the mountain range just outside Esperanza. Don't head for Macaw lodge - we are the other left turning.
Please contact Jesse on +447376124981 if you need further guidance.
From Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO), Costa Rica's main airport hub Libélula is just a 2 1/2 hour shuttle trip to either the center or Playa Hermosa
If we are collecting you from Playa Hermosa the journey is 45 - 60 mins up the mountain to the village of Bijagual.
From there the center is 4 miles further into the mountain range near the small village of Esperanza.
We are a 45 minute drive into the mountains from the seaside town of Jaco. If you head for Bijagual there are two routes - the route near the Tarcoles bridge is well paved whereas the Jaco road just outside Jaco is quicker but you will need a 4x4 vehicle.
Once in Bijagual if you take a left from the Tarcoles road or go forward from the Jaco road past the shops & ferretaria we are a further 4 miles along the mountain range just outside Esperanza. Don't head for Macaw lodge - we are the other left turning.
Please contact Jesse on +447376124981 if you need further guidance.
From Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO), Costa Rica's main airport hub Libélula is just a 2 1/2 hour shuttle trip to either the center or Playa Hermosa
If we are collecting you from Playa Hermosa the journey is 45 - 60 mins up the mountain to the village of Bijagual.
From there the center is 4 miles further into the mountain range near the small village of Esperanza.
Accommodation
Concession
Normal Investment
Abundance
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
Yoga Shala, lodgings, maloca, pool, guest hub & cuisine area
Meals
Our cuisine is organic, gluten free is vegan/vegetarian based and is grown in our gardens on the land as much as is possible prepared with love by our dedicated chefs.
What's Included
- Indigenous Huni Kuin facilitated ceremonies
- All programmed activities included
- We can provide shuttle from the airport at an additional cost
What's Not Included
- Additional activity bolt ons such as kambo & spa treatments
- Airfare
- Shuttle from airport to Playa Hermosa
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