WHO WE ARE
The search for an ideal workshop location eventually led them to Costa Rica. In this oasis on the tranquil Pacific Ocean, framed by primary rainforest, participants can fully focus on their personal development and let themselves be touched by the breathtaking nature of this spectacular place to experience an instant boost of well-being and clarity. This paradise in the Piedras Blancas National Park is only accessible by boat and is located in the midst of the highest biodiversity on our planet. Since 2021 they organize holistic plant medicine workshops on Pandorita.
Together with their beloved wives and a longtime friend, they have created an oasis where all relationships can be strengthened. The relationship with oneself and with others, the
connection to nature and to the universe. It is a place full of medicinal plants, connected to the beauty of the animal world and the magic of the sea. Thanks to the close relationship with the Shipibo tribe, they now organize transformative workshops to inspire and empower souls. The facilitators are well trained, empathetic and highly skilled in the use of plant medicine and guided by a loving spirit. The Costa Rican staff on site are the icing on the cake. Thanks to their warmth, everyone immediately feels at home.
To strengthen the greater community of all life, we practice permaculture on the land and plant corals. Further projects will follow. Pandorita is a gift from Great Spirit and all Pandorians try to honor this gift to the best of their knowledge and conscience in order to carry out their task as land guardians with a high level of responsibility.
THE STORY BEHIND THE WONDERFUL PATH
Two brothers from Switzerland were fully immersed in life. Both occupied with professional Ice Hockey, but during occasional stops at the bar, essential questions kept arising. What is it all about? What are we doing here? Does any of this make sense? The questions remained unanswered, and the routine continued until a good friend took them on a sacred ritual in the Swiss mountains. A Colombian shaman opened the door to the spiritual world for them through the powerful plant Ayahuasca. The next day, they were speechless. They were overwhelmed by the night. A sense of unprecedented peace washed over them. Why isn't anyone talking about this? Everyone should have this experience. This should be on the front page of the New York Times, they thought.
About nine months later, they found themselves in the Amazon, surrounded by other pathfinders and medicine people of the Shipibo tribe. They experienced a transformative time. Their hearts, bodies, and minds opened up to new dimensions. Their questions were slowly but surely being answered. They had arrived on their soul path. The joy was immense, and their relationships with the sacred plants and their medicine people were deepened. In the following years, they followed the call of the plants and traveled to Peru several times.
One of the brothers once stayed in the Amazonian plant kingdom for nine months and went on several plant diets with Bari Kene, alias Papa Horacio, a powerful and very experienced
Shipibo medicine man. They grew fond of the people there. They bought 30 hectares of rainforest outside Pucallpa. Today, members of the Shipibo tribe live there and continue their old way of life. By building this medicine village, the two brothers wanted to offer other people the opportunity to pass through this gateway to an earth-based spirituality. On Ani Shinan, people have been connecting deeply with their souls since 2012 with the help of plant-based diets guided by the Shipibo medicine people. Unlike workshops, diets are a more time-consuming way to learn from the plants.
MEET THE TEAM
Meet the pandorita Team! These are some of the friendly faces you will see during your time here. for more about the shamans, please view the Workshop pages.
Workshop Facilitators
Thaïs
Thaïs is a devoted holistic practioner and guide for people. She has fire in her heart and a tender way of smiling at life. Working in a process-oriented way, she accompanies people on the path to their hearts, where they can hear their deepest longings and follow the call. To this end, she opens and holds a space of healing and transformation, carried by love, simplicity, and a pinch of humor that brings lightness and joy into the depths. Her own path began quite differently: first as a commercial professional, then as a certified scrub nurse. In the operating room, she learned to be precise, calm, and fully present when a person places their trust in you. But her heart called more quietly and more persistently than any duty could. Over ten years ago, she began to follow that call, and with her spiritual path, her whole life was transformed. Today, Thaïs leads sweat lodges and women's rituals, facilitates shamanic ceremonies, and works as a Shiatsu therapist as well as in nervous-system-based coaching. A particular passion of hers is womb healing: reconnecting with the sacred womb and with one's own cycle. Her roots reach far. She was born in Brazil, live since a long time in Switzerland. She has had the privilege of getting to know many indigenous cultures in Brazil, the Yawanawa, Huni Kuin, Kariri Xokó etc. and in Peru, the Shipibo. She has done dietas with several peoples, yet the Shipibo tradition has grown deepest into her heart and become her most important teaching. As a longtime Moon Dancer, she is also connected to the teachings of the Aztecs, into which she delves deeper with each passing year. In recent years, Thaïs has also discovered music: she sings, composes her own songs, and lets her voice arrive where words end. All of these paths give her the confidence to follow her heart's call and to accompany others on the way to their own. She speaks fluent English, Portuguese, Spanish, and German, and has basic knowledge of Italian.
Renke
Renke is a passionate musician whose songs touch the depths of the human heart. His mission is to carry his light and his medicine out into this world, to inspire others and to accompany them on their journey back to their authentic, true Self. Back to that place within where we are free, where we can once again hear the melody of our own soul, and dance with it. His journey began in Germany. Stuck in the structures of everyday life and unfulfilling office jobs, the call of his soul for freedom and truth became so strong that he left everything behind and set out on his great adventure. His path led him several times deep into the jungles of Peru and Costa Rica, where he had the honor of learning alongside the Shipibo Maestros and the Medicina. Fascinated by the power and beauty of this sacred work, he deepened his studies with the plant teachers of the jungle through numerous dietas and ceremonies.
Staff and Caracters
Artemisa
Artemisa is a medicine woman who heals through natural foods. She’s specialized in holistic wellness, using breathwork, meditation, yoga, and medicine music to guide the body back into balance and awaken its natural healing power. Her spiritual journey began when she left her home country to travel across South and Central America (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico), where she connected with ancient ancestral practices to restore the bond with the divine spirit through songs, dances, plants, sacred foods, and rituals. With the intention of manifesting and co-creating a world where we can live in harmony with Mother Earth, Artemisa dedicates her work to honoring life and offering gratitude through her service. Her path is devoted to all beings who seek to return to their true essence—to remember what it means to be human in connection with our Earth, honoring her cycles and recognizing ourselves as part of her. Artemisa founded a holistic space in Playa del Carmen called Casa Loba, where a community gathered to share ancestral knowledge and reconnect with Earth-based rituals. She has also created detox programs and healthy eating workshops, including meal plans and recipes that help people learn how to prepare nourishing foods. She has collaborated at medicine music festivals and yoga or silent retreats, preparing food designed to support participants’ inner journeys. Artemisa is also a Danzante de Luna (Moon Dancer) and shares ancestral Mexica/Aztec teachings in women’s full moon circles. She speaks Spanish, English, and Portuguese.
Olivier
Olivier is our passionate gardener. He brings a wealth of knowledge, understanding nature and knowing exactly what the property needs. He is also in charge of the maintenance, and he brings a great sense of order to the place, which is very important for energy work.
Marisol
Our loving Marisol tends to all the rooms of Pandorita and drives the boats. She has an amazing vibrancy and strength, is quick to smile, and always stands tall. She’s with her mother, Flory, also making coconut oil products from the many coconuts of Pandorita
Bagheera and Baloo
These two dogs are the heart of Pandorita. They embody the land. They are so loving, compassionate, and deeply connected to humans. They sense every emotion and are always present, greeting you with so much love and affection. Their favorite thing is to have their bellies rubbed. They know the land inside and out, they protect it, and they are both the guardians and the soul of Pandorita. They are also the happiest dogs you could imagine, always outside, grounded, in harmony with nature, and at the same time deeply connected to people. They are the best dogs anyone could have, and every single person who meets them they hold close in their hearts. They love each other deeply—they are brother and sister, and sometimes they even compete to see who can get the most cuddles.
IMPORTANT FACTS
We will always prioritize our clients, the land, the local community, and the Shipibo with the utmost respect.
Here is how we implement our vision:
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We are a not-for-profit, family-held partnership.
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All profits from Pandorita go into nature and cultural conservation efforts.
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All of our full-time staff are local to Costa Rica from the Osa Conservatio Area.
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The Shipibo changed our lives, and we give back to them by providing them with stable, fair-paying work, and by centering them and their traditions in all that we do.
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All of our facilitators are required to have undergone shamanic dietas, a strict regimen of isolation, self-reflection, and physical diet that allows the dieter to connect to the teachings and spirit of the plant they have chosen. We require this so that our facilitators can best support both the shamans and our clients.
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Our ayahuasca is home-brewed. It is made at Ani Shinan, in the Peruvian Amazon, by Shipibo ayahuasqueros. It is strong, pure, and clean - we only ever include Banisterios caapi (ayahuasca) and P. viridis (chacruna) in the brew.
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Our workshop group size is kept intentionally small - never more than twelve people at a time, though typically less. Our clients deserve space to reflect and process throughout their time with us.
BOOKING
We would like to offer those who are new to the world of ayahuasca the opportunity to talk to our experts in advance. We encourage you to book a consultation call, if you feel unsure or need further information.
If you take ANY MEDICATION or suffer from severe mental instability, heart issues or high blood pressure the consultation call is MANDATORY before making a definitive booking. This way we can find out together whether this adventure journey is suitable for you.