Ayahuasca Retreat Reviews — Helping You Stay Safe with 5,000+ Independent Reviews
La Luna is run by Maestro Don Guido Rimachi. The center was first opened in 1987 as the local village clinic by the Rimachi brothers, and used to serve mainly local patients. As time went on the word was spread, and patients from all over Peru and the rest of the world started to show up. Throughout the last 30 years people have traveled to Santa Maria de Ojeal for healing.
2015 Don Guido decided to expand the village clinic into a full-service Ayahuasca healing center with private bungalows for visitors traveling abroad, wishing to stay many nights and focus on personal healing.
In 2016 the new facilities were opened with a different name, but the sacred Amazonian healing techniques remain. Our shamans work the traditional way with Ayahuasca, passed down through many generations.
Today, La Luna del Amazonas is both one of the oldest and the newest centers around. The center is traditional yet modern, perfect for those who want access to ancient healing in a comfortable environment.
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AyaMedic
November 21, 2018 at 1:44 pmI just got back from a 7 day stay at La Luna Del Amazonas. I can honestly say it was the best week of my life. The location of the retreat is perfect – deep enough in the jungle that you feel completely surrounded my nature, but no so far that you feel like you have no way out. The food was fantastic, there wasn’t one meal I had that I didn’t enjoy. You have consistent meetings with the shaman to help you have a better understanding of your experience. The icaros sang by Don Guido were absolutely beautiful and helped guide my experience greatly. Enrique Is an amazing human being with tons of experience with the medicine, he helped me out a lot by letting me ask any questions I had about the entire experience – and his experience. He is the best bridge between western civilization and the spiritual life of the amazon that you can find! I honestly have nothing bad to say about this retreat and can’t stress enough that if you are thinking about doing ayahuasca you cannot go wrong with this retreat!!
sullivan.wesley
October 6, 2018 at 12:39 pmI spent 1 week at La Luna back in May 18′. Positive experience is an understatement. Everyone there contributed in making my week special. Firstly the volunteers Sati, Gia, and Greg were wonderful – really cool and down to earth people who are spiritually aware, I learned so much from them! Enrique was awesome, he made everyone feel comfortable and at home and has a really positive happy vibe about him. He made sure everything ran smoothly, you can tell he takes his work very seriously at La Luna and is a genuine guy. Guido was incredible. He provides the medicine in a very respectful and methodical way, you cannot go wrong with Guido. The location of La Luna is very serene. I could not choose a more peaceful place than here to have this deep personal experience. If you are looking for a place to try the traditional medicines of the amazon you have found it.
satigill
August 24, 2018 at 11:41 amMy time in La Luna was one of the most incredible experiences of my life and I couldn’t recommend it highly enough!
Being in the middle of the jungle was absolutely magical, the medicine was incredible and the shamans leading the ceremonies were extremely powerful and kindhearted.
There was so much love, caring and healing going into each and every ceremony, and the main shaman Guido also spent a generous amount of time talking with each guest, helping them to share their experience and resolve anything which might not be clear.
I was extremely lucky to work here for a few months, and witness so much healing and so many breakthroughs taking place.
The intentions of all those who are involved in running this retreat are of pure love, happiness and healing.
Needless to say ayahuasca is potentially one of the most powerful and life changing experiences you can have in your life, the wisdom, clarity, insights and healing for me are from a higher place, and for me La Luna was the perfect place to experience this medicine.
This place will always have a piece of my heart and as many of the other guests have done I hope to return soon!!
Larryleftnut
May 7, 2018 at 12:56 pmI came to La Luna Del Amazonas through a good friend’s recommendation. She stayed there a month or so ago, and knew this is where I needed to be. I would have to say this was the one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. And I had so much gratitude for her recommendation.
Experiencing ayahuasca in the middle of the Amazon jungle was awe inspiring. Feeling the energy emanating from the jungle through sight and sound made me feel comforted and full of life.
The staff are deeply invested in providing a safe and supportive environment for all comers. Rule number one for them is “zero tolerance for negativity.”
Each guest is going through something. I came at a crossroads in my life. I needed answers to difficult questions that I did not have the strength to answer on my own, and a path forward based on the answers I received. Mother ayahuasca showed me the way.
Ceremonies adhere to century’s old rituals and tradition. Don Benigno and Don Guido, the highly experienced shaman, protect and guide you through the experience. Allowing the medicine to do its work, while giving the participants room to explore the questions and healing they seek from her in comfort. The songs they sing are like energetic lullabies. Keeping you in a dream-like state, but ensuring your control over the experience. They work so incredibly hard during the ceremonies to keep you safe. Come with positivity and purpose.
It is very important to prepare your body for your journey. Adhering to the strict ayahuasca diet is more than important, it is necessary to ensure a comfortable experience. The medicine is a combination of a spirit guide, a power cleanse, and a smart healing agent. If you cheat the diet, it could wreck your whole stay. While there, Chef Jose prepares the most delicious ayahuasca meals. Simple ingredients that bring out flavors without the typical additives. The freshest food I have ever eaten anywhere.
Getting to La Luna was a journey in and of itself, and is an integral part of the experience. Coming from Washington, DC, I had a 25 hour series of flights and layovers that ended in Iquitos for the night. Checked in to El Couchero. I ate an ayahuasca dinner at Karma Cafe, which was recommended by the hotel staff. The next morning Greg, a La Luna staff member, met me at 11 AM. We went to exchange my dollars into Soles. Then went to a port to board a water taxi for a magical hour and a half long Amazon boat ride to Santa Maria. Once there, some of the boys from the town helped us carry some of our bags for the 25 minute hike into the jungle for some soles. Trust them. Your stuff will get there fully intact, and it makes the track much easier. The love and care was palpable as soon as I arrived at the final destination.
The accommodations are very simple bungalow structures. Door that locks on both sides. Elevated to protect you from the rare heavy rains and unwanted visits from jungle critters. There is a bed, a writing table, and a bookshelf. The bungalow is open nearly 360 deg. to the jungle, but protected with mosquito screens that surround the structure. Your get all of the sights and sounds without a lot of mosquitoes. There is a mosquito net over the bed for added protection. Hard to describe the dynamism offered by the jungle, but know it is also an integral part of the experience.
La Luna Del Amazonas is a place of healing and fine tuning your spiritual awakening. Everyone’s experience will be different. It’s deeply personal to each guest’s goals, but guided in much the same way. I left understanding the power of nature had to offer, and alignment to a new spiritual understanding. It is the only place I will experience ayahuasca, and I will certainly come again.
If you are like me and are at a crossroad in your life, in need of self improvement, dealing with depression or have an ailment and seek a cure from mother ayahuasca, you should book your stay here. Everyone will make sure you are well taken care of. Don’t hesitate, and look no further. Book it.
This is very important, if you booked a stay elsewhere and do not get a sense they really care. Stop! Do not go there. Reach out to Enrique at La Luna. He will understand, truly care, and set you up. Even if it’s the last minute. I witnessed this first hand, and was more than impressed at the lengths they will go to get you where you need to be.
Gmandelli
May 7, 2018 at 5:42 amI had the pleasure to stay at La Luna for a whole month last year, this is when It was all starting up and the first patients were coming through. I write this review so people can feel safe with their decision and don’t feel scared to take the leap – you are in great hands.
First of all arriving in Iquitos one could be overwhelmed by the noise and intensity of the Moto taxis of the busy city, navigating down to the Nanay river and catching the boat to Santa Marta where La luna is located is when the tranquility starts. The huge river brings peace and mystery at the same time. Distancing yourself further away from the sounds of the city puts you in an incredible setting arriving in the village is when I thought – Now I’m in the jungle – walking for about 30 minutes more through a clear path in the middle of the forest, crossing bridges this is when you begin to hear the beautiful jungle sounds which will accompany you the whole time (especially at night) ! So its safe to say the location is beautiful with a lake and surrounded by nature, tranquility is found here.
The facilities are great – the cabins are excellent they are netted on the walls so you can sit in your bed (safe from mosquitos) and enjoy the raw jungle which lays before your eyes. This was possibly my favourite thing about the month was how cool it was to be sleeping literally in the middle of the forest (but at the same time having the comfort of not being eaten alive by the bugs!) The communal spaces where we ate and had the ceremonies were beautiful traditional structures with palm leaf roofs to keep the heat out and giving the place a real authentic feel (The food was great too, we stuck to the dieta but very creative and varied in order to keeps things interesting!) You must follow the dieta correctly to get the best experience from the plant medicines.
I have drunk Ayahuasca previously in other parts of Peru for some extended periods and have encountered a few different Shamans and I must say the Curanderos (healers) at La Luna especially Don Guido (Who i had the most ceremonies with) has a heart of gold, truly a person who dedicates their life to helping other its a pleasure to see such pure people at work. This goes for the staff at la luna too, genuine, honest and most of all caring. Its a great feeling being around people who actually care about your well being over anything else. This is a humble centre Ive seen some others in Iquitos with huge facilities and extended walking platforms pretty much you don’t even touch the ground while your there. If you want to really connect with nature you have to be ready to live with it – Yes there are bugs, yes there are animals but its part of the magical experience, hearing the frogs the monkeys, embracing mosquito bites its all part of it, and you will thank yourself later for just accepting your in the jungle.
Studying the way they brew the ayahuasca there at La Luna they follow ancestral methods and choose their ingredients very well. While I was there we drank an ayahuasca called ‘la chuchupa’ and it was with vines which were 15 years old (really really thick) and the Chakruna was brought from Pucallpa. Ayahuasca showed me a lot of things about myself giving me a very in depth look into my own errors and flaws in my life (and good things i do), and the plant helped me to appreciate the people around me more and have more love for every creature that we live with. The plant also helped me to blow some dust off my path in life (or more direction in life) and gave me confidence and strength to pursue these ideas. I really would recommend this plant to everyone its life changing.
Coming from a party drug taking background I have never taken something Psychoactive in a ceremonial setting. This changed my whole perspective of how to approach these kinds of experiences and made me realise how backwards we have it in the west. Ayahuasca in my opinion is NOT a drug, a drug in the sense of the substances I’m familiar with, Ayahuasca feels like it comes from outside in not inside out – it feels like there is someone with you there showing you teaching you, and above all guiding you.
Much love to you all
I’m going back to the jungle to spend another few months and continue my self development journey really soon – I’m going to be visiting la luna for sure.
I hope if anyone reads this that they can leave the fear of the unknown at home and embark on this beautiful experience – everyone who passed through la luna left with a smile from cheek to cheek really happy and a lot of them came with serious depression or cases of trauma and left happy ! Ayahuasca is amazing and we should all experience it