Ayahuasca Retreat Reviews — Helping You Stay Safe with 5,000+ Independent Reviews
Our Program
At Arkana, we create the space for you to get in touch with your truth, opening your path for deeper meaning and greater fulfillment in your life. We work with ancestral medicines such as Ayahuasca, San Pedro, Bufo Alvarius, Rapé , using the traditional practices of the indigenous cultures of the Peruvian Amazon. We currently operate two centers in Peru, one in the Peruvian Amazon and a second one in the Sacred Valley (close to Machu Picchu), and one in Mexico, the choice is yours.
With great respect for the plants and the knowledge and healing that comes with them, our lineage of Shipibo shamans set the stage for truly deep and profound healing. Awaken your inner power through their sacred and powerful icaros (healing songs), and discover your connection to all things by exploring some of the 2.2 million hectare Pacaya Samiria National Reserve which is our backyard. Nourish your body and soul with fresh, clean, delicious meals that promote your Ayahuasca experience, and integrate healthy habits into your routine with our yoga classes and extensive selection of gym equipment for all levels. We believe the health of physical body sets the foundation for the health of the energetic body – Often ignored in this type of spiritual work, we find this to be an important part of the healing process, so you can begin implementing the healthy habits that will carry this work with you into your life back home. Finally, relax your mind and spirit with sound baths, meditations, breathwave sessions, and OM circles, or simply enjoy the tranquil views of both sunrise and sunset from our front porch on the banks of the Ucayali River, surrounded by lush biodiversity and the mesmerizing sounds of the jungle.
Arkana’s exceptional team of highly-trained Shipibo Master Shamans represent an unbroken lineage of plant medicine work. With a combined history of over 70 years of experience working closely with Ayahuasca and other master plant teachers of the jungle, our compassionate healers lovingly share their teachings, healing songs (icaros), capabilities, and knowledge with integrity and honor. We strive to maintain the traditional practices passed down through thousands of years of indigenous Amazonian culture, in order to continue to promote the true purpose and nature of plant medicine work.
Experiencing the medicines with us is a transformative personal journey, and so much more. We also work closely with our local community, the Amazonian village of Libertad, to ensure that our Center can benefit and give back to the people who have so generously let us into their homes and hearts. We create employment opportunities, teach free English classes, provide a space for the ladies to sell their handmade crafts, and assist in construction projects, among other things. Our latest endeavor is outfitting the entire village with free solar panels, so every house can have light and electricity. When you join us, you are helping the rainforest and the Amazon communities that live here.
Guests that come to our Center often say they feel like “part of the family” with us – that’s no coincidence, as we are one big family at Arkana! The people that are with you throughout your experience can simply facilitate your own healing journey or become an integral part of it. Our experienced, loving, and professional team of caregivers welcomes you to join our tribe, where we strive to make you feel at home and at ease, supported and cared for with all the love and compassion that is at the core of the plant medicines and people we work with.
Ayahuasca is a powerful medicine that offers us the opportunity to understand our true nature, by shining a light onto our darkness, and holding a mirror up to our fears, negative thought patterns, and self-limiting beliefs. We provide the environment and expertise of a team of highly skilled, warm, compassionate Shamans and facilitators to guide you through the process of awakening, of choosing differently, healing, and expanding. It is a slow but steady path towards freedom – from fear, from illusion, from self-constructed boundaries – resulting in a lighter, brighter, more authentic self, and the full experience of love. It is our honor to help you on this most fulfilling of all journeys: the journey back home.
We look forward to having you with us!
Lots of Love,
The Team
Add Review
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
ericwood
January 21, 2025 at 4:54 pmWhen I received my work bonus at the end of November, I knew that it was meant to go to some sort of healing retreat. Call it coincidence, call it a synchronicity; whatever it was, it was the catalyst that paved the path for me to begin my search for deep healing. After investigating other centers I found Arkana. Something about the location, the vibration, the message of the center deeply resonated with me. I felt as if I would be departing on a spirit quest. All of those thoughts and feelings were confirmed. I can’t express a single element of the journey that I would deem as “bad”. From the food, lodging, and overall logistics of the experience I felt completely taken care of. I felt safe to do the work. But the deeper elements of the experience; The Shamans, Facilitators, and the medicine that was experienced, all of these things changed me in a way that to write about would be to lessen the experience itself. Arkana helped me see that the place itself was not the medicine. Even the medicine itself wasn’t the thing that brought me deep healing. It was the turning into myself and finding the light inside of myself that I hadn’t seen for many years. I cannot recommend enough this sacred place to those considering. If you are hearing the call, answer it. Your future version will thank you eternally. Much love friends on your journey and may you find the peace and healing you are calling in.
SR
December 26, 2024 at 2:22 pmHighly recommend Arkana Amazon – As a solo female traveler, everything felt safe from the accommodations, the facilitators and staff, and even the individuals called to the facility during the week I was there. The shamans were genuine and held a strong container for all the energies of the ceremony nights. And while it will differ for each person, I found the ceremonies to be intense, difficult at points, but completely life-changing. (Even a month out, I can recognize inner changes that are going to be so helpful on my path forward.) Like all the other reviews mention, the food was fantastic, the staff from the local village incredibly friendly, and the facilitators positive and helpful.
VanTraveler
December 13, 2024 at 1:42 pmI spent a week at Arkana Sacred Valley in September, and it was a thoroughly positive experience.
The accommodation is relatively basic but more than adequate—clean, comfortable, and well-maintained. The resort is small and nestled by a river in a very peaceful environment, which enhances the overall tranquillity. The food was incredible; the chef, Socrates, is truly an artist.
Our group was relatively small, which made it easy to connect and communicate with everyone. This sense of community was one of the most rewarding aspects of my time at the resort.
Before you arrive, you’re advised not to have specific expectations about the medicine, and I believe this is the right mindset. We witnessed a wide range of reactions – some barely affected, and others deeply moved. It’s impossible to predict your personal experience.
The highlight of the trip was meeting the facilitators. They were incredibly loving, caring, and helpful, with your safety as their top priority. A big thank-you to La Maestra, El Maestro, Alcides, Bob, John, Luke, Theo, Raymundo, and the rest of the team.
I highly recommend Arkana Sacred Valley as a safe and welcoming place to explore Ayahuasca.
gabby-gabby
December 10, 2024 at 8:32 pmI had the best experience at Arkana Sacred Valley. Everything was wonderful from start to finish. The facilitators made this experience exceptional as they were all incredibly kind, loving, supportive, and helped provide a safe space to lean into the experience and feel all the feels. Everything from the accommodations, location, cleanliness, and food were wonderful! The maestros are incredibly powerful and knowledgeable on the medicines & The small group environment made this place extra special. There is something extra special about making the pilgrimage to the native regions where this medicine is used by indigenous cultures. I feel incredibly grateful to have had this experience and I recommend Arkana to everyone considering plant medicines.
geoffreyh
December 10, 2024 at 9:05 amI spent 2 weeks at the Arkana Center in the Amazon Jungle in Nov/Dec 2024. The center felt like a 5-star resort- it even had a pool and (jungle) gym. Rooms are cleaned every day, and the entire center is spotless, and is looked after with lots of love and care. I loved being surrounded by the jungle sounds during the day & night. All housekeeping, maintenance & kitchen staff were incredibly friendly. I felt privileged to witness, work with- and be blessed by the Shamans. The Shamans were personally approachable, and in my experience as authentic as it gets when it comes to honoring the Shipibo culture. The stand-out experience for me at this center were the facilitators (6 amazing humans), who hosted/facilitated my retreat experience. They went beyond what was needed for me to feel safe, cared for, and to create the environment and experiences for me to heal- and get the most helpful and useful experience from my time at the center. During my stay, I took part in 8 Ayahuasca ceremonies, 4 Sapo (Bufo) ceremonies, and a breathwork session with Manuel (I refer to him now as ‘The French Shaman’). It felt like every ceremony was strengthening (and continuing to build on top of) the previous one, and after 2 weeks I left the center with a healed heart, and feeling the happiest, most loving and peaceful I have ever felt as an adult. I feel an infinite sense of gratitude to everyone that has helped me along the way to make this possible.