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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bill2451
April 13, 2019 at 5:10 pmI stayed at Arkana in the amazon jungle in November for 4 ayahuasca ceremonies and it was everything I could have hoped for. The experience is one of the most important and memorable of my life and I wouldn’t change a thing. The medicine was strong and the shamans and facilitators were all top quality. You can’t ask for better guides to help you on your journey.
Firstly, the shamans truly are masters at what they do. They sang beautiful powerful icaros and held the space during ceremony, as well as provided excellent guidance outside of ceremony. But just as importantly, the facilitators are some of the best in the business, helping the shamans to hold the space in the room as well as calm people down when things get hectic (as is prone to happen occasionally when dealing with this kind of medicine).
On my first night I needed some assistance as I was having a rough time, and the facilitators were right there to guide me through it and help me feel safe and comfortable and made the remaining experiences that much better for it.
I could go on for pages about my experience but I’ll save time and just say that I have nothing but good things to say about the actual ceremonies. I always felt safe and secure and in good hands (even when things got tough).
As for the rest of the experience, Arkana has some of the best help outside the ceremony as well. Whether it’s yoga, or breathing meditation, or sapo, kambo, etc, there were facilitators there who could teach you and guide you. I’ve never felt more peace and internal space in my life.
The rest is just a bonus. The daily excursions (to see sloths, monkeys, swimming, etc). They’re nice to pass the time, but they are absolutely secondary to the work that’s happening.
Last but not least, I’d be remiss not to mention the wonderful village of Libertad. This is a village of locals on site and is full of some fantastic people. It’s a chance to get a great look at some local culture (as well as play some Volleyball and/or soccer as a few of us did).
All in all, the only thing I regret is that I only went for week. By the end I was absolutely ready for another week as I had an amazing journey with mother aya. Although here your mileage may vary as I’m sure for some people 1 week is plenty as the medicine can be tougher on some than others.
Next time, I hope to be able to not only go back to the jungle, but also experience Arkana’s sacred valley retreat, which I’ve heard nothing but good things about. Oh well, just one more thing to add to the bucket list.
jrancelp
April 12, 2019 at 9:54 pmBeautiful healing experience!
I took my time on writing this review since I wanted to give myself time for integration. I wanted to have time to digest what was revealed, what I learned from this experience. I decided I wanted to do Ayahuasca after a lot of years thinking and reading about it and I believe making this retreat with Arkana was one of the best decisions I have made in my life. They definitely offer the full package (Nunu, Kambo, Ayahuasca and 5-MeO-DMT). The facilitators are amazing, specially Shantanu, the shamans are committed to your healing process, to help you, and you will definitely feel their love. To be honest, it was not an easy process for me, I had a lot of pain and stuff to clean up, but ultimately, that was my goal… Cleaning, healing… I feel satisfy with the results and keep working everyday on bringing the lessons learned to my life. I am planning to repeat this retreat every year. It was life changing and it helped me understand a lot of things about myself and others. I strongly recommend Arkana to anyone interested on healing, understanding themselves, understanding others, living with purpose, feel the peace and love the universe has for us… Thanks Arkana for this unforgettable experience! Looking forward to meet again this year 🙂
Donut44
April 12, 2019 at 10:22 amI knew what I wanted and I knew where I wanted to go. I knew I wanted (and felt like I needed and was called to do) Ayahuasca and I knew I was being called to the jungle of Peru to do this. What I didn’t know, was WHERE to go. I looked at a few different places, but I kept being called back to Pulse Tours or Arkana as it became to be known. I wanted safe, but also wanted rustic. I was not looking for a vacation or a retreat or a spa. I’ve done Ayahuasca previously, so I was not going for an “experience” but instead was looking for the healing power the plant could lend to me. I knew my intentions and what I wanted to explore, I just needed the place that could help facilitate this desire.
Arkana did this and actually exceeded my expectations! I did a 2 week intensive and what I ended up experiencing was love, friendship, self introspection, massive amounts of present moment awareness and a solid foundation in which to move forward in life and to recall in times of doubt or stress.
I initially made the choice of Arkana based on my own feelings, the reviews available and from my other research . . . It was all well founded.
This was a bit of a spiritual journey for me and I really was able to take in the entire experience on my trip to Peru and to Iquitos to meet up with the group. Arriving and getting ready was easy and was well organized. Alise and Angel were absolutely what my journey needed. Soft and calm, but also very strong and safe vibe they exuded.
The Center itself, while still perfectly rustic, was also so much more well put together than what I expected. In embarking on a journey of this magnitude and where you are going to be willingly subjecting yourself to a very strong substance, safety and comfort is a huge contributor to ensuring that the effectiveness is optimal. The last thing I wanted was to be worried about all this given everything else that I was hoping to go into. Arkana and the staff were absolutely vital and amazing. I can not, nor would I want to imagine any different scenario or group of facilitators and shamans than what I experienced.
Back on the center, I found it safe and comforting. The location was ideal on the edge of the jungle but right on a little tributary to the Amazon. Falcon was an amazing guide on all the excursions and was a ton of fun. The meals were well prepared and were actually a lot more tasty than what I was expecting. I truly enjoyed the 2 week cleanse.
The ceremony nights themselves were magical, even if every one of them was not necessarily filled with rainbows and lollipops. My first week I was with a huge group and my second week I was with a small group and both weeks were perfect. We had 3 shamans and 4 facilitators each ceremony, which during one night equated to a 1:1 ratio. I thought the shamans were perfect for my experience and Rob and Weronka made the ceremonies so amazing, easing us out of the evening and into the morning with their music and song. Bronte and Christian rounded out our facilitators and each one was just so absolutely special in the energy they contribute to the circle.
All in all, if you are wanting an Ayahuasca, in a safe setting, that honors the plant in the way that was intended with people who contribute so positively to the space everyone is in, Arkana is by far a wonderful selection and I fully endorse coming here.
MatchMarley
April 11, 2019 at 6:48 pmI was a lost suicidal gay man who struggled with meth addiction, eating disorders, anxiety and self-acceptance rooted in unresolved childhood sexual trauma. In a very beautiful way, Ayahuasca illuminated my darkness and despair with a light that allowed me to connect, see, feel, sort, understand, forgive and recover. It has been a long and difficult journey, but not a day goes by that I do not smile with gratitude and pride over for my life changing decision to work with Ayahuasca and allow the medicine to continue healing me (it is very true what they say about integration—I continue processing the experience with a supportive therapist and friends who have worked with the medicine). With tears in my eyes, I can genuinely say this: today I am connected, happy, and thriving. I am also profoundly grateful to the healers, facilitators, and retreats in the Amazon and Sacred Valley that led me to the present—a moment I previously never occupied. Arkana figures prominently among them. Arkana Sacred Valley is a beautiful, rooted, and established program to begin or continue an Ayahuasca journey. Honestly, it was not my first. My first was with another reputable program in the Amazon forest one year ago. I signed up for this past New Year’s retreat at Arkana Sacred Valley almost on blind faith because the timing, duration and location of the retreat worked with my travel schedule. I had concerns that Arkana would never live up to my first experience, but it did. I also had concerns that my experience at Arkana would contradict or confuse my first experience, but it did not. It was a profound and seemingly seamless continuation of my earlier journey, and there was so much about my experience with Arkana that made Arkana so special in its own right. The Sacred Valley location is truly serene and mystical, and I loved how Arkana offered field trips to take it all in. And the Arkana property along the rushing Urubamba River could not be a more perfect, beautiful and comfortable spot. I spent many wonderful hours sitting along that river wrapped in a Peruvian blanket I bought at the Cusco market reflecting on the Ayahuasca ceremonies that were exquisitely performed by the Shipibo healers, and assisted by the Arkana facilitators that created a beautiful and safe space. I loved that the ceremonies did not abruptly end when the healers ended their amazing icaros, but continued into the night with the guitars, harps and vocals of the facilitators that helped ease you back to physical reality. I also loved how Arkana thoughtfully and effectively incorporated the use of other medicines like Huachuma (San Pedro) and Sapo (Sonoran Desert Toad). There are many, but one moment that really captured the spirit and love of Arkana was when I came back into my body during the Sapo ceremony. What happened during that ceremony was truly profound (I cannot give it away) and I was very emotional after. I saw the owner Jose across the room and mouthed “thank you.” He smiled at me with all the goodness, warmth, and understanding in the world and mouthed back “you’re welcome.” I think about this often, and how lucky I was to be in the hands of people who really do care about healing others. I have to say it again—Thank You.
JokkeSommer
April 10, 2019 at 5:44 amI did my first 4 Ayahuasca ceremonies at Arkana in the Amazon, which I am deeply thankful that I did! I was looking for the perfect center for almost two months prior to my trip, then my Shaman friend gave me the OK after showing him this place. This retreat is perfect for anyone who wants to get into Ayahuasca, either if you are a first timer or a long time Ayahuasca adventurer, this place is simply incredible. The food, the people working there and the Shamans. They are all incredible and they will make you feel safe and loved from when you first arrive. The Shamans are very powerful and their singing amazing! The Ayahuasca is also fairly strong there, as I did my preparations it was enough to breakthrough on a single cup. The facilities are great with comfortable rooms, a beautiful outdoor area and they even manage to provide wifi for some crazy reason. You would not think that is possible all the way out there. Of course, wifi is not really needed and should be used at a minimum while focusing on Aya, but for me that has work on the go wherever I travel, this was very helpful to me. If you’re looking for an amazing and safe place to do your Ayahuasca journeys, Arkana is definitely the place to go! I can not wait to go back and learn more from the people working there, as well as the plant 🙂