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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AST
April 23, 2018 at 8:06 amGoing to Arkana was the best decision I made in the past 6 months. Sure, they can improve on some of the logistics (organized groupshares, following the schedule a bit more, etc., but overall it was an incredible space full of love, warmth, and healing.
The facilitators were top-notch. Angel, Paco, Alise, Chandra, and Filipe are some of the most kind and generous souls I’ve ever met. The Shamans were wonderful. And most importantly- they created a healing space for all to safely express themselves and grow to love themselves and one another.
I’ll be back.
DJAW
April 14, 2018 at 6:28 pmI spent 1-week at Arkana in the Sacred Valley location. It was my first experience with Ayahausca and overall found it to be a very positive experience, with Arkana providing great space to work. The core facilitators and leaders, Chandra, Angel, Alice and Paco were exceptional in their support, kindness, and seriousness in the process.The medicine was powerful and our shaman Jorge did a wonderful job. Aside from the Ayahuasca ceremonies, the temazcal and yoga provided a good support for the work. Not to mention the space is beautiful and the food was delicious.
All that said I decided to give Arkana 4-stars as I think there’s still some room for improvement. Some personal thoughts are: the retreat could use indoor social space for when the weather turns; the itinerary could be managed more tightly to ensure there’s more time for group share and integration discussions as this is in many ways a shared healing process; the cost of the retreat and extra-cirriculars seem a bit inflated, and lastly, in very limited cases I think they can be a bit more selective in choosing mature facilitators to guide the process.
All that being said, Arkana’s as good a place as you could ask for to explore this medicine; the people are wonderful and create a very positive space to undertake a scary but worthwhile process. I fully expect to be back in due time.
apatvakanyan
April 14, 2018 at 11:50 amWe just returned from Arkana at Sacred Valley. I can’t say enough about the service and people we met. We stayed a week. The level of support and help they offer is indescribable. Special thanks to Angel, Paco, Fillipe, Chandra, Alice. Shaman Christian was just amazing.The love they feel for everyone and each other is genuine.They have a passion for helping people, put in long hard days, and always make time for anyone who needs. I would highly recommend this place for people who want more comfortable stay than you can get in a jungle.
aycarumba
April 10, 2018 at 2:29 amAyahuasca’s powerful healing: It is necessarily difficult. It is genuine. I came to Arkana seeking real change, and of course, this is entirely up to me. What the Arkana experience gave me was a combination of insight, motivation, mystery, ritual, reflection, and a holistic toolset with which to make whatever changes I deem necessary.
Now, at this moment, I am exactly one week beyond my time at Arkana in the Amazon jungle. I sit on my darkened back patio, macbook in lap.. armed with Mapacho and Agua de Florida (but not much left) to reflect and share. Sigh… I finally can.
Expect this: personal challenge. You will be only slightly uncomfortable during your stay. It is, simply put, a perfect discomfort, forged in mosquitoes, jungle humidity and natural intimidation. Welcome the unfamiliarity and sincerely acknowledge your own shit. Get used to it and revel in it, for it serves a purpose. It’s more than okay. You are among friends.
Hope for this: Gracious and insightful hosts. Mine were Weronka and Rob, Chris, Falcon, and other very important servants which I cannot name but must commend. My meditations were expertly guided, my ears received magical, purposeful sounds, and I never entered any ceremony space unprepared or ignorantly irreverent. My sparse room was consistently cleaned and the toilets served their magical purpose of removing, as I have said, our own human shit. Good riddance, and thank you, toilets. More importantly, thank you, caring human guides. You were always exactly where we needed you to be, and the love flowed freely from the moment of our arrival.
Look forward to this: Scheduled and seemingly obligatory ‘group share’ conversations which occur the morning after each Ayahuasca ceremony. Just when you think you can’t possibly find the words to frame your personal experience, you will. And as you enter the maloca to flop down on your best friend for the week (love that well-placed, clean and soothing mattress), you might be tempted to feel ambivalent about the experience of your fellow Aya adventurers. Make no mistake. This is likely the richest vein of experience – revealed just for you. They, like you, will share things that truly matter and I invite you to take in every word, despite your initial perception of hungover aya exhaustion.
Revel in this: You are (albeit temporarily) an organism in the jungle of Amazonian Peru. You’ll learn something that your ancestors’ ancestors pushed aside generations ago. Let it envelop you; for there is no more LIVING place on earth. You will make peace with the humongous spider under your bed. You’ll learn to check every article of clothing before you don it. Expect ants in your sweetened teacup. I promise you, it will all work perfectly, harmoniously. You will be the recipient of one thousand mosquito bites and it is the smallest of cover charges, considering the payoff.
Yep. Cold showers. Yep. Barfing and bowel-control exercises await you. So, however, do icaros that will dwell in your ears for eternity.
Trust me, fellow urban dwellers/seekers. It is all perfect and you will know it soon enough. It all starts when you click ‘book now’. Without knowing what you are seeking, I promise that clicking that button means that you will never be the same. And it is such a good, good transformation!
Do. It.
Oh, and whatever you do, DON”T elect to skip Sapo. Fear not and give your entire self to this experience. There IS MEDICINE IN PERU.
Blessings to all who cradled me in their safe and competent, loving arms. Your guidance has made all the difference, and your work echoes in every life you’ve so deeply touched.
‘Somebody take me to the jungle!’ LOL @ my ignorance, my impulse to perform and my blissful surrender to source. Finally.
Compelled by an unexpected tugging and feeling of connection with the citizens of Libertad, I promise to return. And soon.
This time, I intend to give as much as I know Ill receive. We’ll fix that generator..!
So. Much. Love.
Gratefully,
Eli
LeahD
April 9, 2018 at 12:07 pmThis is my second time at Arkana, and I can’t say enough good things about this place. I was a bit apprehensive, as when I first came here 2 years ago, it was run by different people and the facilitators (who are no longer there) became like my family. But I was turning 40, and I wanted to go to a place where I knew I felt safe. The new people at the centre are just as lovely and caring as those who were there before them. The lead facilitators (Rob and Weronka) are so loving and giving. Just a beautiful couple! I hope our paths meet again! Alise was an awesome volunteer, she is young, but she is so wise beyond her years. I didn’t really connect with the other 2 facilitators, Bronte and Chris, but they were really nice and supportive. Ceci was wonderful too, thank you for taking care of me during my sapo ceremony 🙂 The cooks are awesome, and the meals have improved since the last time I was there, and there are a few great upgrades too. Electricity in the rooms as well as fans to help cool you from the hot, humid jungle air. The cleaning staff make sure everything is in order, the guide who takes you out on excursions knows so much about the plants and wild life in the area. The shamans are magical, and this time I really witnessed their magic with my own eyes. I would highly recommend this place, it is traditional ceremonies in a traditional setting, and the ayahuasca they serve is a very strong brew that is made by the previous Shaman and his family. I will definitely return here!