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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Creights
December 16, 2016 at 11:16 amI did the 14 Machu Picchu tour. We started in Cusco and did the San Pedro ceremony which was awesome. They do ceremonies every Monday Wednesday Friday from Casa de la Gringa I recommend finishing your trip with another one. The tour at machu picchu was great very knowledgeable tour guide. The week in the jungle was intense. Don’t expect it to be like an all inclusive resort the accommodations are rugged and the food is nothing special but you have everything you need. This week will not be vacation like be prepared to do the work required in the ceremonies. That being said there is yoga, meditation and jungle tours each day to keep you busy. All in all a life changing trip. I will be back
Scott
December 14, 2016 at 12:15 pmI went on the 14 day Matchu Pitchu to Jungle trip from Cuzco to Iquitos Nov24-Dec7. Met a really fantastic bunch of people who were finishing off in Cuzco after beginning their journey in the Jungle, over the first 5 days of the trip they were able to give us a heads up as to what to expect without spoiling anything, this was very useful.
The San Pedro ceremony in Cuzco was a really cool and gentle intro into the experience and the conversations around the fire that night were. Matchu Pitchu was also as expected, nothing was rushed and everything ran smoothly.
The Aya part of the trip was incredible. I think this is probably the most important thing I will ever do in my life because I feel it has truly connected me with a higher spirit/being (that’s something I never thought I’d say). I’m a pretty normal, balanced person with no big traumas or difficult things I’m trying to resolve/heal (yet!), my primary aim was to explore consciousness and clean anything that needed to be cleaned.
The actual ceremonies are different for everyone. They were very visual for me with only a little purging but I agree with the view that it felt like I was in a Spiritual hospital and that people were being healed. At the end I felt like I had been cleaned and given a lot of seriously valuable knowledge. I have been through a sacred initiation of sorts and am now connected to the force that guides me in my life.
Something I didn’t expect was just how much I would learn from the group shares. What people share about their experience is fascinating and humbling and the way Rafael facilitated was outstanding, he is a truly compassionate, engaging and enlightened person. The interaction between the group, Rafael and the Shamans was spot on. I will be forever grateful that I was able hear what others in the group were experiencing and see the progress we all made as the journey progressed.
A big thank you to:
Melissa: For such a great energy and definitely the best laugh I’ve heard in ages! Made everything seem so easy. You were such a key part of the trip, I really wish you well on your path.
Donal, Rafael, Val, Chandre, Tatiana: For all the facilitation, guidance, amazing knowledge, yoga, meditation and warmth.
The Shamans: Wiler, Ernesto and Angelita for your protection during the ceremonies, feedback during the group shares and for the opportunity to experience the incredible connection you have with this amazing spirit world/dimension. I won’t meet many people like this in my life, it’s been a real privilege.
Wilbur & Peche: For the jungle tours, swimming, fishing etc. You guys are a great team and the info you have about the locals and old ways really adds to the experience.
Cleaning ladies and staff who prepped the food: Everything we needed was done in such a non-intrusive and friendly way.
The only complaint I have is that the crazy dog needs a buddy!
Not sure when, but I’ll be back and will only recommend this place with the highest praise.
Cheers guys
Scott
chriscross
December 9, 2016 at 1:04 amI can’t begin to say enough wonderful things about my recent experience at Pulse. I participated in the ’14 Day Machu Picchu & Amazon Ayahuasca Expedition’ experience in Nov/Dec ’16, and had the time of my life – these guys do a wonderful job of balancing fun and seriously powerful medicine in one tidy little package.
Everything was supremely well-organized, coordinated, facilitated, etc (Mel, you’re a rock star). The entire staff – and I really do mean the entire staff – were wonderful, caring, kind folks who genuinely seemed to give a damn. The medicine was powerful, the shamans were awe-inspiring (Wiler especially is on that next level shit), and the facilitators were so helpful in providing spiritual guidance, words of wisdom, and open ears throughout my time at the center, which in and of itself was perfectly safe, comfortable, relaxing, and accommodating. This experience changed my life, and I’ll never forget it.
Everyone on the team was genuinely wonderful, but I’d be remiss id I didn’t give a huge heartfelt shoutout to Melissa, Val, and Dolan in particular for going above and beyond and making this a truly magical experience for me – aside from just being a client, I’m proud and incredibly grateful to call these guys my friends now. Rafa, Falcon, Chandra, Craig, Tati – you guys all kick ass too, I love all you crazy people.
If you’re on the fence about Pulse, I implore you to go for it. I went in completely blind based on reviews here, and was admittedly a little skeptical of the overwhelming barrage of largely unchallenged positivity – but I’m glad to say it was all true and then some. You won’t regret making the choice to drink with these folks.
Woot
December 7, 2016 at 8:52 amI recently went to Pulse with my boyfriend. It was his second time back and my first. We had a wonderful time there. The staff was amazing- so caretaking and genuine. They really created a community of safety and openness. The shamans were wonderful as well, of course. The accommodations were also nice- clean, plenty of bathrooms, water stations and showers. My favorite daytime hangout place was the second maloka that had a number of hammocks. I definitely left he experience understanding the power of ayahuasca and feeling a weight lifted that was previously anxiety and pressure. I highly recommend Pulse!!
Alittleninjastar
December 4, 2016 at 4:05 pmI spent two weeks with the Pulse team and can easily say I had the best vacation of my entire life. I spent one week at the center in Libertad and another week in Cuzco/Machu Picchu. I recommend scheduling your tour with the same itinerary – spend a week in the jungle and then unwind and decompress for an additional week in Cuzco.
What I valued most from the Pulse team was the immediate sense of safety and care the entire team provided. I sincerely trusted every single person and they offered so much more than simple medical advice/suggestions. They took the time to understand our history, our intent and purpose for visiting, they clearly explained what we could expect and they took care of every single person like we were family.
The group of people whom I met on this tour were extraordinary. We were all so different but we bonded more closely in two weeks than bonds I’ve experienced knowing people back home for years. It just goes to show we all have more in common than we think.
Aside from the ayahuasca and san pedro ceremonies (which were enlightening, safe, and some of the most remarkable experiences of my life), we also had plenty of excursions via river boat trips down the river, cayman catch and release, a visit to Libertad, multiple lunches and dinners at various types of restaurants, day and night jungle hikes, the experience of staying in a few awesome hostels, and more. We explored multiple cities and markets, explored the jungle and explored ancient sites around Peru. It doesn’t get much better than that.
I wish I could give more than five stars, I highly recommend vacationing with Pulse Tours, it’s something I will definitely do again within the next couple of years. Enjoy your trip!