The Vancouver Island Ayahuasca Center is a family-run retreat grounded in Peruvian tradition and operated by Jim and Gina Mosquera de Davis, together with their son and daughter-in-law, Jean Piere and Vanessa. Although Jim married into the family, the rest of the team was born and raised in Iquitos, Peru, bringing deep cultural roots and generations of knowledge to the center. Our family resides on-site, ensuring a welcoming environment and smooth daily operations supported even by our 12-year-old granddaughter, Tayra, whose joyful spirit brightens the entire community. All ceremonies and plant dietas offered at the center are guided by our curandero, Don Manain Amacifen, a master ayahuasquero with more than 45 years of experience.
Manain Amacifen
Master Curandero
Don Manain Amacifen is a fourth-generation curandero, carrying forward a deeply rooted lineage of Amazonian healing traditions. Born and raised in Requena, a river town approximately 12 hours from Iquitos, he began formal apprenticeship at age 16 under the guidance of his father, a respected healer in the region. For 15 years, he trained and worked alongside him, developing the skill, discipline, and spiritual foundation that shape his work today.
Following his father’s passing, Don Manain moved deeper into the rainforest to the community of San Herardo. There, he served for more than two decades as a trusted healer, known for his integrity, compassion, and mastery of traditional plant practices.
In 2014, Don Manain joined the Vancouver Island Ayahuasca Center, where his presence quickly became one of the defining strengths of our retreat experience. Many guests return specifically to work with him, often referred by others who have been moved by the depth and sincerity of his approach. His powerful icaros traditional healing songs and focused prayer work are frequently described as pivotal elements of the personal insights participants experience.
At the heart of Don Manain’s work is a profound faith that divine guidance flows through the plant spirits. This conviction brings a deep spiritual resonance to his ceremonies. Despite his extensive expertise, he remains humble, gentle, and grounded in daily life, with an unwavering commitment to supporting others in finding greater clarity, balance, and peace.
During each retreat, Don Manain begins by energetically attuning to the group, observing from the altar and connecting with each guest’s presence. In subsequent ceremonies, he offers individualized healing, pausing before each person to deliver a tailored icaro aligned with their process. He also provides focused prayer work often kneeling before a guest, holding their hands with care, and offering prayer with extraordinary intent and concentration. Many guests describe this moment as one of the most profoundly transformative aspects of their experience.
With a strong, resonant voice and a deeply spiritual presence, Don Manain creates a ceremonial environment that is both supportive and powerful. His guidance often continues to influence guests long after their time at the center, leaving a lasting imprint of insight, connection, and renewal.
Craig Milson
Originally from Seattle, Washington, Craig’s path to founding the Vancouver Island Ayahuasca Center has been both unconventional and profoundly transformational. His diverse career has spanned commercial fishing in the Bering Sea, work as a chemist, and many years as a software engineer. Yet it was his longstanding interest in spirituality and his personal search for healing that ultimately guided him toward the Peruvian Amazon and the traditional practices he would later dedicate his life to.
Having moved through his own challenges with depression and alcoholism, Craig brings an authentic understanding of the emotional weight, confusion, and limiting beliefs that many people carry. This lived experience shapes the care he offers, allowing him to meet guests with genuine empathy, grounded insight, and practical guidance throughout their inner work.
Craig’s spiritual education is broad and deeply rooted. He draws inspiration from the Bhagavad Gita, Ramana Maharshi, Krishnamurti, A Course in Miracles, and Ernest Holmes traditions that inform his perspective while keeping his language accessible and down-to-earth. His years with the Center for Spiritual Living in Seattle, including serving as a mentor in their Coming of Age program for teens, strengthened his connection to Lakota teachings, which continue to influence his approach at the Center.
Under the guidance of an experienced curandero, Craig has completed 11 master plant dietas and has participated extensively in various healing modalities and workshops. Since 2010, he has supported more than 1,500 individuals in navigating their ayahuasca experiences, bringing steadiness, discernment, and heartfelt presence to each retreat.
Craig is known for his calm, grounded demeanor qualities that help create a stable environment where guests can confront fear with courage, gain clarity about their inner landscape, and begin releasing the emotional patterns that no longer serve their well-being.
Gina Mosquera Davis
Gina is a native of Iquitos, Peru and delights in ensuring our guests have what they need to enjoy their stay. Affectionately called “Mama Gina”, her warm and loving presence is appreciated by all. From her upbringing, Gina has a rich knowledge of medicinal plants and frequently acts as the house nurse, using her knowledge of plants to help people with a variety of health and first aid issues.
Gina’s primary role at the center is managing the workers and facilities. She’s also an excellent cook and the reason the food we serve is so delicious! She loves gardening and has created all the beautiful plant arrangements on our property.
She is the devoted mother of two young men, and grandmother to 11-year-old Tayra, who she absolutely adores!
Jean Piere de Davis
Ceremony Assistant and Facilities Maintenance
Our son Jean Piere is an indispensable part of the Vancouver Island Ayahuasca family. He is the primary care taker during ayahuasca ceremonies, gently helping people to the toilet and guiding them back to their spot in the moloca. Jean Piere drinks ayahuasca several times per year and knows its benefits and challenges. This allows him to bring patience and compassion to what is sometimes an unsteady walk back and forth!
He other roles are facilities maintenance such as electrical, plumbing and generators, and doing the daily shopping for our delicious meals.
Shipibo Healers Lead Our Retreats
Our ayahuasca retreats are guided by two extraordinary Shipibo healers, don Ronor and doña Angela, whose deep connection to their ancestral traditions and mastery of plant medicine create a truly transformative experience. On every retreat, they share their wisdom, compassion, and traditional medicine to help you achieve the highest states of health and well being.
Don Ronor
Don Ronor, a gifted Shipibo curandero, learned the sacred healing practices of his lineage from his father and grandfather, both accomplished healers. With extensive plant dietas, including noya rao, chullachaqui, and other master plants, he embodies a profound connection to plant spirits. Known for his humility and calm presence, don Ronor continually expands his knowledge and dietas, ensuring his methods provide the highest level of healing during every ayahuasca retreat. He leads our eighteen day retreats and empowerment courses.
Doña Angela
Doña Angela, don Ronor’s sister, brings years of dedicated training and deep connection to the Shipibo healing tradition. With powerful ties to noya rao, bobinsana, and other ancestral plants, she leads our ten-day ayahuasca retreats and women’s retreats with grace and care. Her ceremonies are imbued with compassion, nurturing guests with her motherly spirit and unwavering commitment to their healing journeys. Always approachable and supportive, she creates a safe space for profound transformation, embodying the true essence of a maestra.