Traditional
Ayahuasca Retreat Center
in the Peruvian Amazon

Ayahuasca Retreats
at The Temple of the Way of Light

The Temple of the Way of Light is a traditional plant-medicine shamanic healing center located in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest that offers intensive ayahuasca retreats with female and male Shipibo healers.

Ancient Medicine in a Modern World

We are dedicated to providing our guests with the opportunity to benefit from the ancient healing wisdom of the Shipibo people, and to helping this unique culture preserve its knowledge and identity in the 21st Century.

"After coming to the Peruvian Amazon for close to thirty years, I have never really seen a project or center quite like this"

Jeremy Narby, author of The Cosmic Serpent

Temple of the Way of Light

Ayahuasca Retreats
at The Temple of the Way of Light

An ayahuasca retreat at The Temple offers our guests an opportunity to experience deep healing that reaches into the energetic roots of trauma, imbalance and disorder, as well as initiates a long-term journey of self-reflection, self-discovery, and spiritual transformation.

More about our Ayahuasca Retreats

Video Reviews

“For those called to work with the plant, this is the place to do it, right at the source. No secondary reflection of it elsewhere can possibly match the authentic nature of the experience offered here at the Temple.”

“After coming to the Peruvian Amazon for close to thirty years, I have never really seen a project or center quite like this!”

Bruce Parry, award winning documentarian, filmmaker, and indigenous rights activist, talks about his experience at the Temple of the Way of Light after attending a 12-Day Ayahuasca Retreat in April, 2014.

Medicine hunter, author and educator Chris Kilham talks about his experience at the Temple of the Way of Light after visiting us in July 2014 and his perspectives on traditional healthcare and issues in conventional western healthcare.

“I came to the Temple a scientific materialist. I realised here that consciousness and spirit have always existed. It’s hard to put into words the profound change I have experienced.”

Amélie discusses her experience at the Temple focusing on healing self-hatred on one of our 12 day ayahuasca and plant spirit healing retreats.

Dr Dan Engle, Integrative Psychiatrist, shares a review of his experience at the Temple of the Way of Light. In this short interview, he shares his reflections on the work of the Temple – the healers, the facilitators, the set and setting, and his perspectives on the importance of respecting traditional healing practices of the Amazon when working with ayahuasca.

Our Healers

Experienced and compassionate healers dedicated to sharing their rich and complex medical tradition

The Temple is blessed to work with an incredible team of warmhearted, highly skilled, and experienced female and male Shipibo healers. Our ayahuasca retreats are run by healers who are masters of the ancient art of ayahuasca curanderismo, a plant-spirit based shamanic healing practice.
Meet our Team of Shipibo Healers

Toni Javier Lopez Lopez

Curandero

Toni Javier Lopez Lopez

Curandero
Toni’s Shipibo name is Sany which means “leader of a family”, and comes originally from the Shipibo community of Royaboya.

Toni comes from a long lineage of healers (the Lopez family) and started to sit in ceremony when he was only 12, guided by his grandfather Sanymeny, who was a renowned maestro in his region.
He decided to start his apprenticeship with plant spirits through carrying out dietas when he was 22. His 2 year old son became very sick which called him to learn how to heal him. His initial intention was focus on healing his son and other children in his community.

He started dieting with gentle plants, known to transmit love and improve relationships. After several years focused on smaller plants, he then moved onto dieting larger plants and trees – known as ‘ani medicine’ (big medicine), used to heal more serious illnesses and conditions. He carried out a one year dieta with several different plants, including Chaikuni Rao, a plant famous amongst the Shipibo people. This is his favorite plant, which he claims fully opened his heart and healed him of his own childhood wounds.

Tony has three children, and his youngest daughter, who has just turned 12, recently started training and dieting under his guidance. His core intention is to be of service for the betterment of his family and society at large.

Laura Lopez Sanchez

Curandera

Laura Lopez Sanchez

Curandera
Laura’s Shipibo name is “Chononyabi” which means “swallow bird that flies in unity”.

Raised in a medicine family, Laura was born to the life of a curandera. She is a specialist in warmé ikaros, used for unblocking and healing emotions and relationships.

Laura was born in the Shipibo community of Roaboya. Both her parents and grandparents were well respected Onanya, working as healers for the local villages. From a young age, she was deeply immersed in the world of plant medicine. As with many young Shipibo born of curandero families, Laura was given small dietas by her grandparents from the age of 10, and by the age of 16 her apprenticeship started in earnest when she started to work with ayahuasca.

By the age of 20, she was travelling all over Peru with her aunt, administering plant medicines and ayahuasca ceremonies for local Peruvians, wherever their aid was requested. She has also worked extensively with her incredibly knowledgeable mother and teacher, Ynes, both in Peru and abroad.

She brings with her an incredible wealth of knowledge that has been passed down for many generations in her family line. With her contagious laughter, and passion for helping and healing from a pure space of love, she is an absolute gem!

Jorge Vasquez Barbaran

Curandero

Jorge Vasquez Barbaran

Curandero
Jorge’s Shipibo name is “Sanken Mexo” which means “highly skilled person and expert in preparing medicinal plants””

Bio coming soon…

Teresa Rojas Toesta

Curandera

Teresa Rojas Toesta

Curandera
Teresa’s Shipibo name is “Chinosame” which means “swallow that brings messages and people to work together”.

Teresa was born in the native community of Curarina. She is the mother of six children, two of whom are currently learning and practicing medicine. Her husband Benito also works at the Temple as a curandero.

The catalyst to begin training to become an Onanya started with looking for healing for her sick son. She took him to a ceremony with a powerful healer and was amazed at how the treatment of icaros and plants healed him. This inspired to her to learn for herself.

She went to Royaboya where her husband had begun dieting and said she wanted to join him and learn as well. She shares how in her first dieta, she had a powerful experience from the plant she was dieting that lasted 3 days, during which time she was met by the spirit of the plant who taught her many things.

She dieted continuously with various plants over a period of about two years before she finally drank ayahuasca for the first time. As soon as she began to sing, the visions appeared and the teachings of her years of dieta came through her icaros. This was around 22 years ago. Since then she has been working in her community and more recently with westerners, sharing her powerful medicine.

José Lopéz Sanchez

Curandero

José Lopéz Sanchez

Curandero
Jose’s Shipibo name is “Sanymeny” which means “The Messenger”

José was born in the village of Royaboya. He is the son of the legendary Maestra Ynes Sanchez and Maestro David Lopéz.

José was named after his paternal grandfather, also called Sanymeny (and José Lopéz Sanchez in Spanish), a highly respected Mereya (the highest level Shipibo healer), who trained him extensively since his childhood, transmitting the wisdom of his ancestors, the Shipibo-Conibo cosmovision and the sophisticated practices of Shipibo plant-spirit healing.

At the tender age of seven, José began the preparation of his body, mind, and spirit by beginning his first traditional dieta (sama) with master tree-spirit and continued training throughout his childhood. At age sixteen, he began to heal people from his village and his work then expanded from the city of Pucallpa out into many other regions of Peru.

José occasionally works at the Temple although is mainly focused on holding plant spirit dietas at his own center, Shipibo Rao, near Pucallpa. We are blessed and privileged to work with this unique healer.

Edith Burga Ochavano

Curandera

Edith Burga Ochavano

Curandera
Bio coming soon...

Edith was born in the community of Nueva Sucre in Contamana. She has 3 children and 12 grandchildren. 

Her grandfather was a village healer and she started attending his ceremonies when she was 14 years old. She began to feel a strong call from the plants and at the age of 22 she started to diet. Her first diet lasted 1.5 years with Pinon Colorado, Marusa and Bobinsana.

After this diet she started working with her grandfather to heal the local people. Her grandfather told her to never leave her 3 plants and to always work and heal with them.  Her grandfather, before he died, left her the responsibility to continue with the ancestral knowledge and since then she helps and heals with her songs of love.

After feeling the call to share her medicine with the world, she began to collaborate with Maestro José Lopez Sanchez in Shipibo Rao and then was invited to the Temple.

Edith carries a medicine of pure love and light. Her faith in plants has deep roots. To have her on the team with her warm and sweet character is a blessing.

Urias Garcia Junta

Curandero

Urias Garcia Junta

Curandero
Urias’s Shipibo name is “Neten Beso” meaning “to awaken the world or the universe”.

Urias was born in the native community of Nuevo Nazare. He is the father of two boys of 8 and 5 years old.

He comes from a lineage of medicine practitioners, with various family members practicing with the medicine and he started working with plants when he was very young. When he was 5 years old, he remembers being sick and his mum took him to a ceremony to receive healing from his uncle.
He remembers being enchanted by the icaros, and that in the morning he was singing the icaros he had his uncle sing to him the night before. It was at this point that the family identified that he would one day be a healer.

His motivation to work a healer is to help people heal and to follow his ancestry and continue his lineage. He is sad that today many Shipibo don’t value their roots and cultural traditions, so he would like to continue this tradition so that his traditional customs are not lost. He loves being in the communities with the elder healers, listening to the stories of his people and culture.

He really enjoys working at the Temple as he feels the team working as a family/in community, sharing and showing the wisdom and love that we feel for patients.

Luisa Sanchez Catalina

Curandera

Luisa Sanchez Catalina

Curandera
Luisa’s Shipibo name is “Chonon Jisbe” which means “beautiful woman and messenger of medicinal plants”.

Luisa comes from the village of Santa Rosa on the River Pisque. She has 2 sons of 16 and 21 years, both of whom are studying. Her father is a well respected traditional healer in Rio Pisce and has been her main teacher, along with her husband. She started dieting before she had her first child and was inspired to learn by her father and husband.

Her greatest inspiration was her love of people and her love of plants and helping people who were sad or ill with plants was a wonderful way to bring her two loves together.

Her favorite aspect working as a healer is singing icaros in ceremony, seeing how the medicine she carries within really helps people who are struggling. She finds her work deeply fulfilling and has worked as a healer in the community for many years.

She came to the Temple in 2023 and is now enjoying working with Westerners for the first time.

Richard Emerson Urquia Rojas

Curandero

Richard Emerson Urquia Rojas

Curandero
Richard’s Shipibo name is “Wasan Niwe,” which means “liberating the air / energy”

Richard is from the community of Paoyan, a 12-hour boat ride from the city of Pucallpa, in the Ucayali department of eastern Peru. Richard comes from a long lineage of healers – his brother, cousins, and both of his grandparents are all curanderos.

His first and main teacher was his grandfather who initiated him at a very young age; he drank ayahuasca for the first time at the tender age of 1. “From that moment”, Richard shares, “I thought, one day, I would also be a curandero. And now here I am! My medicine is born from my family.”

Richard chose to be a healer in order to help everybody in need. “I am a maestro because I want to heal people, clean them, free them, bring them into the light, and open their paths in life.” Richard’s favorite plant is the “Flying Tree,” Noya Rao.

Richard has hopes for the younger Shipibo generations. “The youngsters are looking good, more advanced, and better schooled. It’s a good thing that many chose to migrate to the cities, to go to university, or to learn a trade. But as the older generation passes away, we will also need strong youth to pick up the art and practices of their grandparents – the healers and curanderos. This is my aspiration for my tradition.”

“I had the most profound five days as I can identify at this point of any time in my life.”

Dr. Gabor Maté

Traditional Shipibo Plant
Spirit Shamanism

An ancient yet pioneering path to health and wholeness

We work with some of the most respected and powerful healers (Onanyabo) from the Shipibo tribe. They are highly experienced, gentle, caring, and deeply dedicated to healing and embodying the wisdom and sincerity of their people. The healing traditions of the Shipibo people offer an ancient path to well-being, re-discovering our true nature and re-awakening to our true purpose.

“This place is a beacon of true healing and service to people, and of total integrity”

Chris Kilham

Why Us

“I’m blown away by the love, care and kindness. The Temple is a magical place”

Jack Anderson

Medical Research

Scientifically Validated Healing Outcomes

Between 2015 and 2019, a long-term, observational research study took place at the Temple, conducted by ICEERS and the Beckley Foundation. The study is unprecedented and the results demonstrate that ayahuasca healing at the Temple provides highly significant improvements in long term well-being and quality of life, as well as in anxiety, depression, grief, and PTSD.

Read the Research

Getting Here

The Temple of the Way of Light is located in the Amazon basin, in the Loreto region of Peru, a few hours journey by bus, boat, and hike from the city of Iquitos.
In order to come to the Temple you would need to fly into Iquitos International Airport in Iquitos, Peru. All flights to Iquitos are via Lima, Peru. We recommend booking your flights for one day before and after the start and end date of your retreat to first allow yourself time to acclimatize to the environment and then allow yourself ample travel time and time to reintegrate into the “mainstream” world once the retreat has ended.

**Please do not book flights or make any travel arrangements until your registration and medical information has been reviewed and you have been approved to attend a retreat.**

Each retreat group will be picked up on the first morning of the retreat at a designated pickup location in central Iquitos by one of our staff members and then travel to the Temple together from there. The group will be brought back into Iquitos after breakfast on the last morning of the retreat and will arrive in town by early afternoon (usually 2pm at the latest).

The price of a Temple retreat includes transportation from the group pickup place in Iquitos to the Temple on the first morning of the retreat and transportation back to Iquitos on the last morning of the retreat. The price does not include any flights, hotel costs, or transportation to the group pickup on the first morning
By Dates
By Program
  • 12 Days
    6 Ceremonies
    |
    $ 3,900

    Living in Alignment: Ayahuasca Healing Retreat

    The backbone of our work and regular retreat offering, providing an immersion in traditional Shipibo plant-spirit healing complemented with yoga classes, individual and group support, and powerful methods of self-inquiry.
  • 12 Days + 5 Days
    6 Ceremonies
    |
    $ 5,100

    Ayahuasca Healing Retreat + 5-Day Integration Retreat

    NEW OFFERING – a 12-Day ‘Living in Alignment’ Ayahuasca Healing Retreat with the opportunity to stay on at the Temple for a 5-day Integration Extension Retreat. Available in April, July, and October 2024.
  • 12 Days
    6 Ceremonies
    |
    $ 3,900

    Women’s Ayahuasca Healing Retreat

    For this retreat we will be working exclusively with female facilitators and female support staff. There is something very special that happens when a group of women come together to heal! To be held from April 16th to 27th, 2024 and November 26th to December 7th, 2024.
  • 12 Days
    6 Ceremonies
    |
    $ 3,900

    Queer Ayahuasca Retreat

    This special queer retreat will provide a safe, welcoming, and caring environment where participants can feel comfortable being who they are. Shipibo healing will be complemented with Compassionate Inquiry sessions. To be held from October 25th to November 5th, 2024.
  • 14 Days
    5 Ceremonies
    |
    $ 2,000

    Traditional Plant Dietas at Shipibo Rao

    We are honored to support Maestro Jose Lopez Sanchez and his healing center, Shipibo Rao. Maestro Jose runs 14-day dietas working in the Shipibo tradition.
    Visit Shipiborao's website to book
    Go to website