El Encano — Colombia
High in the mountains of Nariño, a journey shaped by Ayahuasca, forest, water and another rhythm of time.
Where the rhythm changes
At El Encano, the journey begins before anything needs to happen.
You arrive by water, leaving the roads behind. At around 2,800 metres, the air feels different, the landscape opens, and the pace of everyday life begins to lose some of its urgency.
The reserve sits between forest, mountain and the waters of La Cocha. There are no cars passing nearby, no city rhythm to return to at the end of the day. For a while, life becomes smaller and more immediate — walking, eating, resting, listening, watching the light move across the laguna.
There is time here.
Time for the body to find its own pace.
Time for silence.
Time to notice what usually disappears beneath movement and noise.
And within this slower rhythm, the ceremonies with Mauricio begin to take their place — not as something separate from the journey, but as part of the landscape, the days spent together and everything that continues to unfold between them.
The medicine and the days between
The days begin quietly.
Morning light over the water. A little movement in the house. The forest still holding the mist. Time to sit, breathe, walk, write, or simply stay with what is still moving from the night before.
Over the course of the journey, five yagé ceremonies with Mauricio become part of this rhythm. Each one arrives differently. What felt clear one day may open another question the next. Something intense may become simple. Something almost unnoticed may continue to unfold quietly for several days.
There is no need to rush from one experience to another.
The spaces between the ceremonies matter too.
A swim in the laguna. A conversation. A long silence. A walk through the forest. A morning when very little seems to happen, and yet something inside has shifted.
Little by little, the journey becomes less about separate ceremonies and more about everything that begins to connect between them.
Living inside the reserve
Between the ceremonies, life continues around you.
The forest is there each morning. The laguna changes with the light. Paths disappear between trees and plants, and the people who live here begin to give the landscape another depth.
The group is welcomed on the natural reserve of an Inga family whose relationship with this place has unfolded across generations. The forest itself carries a story: after years of severe exploitation, the land has been patiently restored for more than half a century.
With Don Jaime, we enter the forest slowly. He shares what he knows of the plants and the territory, not as a lesson detached from the land, but while walking through the place where that knowledge belongs. Planning éditorial Casa Oraya
There may be time to swim in the laguna, observe medicinal plants, paint with natural pigments, keep a travel journal, or simply sit somewhere and watch the afternoon change.
Nothing needs to become an activity to complete.
Part of the journey is simply being there long enough for a place to stop feeling like scenery.
And to begin meeting it as somewhere alive.
The frame
This journey is immersive, but it is held with attention from beginning to end.
Preparation starts before travelling. Once there, there is time to arrive, ask questions, rest, speak when something needs to be shared, and receive individual attention throughout the experience.
The rhythm remains flexible. Ceremonies, time in nature, rest and moments of integration are allowed to respond to what the group — and each person — is living.
Nothing needs to be rushed. Enough space is kept between experiences for what has been lived to settle in its own time.
This journey is immersive, but it is held with attention from beginning to end.
Practical information
Practical information
Dates
21–29 January 2027
Location
El Encano · Nariño, Colombia
Laguna de La Cocha
Setting
Private natural reserve
Access by boat
Medicine
5 yagé ceremonies with Mauricio
The days between
Morning meditation · forest walks · time by the laguna · contemplation · integration
Languages
English · French · Spanish
Price
€1,800
Deposit
€900 to reserve your place
Thinking of joining us to El Encano?
A journey this far deserves time for questions.
If you would like to understand the place, the medicine, the journey itself, or simply speak before deciding, you are welcome to get in touch.
