Amazon Immersion “Aldeia Espelho da Vida”

About this event

The retreat at Aldeia Espelho da Vida is a 7-day immersion into the Huni Kuin culture in Tarauacá, Acre, offering an authentic experience of healing, spirituality, and connection with the forest. The program includes body painting, medicinal baths, sacred rituals with aya and rapé, ceremonies led by shamans and Txanás, forest trails through the medicinal park, and reforestation activities. This experience provides deep ancestral learning, strengthening the body, mind, and spirit.

About the Huni Kuin People
The Huni Kuin, also known as the “True People,” are an Indigenous group native to the Amazon region of Brazil and Peru, primarily living in the state of Acre. Guardians of ancient traditions, the Huni Kuin hold a deep spiritual connection with the forest, living in harmony with nature and guided by ancestral wisdom. Their rich cultural heritage includes sacred plant medicine ceremonies, traditional songs and prayers (called *txi), intricate body painting with natural dyes, and a holistic worldview that sees healing as a return to balance within oneself and with the Earth. The Huni Kuin continue to share their knowledge with openness and strength, offering a profound invitation to reconnect with the roots of life.


Complete Program

- Body Painting: Spiritual expression through body painting with genipap, strengthening the bond with ancestral teachings.
- Daily Medicinal Baths: Purification and revitalization rituals using sacred plants.
- Rapaya Baptism: Traditional Huni Kuin baptism, also known as “pepper baptism” or “Txana baptism,” aimed at strengthening memory, learning, and the study of chants.
- Preparation of Nixi Pae: Making aya, the sacred medicine used in spiritual rituals.
- Preparation of Dume Reske: Traditional rapé (Dume Reske) preparation.
Reforestation Activity with the Community: Planting fruit trees and medicinal plants.
- Use of Various Medicinal Plants for Healing, Spiritual Strengthening, and Enhanced Learning: Natural eye drops, incense, and aromatherapy.

Nixi Pae (Aya) Ceremonies :
– Healing ceremony with the Nai Beyas of the village.
– Ceremony led by the village Txanás.
– Daytime ceremony under the Samaúma, the sacred tree.
– Ceremony with invited Txanás from neighbouring villages.
- Forest Trail: A walk through the village’s Medicinal Park, learning about the plants and local knowledge.

This is not just a retreat—it’s a deep cultural immersion into the heart of the Amazon, guided by the true wisdom keepers of the forest: the Indigenous Huni Kuin people. Unlike mainstream retreats, where Indigenous traditions are often diluted or adapted for outsiders, we work exclusively with Indigenous leaders, honoring their lineage, traditions, and way of life with the utmost respect.

Both Fabian and Rafael have spent years walking this path, learning directly from the Huni Kuin. They have been initiated and baptized in sacred ceremonies, forging deep bonds of trust and reciprocity with the community. This retreat is an invitation into that world—a rare opportunity to experience the Amazon as the Huni Kuin do, in its purest, most authentic form.

This is not a luxury retreat. It’s an experience of humility, presence, and connection. You will live with the Huni Kuin in their village, sharing their way of life—sleeping in hammocks or simple shared spaces, bathing in the river, and eating traditional meals prepared with love. Stepping into their world means embracing the unknown, surrendering to the rhythm of the jungle, and opening yourself to the profound spiritual wisdom that has been passed down for generations.

If you’re ready to leave behind modern distractions and truly immerse yourself in the raw beauty of Indigenous life, ceremony, and nature, this journey awaits you.

The team

At the heart of this sacred Amazonian immersion are our Indigenous hosts from the Huni Kuī village Espelho da Vida, nestled deep in the Brazilian Amazon along the Humaitá River.

Tuim Nova Era, the village Cacique and spiritual leader, comes from a long lineage of shamans and Txanás. With over 23 years of experience in leading forest medicine ceremonies, Tuim has dedicated his life to preserving the ancestral wisdom of his people. He founded the Centro Espelho da Vida and the Instituto Hiwea Kiri Beisiti to revitalize Huni Kuī traditions and create a bridge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous worlds. His work is a powerful testament to the healing, resilience, and wisdom of the forest.

His daughter, Yeke Kaya Huni Kuī, is a gifted musician and artist who carries the sacred chants of her people with grace and power. As the women’s coordinator of the village, she empowers and uplifts the feminine force within her community. Yeke Kaya also creates traditional jewelry, Kenes (sacred body paintings), and art, weaving ancestral energy into every piece she offers. Her voice is medicine — a vessel of healing and spirit.

Supporting and walking alongside the Huni Kuī are two dedicated allies: Rafa Camargo and Fabian Atlantis (Huni Kuī name: Bixku).

Rafa is a Brazilian photographer, filmmaker, yogi, and guardian of the prayer house Aldeia Montanha Sagrada. As the founder of @hauxfilm, he has spent years documenting the beauty, mystery, and wisdom of the Amazon and its people. Rafa works closely with Indigenous communities in Acre on creative, cultural, and spiritual projects — both within the forest and during international tours — offering his talents in service to preservation and connection.

Fabian, originally from Germany, is a somatic water therapist, freediving and yoga instructor, and retreat leader who guides transformational journeys in Egypt and Brazil. After being spiritually called by the dolphin as his totem animal, Fabian deepened his healing path through freediving and somatic therapy. In 2022, he received the sacred Nixpupima baptism from the Huni Kuī and was given the name Bixku, a moment that further rooted his life in Indigenous wisdom. Fabian bridges ancient and modern healing practices through his unique retreats that blend water therapy, plant medicine, and sacred ceremony.

Together, this team weaves Indigenous tradition, spiritual depth, and cross-cultural collaboration into a profound experience of remembrance, healing, and connection with the forest and your own spirit.

Includes:
- Round-trip boat transport between Tarauacá and Aldeia Espelho da Vida
- Accommodation and meals for the 8 days of immersion
- Meals during the boat journey (both ways)
- Participation in all scheduled activities

Excludes:
- Airfare
- Visa Fee