An Amazônian Ceremonial & Creative Immersion for Women
maî nãti
Noke Koî Singing Dieta & Musical Lab · Amazônia
Your Preparation Guide
Welcome to maî nãti
Welcome, sister.
Our journey begins with your yes—and with everything that starts moving within you as you prepare to enter the forest.
Together, we will enter the living field of the Noke Koî: their home, their songs, their ancestral wisdom and their way of relating to the Earth. We will study, sing, listen and create alongside them, approaching what they share with humility, respect and reverence.
Inside maî nãti, you enter as a co-creator.
Your voice, your story, your presence and your willingness to listen are part of the living artwork we are creating together.
At the heart of this journey is sisterhood rooted in mutual care. A commitment to take care of ourselves, take care of one another and honour the people, the land and the sacred knowledge welcoming us.
You are welcome to arrive with excitement, questions, tenderness and the edge of the unknown. Bring openness, curiosity and a willingness to be surprised by what unfolds.
This guide will help you prepare for our time together—from arranging your travel and gathering your jungle essentials to understanding daily life in the village and the spirit of the work we will share.
I’m so looking forward to meeting you in the Amazon.
With love,
Georgina
Our Journey at a Glance
- 27–28 DecemberGather in Cruzeiro do SulAirport welcome, hotel stay, rest and jungle essentials shopping. Arrival on the 28th is also welcome.
- 29 DecemberEnter Varî-TekaTravel to the village, meet the family and settle into your hammock space.
- 30 December–6 JanuarySinging Dieta & Musical LabAncestral songs, ceremonies, Voice Alchemy, forest explorations and music co-creation.
- 31 DecemberWelcome the New YearCross into 2027 inside a traditional Noke Koî ceremony.
- 7 JanuaryClosing & HarvestGratitude, integration and completion of the Dieta & Musical Lab.
- 8–12 JanuaryVete Varinawa FestivalSongs, ceremonies, cultural celebrations and Pina’s birthday.
- 12 JanuaryReturn to Cruzeiro do SulStay one or two nights to rest and integrate.
- 13 or 14 JanuaryOnward travelTaxi from the hotel to the airport.
Key momentsVete Varinawa Festival
Included
- Two hotel nights before entering the village—or one if arriving on the 28th.
- Transfer airport → hotel and transfer hotel → village.
- Village accommodation and meals for your chosen experience.
At your own expense
- Hotel nights at Swamy Hotel in Cruzeiro do Sul after the experience.
- Taxi Transfer Village → Hotel
- Taxi Transfer Hotel → Airport
We’ll help book your hotel and arrange both departure taxis.
Completing your journey on 7 January? We also recommend one or two hotel nights before travelling home.
Plan Your Travel
Key Dates
| When | What to book |
|---|---|
| 26 December Recommended | Arrive in Brasília. Spend one night resting before your domestic flight. |
| 27 December Recommended | Fly to Cruzeiro do Sul and join us at the hotel. |
| 28 December Alternative | Arrive in Cruzeiro do Sul for one hotel night before entering the village. |
Domestic flights · GOL
| Route | Date | Departure | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brasília → Cruzeiro do Sul | 27 December | 08:35 | G3-1758 |
| Brasília → Cruzeiro do Sul | 28 December | 08:30 | G3-1758 |
Book early—availability is limited. Confirm schedules and baggage allowances before booking.
Share your flight booking details with us so we can coordinate your airport pickup and taxi rides.
Returning Home
Singing Dieta & Musical Lab only
If you’re not staying for the Vete Varinawa Festival
Your time in the village ends on 7 January.
| 7 January | Return to Cruzeiro do Sul and stay overnight at the hotel. |
| 8 January Recommended | Fly Cruzeiro do Sul → Brasília with GOL. |
| 10 January Alternative | Spend three nights in Cruzeiro do Sul, then fly to Brasília. |
There is no GOL flight on 9 January. Confirm current availability before booking.
Full experience
If you’re staying for the full experience
Singing Dieta & Musical Lab + Vete Varinawa Festival. Your time in the village comes to an end on 12 January.
| 12 January | Return to Cruzeiro do Sul. |
| 13 or 14 January | Fly Cruzeiro do Sul → Brasília, after one or two hotel nights. |
For both options
Hotel nights after the experience and taxis for the transfer village → hotel → airport are at your own expense.
We’ll help you book your hotel and arrange both taxi journeys.
Your stay in Brasília
Recommended accommodation options · different styles, different budgets
| Ibis Styles Brasília Aeroporto | Convenient for the airport. |
| Grand Mercure Brasília Eixo Monumental | Comfortable and affordable. |
| Kubitschek Plaza Hotel | Comfortable and affordable. |
| B Hotel Brasília | High-end option. Great breakfast! |
| Joy Hostel & Suites | Budget-friendly hostel. Great açaí! |
| Airbnb | An option if you prefer your own space. |
- Find hotels on Booking.com.
- Using Uber is highly recommended when moving around Brasilia. Make sure you have Uber app downloaded on your phone.
Before you travel
- Allow enough time between connecting flights.
- Check baggage allowances with the airline, including musical instruments if you're traveling with guitar or similar.
- Book your Brasília accommodation if staying overnight.
At your own expense
- International flights
- Domestic flights
- Brasília accommodation
Join us in Cruzeiro do Sul on 27 or 28 December.
Share your itinerary with us so we can coordinate your arrival.
Travel Documents & Health Preparation
Your travel documents
- Passport: make sure your passport has at least 6 months’ validity from your arrival date in Brazil.
Recommended: check whether there are any additional entry requirements for your nationality. - Tourist visa, if required (see below).
- Flight bookings.
- Travel insurance details.
Save copies on your phone so you can access them offline.
Visa for Brazil
- United States, Canada or Australia
Apply in advance through Brazil eVisa.
Applying for an eVisa?
Follow the photo requirements carefully and check your inbox and spam folder for any follow-up requests. - European Union
No visa needed for tourism or short business stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
- Other nationalities
Check requirements with the Brazilian consulate.
Travel health insurance
Not mandatory, but highly recommended for your whole journey, including your time in the Amazon.
Choose the insurance of your choice, e.g. HeyMondo.
Check that your policy covers medical expenses, emergency transport, your planned activities and any existing health conditions.
Vaccines
No vaccines are required to enter Brazil, but some are recommended for this journey, particularly Yellow Fever and Rabies. Malaria prevention is also recommended for Acre.
You can find more information HERE.
Personal medication & allergies
Please let us know privately about any medications, supplements, health conditions or allergies, so we can prepare to support you.
Bring enough medication for your whole journey, plus a little extra.
If any changes to your treatment are needed, agree these with your prescriber. Before joining ceremonies with medicine, any potential interactions need to be reviewed individually with a qualified healthcare professional.
Check current entry requirements and travel-health recommendations before departure.
Life in Varî-Teka
We’ll live alongside the Noke Koî community, sharing their everyday life, meals, music and communal spaces—with dedicated moments for our women’s circle, teachings and creative work.
Expect humble facilities, collective living and the rhythms of the forest.
Our home in the forest
- Sleeping
Your own hammock space in shared accommodation. Bring your hammock with mosquito net.
- Privacy
Shared sleeping and living spaces, with privacy in the showers and toilets.
- Bathrooms
Simple showers and dry toilets.
- Laundry
Hand-washing only. Bring biodegradable laundry soap and quick-drying clothes.
- Electricity
Generator-powered, with shared charging points. Bring a power bank.
- Internet
Wi-Fi when power and conditions allow. Connection may be unavailable for several days.
- Weather
Warm, humid and rainy. Expect mud, insects and clothes that take longer to dry.
Create your little nest
Bring the comforts that help you feel at home: your blanket, a warm layer, your folding chair and any personal essentials.
Let your loved ones know
You may be offline for a few days. Let family and friends know before travelling, and download anything you’ll need.
Recommended: an eSIM for Brazil
There is no phone signal in the jungle, but you might appreciate having mobile data once you’re back in Cruzeiro do Sul and not having to rely on Wi-Fi.
It’s up to you. I use Revolut’s eSIM, which is very easy to purchase and affordable. There are many other providers too, with 2-week or 1-month packages at very affordable prices.
Our daily rhythm may shift with the weather, ceremonies and community life.
Come ready to soften into a different pace—with flexibility, patience and curiosity.
Food, Water & Daily Care
Three meals a day, prepared by incredible cooks—simple, nourishing, local food, made with love.
Traditional Brazilian food, including plenty of rice, beans, tapioca, eggs, fish, chicken and seasonal fruit.
Dietary needs
Please share your allergies and dietary preferences with us in advance, so we can coordinate with the cooks.
Your filtered water bottle
Bring your filtered water bottle and keep it with you throughout the day, during forest explorations and in ceremonies.
Choose a model suitable for the water sources you’ll encounter, and practise using it before travelling.
Your personal snacks
We’ll have time to visit the supermarket in Cruzeiro before entering the village.
Bring your favourite snacks from home if you need specific options—gluten-free and specialist products may be harder to find locally.
Keep snacks well sealed with your belongings to avoid attracting ants.
Your meals and village accommodation continue throughout 8–12 January.
Entering with Respect
The Noke Koî are welcoming us into their land, their community and their ancestral traditions.
Come with humility, respect and reverence—ready to listen, learn and be surprised.
We are entering their home
- People & personal spaces
Ask before entering someone’s home or photographing them.
- Photos & videos
Ask permission before recording—and before sharing publicly.
- Ceremonies
No photography or video recording. Keep this space sacred and private.
- Songs & teachings
Follow the teachers’ guidance on what you may sing, record, teach or share.
- Clothing
Keep intimate areas covered. For river time, bring covered swimwear or shorts and a sports bra.
- The land
Use designated washing and waste areas. Leave no personal rubbish behind.
The songs carry wisdom
We are learning more than music. These songs carry ancestral knowledge, connection to the Earth and spiritual responsibility.
Some songs are reserved for the Pajés, the spiritual leaders. Hearing a song does not automatically give us permission to sing or share it.
The teachers will guide us through its meaning, context and permissions.
Care for yourself. Care for each other.
Honour your needs, communicate when you need support and bring that same care to the women beside you.
Together, we create a field of sisterhood rooted in mutual care, presence and respect.
Ceremonies & Your Choice
We warmly encourage you to make the most of this experience by joining the activities and traditional ceremonies planned for our group.
You are also welcome to join ceremonies without taking medicine, rest when you need to, or choose not to attend.
Let us know your plans, so we can care for the group and know where everyone is.
How many ceremonies will there be?
Singing Dieta & Musical Lab
2–3 ceremonies, including our New Year’s Eve Ceremony.
Vete Varinawa Festival
Usually three ceremonies across the five days.
Important: please note that the number and rhythm of ceremonies and activities may evolve with the community and the collective field. The organisers reserve the right to adapt plans whenever this better serves our experience as a group.
Your ceremony comfort kit
- Folding chair
Your comfortable place to sit.
- Mat
If you’d also like the option to lie down.
- Blanket, warm layer & socks
Nights can feel cooler.
- Your filtered water bottle
Keep it close.
- Sarong or light cover-up
For comfort and insect protection.
- Headlamp
For moving around during night time.
- Extra hammock
Optional. If you’d like to have a place to chill or rest during ceremony, you’ll have space to hang it in the Maloca (ceremony house).
What to wear
Comfortable clothing that allows you to move freely.
Bring dresses and ceremonial garments that are meaningful to you, if that helps you connect with your intention.
Ask for support
Georgina, Pina, and other Noke Koî community members will always be present during the ceremonies.
If you need help reaching the toilet, moving outside or navigating a difficult moment, ask us—we are here to support you.
Participation with medicine depends on your individual health screening and medication review.
Our Voices. One Living Artwork.
We create together—with the Noke Koî, the forest and the living intelligence of the Amazon.
Our four pillars
Cultural Immersion
Live alongside the Noke Koî. Share their everyday life, songs and ceremonies.
Singing Dieta
Study ancestral songs with Pina and the Txanás. Practise with voice, guitar and drum.
Voice Alchemy
Open your expression. Explore creative leadership with Georgina.
Music Co-Creation
Listen to the forest. Record, sample and create with Natural Symphony.
Listen deeply. Contribute fully. Make room for what wants to emerge through us together.
Play an instrument?
Bring it along—especially your guitar. Check airline baggage rules before travelling.
Our shared language
The group experience is in English. Singing Dieta teachings and spoken ceremony introductions are translated from Portuguese into English.
A little Portuguese goes a long way in everyday village life.
Do you want to learn Portuguese?
You have the chance to access a 4-week recorded course that will introduce you to the basics of Portuguese—catered to your experience with the Noke Koî in the jungle!
The guide of this course has plenty of experience working in the jungle, and inside her course she’ll teach you everything you need to know so you can be self-sufficient when it comes to communication with the tribe members.
If you’d like to know more about this course, please contact Rita and let her know you’re part of the maî nãti group (you have a special discount for that!)
- WhatsApp: +1 (213) 709-9980
- Email: rita@theelementswithin.com
Witness Your Own Becoming
Saying yes to maî nãti can already bring things to the surface—excitement, resistance, questions and new truths.
Recording yourself is a practice of using your voice, owning your story and allowing yourself to be seen—first by yourself.
Start now so you can witness how you change: before entering the forest, while you’re there and after returning home.
For yourself first
Begin a video diary on your phone. Continue with your phone or the cameras available in the forest.
You are creating a record of your own becoming, whether you eventually share it or keep it just for yourself.
Capture what is real
Let it be honest. Let it be imperfect. Speak in your own words.
Record yourself exploring:
Who am I?
What does it mean to be a connected human?
What is truth?
Return to these questions each month and notice how your answers evolve.
We’ll also share one additional question each month to deepen your reflections.
The living archive
Our creative vision includes documentary, music, a shared sound archive and possible art installations.
What takes shape—and what we bring into the world—will emerge through our collective creation and decisions.
Beyond the forest
Guided online sessions will support you to:
- Edit your video diary into a personal documentary.
- Explore music production with Natural Symphony.
- Weave shared recordings into your creative work, respecting permissions.
Dates and details will be shared with the group.
You choose which personal reflections you wish to share.
Ask permission before recording others and before publishing their images, voices or stories. Follow the teachers’ guidance for songs and teachings.
No photography or video during ceremonies.
Record your personal reflections afterwards, when you feel ready.
Jungle Essentials: Master Packing List
A practical guide to preparing for our time in the Amazon.
Expect hot, humid, rainy and insect-heavy conditions, with humble and simple facilities.
Use this list as a guide, adapt it to your personal needs. Product links are examples, not mandatory purchases.
Sleeping & Comfort
Insect & Weather Protection
Lighting & Power
Hygiene & Laundry
Health, Hydration & Personal Needs
Insect-bite care supplies are listed under Insect & Weather Protection above.
Bags & Everyday Items
Optional Extras
Ask in our Telegram group—we’re here to help.
Gifts & Reciprocity
At the heart of maî nãti is reciprocity—honouring the people, the land and the sacred knowledge shared with us through respect, relationship and tangible support.
Your participation already contributes to community hosting, teachings and village development.
Want to bring a gift?
Gifts are welcome, never expected. A few ideas:
- Musical supplies
String instruments such as guitars or ukuleles, strings and picks.
- Small instruments
Flutes, small drums or other instruments you’d like to offer.
- For the children
Colouring books, colouring pens and wooden toys.
- Footballs
Available to buy in Cruzeiro. Bring them deflated if travelling with them.
- For the women
Floaty, flowery dresses—also available in Cruzeiro.
- Useful equipment
A chair, hammock or rubber boots you’d like to leave with the community—check with us first.
- Something handmade
Share your idea with us so we can check whether it would be useful and welcome.
Support the community’s artisans
You’ll have opportunities to purchase handcrafted jewellery and traditional pieces directly from their creators, especially the women of the village.
Bring Brazilian reais for these purchases.
Let’s coordinate
If you’d like to offer a gift or make an additional contribution, speak with us first so we can coordinate with the community.
We encourage thoughtful gifts and artisan purchases, rather than uncoordinated cash donations.
More gift ideas and community requests may be shared in our Telegram group.
Coming Home & Integration
Give yourself space to rest, receive and let what you’ve lived find its place in your everyday life.
The journey continues beyond the forest
- Before flying home
Stay one or two nights in Cruzeiro to rest and decompress.
- Your first days home
Keep your schedule gentle where possible. Allow time for sleep and quiet.
- Your voice & creativity
Sing, journal and return to your recordings at your own pace.
- The teachings
Honour the guidance and permissions received before sharing songs or knowledge.
- Our sisterhood
Stay connected. Share what’s unfolding and ask for support when you need it.
We’ll come together again
Two online integration circles across January and February will support your landing back home.
Dates and joining details will be shared in the Telegram group.
Let the art continue
Our post-trip creative sessions will offer space to explore your footage, recordings and the work we are creating together.
Keep documenting your reflections—your answers to our three guiding questions may continue to change.
At the heart of the teachings you’ll experience while living and studying with the Noke Koî is joy. Só Alegria is something they live by.
Returning home with so much inspiration can bring a longing to change how we live. Those changes aren’t always simple—but small shifts in perception are available to us.
One of them is choosing to carry Só Alegria in your heart, too.
You can begin practising now, before stepping into the forest: make room for laughter, song, connection and the joy within everyday moments.
Before We Meet
Your final checklist
Stay connected
Ask your questions, share your discoveries and connect with the women travelling alongside you.
