New Year Ayahuasca Retreat in Portugal with the Yawanawá Tribe
New Year Ayahuasca Retreat in Portugal with the Yawanawá Tribe
São Bernardino, 2525-758 Atouguia da Baleia, Portugal
Up to 15 in group
December 31, 2026 - January 3, 2027
Retreat Highlights
- We’re bringing the Amazon jungle to Portugal for a memorable four days, and we’d love to have you there.
- These sacred medicines are mysterious, powerful and magical - all at the same time. Their potential for positive change is remarkable, and under the guidance of the Yawanawa elders, the full force of their lineage will be open for all to experience and learn from.
- Yet, the real ceremony begins afterwards - the ceremony of life. That’s why this experience is paired with a comprehensive preparation and integration program - so the shifts you make here have the best chance of rippling into your daily life, your relationships, and the world you touch.
- If you’re ready to answer the call - not just for ceremony, but for real, embodied change - we welcome you.
About this Retreat
Waxy Yawanawá, together with her sister Putanny, became the first ever female pajés (shamans) of the Yawanawá tribe from the Brazilian Amazon.
Waxy is one of the very few women who has completed the sacred one-year muká diet. For the Yawanawa, the muká diet is the most important initiation to become a shaman. It involves ingesting and studying sacred plants such as Ayahuasca, memorising healing songs and prayers, as well as being in complete isolation for lengthy periods of time.
In 2017, Waxy founded Mawa Yuxyn, an institute for spiritual studies in the heart of the Brazilian Amazon jungle. It welcomes everyone who wants to fully experience the Yawanawas’ spirituality, traditions, and indigenous way of life.
Waxy works with Uni (Ayahuasca), Kapum (Kambó), Sananga, Sepá and Rapé. Her rapé is a special one called “the Yawanawá Força Feminina” rapé that represents the female conquest of the Yawanawa women. It is prepared with the ashes from the Tsunu bark, a long and majestic tree considered one of the most sacred of the Yawanawá people.
CEREMONY LEADER & MUSICIAN YAWANAWA TRIBE (BRAZIL)
Wasaru is one of the “wild boar people”; this is what Yawanawá means. For many years, he has been a guardian of the Yawanawá spirituality and a musician of traditional Yawanawá songs.
Together with his wife pajé Waxy Yawanawá, Wasaru leads traditional healing rituals using different plants and sacred medicines from his homeland, the Brazilian Amazon.
He works with “Uni” (commonly known as Ayahuasca) and “Rumê” (known as Rapé). Their Rapé contains ashes from the bark of the Tsunu tree mixed with pure tobacco.
Wasaru also serves “Kapum” (commonly known as Kambó) to cleanse and purify the body, Sananga made from the bark of the root of Tabernaemontana genus and used to open the third eye vision, and Sepá, an incense made with the sap of a tree mostly used in ceremonies to protect and clear the space from negative energies.
Yawanawás are specialists in the art of playing music and Wasaru is one of the musicians that helps keep their ancestral knowledge alive. His songs are protection spells; they also translate traditional stories and share the Yawanawá knowledge about the connection to the land, the reverence for the spirits, and the resilience of the Amazonian indigenous communities in the face of contemporary challenges. His music is composed of voice, guitar and drums.
Carla is an environmental lawyer whose path has evolved toward international advocacy to protect the Amazon rainforest and uphold the culture of its diverse indigenous communities. Drawing on years of experience in EU energy affairs in Brussels, she now channels her legal expertise into building bridges between public policy, ancestral wisdom, and ecological justice.
An experienced space holder and lifelong student of Ayahuasca, she co-founded Taozen in 2022 with her husband Fred to support indigenous-led initiatives and share the sacred medicines of the Amazon jungle in carefully curated, safe containers.
Certified as a Jungian psychedelic preparation and integration specialist, she weaves together science and spirituality. She also works with Dreamwork, Tarot, Kabbalah, I Ching, Hermeticism, Gene Keys, and Ancient Egyptian mysticism to support self-awareness and guide others through deep transformation with grace.
An annual pilgrim to Mysore, India, Carla is a devoted Ashtangi and Yoga Teacher, offering yoga sessions in each Taozen retreat to support the community in preparing for and integrating their sacred plant medicine ceremonies.
Fred is the Co-Founder of Taozen and a plant medicine advocate. Having personally and regularly witnessed the transformative power of entheogens for more than eight years, Fred’s mission is to help people alleviate any needless suffering they through responsible, intentional and reciprocal medicine work.
Knowing first-hand the effectiveness of both individual and collective healing, Fred brings his multi-faceted experience of psychedelic preparation, individual shadow work, grounded group integration, trauma-informed psychology and men’s circle facilitation in service to each and every Taozen guest.
As a keen student of the likes of Marc Aixalá, Kile M. Ortigo, Carl Jung, Dr. Gabor Maté, Richard Rudd, Robert Edward Grant, Paramahansa Yogananda, Seneca, David R. Hawkins M.D. Ph.D and many more, Fred blends his interests of timeless, ancient wisdom with modern, practical and evidence-based methods to ensure every Taozen guest feels prepared and supported throughout their entire journey. He is also a firm believer in the notion that everyone and everything can be a teacher for us, if we are open to this possibility and are willing to listen.
In addition to the in-person retreats and experiences, Fred’s proficiency for tech, marketing, systems-building and writing comes in handy for various elements of Taozen, alongside his wife, co-founder and best friend Carla.
Outside of Taozen, Fred reads and listens to non-fiction, produces rave and ambient music, keeps attentive each day to overcome his perfectionism, self-doubt and self-deception tendencies, nerds out with AI, biohacking and advanced ancient civilisations, and leads a creative agency working with some of the world’s biggest brands.
Details of this retreat
Bringing the Amazon rainforest to the Portuguese coast this New Year.
Join us to experience the profound healing power of Ayahuasca, Kambó, Rapé and Sananga, expertly guided by the indigenous Yawanawa Tribe from the Brazilian Amazon.
Alongside the ceremonies, a comprehensive 1:1 and group integration programme will support you in processing, understanding and embodying what emerges throughout the journey.
All of this takes place in the intimacy and tranquility of a newly renovated retreat house overlooking the Atlantic ocean, creating a space to slow down, reconnect and welcome the New Year with intention.
Join us to experience the profound healing power of Ayahuasca, Kambó, Rapé and Sananga, expertly guided by the indigenous Yawanawa Tribe from the Brazilian Amazon.
Alongside the ceremonies, a comprehensive 1:1 and group integration programme will support you in processing, understanding and embodying what emerges throughout the journey.
All of this takes place in the intimacy and tranquility of a newly renovated retreat house overlooking the Atlantic ocean, creating a space to slow down, reconnect and welcome the New Year with intention.
Schedule
DRAFT SCHEDULE*
THURSDAY 31 december
15:00 | Arrival to the venue
16:00 | Welcome circle
17:30 | Yoga
18:30 | New Year intention-setting workshop + decolonised astrology
20:00 | Rapé circle
20:30 | Uni (aya) ceremony
FRIDAY 1 january
09:00 | Kambó ceremony**
10:00 | Breakfast
11:00 | Group integration circle
14:00 | Lunch
15:30 | Guided beach walk
19:00 | Q&A circle with the Yawanawá
20:00 | Sananga circle
20:30 | Uni (aya) ceremony
SATURDAY 2 january
10:00 | Breakfast
11:00 | Group integration session
14:00 | Lunch
19:00 | Q&A circle with the Yawanawá
20:30 | Rapé ceremony
20:00 | Uni (aya) ceremony
SUNDAY 3 january
10:00 | Breakfast
11:00 | Group integration + closing circle
12:30 | Departure
*Subject to slight changes
**Not included in total price and paid separately.
THURSDAY 31 december
15:00 | Arrival to the venue
16:00 | Welcome circle
17:30 | Yoga
18:30 | New Year intention-setting workshop + decolonised astrology
20:00 | Rapé circle
20:30 | Uni (aya) ceremony
FRIDAY 1 january
09:00 | Kambó ceremony**
10:00 | Breakfast
11:00 | Group integration circle
14:00 | Lunch
15:30 | Guided beach walk
19:00 | Q&A circle with the Yawanawá
20:00 | Sananga circle
20:30 | Uni (aya) ceremony
SATURDAY 2 january
10:00 | Breakfast
11:00 | Group integration session
14:00 | Lunch
19:00 | Q&A circle with the Yawanawá
20:30 | Rapé ceremony
20:00 | Uni (aya) ceremony
SUNDAY 3 january
10:00 | Breakfast
11:00 | Group integration + closing circle
12:30 | Departure
*Subject to slight changes
**Not included in total price and paid separately.
Note: Schedule is approximate and may change
Getting Here
Taozen, São Bernardino, 2525-758 Atouguia da Baleia, Portugal
Directions
Fly to Lisbon airport.
Accommodation
For 10 days, we will live like the Yawanawa. We will share the toilets and the sleeping area. You can bring a camping tent or a hammock to sleep. We will all sleep under the same roof.
Price
Venue & Amenities
Mawa Yuxyn stands as a well-established Center for Spiritual Studies, preserving the traditions of the Yawanawá ancestors deep in the heart of the Amazon jungle.
The center is accessible by invitation only, welcoming those who genuinely seek to immerse themselves in the spirituality, traditions, and indigenous ways of Acre.
The center is accessible by invitation only, welcoming those who genuinely seek to immerse themselves in the spirituality, traditions, and indigenous ways of Acre.
Meals
Menu Types
Vegan
Vegetarian
Pescetarian
Ayurvedic
Includes Meat
Organic
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Nut Free
Breakfast & Lunch
What's Included
- Pre-retreat
- x1 Intake and safety screening with the collaboration of a doctor
- x1 Online 1:1 preparation session
- Retreat
- x4 days at a beautiful house near the ocean
- x3 Uni (ayahuasca) ceremonies led by two experienced indigenous elders from the Yawanawa tribe (Brazilian Amazon)
- + Two additional facilitators
- x2 Rapé circles
- x1 Sananga circle
- x1 New Year intention-setting workshop + decolonised astrology
- x1 Guided beach walk
- x1 Yoga session
- x3 Group integration circles
- x2 Q&A ancestral wisdom sharing circle with the Yawanawa elders
- Daily vegetarian and organic meals made with fresh, locally grown ingredients (ayahuasca-friendly)
- Post-retreat
- x1 Online 1:1 integration session
- x1 Online Group integration session
- Lifelong access to Taozen monthly integration gatherings
- AVAILABLE add-ons
- Kambo ceremony
- Tarot reading
- Extra preparation and/or integration sessions
What's Not Included
- Airfare
- Travel insurance
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