Our current retreat offering is the three night San Pedro retreat which is our signature offering.

It consists of two deep immersions with the cactus medicine which range in duration from 10-16 hours each. and the option to connect if called with the frog medicine Kambo. Fully catered for, with comfy accommodation, complimentary airport transfers, beautifully prepared meals. All within the safe and skilled hands of Austin (the founder and Medicine Man) and his highly experienced crew.

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The Huachuma Project was founded in Portugal in March 2023. Previously we ran retreats in the UK as Yugen Retreats.

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The retreats are held on the land of our off grid Algarvian farmstead, set in 115 acres of woodland. Surrounded by much wildlife and tranquillity. This is truly a place to disconnect from busy modern life and reconnect with yourself in nature.

 

The retreats start on Friday afternoon at 5pm.

We offer an inclusive shuttle service to the retreat from Faro airport twice a day, in the morning and afternoon. (and back again on Monday)

 

Upon arrival, guests are checked into their accommodation. We offer two separate dorms for men and women for up to six people. Guests are also welcome to bring their own camping equipment and set up on the land.

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On the first night we offer an optional Kambo ceremony. Followed by a group retreat talk, Q & A, sharing circle and a hearty dinner before getting some rest for the journeys tomorrow.

On both Saturday & Sunday, a lite and nutritious breakfast is offered before we journey. Ceremony is opened with a round of intention and prayers and the first drink is served. The journeys will take place on the land or in our cosey temple space; weather dependent. The journeys with San Pedro are typically gentle and progressively deeper. Up to 3 drinks are served in each ceremony, with the first three from our first ceremony being combined for the first drink in the second ceremony.

The space is complemented by live and recorded music and healing songs, known as Icaros; a healing technology typical to tribes in South America.

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Both days run from mid morning to late at night and are topped off with some nice fire lit evenings, good food, tribe vibes and storytelling before heading to bed.

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Monday greets us and we serve breakfast, followed by an integration and closing circle. You may decide to extend your stay on the property or take the transfer back to Faro Airport.
We do our absolute best to get people to the airport on time. Please book reasonable flight times between 06:00 am to 22:00 pm for your outward journey.

 

Our retreats and ceremonies are designed for genuine, mature and curious adults who want to open to the process. To gain insight from the medicine as well as Austin and his team of diverse healers and therapists.

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Retreat exchanges are below:

Early bird If booking more than one month in advance €675 p/p.
Regular thereafter €750 p/p.

 

Zero deposit required just proof of your flights and a 1-1 video call with Austin to confirm your place!

 

Want to come but need help? We offer regulated instalment plans too. Just ask.

 

These are the upcoming retreat dates for the remaining part of this year, available to prep book.

April 26-29

May 10-13 & 31-June 3

June 7-10

July 12-15 & 26-29

August 9-12 & 30- Sept 2

September 27-30

October 11-14 & 22-25

November 8-11 & 22-25

 

About San Pedro.

San Pedro is a tall, dark green cactus native to the Andes. Known also by its ethnobotanical Latin name as Trichocereus pachanoi.

San Pedro, when ingested, immerses the traveller in a full heart, mind and body experience.
It is a calm and grounded process that leads you into your emotional and spiritual core and aids us to drop the walls surrounding them.

Unlike other ‘psychedelic’ experiences, San Pedro is a grounded visionary experience and as such feels very real and leaves a long lasting impression on us; supporting the long lasting changes you want.

During the journeys we are totally present and it is our own process to guide. You decide how deep you want to go by communicating with the medicine. This may be a direct dialogue or something more subtle like writing or following your feelings. Either way, nothing is too hard to handle and you are supported from beginning to end to make the most of your experience by Austin and his team.

Journeys are typically characterised by a divine caring energy, this is why the cactus is often referred to as “The Grandfather”.

The word Huachuma, originating from the Quechuan people, means to leave the head and enter the heart. This is why we named our place The Huachuma Project. Sometimes the most worthwhile journey we’ll ever make is 40 centimetres from our heads to our hearts.

It is advised to enter the space with crystal clear intentions and zero expectations. When you drink plant medicine, you are committing to do the work on yourself in support of the master plant. Forming heavy expectations can block the initial subtle integration of the cactus, which leads into the overall expansion of the experience. Breathe, trust & surrender.

In our ceremonies we utilise a mixture of whole cactus powder and cactus skin (minus the spikes) served in water. Our whole cactus is grown in Spain, while the rest comes from Lima, Peru. Combining the two together is something Austin has done for years, as he says it creates a rounded and balanced experience of being grounded, in the heart, and having an etheric encounter.

It is green in colour, grainy in texture and slightly bitter in taste. Onset can take between 20 minutes and 2 hours but, we personally feel the medicine starts working on us as soon as we commit to attending our own healing and self work. People often report “seeing signs” on the lead up to journeys with us or having different dreams.

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Code of Conduct & Ethics.

 

At The Huachuma Project, guests and staff alike are responsible for the safety, wellbeing and containment of both themselves and others. The following points are rules and herein put into place for everyone to feel safe, supported, comfortable and nurtured whilst in attendance and thereafter. By attending The Huachuma Project in any capacity, you are voluntarily agreeing to adhere to all points made.

 

Interpersonal & Ceremonial Etiquette:

1.) No talking to others during the ceremonies.

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2.) No touching others or making forced eye contact during ceremonies.

 

3.) No phones or recording devices in ceremonies.

 

4.) No smoking or vaping during ceremony time.

 

5.) No wandering off from ceremonies except for bathroom trips.

 

6.) Guests to refrain from oversharing and talking too much about themselves without first checking with others; “is it okay if I share about…” (group sharing circles are excluded from this point).

 

7.) Ask the facilitators and crew for help, not your fellow participants. And don't try to “heal” fellow participants.

 

8.) Guests should exercise due diligence with their romantic feelings and attraction to others. Retreats are not for hooking up and our advice is to pursue such feelings post retreat at such a time you feel integrated. If you are in receipt of such feelings wanted or not, set a boundary and inform a facilitator to take care of it.

 

9.) Guests are encouraged to exercise healthy boundaries.

 

10.) Be kind and polite and above all be real with your communication.

 

11.) What happens on retreat stays on retreat. Please keep everyone's identity confidential and private. This is extremely important given the varying careers and cultural backgrounds of people we have in attendance. This also includes no photography without express consent from the individuals or sharing of stories from retreats that are not solely about yourself. Confidentiality may only be breached when necessary to prevent serious crimes or calamities, or when involuntarily or legally coerced to testify in accordance with the law.

 

12.) No discrimination or segregation of any sort.

 

13.) Hold yourself in high regard and pull your weight. You are here to make a change in your life. Taking charge of that only empowers your process.

 

14.) Please keep conversations relevant and be mindful not to occupy too much space with discussions on conspiracy, world events and politics. Whilst these topics are sometimes part of life, they can be a distraction from our own personal process.

 

15.) Be considerate of people's need for a good night's sleep. If you have sleep disordered breathing (snoring) please inform a facilitator on booking your place so measures can be taken. Please refrain from high energy activity and noise and excessive light pollution i.e. phone use in sleeping spaces. You are free to carry on these things in other areas.

 

16.) Everyone is welcome.

 

17.) All feelings are welcome. All processes are sacred. Be as respectful and welcoming of yourself and others as truly possible.

 

Good Housekeeping & Community Living:

 

1.) Everyone is responsible for tidying up before and after themselves.

 

2.) Leave shared spaces and facilities to a higher standard than you’d wish to find them. I.e cleaning after you visit the bathroom or wash facilities. Discarding trash in the correct bins. Areas are equipped so we can all do this.

 

3.) Respect the chef. Offer to return and rinse your plate after eating.

 

4.) Smoking and Vaping is only permitted at the end of the property outside the old white horse shed. Please extinguish all cigarette ends completely in the ashtray provided and nowhere else. This is to limit the risk of fire, Especially in the summer months where open air burning is forbidden from March to November.

 

5.) No littering on the land. Hold onto rubbish until you reach a bin.

 

6.) Going for a walk? Please tell someone, take your phones, go with someone, wear supportive footwear, be back before dark or the next item on the schedule.

 

7.) You are solely responsible for the security and condition of the items and possessions you bring on site.

 

8.) Do not take or use someone else's belongings without their prior expressed consent. This also includes property/items owned by The Huachuma Project, except in the case of emergency.

 

9.) Arriving by car? Please park considerately to allow maximum use of parking spaces and not to damage the surrounding area or inconvenience the flow of people and other vehicles.

 

10.) Inform staff of damaged or malfunctioning facilities/items.

 

11.) Inform staff if you notice stocked items running low; such as coffee and tea or toilet paper.

 

12.) No trespassing. When walking the land, please stick to the clearly maintained tracks. Dont go over any fences, ropes or borders. Please don't touch any equipment, fallen wood or rock formations. Please don't walk near any dwellings i.e. hunting cabins, buildings or caravans and motorhomes. These are our neighbours, tenants and BnB guests independent of The Huachuma Project and deserve quiet enjoyment as much as you do. Note: the land is also home to snakes, scorpions, a variety of lizards, birds of prey, wild boar, foxes and the occasional lynx cat. They are mostly out at night and do not come close to where humans live and work. Best to walk in at least pairs and don't lift any objects in the forest because it could be a habitat.

 

13.) In the event of a medical emergency, Trained First Aid operatives are on site and a medical kit will be close by. If hospital care is required ICE and emergency service numbers will be called and either a facilitator or public ambulance will provide transport. You must inform a member of staff if emergency services are called in order to provide directions.

 

14.) In the event of a wild fire the emergency services will be contacted. Depending on the size of the fire we may either stay on site, calmly evacuate by foot to the main road and await the Bombeiros (firemen) or a calm evacuation by car will be made to a large open space where we will continue the ceremonies for that retreat and make plans to return to the retreat centre, liaising with the firemen for when it is safe to do so. It is important to not panic and only retrieve belongings when advised it is safe to do so by a facilitator or fireman. The number for all emergency services in Portugal is 112. Do not attempt to tackle a blaze yourself!

 

15.) The use of alcohol, recreational substances and non prescribed medications are strictly forbidden on site at all times.

 

16.) Attract good Karma in all that you do.

 

This is not an exhaustive list, intentionally to encourage self autonomy but, if you’re unsure about anything just ask. Above all we want to create a thriving space for everyone in attendance to get the most out of their stay with us. We encourage you to make full use of the facilitators and their expertise, to settle in and feel that every part of you is welcome and held here. With Heart, Austin.