FAQ for Yoga

As a tourist from Europe, the USA or Canada you do not need a regular visa (please check the countries in the list below, if you need an official visa). Nevertheless, you have to register online with the Colombian migration office (CheckMig) shortly before entering the country (72 hours in advance before arrival). Some personal information, an email address and flight details must be entered via this link. IMPORTANT: only use this link, don’t use any other page that offer you a service. They will charge you up to 100 USD for a fake form. The official migration form is for FREE and can be done on your own. If the english version is not working, try the spanish version. Most of our events are taking place in the region of “Magdalena” or if it is in Santa Veronica the area is called “Atlantico”. If all information has been filled out correctly, you will receive an email. We recommend that you print out this email and have it ready when you arrive in Colombia. Tourists can easily stay in the country for 90 days. Please note that the ‘migration form’ is not a visa – Every traveler must fill out this form. Please check in advance whether you also need a visa to enter the country.

Make sure you have a stamp in your passport that guarantees 90 days. This period of stay can be extended by a further 90 days. Important: In order to be able to enter Colombia, you must also be able to prove a return flight. Please note that if you are traveling from Brazil and other countries in South America you will need proof of a yellow fever vaccination in order to enter the country.

The following countries need a Visa as of 2024

(Applying for a Visa takes between 10 and 30 days to process):

Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bhutan, Cambodia, Cameroon, Chad, China Republic, Congo, North Korea, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kasachstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Kosovo, Lesotho, Lao, Lebanon, Liberia, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Republic Central African, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Prince, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Syria, Somalia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Thailand, Tanzania, Tajikistan, East Timor, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uganda , Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Macau, Palestine

This information is without guarantee. Please read the travel regulations of your foreign office carefully to see whether you need a visa. Please check the current visa requirements of Colombia here: https://www.cancilleria.gov.co/sites/default/files/Fotos2017/nacionalidades_a_las_cuales_colombia_exige_visa_-_noviembre.pdf

This is the official link to apply for a Tourist visa: https://tramitesmre.cancilleria.gov.co/tramites/enlinea/solicitarVisa.xhtml

We organize your onward journey from the airport or hotel to the destination on the day the retreat begins. As soon as we know your flight number and arrival time, we will organize a taxi for you. The driver will be waiting for you at the airport with a sign and your name and will take you safely to your destination. If you are already in the country, we can also pick you up from the hotel if it is in the same city as the airport or on the way to your destination. You can find out which airport is suitable for you on the retreat page. For example: Retreats in Palomino are located at Santa Marta Airport. Santa Veronica is Cartagena or Barranquilla airport. Lake Chivor Boyaca is Bogota airport. We generally recommend arriving before noon as pickups take place in the early afternoon. We start with our opening ceremony for our retreats and trainings at 5pm.

For our retreats and yoga trainings, we organize your travel to the venue directly from the airport so that it is smooth and safe. It is in general safe to travel in Colombia as a woman if you are careful not to go outside the tourist areas. However, this also applies to men. The city centers and tourist destinations like Palomino, Park Tayrona or Minca are secured by the police. At night you should not walk alone through the streets of bigger cities away from the center, but always take an official registered yellow taxi. We advise against traveling to the border regions of Colombia without a guide. We already had many female solo travellers in our retreats and training that had no issues at all. But please ask us, if you have concerns or more questions.

The only profund medicine we share during a Yoga Teacher Training is the knowledge and wisdom of the Himalayan Yogis: Asanas, Breathwork, Kriyas and many other techniques. There will be no Ayahuasca ceremonies during our trainings. We only share Cacao and Rapé. We trust in the healing effects of Ayahuasca. That’s why we offer the opportunity to support you in taking part in a ceremony with one of our shamans after completing the training. We will help you with planning and advice. If you are interested to attain in a ceremony after training, please contact us.

We want to keep the experience as personal as possible. That’s why our groups are no larger than 20 people. The average group size is 13-15 people. In addition, we come as three organizers and yoga teachers.

Our yoga classes are designed so that everyone can participate. We support beginners to better get into position with assists and simple variations. We show intermediate participants challenging variants and let professionals try out demanding postures and breathing techniques. We always provide classes at least with two teachers, one who is cueing and shows the posture, and the other one who goes around and assists.

We have a holistic approach. We mainly teach Hatha Kundalini. But we also include flow sequences, like it is done in Vinyasa for example. Our yoga classes are not purely physical, they address the emotional level and work with the energy body to release blockages and create inner peace. All teachers have many years of teaching experience and bring different styles of India together.

The best preparation is a daily routine of meditation, yoga, reading, and a healthy diet. Yoga is more than a class on the mat. Yoga is a lifestyle that pervades all areas of life. Starting with physical exercises, through the things we say and the actions we perform. If you want to go deeper into the philosophy of yoga, read these books: The Bhagavad Gita translated by Jack Hawley; The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated and interpreted by Sri Swami Satchidananda. Try to follow a vegetarian (or Ayuvedic) diet and try to avoid drinking alcohol. Just giving up meat and alcohol will make a huge difference in your perception, ability to concentrate and powers of observation after just a few weeks.

To make a reservation for a room or a bungalow, all you have to do is pay a deposit via Paypal or bank transfer. We usually ask for 400 € (or USD). Afterwards your place is safe. We will then send you a confirmation letter and all the other information you need to prepare for your retreat. The remaining balance has to be paid via Bank Transfer two weeks before a retreat starts. In case of a Yoga Teacher Training half of the remaining balance needs to be paid two month in advance, the rest of it two days before the training starts. If agreed with the Ancstral Retreats team you can pay also in cash on the day of the arrival. Please note that we accept cash in Euros (€), USD ($) or Pesos (COP) only. USD and COP are based on the exchange rate against the Euro, Ancestral Retreats defines beforehand. We will send you all the information and reminders in good time.

We prefer a bank transfer. If that’s not an option for you, you can also pay with a credit card link, but please consider that we have to add a fee of 2,9 % on top. We also accept cash. Cash can be paid on the day of arrival. But to make a reservation first you need to pay 400 Euros with a transfer to safe your spot. We also accept Bitcoin. Please contact us directly via email in this case. You will always recieve for any payment method a confirmation from us.

Our terms and conditions you find here.

No. Of course there is a light risk during the rainy season, but we never heard about a case in the last year. We do not recommend taking anti-malarial medication when drinking ayahuasca, as it has been known to cause complications. In the end it is your decision.

Rapé, pronounced ‘ha-PAY,’ is a potent blend of finely ground tobacco leaves and an assortment of medicinal plants, sourced exclusively from the verdant Amazon rainforest that is cunsumed through the nose. Find out more about the benefits and usage of Rapé in our Blog post: ‘SACRED TOBACCO FROM THE AMAZONAS: UNVEILING THE MYSTERIES OF RAPÉ‘