Shipibo Workshops: Traditional Ceremonies at the Piedras Blancas National Park in Costa Rica.
Team
We’re a ragtag crew hailing from Costa Rica, Peru, and Switzerland. What we all have in common is our love of nature, plant medicine, healing people, and Mother Earth. And of course we’re all united in Costa Rica’s life motto: PURA VIDA!
Los shamanes
The Shipibo are renowned for their centuries-old healing tradition involving medicinal plants and teacher trees. Outside the workshop season, our shamans live in the Shipibo medicine village of Ani Shinan in Peru, where they mostly guide teacher tree dietas. If you’d like to learn more about tree dietas, visit anishinan.org.
Isabel
A mother of nine—six sons and three daughters—she’s an esteemed medicine woman hailing from a long healing tradition. Her dedication and love are quite contagious. Her most important ally is the mighty shiwawaku tree. Also, she has dieted the bobinsana, pinon colorado, and mucura.
Bernardo
He has been working as a curandero for 20 years and he enjoys supporting you to grow and heal. In the ceremonias he is very specific and right on the point with his icaros. He has dieted Tamaruri, Piñon Colorado, Suelda con Suelda, Renaquilla and many more.
Las facilitadoras
For many years, a group of people from Switzerland has maintained close relations with the Shipibo nation. Together, they created the medicine village of Ani Shinan in Peru. Last year, Pandorita, with its 370 acres of primary rain forest, was placed in the care of that same group as a gift to be shared—as a local employer, a travel destination for Shipibo, and a place of healing for workshop participants from all around the globe.
Gigi
Gigi started her spiritual training in the Peruvian jungle, where she studied shamanic teacher plants and trees by doing dietas. Her passion is to help people form a deep connection with their own hearts. She takes in her guests’ wishes and intentions and uses songs and prayers to liberate the magic they carry inside. Gigi has hosted women’s retreats in Cusco and mixed groups in Tarpato and Costa Rica. She’s fluent in Spanish and English and will be there for you with love and patience throughout your stay.
Jolanda
Jolanda was born and raised in Switzerland. Early on, her mother brought her into contact with nature. Since her first ceremony in 2011, she has completed numerous tree and plant Dietas according to Shipibo tradition and has participated in many ceremonies in Europe, Peru and Costa Rica. She loves to share her experience and knowledge of the plant world with patience and love. With her strong intuition, her ability to listen and her passion to support people in their healing processes. Jolanda is fluent in German, English and Spanish.
Los trabajadores
They’ve grown up on the shores of the beautiful Golfo Dulce, living every day where other people go on vacation. Their knowledge of local conditions and peculiarities is a great asset for tending to the land at Pandorita.
Oscar
Oscar oversees the cultivation of the land, and he knows and takes care of every nook and cranny at Pandorita. He steers the boats and is responsible for all things electronic and administrative.
Paulina
Paulina is a miracle worker in the kitchen and tends to all the rooms at Pandorita. She lives only a short boat trip away.
Rhoyzer
Rhoyzer is a plant professional of a different kind: he checks and maintains the jungle paths, harvests various fruit, and tends to the entire garden with great dedication and love.
Los fundadores
Marco & Daniela
Daniela and Marco have been a couple for 26 years. Together they have been walking the medicine path for 14 of those years. Through their work with this medicine they live their vocation and their values: inspiration, courage, integrity, clarity and a radical sense of responsibility. Until today they have led over 1000 ceremonies together and lived in the Peruvian jungle for 3 years, where they were trained in the Shipibo tradition. The two have been running the Ani Shinan healing center there since 2012. Pandorita is another manifested dream of theirs. Marco and Daniela are very grateful for all the good things that have transpired in their lives and love to share them with other people through their work.