My experience with Yosi Ocha was beyond what I hoped for. What I hoped for were some life-changing experiences with Ayahuasca with the help of an authentic shaman and I got that but I also received much more. I had had a few gruelling – hostile even – experiences with Ayahuasca prior to deciding to go to Peru which made seeking out a genuine shaman to help me navigate those kinds of experiences top of my list of criteria. I preferred the idea of going to a fully Shipibo owned-and-run centre than one that just hired shamans in for the ceremonies and I also wanted smaller group sizes than the 20-30 people that some of the other well known centres regularly accommodate. Lastly, I liked the idea of learning rituals and practices that I might be able to take home with me although I wasn’t sure I would actually do it. All of these were big pluses for me and so I chose Yosi Ocha. The information on the website was comprehensive and I trusted my intuition. I did have some concerns before going there, namely that something might be lost from the Western perspective from attending a Shipibo-run centre and that there might not be an emphasis on integration practices. I also hoped there wouldn’t be any issues with translation. All of those concerns were needless.

Firstly Maestro Herberto, the shaman and the owner of the centre. When I first arrived, he had a private consultation with me where he did a diagnostic of me energetically and spiritually and told me what he could see. We had been due to have an ayahuasca ceremony that evening but he advised against it for me. Instead he gave me a different plant medicine to take that night and some other plant medicine to detox with all the next day. He felt that all going well, I’d be able to take ayahuasca the next night. Instead of being annoyed, it was the first marker of trust for me in him that he knew what he was doing and wasn’t just going to give me plant medicine for the sake of it and that trust continued to grow very quickly as I got to know him more. He was constantly monitoring all of our experiences by having consultations with us before each ceremony and providing guidance where appropriate. Aside from the Ayahuasca and San Pedro experiences which were incredible, he gave us a host of other plant medicines to help us based on our individual problems. They were not psychoactive in the same way but they would often induce vivid dreams and were based on important and sacred plants from the jungle. He often told us what to expect during ceremonies and was always trying to ensure that we received the right dosage of medicine. You hear horror stories of people stripping off naked when taking ayahuasca or screaming and shouting, or trying to leave the ceremonial space and other disruptive things like that but Herberto places an emphasis on preventing such experiences. That did not however prevent people from having mind-blowing visions and insights during ceremonies but helped to minimise disruption and ensure the safety of retreatants. I felt so safe with Herberto and so incidentally did the female retreatants there with me. It was also lovely to have Ines, a youthful but wise Argentinian soul and his assistant in ceremonies and translator, working with him and providing some female energy to the proceedings. He came across as truly authentic and loving and treated his work as a vocation, as working in service for something greater, which made such a difference to the experience for me. I found out during my stay that his mantra is to do everything with love and with style and that really is the essence of him.

And Yosi Ocha as a retreat centre is an extension of him. His brother Ruben is the chef and cooks simple, nourishing, lovingly-made food according to the ayahuasca diet and his sister Eunice is also a healer and gives incredible massages while singing beautiful icaros. I believe she is about to begin training under Herberto as a shamanca. Barbara, who doesn’t live at the centre but is the first point of contact and manages all the correspondence prior to visiting Yosi Ocha couldn’t be more responsive or helpful. As I’m on the verge of writing a tome here, I’ll try not to replicate too much else of what the other reviews are saying. I stayed for two weeks which was sufficient for me but on reflection, I would have liked to stay for 3 if I could have swung it financially and negotiated the time off with my workplace because I was learning, and enjoying myself, so much. I had worried that I would come home exhausted from partaking in so many ceremonies but actually it felt like a perfect balance between activity and rest. When we were not doing ceremonies or rituals, we were napping in hammocks, writing in our journals, exploring the trees and plants in the jungle and connecting with nature, reading, watching what wildlife happened to pass through, bathing and cooling off in the river which had a dammed area served by a wooden platform, or just hanging around chatting to each other about our experiences and our lives. It was truly nourishing and connecting and I have been surprised to return home full of energy and seemingly more youthful than when I embarked on my trip a few weeks ago. I have some changes to implement and decisions to make once I process things fully and feel that the coming year will be challenging as a result but absolutely necessary. I have a host of things I have learned from Herberto and Ines and the other fabulous people I met there to help me along the way.

A few other personal reflections. Laundry can be done there so I was able to travel light in terms of clothes. I wore nothing but a pair of flip flops. June seems to be a good time of the year to go. Mosquitoes were not too bad, weather was lovely for the most part and it actually got a little chilly in the middle of night (used two blankets) which helped with sleep. Internet was very hit and miss there but for me that was a positive and encouraged more socialising and truly settling into the experience. Things I probably didn’t need to pack – umbrella, rain poncho (there are umbrellas there if needed). Essentials – flashlight/head torch, mosquito repellant, power bank, journal (you will want to record things), a small bag to carry essentials around.

And finally, as a little side note to finish off – because this review isn’t long enough already! – when I left Yosi Ocha, I spent a night in Iquitos and shortly after arriving there, I was walking around exploring the place when I met two wheeler/dealer guys trying to sell their ayahuasca wares to me. I was feeling full of love and was happy just to chat and let them try and sell me stuff even though I had no intention of buying anything. They asked me about ayahuasca as I was smoking a mapacho cigarette and I told them I had been to Yosi Ocha. They asked who the shaman was there and I told them it was Herberto Garcia. Their eyes lit up knowingly – they knew his uncle who was also a renowned shaman and went on to explain that his family was full of shamans. They approved! It was funny and felt strangely validating.

I would not go anywhere else if you want an authentic and safe experience with ayahuasca in a place whose very foundations are built on love…and style. I’ll be back.