Essential Wellness Retreats

The Essential Wellness Retreat at Willka T'ika is a seven-day, fully inclusive wellness retreat at Paradero Rumichaka in Peru, built around authentic Andean healing. It is designed for individuals, couples and small groups of friends traveling together who want to reconnect with Pachamama, Mother Earth. The retreat is personally curated by Terry Cumes and Verena Velazco, who bring thirty years of experience to the program. It runs several times a year.

What to Expect

The week follows the model of Willka T'ika's Seven Chakra Gardens, with each day given to one chakra, or energy center. You are guided through a sequence of mindful activities, therapeutic treatments, farm-to-table meals, home-made essential oils and Andean ceremonies. Yoga is part of every day.

The retreat begins on a Friday with the first, or Earth, Chakra and a connection with Pachamama. The second and third days, Saturday and Sunday, honor the Water and Fire elements through Andean ceremonies, yoga and hikes. By the end of that first weekend, the aim is a body and mind that feel cleansed.

The fourth day turns to the Heart Chakra, with a heart-opening cacao ceremony. The fifth day centers on the Throat Chakra and includes sound healing with local musicians. On the sixth day the focus is the Third Eye, the sixth chakra. An optional San Pedro ceremony is offered on either the fifth or sixth day. The seventh day is for rest and integration of what the week has brought up and healed.

About Terry Cumes and Verena Velazco

Terry Cumes and Verena Velazco personally curate each Essential Wellness Retreat. The program draws on three decades of their work with Andean healing offerings at Willka T'ika, and it reflects their intention to serve today's traveler who is looking for a real connection with the healing energies of the earth.

The Setting

The retreat is held "in-house" at Willka T'ika, at Paradero Rumichaka in Peru. Guests stay in garden rooms, either single or shared. All meals are vegetarian and made in a farm-to-table spirit. Hiking is local: walks lead to the nearby Maras salt flats and along the Pumahuanca River, and these are woven into the days alongside yoga and ceremony.

Before You Go

The rate is per person and includes single or shared garden room accommodation, all vegetarian meals, daily yoga, local hikes to the Maras salt flats and the Pumahuanca River, select spa treatments and the additional activities outlined in the program. The San Pedro ceremony is optional.

A deposit confirms a reservation, and the balance is due thirty days before arrival in Peru. Because the retreat is small and personally curated, it suits both solo travelers and those coming with a partner or a few friends.