Ayahuasca Retreat Reviews — Helping You Stay Safe with 5,000+ Independent Reviews
Spirit Plant Journeys is a safe, experienced and transformative Ayahuasca Retreat nestled in the Peruvian Andes, created to help you open your heart, look within, and awaken to a new way. We offer intimate retreats with small groups in which we closely guide you through your journey within. We provide a healing space for you to acknowledge your truth; to feel, express, allow and transform.
Ayahuasca is a powerful tool that can help us uplift ourselves, heal our wounds, and let go of anything that no longer serves us. In working with plant consciousness, we become open and sensitive to everything that we are in relationship with, and in this, gain awareness, perspective, and wisdom.
Our highly-trained, experienced facilitators will closely guide you as you immerse yourself in this process. We believe that true healing is a beautiful process of opening up and awakening, and we feel strongly that this process can and should happen in a nurturing, loving way. As facilitators between cultures, and bridges between worlds, we provide a safe, open space in which we honor and respect every human being’s process in a gentle and kind way.
Every element of our retreat is designed to sustain real transformation. With a down to earth, heart-centered approach and kindred family spirit, we provide the opportunity for a life-changing healing experience. Our programs are held in the Sacred Valley, a safe haven from the noise of the city and the dangers of the jungle, and we limit our group size to a maximum of 12 people, allowing our Facilitators and Maestros to give you close, personalized guidance during your time with us. We are blessed to be working with a team of powerful Shipibo Maestros, the oldest lineage of Ayahuaqueros in South America, and we bring in both men and women maestros on retreat to strike a crucial balance between the energies of the Divine Masculine and Feminine.
Our experienced and trained facilitators serve as a cultural bridge on your journey, providing a link between cultures and plant medicine realms. They walk alongside you on this journey, guiding and empowering you with the tools to truly engage with your healing process. We specialize in providing support through pre-retreat intention sessions, sharing circles and self-inquiry on site, and post-integration sessions.
The healing process truly begins to take root when our guests go home, and as such, we believe strongly in checking in and providing support after the retreat. These are the keys to real transformation, to embody your healing experience in your daily life, enabling you to bring lasting change and growth into your life. After your last ceremony ends, the ceremony of life truly begins.
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kristylovesyoga
May 2, 2015 at 12:00 amSpirit Plant Journeys went beyond my expectations. My bf and I decided to go on a spiritual healing–did our research and agreed on Spirit Plant Journey. We chose Spirit Plant Journey b/c they answered all of our questions about the shaman and the program throughly and promptly.
We felt truly blessed that we chose this organization b/c they were such a loving group with positive intentions on healing us. It’s kind of scary to go to a group not knowing but we took a chance and had a positive outcome on this group. BUT now you don’t have to go blindly we did the risk taking for you! 🙂
Sarah and Neils are facilitators became our friends and was willing to listen to us and answer any questions we had. Which is important while you are on this retreat because sometimes you just need someone to talk that understands the process. They created a safe environment for us to open up and heal.
The 10 day program they created was thought out very well. I didn’t understand it until I finished the program. It’s important to finish the program! Even though it can be hard to finish the program for some, try to finish. You will be glad you did!
You start off with San Pedro which is a heart opener. Bernard lead us on San Pedro and a great guide, he was. He’s like a wizard when you’re on san pedro. He is there for you every step of the way and is readily available to you. He helps guide you to where you need to go. The night before we got to cut our own San Pedro and answers all your questions. He is really awesome!! Such a bright and great spirit. You also end with San Pedro which gives you a bright closure to your program.
Guime our Ayahuasca shaman. We are really grateful to have him lead our ceremonies. You hear about all the bad shamans out there and it is really hard to find a genuine shaman like Guime. Guime is very versed at his role. He is brought in from the Amzaon to lead these ceremonies. Guime has been working with Ayahausca since he was 16 and was taught an a great icarus to lead the ceremonies. He works incredibly hard to control the room and keep it safe for us to heal. He is there for you every step of the way and is very in tuned with what is going on in the room. He is also very down to earth and is willing to answer your questions and listen to what you have to say. Which is not common with most shamans.
I came to this retreat for healing. I knew deep down that there was a lot of anger and fear in me and didn’t know why I constantly felt these feelings. I was constantly fighting to be the better me on the daily and I was losing the starting to lose the battle. I needed help and found the help I needed.
I knew that I had a tough childhood. My father was very abusive emotionally and physically but really blocked it out most of my life thinking I was “fine.” But I was not fine, I was projecting myself negatively in other ways. The medicine helped me dig deep into my past and i saw what caused all these fears, insecurities anger and depression. After seeing this I was able to reevaluate and understand how to over come these issues. When you see where the problem stems from you know how to fix yourself. I never felt so confident and more in tuned with myself. I learned to just love myself. it is just that simple!
The other stuff. The fun stuff. While you are in this program you meet the most amazing people. We started out as strangers and within the 10 days we became life long friends—which I still keep in contact with. It was amazing to see the transformation in those around you within 10 days. Everyone became lighter and brighter.
The field trips. You get to see Peru! Neils and Sarah are great tour guides as well. They take us to all the ruins and at the end of the trip we got to go to Machu Pichu.
The place. Las Chullpas was such a great eco lodge. All the dogs and animals around become your best friends. The garden is beautiful. It was cozy and intimate. The food is delcious considering we had to fast and be on a special diet. It wasn’t crap! They actually took out the time to make our diet appetizing.
I can’t wait to go back again.
Love,
kristy
Continual
April 25, 2015 at 12:00 amI just returned from my first ever Ayahuasca retreat, and I would like to give an account of my experience.
The Reason
I first started researching Ayahuasca retreats about a year ago as a means to bring some balance and happiness to my life. I had developed an amazing life and career for myself, but there was something missing. I could no longer properly explain to my family and friends why I was sad. Nobody understood it….including me.
I signed up for a different retreat, but after looking further in to the organization and questioning their motives for running the retreat, I cancelled (and paid a hefty cancellation fee). I was discouraged, but I didn’t give up. This was just too important for me to go in to without 100% surety that I was with the right retreat.
I kept looking, and after further research, I decided to register for Spirit Plant Journeys due to their no bullshit website and their location in the Andes Mountains which seemed definitely preferable over the jungle. I’d heard that Ayahuasca was unpleasant enough without having to live in a mosquito net for 10 days. After I received the first response from Neils (very straight forward without candy coating the experience), I knew this was the place for me.
The Approach
As the retreat began to approach, I got further correspondence from Neils to start preparing properly for the ayahuasca ceremonies. Vegetarian Diet, no alcohol, no pork, no prescription drugs, etc….
I was excited about the diet and had no problem with that, but…. Whoops. I had been on Valium (Diazepam) for 15 years due to anxiety. How was I supposed to just stop right away? I started cutting down as much as possible, and went through the deepest anxiety/depression that I had ever LET myself go through. During the terrible withdrawals and anxiety I went through, I realized that this medication could have been the root of my problem. I hadn’t let myself feel anything for 15 years. Shit.
The Arrival
When I arrived, I was pretty much a mess as my body could not familiarize itself to not being on medication. However, right when I met Neils and Sarah I felt better. They are amazing people and they made me feel comfortable even though everything inside of me craved the what I was used to. The numbed, mindless bliss that is the brain of a Standard Medicated American Male.
We arrived to the accommodations in the Sacred Valley and I was pleasantly surprised with the absolute beauty of the facilities and the unique character of the rooms. The facilities Supervisor was super nice and we all settled in our rooms to get ready for dinner.
I was still feeling pretty bad…anxious…depressed…scared…pissed…annoyed…dreading talking to people. However, at dinner, I realized I was with a really good group. While everyone was there for different different reasons, it was very apparent we were all there for the right reasons. This wasn’t just an excuse to go fuck off in the woods for 10 days. This was opportunity to really work on ourselves to discover exactly how much we could enjoy life without the usual crutches of alcohol, drugs, or even television. This was a chance to get to know ourselves and to discover how to perpetually improve not only ourselves but the experiences of those around us.
At dinner, I quickly felt more at ease when Neils and Sarah gave all of us a rundown of what to expect for the next 10 days. They reiterated that it wouldn’t be easy for some people, and that we would all have to work very hard. They also gave us an itinerary of the places we would visit on our days off from ceremonies. Most importantly (for me), they made it very clear that they were not our “leaders” and that they were not there to tell us what to do or think. They were simply there to help guide us and give us advice when needed. I found myself more and more hopeful with each passing moment.
The ceremonies
The next morning the hope I had had on the previous night was quickly dashed. The first San Pedro ceremony was at 8:30am that morning and I had a very rough time. My anxieties completely took a hold of me, and I basically spent 12 hours on San Pedro with a deep dreadful stroll through anxious turmoil. It was pointed out to me that I was actually feeling every emotion that I had never allowed myself to during the 15 years on Diazepam. It was tough. I had to face all these anxieties head on and it was excruciating. I wanted to go home. I couldn’t understand why I had allowed myself to even contemplate this horrible experience.
Bernard, the facilitator for the San Pedro ceremony was extremely supportive, and talked me down through what I thought was a certain tragedy that would forever scar my psyche throughout the rest of my miserable anxious life. If it wasn’t for Bernard, I don’t know what I would have done.
However, when the ceremony was over, something magical happened. My body was now experiencing ZERO withdrawal from the Diazepam. If you know anything about this “medication” and the people who had been on it as long as I had, you know that some people experience acute withdrawal for 6 months to a YEAR. I had only been off 2 days and the symptoms I had felt that very morning were completely gone. I was free.
I cautiously went to bed that night, dreading trying to contemplate sleep without Diazepam. But I slept. The San Pedro, no matter how miserable I was while finally facing my fears and emotions, had rewired the energies in my brain. It is day 14 as I type this and I am still off the medication with no desire to ever get back on it. However, I would not recommend taking any medication so close to the retreat. If you can, you should get off medication at least a month before the ceremony so you don’t have to go through what I went through. More on that later, maybe.
With the San Pedro fully flushing the medication out of my brain waves, I was ready for the Ayahuasca ceremonies, which occurred on the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th nights of the retreats. I don’t want to get too much in to my ayahuasca experience because everyone is different and has their own journeys, but I can tell you that these were some of the most amazing moments of my life. They were also some of the hardest. Our Shaman, Gumercindo, was unbelievably amazing. I have never met an individual with such amazing energy. He is truly a good, talented, healer, and I will never forget his presence during those nights. I will leave this section short, because I will never be able to properly explain my experience to anyone using words. It is just simply amazing what a plant can help you feel.
We finished the ceremonies with a final day of San Pedro. I am happy to report is was nothing like my experience on day one. I was happy, exuberant, and full of life. A perfect ending to the ceremony portion of the trip. The plants had taught me in the span of 6 days what my mind couldn’t teach in 34 years.
The Field Trips
Neils and Sarah went through great lengths to organize amazing outings throughout different towns/attractions in the area. We went to Lares, Pisac, Ollataytambo, and ultimately, Machu Picchu. Having the peace of mind from the ceremonies while experiencing these amazing sites was an a journey all in itself. The comradery of the group was an added bonus to these amazing ventures. We had all arrived very vulnerable and in different stages of grief, but had quickly become a tight-knit group. We were all there for each other.
The food on the outings and especially at the lodge was incredible. I never knew that eating healthy could be so delicious and rewarding. I looked forward to what was in store at every meal.
The Take-Away
At the end of the retreat, I realized many things I hadn’t thought about before.
I realized that I had been completely ignoring myself for a long time. Focusing on work and doing anything possible to not contemplate my own existence. I also realized that contemplating my existence, feelings, and fears was really fucking hard! But I know how to do it now. The ayahuasca ceremonies made me accurately aware of how my body reacts to stress and anxiety. I now know how to recognize it and deal with it before it sweeps me away in to an unbearable depression. I now know how to relax….to breath in to my problems.
Thanks to my new friends I met at Spirit Plant Journeys; my group, Bernard, Neils, Sarah, and Gume, I now know that anxiety and depression is just a way of thinking. Thoughts are just thoughts. It’s how you react to those thoughts that defines how you live your life. Love yourself, love others, be open and compassionate and willing to accept things you might not understand. Breathe.
I don’t know if I will ever fully comprehend exactly how much this experience with Spirit Plant Journeys has changed my life for the better. But I also learned that I don’t have to understand everything, so I will take this opportunity to thank you again and I look forward to what the future will hold.
– Chris
magdalynsophia
April 23, 2015 at 12:00 amI will not even attempt to describe the plant medicines themselves, to squish the amazing experience I had into fumbling words couldn’t ever do it justice. And the same is true for the beautiful environment and people outside of ceremony, but I will try.
I feel very lucky to have been in the group I was and have so much love for the people both taking part in and working to make this retreat happen. They were nothing short of hospitable in terms of accommodations, but the care extended far beyond that. Sarah, Neils, Bernhard and Gume each offered a unique and dynamic awareness and care to each aspect of this retreat both inside and outside ceremony that I can’t imagine being matched anywhere, in care, authenticity or thoughtfulness.
It will be impossible not to come back again soon after such a changing experience. For those ready to come and do the work, you will get it back tenfold. Endless thank yous Spirit Plant Journeys!
Tonyruiz21
April 22, 2015 at 12:00 amI have to say this is one of the best experiences I ever had. From beginning to end the atmosphere was focused but not overly critical. The owners Niels and Sarah were fantastic to have as our facilitators. These individuals practice what they preach by not preaching at all. They lead by example by creating an atmosphere that allows for much opportunity to occur. I came with a intention and had my expectations more than met… They were blown out of the water in the most profound and beautiful ways. The healers Gumercindo and Bernard are masters of their craft. They are real people with real abilities to heal through the medicine.
It was nice to be able to see the sights of Peru but still remain on the objective of healing. I was more than pleased to receive good communication with the owners on how to mentally and physically prepare for the new journey I am now on. I am forever changed by the experience I had from April 7th-17th. I highly recommend this retreat for anyone else seeking real growth and self-empowerment. Don’t be fooled by other programs’ hype and false promises.
I will definitely be back for another journey with this company. Niels and Sarah are now friends for life. Upwards and onwards. Cheers to the invisible. Love.
-Tony Ruiz
Actor
Connaroo
April 17, 2015 at 12:00 amI just finished a retreat with Spirit Plant Journeys, and the experience exceeded all expectations (and mine were already very high)! From start to finish, Neils and Sarah were very attentive, thoughtful, and welcoming. Before even arriving in Peru, Neils was very communicative and easy to reach. He made sure everyone was prepared for the trip, by sending all kinds of helpful pre-travel information and instructions for the retreat. When I arrived, I felt at home right away.
The facilities at SPJ were far more luxurious than I anticipated, and the lodge is even more incredible in person than it appears on the website. My room was very charming and tidy, and came with a fireplace, hot water, and daily housekeeping service. Even though we had to stick with the ayahuasca diet, the food was amazing! We had three well-balanced meals a day, except on fasting days of course, and I felt great eating such healthy food, fresh fruits and vegetables. Drinking water and coca tea are provided at all times, and there?s wifi on the premises.
The retreated included 6 ceremonies, two San Pedro and four ayahuasca. I really liked how they incorporated both masculine and feminine plants, so we had a very comprehensive experience with the medicines. Bernard was our healer for the San Pedro ceremonies, and he was fantastic! He was extremely adept, mindful, and had a profound understanding and appreciation of his plants. Gume was the shaman for the ayahuasca ceremonies, and when you meet him, you immediately know you are in excellent hands. We were so fortunate to be working with such a skilled, well-regarded master of ayahuasca!
Personally, I connected beautifully with the medicines and had a very transformative experience. Neils and Sarah stressed the importance of setting your intentions beforehand, and I felt like I met (or surpassed!) mine every time. Even though the ceremonies can be incredibly intense, mentally and physically, the rewards far outweighed the discomforts. Now that the retreat is over, I feel like a new person, with a much deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. That being said, I would strongly recommend doing your research on ayahuasca, how the ceremonies are performed, and the potential effects and side effects before you drink so you know what you?re getting yourself into.
Even when we weren’t exploring the magic of the medicines, there was always something for us to do, whether it was a hiking excursion, yoga classes, zip lining, or a trip to the hot springs. They even arranged for a masseuse to give us massages! Good luck finding all that at any other retreat!
Lastly, one of the most amazing things about my time with Spirit Plant Journeys, that I certainly did not expect, was such a strong feeling of camaraderie with my fellow retreat-goers. Everyone I met was so kind, genuine, and open-minded. Even though we were only together for 10 days, I feel like I?ve known everyone for ages! I definitely made some wonderful friends during the trip that I will be staying in touch with long after this is over.
Of course it goes without saying that I will absolutely be back next time I am in need of some spiritual healing and soul searching. And even if I didn?t want to drink any more ayahuasca (which would be crazy talk!), it?d be worth it to come down to Peru just to have Neils and Sarah serenade me with their beautiful guitar-playing and singing. Thanks so much Spirit Plant Journeys for the most memorable trip of my life!