First Time Visitor’s Guide
A safe and respected ayahuasca retreat center trusted by thousands since 2007
Guided by Integrity, Safety, and Respect
Bridging Shipibo Healing Mastery
and Extraordinary Guest Care
- Over 13,000 Guests supported since 2007.
- Deep relationships with genuine traditional healers (Shipibo Onanyabo), with over 200 years of combined experience.
- Comprehensive preparation, onsite support, and integration guidance, specifically designed for those with little or no experience with plant medicine.
- The Temple was the first plant medicine center to collaborate with ICEERS in establishing widely accepted standards for participant screening and evaluation in ayahuasca retreats.
- We offer the opportunity to experience advanced shamanic healing that reaches into the energetic roots of trauma and initiates a long-term journey of self-exploration and spiritual transformation.
- A legacy of reciprocity in the Amazon. Since we began, 100% of our profits have been channeled to Indigenous-led initiatives. We remain a singular voice in the ayahuasca community for this level of commitment to reciprocity.
Thinking About Your First Ayahuasca Retreat?
Here are some questions that matter the most:
Safety & Trust
More about Safety at The Temple- What safety measures are in place?
- How do I know the retreat center is truly rooted in integrity?
- How will I be supported – physically, emotionally, spiritually?
- What makes some centers more trustworthy than others?
- Does the center have a risk management program?
- How much personal experience do the healers and facilitators carry? How many years/decades?
Personal Calling & Readiness
Preparing for the Medicine Path- Why am I feeling called to healing with ayahuasca?
- Why am I called to the Amazon in particular?
- Do I have clear intentions for healing, or am I looking just for a psychedelic experience?
- Do I have a personal sense of calling to work with plant medicine?
- Am I willing to fully commit to the process, follow diet protocols, and take responsibility for my healing?
Time & Logistics
The Temple Preparation Guidelines- Am I psychologically and medically safe to participate?
- Do I have the time and space in my life to travel to the Amazon and engage in deep healing and spiritual development?
- Am I able to organize my affairs to prepare for and integrate a deep healing experience?
- Am I ready to commit to months of integration and the ongoing process that follows a retreat at the Temple?
Choosing to work with plant medicine is a significant commitment to your healing. We offer guidance grounded in many years of safe facilitation and shamanic practice to help you decide if an ayahuasca retreat in the Amazon is the right step for your path.
You're Not Alone in Wondering if You're Ready
Transformation is not a checklist, although the following qualities support a deeper engagement with the healing that unfolds during and after the retreat:
- Trusting in the process, in yourself, in your ability to heal, in ayahuasca, and the healers’ experience.
- A sincere intention for healing.
- Medically eligible and conscious of relevant safety and health considerations.
- A sense of personal calling.
- A willingness to meet any fears or uncertainties with curiosity.
- A mature sense of responsibility for one’s own health and healing.
- An open, respectful attitude toward the medicine and its teachings.
- A non-dogmatic attitude toward any belief systems.
- A deep commitment to follow the dieta and guidelines with integrity.
The healing path begins the moment you set clear, heart-felt intentions, long before arriving...
How Do I Know I'll be Safe?
Safety and Trust are the Foundations for Healing.
Since opening our doors in 2007, the Temple of the Way of Light has helped shape the standards and best practices for safety and integrity in the ayahuasca retreat scene.
We were among the first retreat centers in Peru to welcome international guests, prioritizing guest safety and operating at all times with the deepest respect for the Shipibo healing tradition. These standards continue to guide every step of our guests' healing journeys at the Temple, so you can focus on your process with trust and confidence in our experience.
Safety at the Temple is evident in all areas - our structure, staffing, screening, and most importantly, how the entire healing process is led by the Shipibo Onanyabo.
Medical Application and Comprehenisve Screening
- Rigorous screening process, run by highly experienced experts in plant medicine, complemented by a Western medical doctor advising on potential physical and medical contraindications.
- Individual screening via a video call, when necessary, to ensure safety and suitability.
- Highly discerning and selective applicant review process in order to uphold the highest level of safety standards and group well-being.
- Strict guest agreement to ensure group safety, well-being, and respect for the healing process, guidelines, and protocols.
Advanced Level Healers & Extensive Experience
- Genuine Shipibo Onanyabo (shamanic healers) with decades of apprenticeship, training, and healing experience.
- Ceremonies follow traditional structures and protocols passed down over many generations.
- Continuous collaboration between healers and facilitators to ensure the highest standards of guest care.
- Four Shipibo healers/wisdom keepers lead each ceremony and all traditional healing practices throughout the retreat. One ‘vegetalista’ focuses on preparing all plant remedies, plant baths, flower baths, and vapour baths throughout the retreat.
Trauma Informed Staff and Support
- Staff trained in holding space for emotional intensity and vulnerability.
- All facilitators have many years of training in the Shipibo tradition and a deep commitment to their own long-term self-development.
- Non-reactive, non-judgemental, caring presence during challenging moments.
- Preparation and integration support before, during, and after ceremonies/retreats.
- In addition to, and beyond Western trauma training, our facilitators are ‘plant-spirit-informed’, expertly holding space for the sophisticated healing work of the plant spirits.
Risk Management Program
- 24/7 on-site staff support and transport.
- Fully connected cellular network and satellite internet available for emergency communications.
- Emergency evacuation plan (which we fortunately have never had to implement).
- Contract with a medical clinic in Iquitos.
- On-site retreat staff with first aid training.
- Preparation and integration support before, during, and after ceremonies.
Ceremony Safety
- Pre-ceremony safety and process orientations with facilitators.
- Clear guidelines for movement, interaction, personal space, and behaviour during ceremonies.
- 3 facilitators and 2 assistants supporting the healers in each ceremony, who do not partake in drinking ayahuasca.
- The single most important factor in ensuring safety is the skill and experience of the healers in managing the energetic space and ensuring that all guests safely navigate their experiences in and out of ceremony.
Onsite Security
- Private, remote retreat grounds with controlled access.
- Located in a second-degree rainforest, close to a local community that supports ongoing safe operations and transportation of supplies.
- 24/7 onsite security born and raised in the surrounding area, taking care of our land and community spaces.
- Robust security and safety team with 15 guards to ensure complete coverage throughout our grounds.
- Since our inception in 2007, no intrusion or violent incident has ever occurred at the Temple.
Choose your retreat center with care. While a minimal screening may seem convenient, a rigorous application is a sign of true safety and respect. A responsible center will take the time to deeply understand your history and ask thoughtful follow-up questions. This thoroughness protects your personal well-being and ensures a secure, supportive container for everyone on the retreat.
A Highly Experienced Team Devoted to Your Healing Process
Shipibo Healers & International Facilitators
- Team of 13 advanced-level Shipibo Onanya (healers).
- Team of 13 facilitators from around the world.
- High ratio of healers/facilitators to guests.
- Hundreds of years of combined experience.
Support Staff & Safety Team
- +50 on-site support, operations, and security staff.
- 5 ceremony support staff who do not drink ayahuasca, available until the next morning.
- Nearly two decades of learning how to safely and responsibly facilitate ayahuasca healing for international guests coming to the Amazon.
Reflections on Healing from the Amazon
Dr. Gabor Maté
Physician and Renowned Author
Dr. Mini
Pediatric Physician
Seth Roberts
Physician, Radiologist
“This place is a beacon of true healing, service to people, and of total integrity.”
Chris Kilham - Author and TV Personality
What Does the Booking Process Look Like?
We'll guide you from readiness to registration, step by step.
Express Interest
Identify the retreat program and when you are able to come.
- Select which retreat you would like to attend.
- Choose your preferred date.
- Familiarize yourself with the dieta guidelines and requirements.
- Begin the application process by paying a $300 reservation deposit.
Medical Screening
Ensure you're a fit for this work - we'll support you through it.
- Complete our comprehensive medical/psychological questionnaire included in the online application process.
- We will review your application and get in touch within a few days of receiving it, including any follow-up steps and/or an application approval/decline notification.
Approval & Deposit
Confirm your commitment to attend the retreat.
- Receive the application approval notification email from us.
- Submit a 50% deposit or full payment if the retreat start date is within 6 weeks of receiving approval.
- Registration confirmed.
Preparing for Plant Medicine
and Returning with Purpose
Healing does not begin only in ceremony; it begins in preparation and continues through integration.
Preparation Program
Setting your inner foundation.
- Complete our comprehensive preparation process, attend the online group preparation video call, and request an individual preparation call if needed.
- Give yourself extra time and space. Preparing isn’t only about diet and logistics – it’s also slowing down, clearing your schedule, and making room for reflection.
- Begin turning inward. Gentle practices like meditation, journaling, or time in nature help you arrive more grounded and open.
- Set your intention. You don’t need to have all the answers; simply reflecting on what you hope to receive and why this journey matters to you now – is enough.
- Organize your affairs. Taking care of responsibilities at home makes it easier to fully let go and be present during retreat.
Integration Program
Bringing the medicine home.
- Fully commit to our 3-month integration program. This important program is part of, not separate from, the retreat in the Amazon.
- Give yourself time to land. Profound insights take time to unfold – be gentle with yourself.
- Avoid big decisions too soon. It’s common to feel inspired to make life changes, but waiting before acting allows clarity to deepen.
- Stay connected. Lean on the Temple community, integration groups, and fellow retreat participants.
- Nurture your body and spirit. Rest, good food, creativity, and movement help ground your experiences.
- Keep your practices alive. Simple daily rituals, meditation, journaling, and mindful breathing – help weave the medicine into everyday life.
“It changed the way I see the world, the way I see myself. My heart feels again what it had forgotten.”
What's it Like to Experience Ayahuasca in the Amazon Rainforest?
You may have read a lot about ayahuasca or experienced ayahuasca abroad. But what does it feel like to sit in ceremony in the jungle? To be held by a traditional lineage that has been devoted to healing for countless generations...
Atmosphere
- Time slows down away from the daily routine, and digital detox begins.
- The land carries a powerful healing energy.
- Comfortable spaces – both private and communal.
- Well-cared-for, intentionally designed process to help you feel welcome and supported.
- Many guests have immediate reactions (tears, relief, emotional process) when they set foot into the Temple grounds.
Ceremony
- As dusk settles, the maloka fills with a quiet anticipation.
- Mapacho (jungle tobacco) is used in prayer to open the ceremony space.
- Ikaros (healing chants) are sung by four Onanya, providing skilled, energetic work (not for performance).
- Three facilitators are present to provide support throughout the ceremony, and assistants remain until dawn.
- Everyone remains present to their own experience without disturbing others.
Jungle
- The jungle hums all night, crickets chirping, frogs croaking, birds, and the occasional call of a monkey.
- Immersion into incomparable, awe-inspiring biodiversity, surrounded by countless medicinal plants and trees.
- The intermittent rainy season is from November to May.
- Yes, there are mosquitoes! We plan accordingly.
- It’s common to feel a renewed or heightened sense of appreciation for nature.
Being ready is more often of an inner knowing than a specific feeling. Deep healing often brings up resistance before it brings release. We do not guarantee any outcomes, but we always do our best to provide the conditions for your healing. What we ask is that you arrive willing, open, and committed to your healing process. Show up as you are. We will meet you there.
Ayahuasca Retreats at the TempleWhen You're Ready, We're Here
Many people come to the Temple knowing that it’s time for healing, change, or connection, even if they can’t explain why. Whether you’re feeling clear or unsure, ready or still exploring, we welcome your questions.
Readiness does not always feel calm or certain. It may include hesitation or fear. At times, fear can be understood as a form of reverence for the depth of the process you are approaching.
We invite you to explore the resources on our website. If you have further questions or are feeling ready to book a retreat, we’ll be honored to support you.
Still have questions?
If you've read through this guide and still have questions, Allen, our Guest Relations lead, is happy to speak with you directly — a free 15-minute call for anyone considering whether the Temple is right for them.