Our TEAM
Daniel Weyder Yumbato Inga
Founder, Planta Maestra
Daniel (Danny) Weyder Yumbato Inga is a local Peruvian born and raised in the Amazon jungle. He has worked with Ayahuasca and Master Plant medicine for more than 20 years, learning through direct experience, long-term dietas, and collaboration with shamans across the region.
Over the years, Danny has welcomed participants from many parts of the world. His approach is simple and steady, shaped by the jungle where he grew up and by the teachers he met throughout his path. At Planta Maestra, he focuses on creating a safe and grounded environment, supported by clear guidance, responsible screening, and respect for traditional practices.
Serving the medicine is Danny’s calling. His intention is to offer a space where each person feels safe, welcomed, and supported in the same environment that shaped his own journey.
Maestro Don Leo
Lead Shaman, Kokama Lineage
Maestro Don Leo is a Kokama shaman from the Peruvian Amazon, born into a family of traditional healers. He was introduced to Ayahuasca and Master Plants from a young age, learning through observation, supporting his parents in ceremony, and gradually receiving the teachings passed through his lineage.
He was formally initiated as a shaman at 18 and has spent more than 40 years working with plant medicine and guiding groups in ceremony. His approach is steady, humble, and grounded in Kokama tradition, shaped by decades of dietas, study, and direct work with the plants.
At Planta Maestra, Don Leo serves as the Lead Shaman. His role is to hold a safe, structured, and traditionally guided ceremonial space, supported by his knowledge of icaros and ritual practices. Participants often describe his presence as calm, focused, and protective, which reflects his long relationship with the medicine.
He works in his native Kokama language, with translation in Spanish and English to support clear communication and participant safety.
Maestra Vilma Vasquez-Ochavano
Shipibo-Conibo Shaman
Maestra Vilma Vasquez-Ochavano is a respected Shipibo-Conibo healer from the Ucayali region of the Peruvian Amazon. She was trained from a young age by her father, learning the Shipibo tradition of Ayahuasca and Master Plant Dieta through direct apprenticeship, long-term dietas, and decades of ceremonial work.
With more than 40 years of experience, Maestra Vilma carries the ancestral knowledge of her lineage with clarity, discipline, and deep respect for the plants. Her work is known for its steady, compassionate presence and her ability to guide participants with precision during ceremony and dieta. She brings a focused understanding of feminine healing processes and often supports women’s retreats and dieta-based programs.
At Planta Maestra, Maestra Vilma joins selected retreats to offer her lineage teachings, her icaros, and her experience in traditional Shipibo healing. Her presence adds depth and structure to the ceremonial space while ensuring that each participant is held with care and cultural integrity.
Shayla McCaffrey
Marketing & Community Support • Facilitator and Apprentice
Shayla McCaffrey supports Planta Maestra through community care, communications, and storytelling. She helps share the center’s work in a grounded and respectful way, keeping the online community connected to the rhythm of the jungle and the values of the center.
She was first welcomed to Planta Maestra as a participant. Through consistency, responsibility, and dedication to the work, she was later invited into her current role supporting community care and facilitation.
Alongside her communications role, Shayla serves as a facilitator and apprentice, offering steady, gentle support to participants throughout their retreat experience. She is trained in 270-hour Yoga YTT (Vinyasa and Yin), Breathwork (BTTB), and Shamanic Reiki I and II, grounding her presence in embodied practice and mindful awareness.
Shayla joins Planta Maestra during selected periods of the year to assist with retreats, support the facilitation team, and continue deepening her learning path within the plant medicine tradition.
Shirley
Cook and Kitchen Care
Shirley prepares the daily meals at Planta Maestra, providing simple, nourishing food that supports participants throughout their retreat. Born and raised in the Amazon, she cooks with an intuitive understanding of local ingredients and dieta-friendly preparation, ensuring that every dish aligns with Ayahuasca and Master Plant work.
Her presence in the kitchen brings steadiness to the retreat. From early-morning breakfasts to gentle evening meals, Shirley prepares food that is clean, balanced, and supportive of the body’s healing process. Participants often share that her meals help them feel grounded, cared for, and at ease in the jungle environment.
Shirley plays an essential role in the rhythm of Planta Maestra, offering nourishment, comfort, and a sense of home to everyone who comes to do the work.
Freddy
Operations and Maintenance Support
Freddy is part of the Planta Maestra family and the son of Shirley, our cook. Born and raised in the Amazon, he understands the land, the river, and the rhythms of the jungle with natural ease. At the center, Freddy supports the daily operations and maintenance of the grounds, helping ensure that everything runs smoothly for participants and the team.
His work includes caring for the maloca, maintaining the pathways and facilities, preparing the spaces before ceremonies, and assisting with logistics around the center. Freddy’s steady presence and practical support contribute to the safety and comfort of everyone on the land.
He plays a quiet but essential role in the retreat environment, helping keep the space clean, cared for, and ready for the medicine work to unfold.
Rocky
Center Companion and Night Watch
Rocky has lived at Planta Maestra since he was a small pup, adopted by Danny and raised on the land. He has grown into a calm, loyal presence at the center and is considered part of the extended family.
Rocky moves gently around the grounds, keeping watch at night and offering a sense of comfort to participants living in the jungle for the first time. After ceremonies, he is often found waiting outside the maloca and walking participants part of the way back to their rooms, bringing a quiet sense of companionship during moments when people are integrating their experience.
His presence is steady, friendly, and reassuring. While he is not a trained therapy animal, many participants share that Rocky helps them feel safe, grounded, and welcomed during their stay at Planta Maestra.
Rocky’s role is simple but meaningful. He is part of the everyday rhythm of the center, offering companionship, watchfulness, and the gentle warmth that only a well-loved dog can bring.
Our Roots
01.
Service to the Medicine
The Medicine is served with humility and reverence. This work is not about control, performance, or outcome. It is about listening, care, and respect for the Plants as Teachers, not tools.
02.
Safety that holds Depth
Deep healing requires a setting that is both safe and grounded. Careful preparation, clear boundaries, and ongoing support create the conditions where difficult, real, and sometimes raw processes can unfold responsibly.
03.
Staying True to the Roots
This work is held with respect for the plant medicine traditions we have learned from and continue to walk with. It is practiced as it has been taught, without performance or dilution, and approached with care, patience, and honesty.