Recommendation: Ayahuasca ceremonies (Peru) | "dosage" & places

[Nelf]

Dear beautiful people.


My wife and I are traveling to the Latin American continent in a few weeks. We plan to spend three and a half months exploring Bolivia and, in particular, Peru and Colombia. Among other things, we would like to join an Ayahuasca Dieta during our trip through Peru. To this end, I would love to utilize the community's swarm expertise to make recommendations for
1. the number of ceremonies on the one hand,
2. locations on the other hand.
I have attached some information about the two of us that may be relevant to the recommendations:

Travel time
We are backpackers and travel fairly spontaneously. Accordingly, the dates of when we will be in which place are not set in stone. However, we are roughly planning to travel in Peru from mid-May to mid-June and subsequently continue to Colombia until mid-July. More has not yet been decided.

Experience with psychedelics
We are both familiar with certain psychedelics (THC, MDA, MDMA, 2C-B, psilocybin, LSD, various LSD derivatives, N,N-DMT). My definition of “familiar” is “consumed several times, in different settings, and in different doses”. Neither my wife nor I have experienced an ego death/ breakthrough on any of these trips. I would classify the doses consumed between Level 1 and Level 3.5, with my scale going up to Level 5.

Intention
Neither my wife nor I suffer from a mental trauma, an anxiety disorder, a sense of emotional disconnection, or anything related (I'm not saying that these are prerequisites, but I've often read reports of individuals who have tried to address such psychological challenges). However, there are obviously certain character traits, behavior patterns, and bad habits that we would like to target with the help of the medicine.
The intrinsic motivation for ayahuasca undoubtedly has been from my end; my wife joins in with a rather low level of self-interest. My main intention is to prolong and deepen the state I have experienced so far on DMT (vaporized), in order to better integrate the experience. Generally speaking, I would say that I have a great interest/fascination for psychedelic substances.

General remarks

• Above all, we are looking for a place with experienced shaman(s) and supporters. It is easier to let go when you know you are in good hands.
• We are both currently learning Spanish, but our language skills don't go beyond a few simple conversations. Realistically speaking, I would therefore tend not to trust us with a Spanish-led ceremony (without translation).
• As mentioned at the beginning, we are backpackers and therefore don't have very high standards when it comes to accommodation (i.e., we are not looking for a fancy retreat for influencers). However, a basic standard of hygiene as well as a halfway comfy mattress would be very welcome.
• Basically, we are traveling on a limited budget and don't want to spend $2,000 per person. I am aware that the price depends significantly on the number of days (i.e., the number of ceremonies) and “add-ons”. Hence the question of how many ceremonies you would recommend.
• The last point will probably be the most difficult to consider, but - if possible - we would like to find a place where the money actually ends up with the indigenous families rather than flowing into the pockets of investors.

As mentioned at the beginning, I would love to hear your experiences and recommendations regarding the number of ceremonies and potential locations.
Genuine thanks in advance!


P.S.: If I missed any important information about us or the trip, feel free to tell me. I am happy to share any information that is helpful to give you a good recommendation.
P.P.S.: In case I posted this in the wrong section, please let me know.

 

[Nelf]

Did I post this in the right sub?

 

[dreamer042]

Where it's posted shouldn't really effect the replies, but I went ahead and moved it to real world travel since it probably fits better there.

I don't have any direct experience, but I was speaking to someone recently who will be attending Arkana which is rated #1 on ayaadvisors.

We also watched She is a Shaman recently, a documentary about the Ayamadre retreat in Iquitos.

I've also had my eye on The Rainforest Healing Center for master plant dietas.

I can't personally vouch for any of these, but they are the ones currently on my radar.

There are a couple older threads on the forum here and here as well.

 

[Nelf]

Thank you for moving and also for your reply!

I liked the idea of taking the medicine in the Peruvian jungle; instinctively it felt coherent and right to me. However, the more I delved into the matter, the more I realized how little the national border actually matters to the experience.

I took a closer look at AyaMadre. The budget and level of authenticity matched my expectations. I also found it positive that the center is run by a Maestra, as I am generally more comfortable with women than men. Furthermore, I like her approach of not giving first-time users the full dose straight away, but rather administering a low dose of the medicine to begin with. What makes me struggle a little is the overall comfort/ standard of the Healing Center as well as the number of ceremonies. Compared to other centers, two Ayahuasca ceremonies plus one San Pedro ceremony (or alternatively Toé, Tabacco, Piñon Colorado, Mushrooms, Kambo, ...) over the course of 7 days seems quite little to me. I'm probably completely misjudging the whole story, so I'd love to hear your experiences on that topic. Has anyone ever been to the AyaMadre Healing Center and can tell me something about it?

LaWayra is another retreat I came across and about which I read mostly positive testimonials, though unfortunately I also found a few negative reviews. I like that they offer a good balance between hygienic standards/ comfort (& to be fair, this is a matter of wellbeing particularly for my wife) and authenticity - i.e., it’s a pretty high level of comfort and a comparably low level of authenticity… The center is in line with the budget and can be implemented into our travel plans without much adjustment to the itinerary. However, critics have complained that the dosage is comparatively low. I am aware that I am paying for the setting, but of course also for the medicine itself. Consequently, I also expect it to have the desired strength/ effect. The second main component of the experience is the element of integration, which in my opinion is largely based on the exchange with and support of the shamans. Unfortunately, I have read that they were hardly responsive and that (individual) sessions are either not offered or are significantly too short. If anyone has attended the retreat, I would be happy to receive feedback on the following questions:
1) ⁠It will be my first experience with ayahuasca, hence the substance - in whatever dose - will have an effect. The price seems fair, however I would rather spend $300 more and have a "full" experience than receive a half-hearted dose on a low budget. How did you perceive the dose (at best in comparison with other places)?
2) ⁠I’d like to have the option of taking supplementary substances in addition to ayahuasca (e.g. rape, kambo, san pedro). So far I have not seen these options at LaWayra; do they offer any of them?
3) I ⁠think the group size of 20+ participants (especially in relation to only 2 shamans) is too large from my layman's point of view. In general, I also don't feel very comfortable taking psychedelics in the direct surroundings of a lot of unknown strangers. How do you feel about this?

 

[doubledog]

No direct experience here - I prefer to take plants in my real location / life, not as a part of traveling - but my advice for you is to focus much more on your wife's motivations. It could be more important than you expect, especially when plants starts to work on you ( and her).

 

[dreamer042]

Again, no direct experience with retreats in the Amazon, but I do have some experience with a variety of ceremonies and rituals in North America, so I'll attempt to answer a few of your questions based on that experience.

I wouldn't be too concerned about dosage, most providers are happy to pour you another cup if you ask for it.

Having only a couple or a few sessions in a week is generally deliberately done to allow time for proper integration of the experience before immediately jumping in again. It allows you to reflect, have a chance to ask questions, and ensure you absorb the lessons.

Similar to the above, it may be more productive to work more intentionally with a single teacher than to work more peripherally with multiple teachers. Graduate dissertation in ayahausca may have more depth to offer than auditing aya 101, huachuma 101, and sapo 101. If the goal is to work with the medicine on it's home turf, it may be worth a separate trip to the mountains.

Certainly smaller groups allow for more individualized attention and would be preferable to me, but larger groups are more economical, and most places should have sufficient assistance available to ensure everyone has enough support. You will have to deal with that many other people's "stuff" arising during the ceremony though. That's just the nature of doing the group work.

Lastly, don't let budget be the main deciding factor here, read reviews and take them into consideration, but above all else listen to your gut and walk away from anything that doesn't feel right. Authentic integrity shines through, make that the basis for your decision.

 

[Nelf]

No direct experience here - I prefer to take plants in my real location / life, not as a part of traveling - but my advice for you is to focus much more on your wife's motivations. It could be more important than you expect, especially when plants starts to work on you ( and her).

I totally get your point and, in general, agree with your preference. However, I know my state of mind when I'm at home; I'm distracted/ busy with a lot of other stuff like work, people, and daily little bits and pieces. By comparison with my current situation, I do have a lot of free time plus my mind is much more open and it's easier to integrate and digest.
Thanks for your advice! I will definitely (have to) talk to her in more detail about what she expects and why she wants to join me. Just accompanying me for the sake of not being separated is not a good reason.

I wouldn't be too concerned about dosage, most providers are happy to pour you another cup if you ask for it.

Alright. Honestly speaking, the reviews did not mention this as an option back then, however, I'm convinced I can speak with the respective Taita.

Having only a couple or a few sessions in a week is generally deliberately done to allow time for proper integration of the experience before immediately jumping in again. It allows you to reflect, have a chance to ask questions, and ensure you absorb the lessons.

I do not question the value of having breaks between ceremonies and, in fact, consider them very important. What surprised me was that the amount of ayahuasca ceremonies varies so much between the healing centers (same period, same price).
What do you think of the San Pedro ceremony (instead of a third ayahuasca intake)?

Lastly, don't let budget be the main deciding factor here, read reviews and take them into consideration, but above all else listen to your gut and walk away from anything that doesn't feel right. Authentic integrity shines through, make that the basis for your decision.

Thank you for this advice. In principle, I will never choose a place based on price only. However, the price is indeed a key factor, as our travel budget is around $2,000 per person per month - spending an equivalent amount in just a week is beyond our financial capacity.

 

[Nelf]

For everyone interested or for those who are looking for a retreat with similar requirements in the future: After what felt like a hundred hours of searching, comparing, review reading and considering, I decided to stay at Paojilhuasca Medicine Center. Based on both the website and reviews, this place seems to not only cover my requirements, but goes above and beyond.

 

[quantumtantra]

@Nelf glad that you found a good place for yourselves, have a nice trip!