Santuario is a rustic Ayahuasca Retreat near Pucallpa, Peru. It is located on the Uacyali River which is a tributary of the Amazon River and takes 1- 3 hours by car to arrive from Pucallpa. It is in a jungle setting and is very peaceful there. It also has a thermal river next to the retreat site.

Why go to Santuario Huishtin?

Most people who go there are seeking potent and traditional Ayahuasca (from the Loreto Region in Northern Peru) experience but without the large price tag. They are also known for their more long term stays of one month or more. It is a no frills kind of experience which is probably not for first time travelers.

How to make contact Santuario Huishtin:

You can start the process to reserve a spot(s) at Santuario Huishtin by filling in the form here to make contact and do a medical screening.

Retreat Schedule:

Santuario runs 3 ceremonies a week every week of the year. Monday, Wednesday and Friday. You can stay for as long as you like but most common would be the below,

  • Arrive on Monday morning, stay 5 nights and leave Saturday late morning. This would mean 5 nights, 6 days and 3 Ayahuasca ceremonies.
  • The same as above but stay 12 nights, 13 days and do 6 ceremonies.
  • Stay for one month or more. Do 3 weeks of Dieta and then 3 Ayahuasca Ceremonies in the last week.

Costs:

NOTE: It’s possible to arrange different lengths of stay also so if the below 5 and 12 night stays don’t work for you you can tell us what does work for you and we can try and arrange by contacting us via the reservation request form.

5 night (6 day) and 3 ceremonies

A 5 night (6 day) retreat would be $729 USD inclusive 3 ceremonies, return transport from Pucallpa, all meals and accommodation while at the retreat and deposit. This can be broken down as below.

  • $88 USD deposit.
  • $150 USD return travel from Pucallpa to Santuario Huistin.
  • $500 USD retreat cost (ceremonies, meals, accommodation while at Santuario).

12 night (13 day) and 6 ceremonies

This is just a longer version of the 5 night and 3 ceremony retreat with a higher cost to reflect the extra days (same daily rate though) and amount of ceremonies. The location, amenities and whats included is all exactly he same.

A 12 night (13 day) retreat would be $1,429 USD inclusive 6 ceremonies, return transport from Pucallpa, all meals and accommodation while at the retreat and deposit. This can be broken down as below.

  • $88 USD deposit.
  • $150 USD return travel from Pucallpa to Santuario Huistin.
  • $1200 USD retreat cost (ceremonies, meals, accommodation while at Santuario).

What do previous participants say?

I suggest you read the reviews on Tripadvisor for Santuario which are here. Most of them are good but some people have left some negative reviews so please read these reviews to make sure you are comfortable.

Staff:

There are 4 main people however there may be other staff on site (cooks, apprentice’s shamans, local people getting healed, constructions guys building or working on the site etc).

Meastro Enrrique Paredes

Enrrique Paredes is the main shaman at the retreat and his ceremonies are considered to be very powerful. Meastro Enrrique has had decades of experience with plant medicine and Ayahuasca specifically, uses a Shipibo tradition when leading ceremonies and is originally from the Loreto Region of Peru.

Maestro Hegner Paredes:

Hegner Paredes is one of the shaman on site and is the brother of Enrrique above. He is a kindly and experienced shaman who can lead you in strong and effective ceremonies.

Juan Perez:

Is the main contact for any bookings and can arrange everything. He will take you to the retreat itself, take payment, stay with you if you ask and pay him to in ceremonies etc. He is not a shaman but is experienced with his own Ayahuasca experiences and is also a very good Ayahuasca artist. He makes some of his income by taking people to and from the retreat from Pucallpa as it is not easily accessible being on in the Amazon River Basin.

NOTE:

  • Santuario doesn’t necessarily provide facilitators. The closest you can get is to ask Juan (whose contact details are below) to stay with you for the duration of your visit (or a few ceremonies at the beginning of the retreat) to be in ceremony with you and make sure all is well but Juan is not psychologically or medically trained as a facilitator might be expected to be in a western sense.

Facilities:

Santuario will provide accommodation, food, a ceremonial space, basic showering facilities, reading library, hammock/dining area and several small walking trails around the village of Santuario.

More Than Diet With Preparing For Ayahuasca
Affordable Ayahuasca Retreat: $90USD p/day
Hegner. One of the Shaman at Santuario huishtin
Hegner. One of the Shaman at Santuario huishtin
Santuario Histin Retreat and it's thermic river.
Santuario Histin Retreat and it’s thermic river.
The available food in an ayahuasca retreat
The available food in an ayahuasca retreat
Example of Ayahuasca Diet Meal
Example of Ayahuasca Diet Meal
Shaman Enrrique and Aime of Santuario Retreat, Pucallpa, Peru.
Shaman Enrrique and Aime of Santuario Retreat, Pucallpa, Peru.
Juan en route to Santuario
8 risks and rewards of Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca FAQS
Interpreting Messages in Ayahuasca Ceremonies

Location (Boiling River):

Santuario Huishtín is located 3 hours from Pucallpa, Peru. It is on the banks of The Boiling River as it is known or ‘Aguas Calientes’. The river here is very very hot and its thermal nature is considered sacred in its own right given there are not so many of these ‘hot spots’ on the earth.

NOTE: The river is usually too hot to swim in so don’t expect to be able to bath in it. Sometimes during a rainfall the river becomes lower in temp that you can swim.

Pucallpa is known as an Ayahuasca area in its own right within Peru but is less well known that Iquitos.

There are two advantages to Pucallpa over Iquitos.

  • Iquitos, being so famous, has become an area well known for shaman who are more focussed on money than healing and
  • It’s closer to both Lima (1.25 hours by plane) as well as Cusco.

Safety:

  • You should not be on any pharmaceutical drugs leading up to going to any Ayahuasca Ceremony. In particular medications used to treat depression are particularly dangerous when combined with Ayahuasca.
  • You should not do Ayahuasca if you have a history of high blood pressure.
  • You should not do Ayahuasca is you or your direct family have a history of psychiatric issues such as multiple personalities or schizophrenia.

How do the ceremonies proceed?

The ceremonies always follow a similar structure.

  • Arrive and prep your mattress,
  • drink the ayahuasca brew,
  • shaman build the energy in the room and start to sing icaros (songs),
  • you have your psychedelic experience but if not then ask for more,
  • finish out the ceremony before having a ‘limpiasis’ or cleansing and then
  • smoking a mapacho cigarette (optional) which has been embued by the shaman with some particular healing for yourself.
  • Ceremonies last around 4-5 hours and begin around 730 pm – 800 pm.

How is the medicine?

The brew here is made of the Ayahuasca Vine, Chacruna Plant and water. It is considered strong by those who have drunk Ayahuasca at other retreats. I find that one cup is perfectly sufficient to have a strong and effective ceremony. Some people find that half or even a quarter of a cup is more appropriate. If in doubt start with a lower amount and go up from there in your ceremony. You can drink multiple times in one ceremony to achieve this. When you combine the Icaros that the shaman(a) sing with the strength of the medicine you can be sure to have the desired effect.