Salvador is Brazil’s Afro-Brazilian capital and host of the world’s largest street party - Carnaval - where over 1 million people take to the streets for a full week of non-stop music and celebration. Salvador is also home to South America’s largest collection of colonial architecture - The Pelourinho - where one can stare in awe at the Capoeiristas (masters of Brazil’s indigenous non-contact martial art Capoeira) as they show off their athleticism and acrobatic feats to the tune of the birimbau on one of the Pelourinho’s many magnificent square’s and cobbled streets.

400km West of Salvador lies the Chapada Diamantina - in the heart of Bahia -  a protected National Park unrivalled in its natural beauty with hundreds of waterfalls, caves and natural pools. This stunning mountainous region is home to Brazil's highest waterfall - The Cachoeira da Fumaça (Smokey Waterfall) - which plummets an astonishing 380m, and the Enchanted Well which allows one to observe, through turquoise blue water, even the tiniest stones deposited 61 m deep. There are so many natural attractions that it is difficult to choose between subterranean routes in caves, hundreds of breath taking waterfalls, mountain climbing, trekking through lush valley's, abseiling, snorkelling in crystal clear pools, or horseback riding in the midst of esoteric and alternative communities.

If you intend to prolong your visit to Brazil following or preceding your Ayahuasca journey, Bahia offers a plethora of activities and attractions to keep every kind of person content. So whether you’d like to study shamanism in an esoteric community, chill out and surf out at a hip beach town, hike or horseback through lush rainforest or mountainous valleys, visit an eco-resort or spa, attend  a Candomble ritual to watch a candombleçista enter a trance, or visit Brazil’s first ever church in the historic coastal town of Porto Seguro - where Pedro Alvarez Cabral became the first Westerner to tread Brazilian soil and meet the Indians some 500 years ago - whatever your tastes, budget or ability Bahia can accommodate and we will be more than happy to advise and support you on your journey.

Click here to view more photos of the Chapada

"There are certain countries, the names of which fire the popular imagination. Brazil is one of them; a melting pot of primitive and sophisticated, jungle and elegance, beating drums and luscious jazz harmonics -- there's no other place like it in the world. And while Rio tends toward the elegant and sophisticated end of the spectrum, Bahia tends toward the other. Bahia is the land of the drum..."

The Chapada Diamantina

Bahia

Where are you?

How do I reserve a placement at one of the ayahuasca retreats?

How many participants attend each ayahuasca retreat?

How do I get there?

What shall I bring with me?

What should I not bring with me?

Do I need to obtain a visa to enter Brazil?

What is the legal status of Ayahuasca in Brazil?

Where are you?

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Do I need to obtain a visa to enter into Brazil?

US, Australian and Canadian citizens must obtain a tourist visa prior to entry into Brazil.

Citizens of the UK and the European Union (excluding Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta

and Slovak Republic) do not require a tourist visa and can stay in Brazil for up to 90 days.  

For more detailed information on Brazil visa requirements, click here

Please also consider the purchase of an adequate Travel Insurance Policy

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What to bring

Good intentions

An open mind and heart

A valid visa stamp in your passport (if required)

Mosquito repellent

A shawl or two

A rain-coat

Appropriate shoes for walking/trekking.

One or two long sleeve tops

Plain, light, neutral-coloured clothes for the ayahuasca rituals

Two or three items of warm clothing

One or two pairs of light material trousers, combats, or jogging bottoms

Clothes you don’t mind getting dirty

Suncream

Swim suit

Flashlight

A towel

Sandles

Sunglasses

Hat

Notepad

Memory-stick (Pen-drive)

A backpack (if attending the Rite of Passage)

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What is the legal status of Ayahuasca in Brazil?

Brazil legalized the possession and use of ayahuasca tea in 1992 after having made the constituent plants illegal in 1985. In the 1980's, the UDV (Uniao do Vegetal) brought a legal challenge against the new law and the government sent CONFEN (the federal drug council) to investigate the situation and found ayahuasca-using church members were actually healthier and more productive in their communities than the average citizens. CONFEN eventually recommended that ayahuasca be removed from the controlled drugs lists and, in 1992 the Brazilian government formally exempted B. caapi, Psychitria Viridis, and the ayahuasca tea from the list of illicit drugs, concluding that ayahuasca is not a recreational drug and has valid spiritual uses.

Source: http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/ayahuasca/ayahuasca_law6.shtml

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How many participants attend each retreat?

Creating a strong  group dynamic is an important element of our philosophy, and we believe strongly in quality before quantity (albeit with high quantities of quality) which is why our retreats are limited to just 8 participants, in which we try to maintain a balance between male and female. Keeping the groups small and intimate is a factor we believe helps facilitate a deeper connection with our inner-self.

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How do I reserve a placement?

Send an email to info@know-thyself.org for more information about dates for our retreat and how to reserve a placement.

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Bahia is Brazil's mystical and spiritual home, famed for its rich culture and warm, good natured people. It has Brazil's largest stretch of coastline with countless virgin beaches running parallel with the Atlantic Rainforest, which boasts the highest level of bio-diversity on the planet.

What not to bring

Expectations

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