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The Kapitari Center was founded in 1980, by the shaman Luis Culquiton, widely known as Don Lucho.
Don Lucho comes from a long line of natural healers, but he discovered the healing qualities of plants himself, at a very early age; he drank ayahuasca for the first time at age 16. He soon discovered the power of the plants and felt a calling, which he describes as “the legacy of my ancestors.”
In 1980, at age 30, Don Lucho was an established, self-educated shaman. This is when the spirit of ayahuasca called on him to work with the plants, to help protect the incredible biodiversity of the Peruvian Amazon and indeed to save the world; “Up until that moment, I had not been very concerned about the forest. Then I said; ‘How can I save the world? I have no education, I don’t know anything.’ But I started to learn from the plants. I was told by the plant spirits what their qualities were, whether it was for food, as medicine, or even as fertilizer to add nutrients to the soil.”
Don Lucho developed a new way of agriculture, which is very similar to what has become known as ‘permaculture’ in the West. Traditionally, Amazon farmers would burn down a part of the forest and plant only one or two crops on their fields. But the soil quality is poor in the Amazon and they would soon have to abandon their fields, repeating the process of ‘slash and burn’, slowly destroying the rainforest.
By planting up to a hundred different plant species on the land, Don Lucho recreates the balance of the rainforest, which sustains its own existence. This way, the farmers’ fields remain fertile indefinitely, removing the need to ‘slash and burn’ and even returning wasteland to the rainforest, where it can be reintegrated.
One of the main sources of funding for the Kapitari projects is through our Ayahuasca retreats. Unlike many of the Ayahuasca retreat centers in Peru, Kapitari is not owned or controlled by westerners, but by Peruvians for the benefit of Peruvians.
Don Lucho’s main objective is to share his knowledge, expertise and experience with whomever can benefit from it. He promotes the exchange of seeds and saplings, which he grows at Kapitari and invites people from throughout the Amazon and the world to come learn and share through his ‘Field School’.
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outertravels
May 31, 2014 at 12:00 amTruly a life changing retreat and very well organized. My experience at Kapitari with Andy, Jeannie and Don Lucho was by far the most valuable trip I have ever taken in my life. Like most people, I don’t have an issue enjoying all the amenities of a 5 star hotel. But for this retreat, don’t expect this to the the case. Instead, expect to be surrounded by the natural comforts of the Amazon Jungle and the Kapitari tribal community. Their hospitality was pure and compassionate the food was of the healthiest caliber. Upon leaving, my body felt light as a feather, my mind seemed to be clearer than its ever been before, and I had been introduced to my soul in a way that is simply unforgettable. If you’re someone who is serious about exploring deep realities and discovering yourself in a different way, then this retreat is awaiting your arrival for an important purpose.
m3st1za
May 23, 2014 at 12:00 amDon Lucho was my first ayahuasca experience and thus I will always be grateful for everything he and his family did for me and my boyfriend during our stay. His center is truly for those whose intentions are for self healing and discovery. For those who want to awake from their life long sleep. It took me at least a year to decipher and realize the important foundation that was created at Kapitari through Don lucho’s guidance, his son Wagner, and Apprentice Ivan Schuls. Don Lucho’s ayahuasca was very potent and his icaros were ancient and deep rooted. Kapitari center is a great place to start one’s journey as is safe and affordable.
The only draw back is that Don Lucho is a very busy man because he is also the mayor of his town. While there he did not have much time for one to ones’. However, he provided a space where like-minded people came to search. Deep bonds were formed at Kapitari as its a magical place that dissolves one’s ego!
Imported Review
January 14, 2014 at 12:00 amLoads of people have been asking me about my experience with ayahuasca in Peru last week, and to be honest it?s been kind of hard to know where to start. Even though I spend most days wrapping words around observations and feelings, there?s something tough about trying to describe what?s essentially an out-of-body, sometimes out-of-mind experience!
I?ve written almost five thousand words for the book (Latinalicious) so technically, I shouldn?t really give away too much here, but it?s such a fascinating topic that I?ll share a bit on this blog? and then in December next year you can all go read the rest. Deal?
I did a lot of research before deciding on the Kapitari Centre, located a few miles outside of Iquitos. One of the area?s most basic retreats, it was founded in 1980 by the shaman Don Lucho, who spends the majority of time in his ?garden?, otherwise known as the Amazon Rainforest, working out ways to protect the biodiversity and fragile ecosystems of the region by implementing sustainable farming practices.
It?s important, if you?re planning to play with ?the spirit of the vine? to hand your hard-earned money over to someone who?s a) going to spend it wisely, and b) knows what the hell they?re doing by encouraging tourists to drink what?s essentially, potent, hallucinogenic tree sap. I found Don Lucho via expat Andy Metcalf, who?s written a blog on this very topic, but the best thing to do in my opinion is head to Iquitos and ask around. Most soul-searching hippies can be found sipping carrot juice, over-analysing their existential new existences and smoking profusely in the Karma Caf