Shipibo-Led Ayahuasca Healing Weeks in the Peruvian Amazon & Sacred Valley

Arkana runs two retreat centres in Peru, and they are very different places. The Amazon location sits deep in the rainforest, where the Shipibo tradition comes from — a humid, remote setting with jungle around you and ceremonies held at night in a maloca. The Sacred Valley centre is high in the Andes near Cusco, drier and cooler, with mountain views and easier access to Cusco and Machu Picchu. Both run one-to-three-week programmes year-round, and you can choose based on whether you want the jungle or the mountains.

Ceremonies are the centre of the week and they happen at night, led by Shipibo Maestros and Maestras who have grown up inside this tradition. They sing icaros — the healing songs passed down through generations — and follow traditional structures and rituals. The centre describes its Shipibo healers as spiritual doctors rather than alternative practitioners, and ceremonies follow a traditional ayahuasca dieta. During the day the programme adds yoga classes, guided meditation, breathwork and sound therapy, plus integration workshops where you talk through the previous night's ceremony with facilitators.

What separates this from a lot of ayahuasca retreats is the medical side. Every guest goes through pre-arrival medical screening, and Dr. Arturo Sáenz, MD, a board-certified neurosurgeon, provides medical oversight. The centre is explicit that certain medications (SSRIs, MAOIs) and medical conditions are contraindicated and that people are turned away. There is also structured integration support rather than just ceremonies: on-site integration workshops, online integration masterminds after you get home, and one-on-one aftercare.

Facilitators are described as experienced and long-serving, and the centre emphasises compassion as a working requirement, not a marketing line — the team is expected to be at the service of guests throughout. Groups are intimate by design, which is what allows the personal attention. Beyond ayahuasca, the centre works with other ancestral medicines depending on the programme and location, including San Pedro and Mexican medicines such as Bufo, Peyote and Psilocybin at its Mexico sites.

Practical comfort is taken care of: farm-to-table healthy meals, daily housekeeping and 24-hour guest services. Arkana has been operating for close to ten years, has hosted thousands of guests, and reports over 1,000 five-star reviews on independent review platforms plus recognition as one of the most reviewed ayahuasca centres in Peru. The centre also runs bespoke retreats and is opening a new location in Arenal, Costa Rica.

What's included

- Ayahuasca ceremonies led by Shipibo Maestros and Maestras - On-site accommodation at the retreat centre - Farm-to-table healthy meals - Yoga classes - Guided meditation sessions - Breathwork sessions - Sound therapy - On-site integration workshops - Online integration masterminds after the retreat - One-on-one aftercare support - Daily housekeeping - 24-hour guest services - Pre-arrival medical screening - Medical oversight by Dr. Arturo Sáenz, MD

What's not included

- International flights - Travel to and from the retreat centre - Travel insurance - Personal expenses - Any treatments or services not listed in your chosen programme