Ayahuasca enthusiasts often report profound visions, emotional healing, and spiritual insights, making ayahuasca a tool for introspection and self-discovery. Ayahuasca as a tradition is from the Amazon and so venturing to Peru can offer the most effective and knowledgable application of it but its also a significant trip which takes time to organize and learn about. This article will try to shed some light on the logistics and practical aspects of planning a trip.
What is Ayahuasca?
Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian brew made from the Ayahuasca Vine (Banisteriopsis Caapi) and Chacruna (Psychotria Viridis) leaves. Known for its psychoactive properties, ayahuasca has been used for thousands of years by indigenous peoples of the Amazon basin for spiritual and medicinal purposes. Those who drink Ayahuasca often report profound visions, emotional healing, and spiritual insights, making ayahuasca a tool for introspection and self-discovery.
Why Go to Peru for Ayahuasca?
Sometimes it’s best to go to the origin where the most knowledgable and experienced practitioners are. While Ayahuasca is is used in many Amazonian cultures Peru stands out as a prime destination for ayahuasca ceremonies due to:
- Cultural Authenticity: The Amazon rainforest in Peru is the natural habitat of the plants used in ayahuasca, ensuring authenticity in preparation and tradition. The use of Ayahuasca there is thousands of years old.
- Legal Status: Ayahuasca is legal in Peru for traditional and spiritual use, providing a safe legal environment for participants.
- Experienced Shamans: Peru hosts some of the most revered and experienced Shipibo and other indigenous healers, whose knowledge has been passed down through generations.
- Retreat Centers: There’s a variety of retreat centers offering a range of experiences from rustic jungle settings to more luxurious accommodations, catering to different preferences and healing intentions.
In addition to all of this traveling to Peru is an adventure and the country itself boasts all kinds of geography and cultural experiences many people love which are nice additions to an international trip.
When drinking Ayahuasca it can be very beneficial in the times just before and after (known as Dieta and Integration) your ceremonies to immerse yourself in nature as this works subtly on your energetic body.
NB: Serene environs are actually a very healing part of the preparation and integration of Ayahuasca which I explain more detail about in my free and comprehensive Ayahuasca preparation course (6 Day) based on my own experiences drinking Ayahuasca in Peru in Shipibo Tradition.
Plant Dietas vs. Drinking Ayahuasca
You will want to decide whether you want to drink Ayahuasca more generally or undertake a Plant Dieta. Many retreats offer both but you would need to tell them beforehand what you are after.
Ayahuasca Ceremonies involve drinking the brew under the guidance of a shaman to experience visions and insights for healing or spiritual growth. The ceremony typically lasts several hours, with participants experiencing intense psychological and sometimes physical effects. You often do 3-5 of these in a retreat setting over several days.
Plant Dietas, on the other hand, are longer-term commitments where participants consume specific medicinal plants (tobacco for example but the specific plants are usually directed by your Shaman) to connect with plant spirits, often for the purpose of learning, healing, or becoming a shaman. Dieta’s involve strict dietary restrictions, isolation, and can last from 10 days to 4 weeks depending on your Shaman and your specific need. The primary difference is:
- Duration and Commitment: Dieta’s require a longer, more disciplined approach, focusing on specific plants as medicines specific to you with the aim of deep, personal transformation or learning. Often but not always Ayahuasca is also used in combination with these other plants over the duration of your stay.
- Purpose: While ayahuasca ceremonies might focus on immediate healing or insight, Dieta’s are about forming a relationship with nature, healing at a core level, or even becoming a healer oneself.
Trip Logistics: Getting to Peru
Travel to Peru:
- Flights: Fly into Lima, Peru’s capital, which serves as the main international gateway. Airlines like LATAM, Avianca, or American Airlines offer direct or connecting flights to Lima from various global cities.
- Be careful with ‘budget carriers’ in Latin America as they sometimes charge strange fees and can be very petty. If you are traveling on them read the small print.
Reaching Major Ayahuasca Hubs:
Ayahuasca is all over The Amazon basin but these 3 places are well known, have a lot of retreats and there is an ‘industry’ of sorts catering to tourism. All of them are considered safe to varying degrees. As always when you travel take safety precautions.
- Cusco/Sacred Valley:
- Flight: From Lima, take a domestic flight to Cusco, which takes about 1 hour. Bus travel is possible in Peru also but the distances are long so be prepared to take more time. The bonus is the costs are a lot lower this way.
- Stay: Cusco is a historical city with numerous accommodations. From here, you can explore retreats in the Sacred Valley or arrange transport to further ayahuasca centers.
- A very beautiful mountainous area which also has access to Machu Picchu and hiking trips etc. Cusco is The Andes Mountains not the Peruvian Amazon Jungle FYI.
- Iquitos:
- Flight: Direct flights from Lima to Iquitos, the gateway to the Amazon, take about 1 hour 45 minutes. There’s no road access to Iquitos, making flights the only option.
- Stay: Iquitos has a range of lodgings from hostels to hotels. Many retreats are located outside the city, requiring boat travel.
- Iquitos is much more ‘in’ the deeper Amazon than Pucallpa and for those really wanting the jungle experience this may be the place.
- Pucallpa:
- Flight: Another option is flying to Pucallpa from Lima, about 1 hour.
- Stay: Pucallpa offers less tourist infrastructure but is close to several retreat centers.
- Personally I like pucallpa, its Amazonian Jungle but not really deep and is easier to get to than Iquitos. It also has many retreats and a very long tradition of Ayahuasca with many different traditions from Amazonian peoples.
Choosing a Safe Retreat
Having personal experience with retreats in Peru I would do something like the following if I wanted to understand how good a retreat is as a ‘noob’ heading to Peru for Ayahuasca:
- Use this list to find something in your budget and in a location you like. Eg $2000 for 10 days near Cusco. Its a list of 20 retreats from all over Peru. I’m not affiliated with any of them – its just a collation of retreats as a starting point.
- Once you find one you like cross reference it against reviews in
- Reddits Ayahuasca Forum: I would take the retreat name and search for it in here for those who have been here before.
- Then I’d search for reviews on any other sites like Google Maps, Trip Advisor etc. If I saw anything that concerned me I’d be hesitant and look for another spot.
- Also, post in The Reddit Ayahuasca Forum if you want more info. For eg, maybe the reviews are old and you want an update or you have a specific Q about Dieta or Ayahausca there.
- From there I would find1-3 retreats I was interested that had good recommendations from the first 3 points and I would contact them and ask for preparation guideines.
- If they show concern and interest in giving you good info and it seems to check out – you can always ask in my forums (see below) on in Reddit as above.
- NB: They may be slow at replying but that’s sorta normal from Peruvian Amazon where they aren’t online all day like we may be.
- If all of that checks out then you may feel comfortable to book with them. If not, just keep searching. There are a lot of retreats and some work to do in order to find one you’re happy with.
- NB:
- I didn’t do the above when I first went to Peru – but I did have a recommendation from a friend of a friend but this is what I am doing to find my next retreat for my 2025 visit.
- Female travelers: be weary of traveling to remote parts of Peru as a solo female traveler. Some retreats operate in a way where nobody can control who is at the center when you are. What I mean is, they are open 365 days a year on a ‘come as you are’ basis a little bit like a hospital might be in the west. As such, you can read all the reviews you like but it might just happen that a random member of the public is there who has very little affiliation with the retreat but could be in your ceremony and staying next to your hut.
Costs associated with a trip to Peru
Here’s a detailed breakdown of costs associated with a trip to Peru for an Ayahuasca experience, considering travel from Europe or the USA to the primary locations for retreats: Iquitos, Pucallpa, and Cusco. All costs are approximate and can vary based on the time of year, booking time, and personal choices – its just a guide as to what to expect.
Travel Costs from Europe or USA to Peru
Flights:
- From Europe (e.g., London, Madrid):
- To Lima: $800 – $1,500 USD round trip.
- From USA (e.g., New York, Los Angeles):
- To Lima: $600 – $1,200 USD round trip.
- NB: Prices can fluctuate significantly. Booking in advance or using flight comparison tools can help reduce costs.
Domestic Flights in Peru:
- Lima to Iquitos: $100 – $300 USD round trip.
- Lima to Pucallpa: $80 – $250 USD round trip.
- Lima to Cusco: $100 – $300 USD round trip.
Accommodation Costs Before and After Retreat
- Lima: $30 – $100 USD per night (hostel to mid-range hotel).
- Cusco: $20 – $80 USD per night.
- Iquitos: $20 – $60 USD per night.
- Pucallpa: $15 – $50 USD per night.
Ayahuasca Retreat Costs
Iquitos Retreats:
- Basic Retreat: $600 – $1,500 for a 7-day retreat including ceremonies, accommodation, and meals.
- Luxury or More Comprehensive: $2,000 – $3,500 for similar duration with added amenities, more personalized attention, or additional healing modalities.
Pucallpa Retreats:
- Authentic, Traditional: $500 – $1,200 for a week, often focusing more on plant dietas alongside ayahuasca.
- Comfortable Retreats: $1,000 – $2,500, where you might find slightly better facilities but still in a jungle setting.
Cusco Retreats:
- Shorter, More Accessible: $800 – $2,000 for 3-7 days, often combining ayahuasca with Andean healing practices.
- Luxury or Specialized: $1,500 – $3,000 for retreats with a focus on comfort, integration, and additional cultural experiences like visiting Machu Picchu.
Additional Costs
- Food:
- Outside retreats, expect to spend $10 – $30 per day on food, depending on whether you eat street food, local restaurants, or more tourist-oriented places.
- Transportation:
- Local taxis or buses within cities: $1 – $5 per trip.
- Boat transfer to retreat centers from Iquitos or Pucallpa can range from $20 – $100 one way, depending on distance and exclusivity.
- Visa: Most travelers from Europe and the USA don’t need a visa for short stays, but check for updates as policies can change.
- Travel Insurance: $50 – $200 for a trip covering medical emergencies, especially important for remote jungle retreats.
- Preparatory Health Check: If not included in your retreat package, a consultation with a doctor might cost $50 – $150.
- Activities:
- In Cusco, visiting Machu Picchu can add another $200 – $400 for the train, entry ticket, and guide.
- Jungle tours from Iquitos might cost $50 – $200 per day.
- Miscellaneous: Souvenirs, extra personal supplies for jungle conditions, or unexpected expenses could add up to $100 – $300. Often it’s nice to get som white linen or cotton shirts and pants to wear in ceremony.
Total Cost Estimates
Here are rough total cost estimates for a trip including a 7-day retreat:
- From Europe to Iquitos:
- Flights: $1,000 – $1,800
- Retreat: $600 – $3,500
- Accommodations (3 days in Lima/Iquitos): $90 – $300
- Misc: $200 – $500
- Total: $1,890 – $6,100
- From USA to Pucallpa:
- Flights: $800 – $1,500
- Retreat: $500 – $2,500
- Accommodations (3 days in Lima/Pucallpa): $75 – $225
- Misc: $200 – $500
- Total: $1,575 – $4,725
- From Europe or USA to Cusco:
- Flights: $800 – $1,500 (from Europe), $600 – $1,200 (from USA)
- Retreat: $800 – $3,000
- Accommodations (3 days in Lima/Cusco): $90 – $300
- Misc including Machu Picchu visit: $300 – $700
- Total: $1,990 – $5,500 (Europe), $1,790 – $5,200 (USA)
These estimates can vary greatly based on personal choices regarding luxury, duration of stay, and additional travel or activities planned.
Preparing for Your Ayahuasca Journey
Physical Preparation:
It is necessary to prepare biologically for drinking Ayahuasca and this is done through a Dieta where a person removes and replaces certain foods, substances and medications from their diet in order to remove any ‘contraindications’ (substances and foods that mix unsafely with Ayahuasca Tea) and also to have a deeper experience with the medicine.
Mental Preparation:
A Dieta is not just physical but also about ‘mental’ (or as I would say energetic). This includes removing and replacing certain ‘energetic influences’ from ones life in the lead up and after drinking Ayahuasca.
Logistics:
- Travel Insurance: Consider insurance that covers medical emergencies in remote areas.
- Documentation: Ensure your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your planned departure from Peru.
Additional Tips for a Successful Journey
- Integration: Plan for time after your retreat to integrate your experiences. Some centers offer post-ceremony support or recommend therapists. I also provided some information in addition to this on Integration.
- Language: Learn basic Spanish or bring translation tools. Communication can be vital, especially in emergency situations. You don’t need much but the basics will be very useful and polite when traveling in another culture.
- Environment: Be prepared for jungle living – mosquitoes, humidity, and basic accommodations in some retreats.
- Eco-Tourism: Consider how your visit can benefit local communities and conservation efforts. Many centers contribute to local sustainability projects.
- Personal Safety: Keep your belongings secure, especially in tourist-heavy areas like Cusco or Iquitos.
