Our Story
A meticulously crafted bridge between the Colombian Putumayo and a stone finca in the Spanish sierra. Twelve years, an extended family, and a commitment: that the medicine arrives with respect, or not at all.
The Journey of the Medicine
Putumayo · Colombia01
Each year we travel to the Colombian Amazon. We do not buy pre-made medicine. We stay with the taita families of Putumayo, sleep in their maloca, eat with them, cut the vine with our own hands using a machete. It is a commitment rather than a product.
Maloca · Bajo Putumayo02
The yagé is cooked for three days and three nights over a wood fire. The taita sings ícaros to the pot. Each batch carries the intention of the people who prepared it. We only help: we cut, we feed the fire, we listen. We never direct.
Atlantic Ocean03
It travels with us, with the taita's blessing and under the legal frameworks that Europe recognizes for ceremonial and research use. Nothing is bought from intermediaries. Nothing arrives without having been sung over. The chain is short, transparent, and traceable.
Sierra de Málaga · Spain04
In a stone finca surrounded by olive trees, we welcome those who come to do the work. Home, food, clinical care, ceremony, and integration. This is where three months of accompaniment transform into a different life.
How We Work
A fixed percentage of each retreat returns to Putumayo: territory, education for the taitas' children, and protection of the vine. The medicine is not taken; it is shared.
We do not invent ceremonies. We receive what was taught to us and we care for it. The taitas travel with us to Europe whenever they can be present.
Medical evaluation, psychological screening, clear protocols. Tradition upholds the spirit; clinical care upholds the body. Both are inseparable here.
When you walk through the door, you stop being a client. The community of 446 people is for life — free circles every week, no cost, no conditions.
The family
Chakana is not a brand. It's a small group of people who decided to dedicate their lives to this. We know each other, we eat together, we discuss, we hug. When you come to the retreat, you'll know all of them by name — because that's how we'll know you too.
Speak with us today
Mateo Restrepo
Co-founder · Bridge with Putumayo
Lucía Vargas
Co-founder · Medical Director
Taita Querubín
Lineage Master · Cofán
Aitor Segura
Lead Facilitator · Spain
Camila Ruiz
Psychologist · Integration
Iván Ochoa
Clinical Care · Doctor
Our Story
2014
First trip to Putumayo
Mateo arrives for the first time in the Colombian Amazon seeking answers for the grief of a brother.
2017
Commitment to the taita
After three years as an apprentice, he receives the blessing to accompany others in the process.
2019
First home in Spain
Lucía and Mateo open the estate in the Málaga mountains. Five people at the first retreat.
2022
Three-month model
The 12-week preparation, retreat, and integration support is formalized.
2024
Clinical program
Iván joins the team. Medical screening and 24/7 care protocol during ceremony.
2026
446 people
The community exceeds 400 active members. Six annual dates, all with a waiting list.
Start by getting to know us
A free thirty-minute call with a team member. No pressure, no sales — just an honest conversation to see if this path is for you right now.
