A 5-Day Cacao & Sacred Andean Immersion | Quito, Ecuador | November 10–14, 2026
11 Participants
Over the past few months, a beautiful new expression of cacao has been coming to life through Legacy Cacao. Her name is HUMMINGBIRD — a soft, bright, heart-opening nectar born from the gentle cloud forests of Ecuador. A celebration of sweetness, beauty, joy, and the tender embrace of life. As we prepare for the final tasting and formulation of this new ceremonial blend, a simple inspiration came through: Why do this alone? Why not invite a small circle of our cacao family to help bring this medicine into the world? To come play in CACAO ALCHEMY.
In partnership with ANCIENT MODERN EXPEDITIONS, we're gathering just 11 kindred spirits for five intimate days in the Andes — to taste, create, share our wisdom, weave new prayers and dreams, and anchor this new energy together. More than a retreat, this is an invitation to be part of the creation itself, to finally meet each other heart-to-heart, and to bring something beautiful into form that will carry the message of the hummingbird further than we could ever imagine.
Come drink deeply from the sweetness of life, move with joy, and carry the medicine of the Hummingbird forward.
DAY 1
Land. Ground. Connect. Arrive in Quito, where a private shuttle will carry you to our nearby countryside accommodations—surrounded by gardens, hummingbirds, and llamas! Settle into the land, meet the circle, and gather fireside for our opening cacao ceremony.
DAY 2
Rest. Open. Activate. Enjoy a slow, free morning to let your body recalibrate to the altitude and a new rhythm. In the afternoon, journey deeper into Legacy Cacao through stories from a 35+ year historian and expert in cultivation and craft. Taste beans across varieties and preparations, then begin setting the intention for the ceremonial blend you will channel.
DAY 3
Alchemize. Taste. Create. Step inside our Quito production headquarters for a day devoted to the Art of Chocolate Alchemy. Taste the final iterations of our newest ceremonial blend, HUMMINGBIRD, and become part of the circle that brings it into the world. Then, create your own. Explore cacao, spices, flavors and energetics as you formulate a personal bean-to-bar ceremonial chocolate to carry home with you.
DAY 4
Expand. Celebrate. Experience. Enter the living traditions of the Andes through a Rainbow Ceremony guided by Ximena, a Pampamisayoq of the Q’ero lineage. Move through a gentle sweat lodge, nourishing floral bath and joyous immersion into the spirit of the Hummingbird. For those who feel called, Huachuma plant medicine offers an invitation to deepen, expand and listen beyond the familiar.
DAY 5
Integrate. Anchor. Launch. Journey into the Andean cloud forest to soak in volcanic thermal waters held between mountain and sky. Sip cacao, soak, rest, receive a spa treatment or personalized Andean Oracle Reading, and allow the journey to settle into the body. Then gather for our closing ceremony and the unveiling of the final HUMMINGBIRD Cacao recipe. Anchor what has been awakened and carry the medicine of the Hummingbird—joy, beauty, sweetness and movement—back into the world.
THE DETAILS
Your Experience Includes:
- 5 Days of ceremonies + channeled activations
- 4 Nights private garden-view accommodation
- Private airport transfers to + from UIO
- Private Group Chauffeur for Daily Excursions
- Daily nourishing breakfast
- Full-day guided traditional Andean Rainbow Ceremony with plant medicine (entirely optional and subject to individual health screening and preparation)
- Limitless Legacy Cacao every day
- Volcanic hot springs + cloud forest immersion
- Behind-the-scenes Legacy Cacao tasting + hands-on chocolate alchemy workshop
- 2 bags of our unreleased HUMMINGBIRD Legacy Cacao blend
- Spacious integration time for rest, swimming, nature + optional add-on spa treatments, private readings
- An intimate circle limited to 11 Participants, intentionally held throughout the 5 days
Not Included:
- Airfare to Quito (UIO)
- Lunch + Dinner
- Spa treatments
- Personal purchases
Note: Our countryside hotel offers a beautiful on-site restaurant with affordable, nourishing options for a range of dietary needs.
Is This Journey Calling You?
If you've found your way here and feel that spark igniting within your heart... that's all you need to know. The invitation is here.
Whether you are OG Legacy Family from the early Maya days, or just recently dove into Amazonian Gold, you are welcome. Reach out with any questions!
Travel & Preparation
Arriving in Ecuador
Fly into Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport (UIO) on November 10, 2026 (ideally arriving before dinnertime so we can gather for night 1 fireside cacao). We'll arrange your private airport transfer to our beautiful countryside accommodations, nestled among gardens, hummingbirds, and mountain views. Your return transfer on November 14 is also included. Plan to fly out on the night of November 14th - most flights leave between 11PM - 2AM.
What to Bring
Quito sits high in the Andes, where sunny days can turn into cool evenings. Pack comfortable layers, walking shoes, a swimsuit for the thermal waters, and something cozy for ceremonies. Bring a journal, an open heart, and perhaps a special intention or prayer you'd love to weave into our time together. If needed, there are laundry services on site.
Special note: if you have a particular plant or superfood powder you'd like to play with in the Cacao Alchemy workshop, please bring it with you! We'll have a fun array... but you know your body best.
Altitude & Wellbeing
We'll begin our journey gently, with spacious time to rest, hydrate, and acclimate to the altitude. We highly recommend preparing your body before travel with extra hydration and clean food for the week leading up to our experience. All ceremonial experiences are invitations, never obligations. Participation in Huachuma plant medicine is entirely optional and subject to individual health screening and preparation.
Before We Gather
We'll share additional arrival details, packing suggestions, and any preparation guidance before our journey. And of course, you're always welcome to reach out personally with questions or to connect before deciding whether this experience is right for you.
Reserve your Spot Today
HUMMINGBIRD Immersion - November 2026
Choose the option that best supports your participation and the community.
WHERE YOUR CONTRIBUTION FLOWS
FAIR PROFIT
Your investment does more than fund a retreat. It participates in a larger ecosystem of reciprocity.
Every dollar carries energy.
From our inception point in 2017, Legacy Cacao has operated from a simple belief: money is not meant to be accumulated and extracted from life—it is meant to move through healthy relationships, creating more life wherever it flows.
Nine years ago, Michelle and I committed to a philosophy we call Fair Profit.
Rather than paying the lowest possible prices, we intentionally pay well above market rates whenever possible—for cacao farming, cacao processing, indigenous wisdom keepers, guides, drivers, musicians, translators, logistics teams, and local partners.
Why?
Because excellence deserves to be recognized. Stewardship deserves to be honored. And because we believe the people carrying the deepest wisdom are often among the least financially supported.
These pilgrimages continue that commitment.
Every person and organization we are working with will receive compensation designed to communicate something deeper than a transaction:
"Thank you. We see you. We value what you carry and offer in service to our community."
Your investment is not simply purchasing an experience.
It is supporting an embodied ecosystem of reciprocity.
FUTURE LEADER SCHOLARSHIPS
We believe these experiences should not be limited only to those who can easily afford them. A portion of every journey supports scholarship opportunities for young leaders, visionaries, and community builders who feel called to this work but may not otherwise have access. Read more here.
TRINIDAD DORADA
A portion of every pilgrimage directly supports our flagship conservation and regeneration project in Ecuador.
Trinidad Dorada is an emerging collaboration between indigenous communities, regenerative cacao producers, native stingless bee stewards, scientists, conservationists, and international partners working together to protect biodiversity while creating thriving local livelihoods.
The project focuses on preserving wild cacao genetics, expanding regenerative agroforestry systems, supporting native pollinators, strengthening local economies, and demonstrating new models where conservation and prosperity grow together rather than compete.
Read more here.
A LEGACY OF QUIET GIVING
Over the past nine years, our community has quietly supported projects around the world.
Together, we have gifted thousands of bags of ceremonial cacao through our original buy-one-give-one initiative.
We helped an indigenous Mayan community reclaim ancestral lands that had been taken generations before—supporting families as they returned home and built new lives on their own land.
We helped fund weaving cooperatives, purchase traditional looms, and support indigenous women returning to school.
These projects were never marketing campaigns.
They were expressions of a deeper belief:
That abundance becomes meaningful when it moves.
That giving and receiving are part of the same living current.
And that every one of us has the opportunity to become a steward of that flow.