Plant and ritual
also known as Pago a la tierra, coca k'intu
An offering bundle assembled on paper by a paqo, layer by layer, from coca leaves, seeds, sweets, fat, flowers and wool, each element placed with an intention, then wrapped and either burned or buried. It is a ceremony of reciprocity with the land rather than an experience delivered to you.
The heart of it is the k'intu: three perfect coca leaves held together, breathed on with an intention, and placed in the bundle. You participate by making them. Nothing is ingested beyond possibly chewing coca or drinking coca tea, both of which are ordinary and legal in Peru and Bolivia.
This is the most participatory and least performative thing in this family. It is also the cheapest by an order of magnitude if you arrange it directly with a paqo in Cusco or Pisac rather than as a line item in a retreat package.
Coca leaf is legal in Peru, Bolivia and Colombia and is not cocaine. It is, however, a controlled substance almost everywhere else, and carrying leaves or coca tea bags home in your luggage is a criminal offence in most countries and will show on a drug test.
The shape of it
A representative shape drawn from how these are typically run. Use it as something to ask against, not as any one centre's timetable.
Who benefits: Q'ero paqos have become a fixture of the Sacred Valley retreat economy, often as a supplier to Western-run centres. Arranging directly, and paying properly, is both cheaper for you and a materially different transaction for them.
Where to do it
Chosen for institutional standing rather than atmosphere: a named founder, a registered charity or non-profit, a published lineage, decades of operation, a price you can read before you enquire. We have inspected none of them, and each entry says what its standing actually rests on.
Sacred Valley, between Cusco and Machu Picchu, Peru
Built by Carol Cumes as the first yoga retreat centre in the Sacred Valley, with seven chakra gardens and long-standing working relationships with Q'ero healers who lead the despacho and fire ceremonies. The established option, priced accordingly.
Cusco, Pisac and the Sacred Valley, Peru
Not an institution, and listed on purpose. A despacho arranged through a Cusco guide or at the Pisac market costs a small share of what the same ceremony costs inside a retreat programme, and the money goes to the practitioner. Ask around locally rather than booking online.
No centre has paid to appear here and no link on this page earns us anything. If that ever changes it will be disclosed on the listing itself, not in a footer.
The other half
The retreat directory covers centres in the jurisdictions where the substance they serve is lawful, licensed or unscheduled. Read the contraindications first, because a lot of people who start there end up back on this page.
The dispatch
A brief, sent only in weeks when something changes: jurisdictions that shifted, listings added or revised, and the research worth reading. No hype, no sourcing talk.
Educational only. Not medical advice. Unsubscribe any time.