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
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Gray
May 2, 2024 at 1:29 amI originally attended Arkana at the end of 2018, shortly after unexpectedly losing my eye to cancer. Suddenly confronted with the fragility of my own mortality and the possibility of an early death, I attended the retreat in a state of introspection and vulnerability. The result was an experience that changed who I am as a person; and dramatically transformed and strengthened my character in the face of adversity.
In April 2024, following a confirmation of metastases and a 12 month life expectancy, I returned to the jungle retreat with my fiancee, and found it to be as beautiful, necessary and transformative as the first, helping me to develop a relationship with my grief and a resolve to live the life I have, whatever that may end up being.
Arkana is a wonderful location, with excellent food and attentive staff. The small group you share your experiences with bonds in a way that is outside the norm, for the bonding occurs in a space of truth and shared vulnerability that is difficult to replicate in the broader world.
I cannot recommend Arkana enough.
draga
April 24, 2024 at 8:47 amThe retreat in the jungle was an insightful and mind-blowing experience. Will start with the organization of Arkana Spiritual Center. Very organized, kind, genuine and helpful.
Starting from all the instructions and preparations you need before you start the retreat until the last good bye ceremony. The facilitators were very clear with their explanations for any activity done and insightful in case we needed their perspective on certain view.
The venue itself is amazing as well. i could finally disconnect from the outer world and connect with the nature. The food was tasteful and delicious, so fresh and healthy. Each of the ceremonies brought to light things that i was avoiding to acknowledge and to work on. So grateful to have gone on this journey and have met some incredible human beings with whom i shared unforgetable moments. i would recommend this type of journey to people who are ready to work with the medicine, who trust the medicine and who trust the process and the incredible team of Arkana.
anirise
April 23, 2024 at 8:56 pmI came to Arkana from New York looking for answers for the next level of my spiritual evolution. In the 7 days that i was there, my questions were answered, the pain that i carried for many years was released, the connection with myself got strengthened, and my consciousness expanded in way that I could have never imagined.
If you’re looking for healing, or personal expansion, or reconnecting with your authentic self – this is the right place. It is a retreat with 5-star accommodations, top-notch chefs, and, most importantly, a team of facilitators and staff of incredibly kind people.
This is a place of Love.
mariba121
April 9, 2024 at 8:47 pmThank you Arkana Sacred Valley for an incredible experience. The staff created a safe space for healing and growth. Luke, Tunde, Theo and Bob were phenomenal. They were always available to talk if you were having a hard time. The Maestro Misael was magical His compassion and wisdom are unmatched. I can’t wait to visit again.
Hank
April 7, 2024 at 6:45 pmI spent two weeks at Arkana in the Sacred Valley, and it was nothing short of an amazing experience. Everything from the food, rooms, showers, maestros, facilitators, setting, location, schedule, and the medicines were all perfect.
The maestros were extremely powerful and professional. They have dedicated their lives to working with the medicines, and have sacrificed a lot, doing many years of intense diets, to learn from the plants, and share their wisdom to hold ceremonies, and heal people from all over the world who come here. They care so much about helping people. I couldn’t imagine going through these strong medicine experiences without a guide of their caliber. Their songs and icaros in ceremony are magical.
The food was way beyond my expectations. It is like gourmet food from a fancy restaurant. It follows all guidelines to adhere to the ayahuasca diet, but is bursting with flavor and incredibly fresh. Much of it is grown on site in the garden. You can tell the chef puts so much love into every dish. He was a chef at a fancy restaurant in Lima before coming to Arkana.
The setting of the retreat is very serene and peaceful. It is right on the Urubamba River, and is a beautiful garden setting. Hummingbirds are flying all around the beautiful flowers. The rooms are very comfortable, and have amazing showers. They also have a nice gym overlooking the river.
The facilitators are also top notch. They were so helpful every step along the way. Luke, Theo, Bob, Tunde, and Cinzia were all so great. They helped talk me through difficult times, and gave me advice along the way. They shared their experiences with me, and really helped encourage me to trust the medicine and the process. They did a wonderful job at helping me with every need I had during the ceremonies, and outside of the ceremonies. They play beautiful music during ceremony as well. They were always there to talk and help. They care very much about helping others, as many of them were originally guests at Arkana themselves. I can’t speak highly enough about them!
They say the power of Arkana lies in the schedule. I found the way that each week is scheduled to be very beneficial for the way the different medicines work together. Two back to back Ayahuasca ceremonies, then a day off. Then, the Sapo ceremony, followed by another Ayahuasca ceremony, really allows you to go deep. Then, finishing off the week with a San Pedro on Friday is amazing! It is such a good way to bring everything together with such a beautiful, heart opening medicine. It really helped ground me, after intense Sapo and Ayahuasca experiences. It really connects you to nature, yourself and the group.
Last of all, the medicines at Arkana are very powerful. They are known to have strong medicine with a high level of purity. No watered down medicine here! They work with you to figure out the right dose for each person. You can up your dose or lower it, depending on how you feel, always with the guidance of the Maestros and the facilitators. Rest assured, these medicines work, and will take you where you need to go.
I will definitely go back to Arkana again in the future. I have been to other Ayahuasca centers that were also good, but Arkana is where I will be going back. I have so much trust in this place. Lots of intense, amazing healing is done here. It is a great place to go through whatever the medicine might put you through, and be so well taken care of along the way. You will come out of it with life lasting benefits! Thank you again, Arkana!