An ayahuasca retreat offers the opportunity to experience deep healing and transformation of your life. Due to the powerful healing work that plant-spirit doctors carry out, attending an ayahuasca retreat catalyzes a long-term path of self-discovery and awakening.
However, to ensure safety and long-lasting outcomes, it’s essential to approach this sacred experience with respect, careful consideration, and significant preparation.
Rooted in ancient Amazonian traditions, ayahuasca retreats are increasingly sought after by people seeking clarity, emotional release, and a deeper connection with their inner self.
In this guide, we’ll explore the essence of ayahuasca, what to expect at an ayahuasca retreat, costs, and—most importantly—how to choose the safest and most suitable retreat for your needs.
What Is an Ayahuasca Retreat?
An ayahuasca retreat is a sacred and deeply personal experience designed to facilitate deep healing at the emotional, mental, energetic, and spiritual levels of being. At the center of every ayahuasca retreat is the Amazonian plant medicine tea, ayahuasca.
Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian plant medicine brewed from the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) and the Chacruna plant (Psychotria viridis).
These plants work together to induce an altered state of consciousness, most often offering profound insights into your subconscious mind and the essence of your being.
For the Shipibo healing traditions, ayahuasca (Oni) and chacruna (Cawa) are seen as male and female spiritual entities, working together to guide participants through your inner world. Ayahuasca is the single most important medicine of the Shipibo tradition that enables spirit healers to communicate with and work on behalf of many other plant spirit medicines of the Rainforest.
Shamanic healing during a traditional ayahuasca retreat is carried out through the plant spirit songs called Ikaros. These songs are channeled through trained healers. The ikaros identify and cleanse the energetic roots of trauma. The essence of a genuine ayahuasca retreat is the treatment of trauma – personal and ancestral.
A Brief History of Ayahuasca
Ayahuasca has been revered for centuries by Indigenous tribes in the Amazon basin. It serves as a cornerstone of their sophisticated spiritual and healing practices. For countless generations, it has helped Indigenous healers uncover the root causes of disorders, both physical and emotional, and bring balance to the soul.
The use of ayahuasca extends back thousands of years, with archaeological evidence of its preparation found in Ecuador dating back over 2,500 years. Its ceremonial use has been carefully preserved and passed down through generations of healers who view ayahuasca as a sacred medicine rather than a recreational substance.
What Happens During an Ayahuasca Retreat?
Ayahuasca retreats are thoughtfully structured to create a safe, supportive, and transformative environment. The quality and depth of your experience will largely depend on the retreat center’s level of experience, fundamentally the healers’ and facilitators’ expertise, and their respect for and practice of authentic traditional ayahuasca practices.
Daily Activities at a Retreat
- Complementary Practices: Mornings may include plant baths, vapor baths, or massages to support the ayahuasca healing carried out in ceremonies or periods of silence to help participants journal and concentrate on the healing process, which continues throughout the day.
- Group Meetings & Preparation: Sharing intentions and experiences and learning about ayahuasca traditions provides a foundation for the ceremonies.
- Pre-Ceremony Yoga/Meditation Practices: Prepare the body and the mind for the nighttime ceremony.
- Ayahuasca Ceremonies: In the evening, ceremonies involve drinking ayahuasca under the guidance of experienced shamanic healers. Traditional plant-spirit songs (ikaros) are sung to guide participants through their journey and to cleanse, clear, and align energies.
- Integration: The next day often includes group or individual sessions to process insights and emotions that may have surfaced during the ceremony.
What to Expect During a Ceremony
- Emotional Release: Participants may confront suppressed emotions, leading to catharsis and healing.
- Visions: Ayahuasca often brings vivid imagery, metaphors, and insights illuminating life’s challenges and often providing new solutions that are not seen or experienced in day-to-day life
- Physical Purging: Vomiting, sweating, or crying are common and considered part of the cleansing process
Read our detailed guide about an ayahuasca ceremony.
Are Ayahuasca Retreats Safe?
While ayahuasca can be profoundly healing, it’s not without risks, particularly if undertaken without proper screening and preparation or with people who have not been trained and do not have the decades of experience required to facilitate these powerful healing journeys safely. Your safety begins with choosing a retreat center that prioritizes your well-being and demonstrably operates with deep respect and responsibility.
Key Safety Measures
- Health Screening: Reputable retreats will ask about your medical history and any medications to prevent harmful interactions and contraindications with Ayahuasca.
- Experienced Shamanic Healers and Facilitators: The presence of trained, knowledgeable healers and highly skilled facilitators ensures the ceremony is conducted safely and responsibly.
- On-Site Support: Look for retreats with a high ratio of well-trained staff to participants and experienced facilitators who can provide emotional and physical care during and after ceremonies.
- Integration Programs: Experienced post-retreat integration support is essential for processing deep healing experiences and integrating lessons into daily life.
If you feel unsafe or unsupported at any point during a retreat, trust your instincts and leave. Your safety and well-being must always come first.
Ayahuasca Retreat Costs
Participating in an ayahuasca retreat is an investment, both financially and in terms of personal commitment. Consider the following:
- Time Commitment: Retreats can last from a few days to weeks, including pre-retreat preparation and post-retreat integration. According to tradition, genuine ayahuasca healing can only be facilitated when there are at least four ceremonies.
- Financial Investment: Costs can vary significantly based on location, amenities, and length of stay. Defining the investment you are ready to make regarding money and time is essential.
- Emotional Commitment: This healing journey requires deep introspection and vulnerability. Be prepared for the emotional inner work that follows, often for many months after the retreat.
An ayahuasca retreat is not a healing miracle or a weekend getaway; it’s a commitment to your growth and healing. The price of ayahuasca retreats vary widely in cost depending on location, facilities, number of staff, duration, experience, and the quality of services offered:
- Budget Retreats: $700–$1,500 per week, basic facilities and services. Often with limited experience.
- Mid-Range Retreats: $1,500–$3,000 per week, often including integration support.
- Luxury Retreats: $4,500+ per week, luxurious retreat centers with modern comforts.
Costs generally cover accommodation, meals, ceremonies, and integration support. Ensure you understand what’s included before committing.
How to Choose the Best Ayahuasca Retreat
Choosing the right ayahuasca retreat ensures a meaningful and safe experience. Follow these steps to make an informed decision:
- Clarify Your Intentions: Why are you seeking an ayahuasca retreat? Are you looking for physical or psychological healing, spiritual growth, or to find your purpose in life? Your goals will guide your choice.
- Research Centers: Look for genuine reviews, experienced healers and facilitators, and a long track record of facilitating ayahuasca ceremonies. Ensure the center offers comprehensive safety protocols, complete screening of all potential guests, and a preparation and integration program to support you before and after your retreat. This is essential.
- Choose Your Location: Ayahuasca retreats have become increasingly popular over the last decade and are now available outside their Rainforest birthplace.
- Iquitos and Pucallpa, Peru: These rainforest locations are known for their traditional and authentic practices.
- Sacred Valley, Peru: This mountain region combines some traditions of the Amazon with modern accessibility.
- Costa Rica: Offers luxury commercial retreats with a contemporary touch.
- Europe and North America: Most offerings in the West are not aligned with the traditions of the Amazon and carry significant risks.
- Assess Your Needs: Consider what comfort level you require and the healing depth you seek. Are you ready to disconnect from the modern world and carry out a digital detox? Do you prefer an authentic jungle setting or a comfortable commercial retreat with modern amenities? Are you committed to the long-term path of inner work that unfolds after genuine ayahuasca healing, or are you merely seeking a one-off psychedelic trip? Are you ready to face and embrace your shadow?
- Watch Out for Commercial Intentions: Sadly, increasing numbers of ayahuasca retreat centers operating in and out of the Amazon prioritize profit over quality healing. Ayahuasca retreats have become an ‘industry,’ with many centers competing for your money! False reviews and prolific digital marketing are now commonplace. Be aware and don’t fall for the tricks increasingly used by commercial ayahuasca centers, which are more interested in short-term profit than facilitating genuine healing experiences.
Ultimately, choose a retreat that feels right for you. Listen to your instincts—they’re often your best guide.
What Makes Ayahuasca Retreats in Peru Unique?
Peru, the birthplace and source of ayahuasca, offers the most authentic, safest, and, typically, the most powerful ayahuasca healing retreat experiences. Indigenous healers in Peru have preserved and continue to practice highly complex ethno-medical healing traditions, ensuring participants receive ayahuasca’s full spiritual depth and healing potential.
Drinking ayahuasca in Peru with a trained shamanic healer enables you to connect to and benefit from the healing energies of the plants and trees of the Amazon Rainforest. Together, these spiritual doctors carry out a symphony of healing during ayahuasca ceremonies. It is only possible to experience this depth of healing in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru (or in Colombia, Ecuador, or Brazil).
When drinking ayahuasca outside the Amazon, the medicine and its healing traditions are extracted from their natural environment and diminish in power and efficacy. This includes ayahuasca retreats in the Sacred Valley of Peru, a mountain location where ayahuasca traditions are not historically practiced among the area’s indigenous peoples.
Is an Ayahuasca Retreat Right for You?
Ayahuasca retreats demand emotional vulnerability, mental commitment, spiritual openness, and a willingness to confront deep-seated issues from your past. They are not suitable for everyone, but the rewards can be deeply transformative, changing the lives of many who feel called to this powerful healing work. There is also no guarantee of healing; you must be prepared to ‘do the inner work’ yourself, which often is challenging.
Approach this journey with caution, respect, and responsibility. Choosing a safe and authentic retreat can unlock profound insights about yourself and a deep healing process that will last for months, even years, after your initial experience. You must ensure that you are ready to commit to this powerful journey of awakening and know that you will be challenged along the way!
Remember: Safety comes first. Take the time to research, prepare, and ensure you’re stepping into this sacred journey with highly experienced support.
Watch the heartwarming testimonials from guests of our 12-day ‘Living in Alignment’ Ayahuasca retreat in Peru.
