The Ayahuasca Retreat Experience: Your Complete Journey Guide
What actually happens on an ayahuasca retreat — from your first call through sacred ceremony, deep healing, and lasting integration.
What Happens on an AYA Healing Retreat
Our 11-day retreat follows a carefully designed flow — preparing body and mind, deepening into ceremony, and grounding transformation before you leave the Amazon.
Pre-Retreat Preparation
Medical screening, dietary preparation, medication review, and intention-setting begin weeks before you arrive. The more prepared you are, the more you receive.
Full preparation guide →
Arrival & Orientation
We collect you from Iquitos and transfer you to our retreat centre deep in the Peruvian Amazon. Your first days include grounding walks, plant flower baths, and meeting Don Miguel and our team of facilitators.
5 Ayahuasca Ceremonies
Ceremonies are held every other day, guided by Shipibo curanderos. Each ceremony is followed by a morning sharing circle to integrate insights with the group — a deeply valued part of the experience.
Healing Modalities
Between ceremonies you receive plant baths, healing Icaros, sacred Mapacho tobacco work, and optional Master Plant Dieta — each chosen by Don Miguel specifically for your healing. Also included: sacred medicines.
1-on-1 Consultations
Personalised sessions with Don Miguel and our facilitators ensure your journey is tailored to you. No two retreats look alike. Facilitators are available 24 hours after each ceremony night.
Closing & Integration
Your final days include a closing ceremony, integration workshops, and a personalised guide to carrying your transformation home. A free 30-day follow-up integration session is included with every retreat.
What's Woven Into Your Retreat Experience
Beyond Ayahuasca, traditional healing modalities are interwoven throughout your time with us — selected by the curanderos according to what your healing requires.
Mapacho (Sacred Tobacco)
Mapacho (Nicotiana Tobacum) is a natural tobacco from the Amazon rainforest — far more potent than commercial tobacco, used by shamans for its profound spiritual and healing properties. In large doses it creates trance-like states of consciousness and deep purification.
Icaros (Sacred Healing Songs)
Icaros are sacred songs used to invoke plant spirits — calling in strength, guidance, healing, and protection. Our curanderos use different Icaros depending on the moment in ceremony, helping you stay grounded, open, and courageous as the medicine works.
Listen to an Icaro >
Plant Baths & Vapour Baths
Plant baths immerse you in water infused with plants chosen by the curandero specifically for your healing. Taken by the river so negative energy is transmuted back to the earth. Plants may include Mocura, Piñon Colorado, and Baño de Florecimiento.
Plant Treatments — Personalised for Your Healing
Beyond Ayahuasca, AYA offers specialised Plant Treatments selected by Don Miguel for your specific health needs and intentions. These are not generic protocols — each plant is chosen for you individually, based on what your body and spirit require. Plant Treatments are used to address a wide range of physical, emotional, and spiritual conditions:
The Master Plant Dieta is a sacred tradition of the Shipibo — a commitment between you, the plant, and the curandero that deepens the healing far beyond what Ayahuasca alone can reach.
Learn about Master Plant Dieta →Your Shipibo Curanderos
Our healers are of the Shipibo-Conibo tribe — one of the largest indigenous peoples of the Peruvian Amazon and one of its deepest plant medicine lineages. You are in extraordinary hands.
Don Miguel
Shipibo Curandero · AKA Senen Yoi Read his story
Maestra Juana
Shipibo Curandera · 35+ Years Experience Read her story
Maestra Olinda
Shipibo Curandera · Amazon Lineage Read her storyEvery retreat is also accompanied by trained, English-speaking facilitators providing 1-on-1 attention and a compassionate, safe container — before, during, and after each ceremony.
The Highest Safety Standards in the Industry
Together with ICEERS (International Centre for Ethnobotanical Education, Research and Service), we have created the most comprehensive screening process available — ensuring each participant is given every opportunity to reach their true healing potential.
- Rigorous medical screening for all participants
- Small, intimate groups of 12–15 participants maximum
- Superior-grade first aid kit on site at all times
- 24-hour emergency transport to local medical clinic
- Emergency outside assistance from medical staff in Iquitos
- After-ceremony sitter available until 4am following every ceremony
- Expertly trained, extensively experienced facilitators
- 30-day post-retreat integration session included
AYA Healing Retreats partnered with ICEERS — to offer a thorough Screening process.
Embark on Your Journey
Flexible pricing options available. Speak to our program coordinator or email info@ayahealingretreats.com
Starting from
- 7 days in the Peruvian Amazon
- 2 Ayahuasca ceremonies
- 1 Huachuma/ San Pedro ceremony
- Plant baths & healing Icaros
- 1-on-1 consultation with Don Miguel
- Transportation from Iquitos
- All accommodation & meals
- Integration support session
Starting from — flexible options available
- 11+ days in the Peruvian Amazon
- 5 Ayahuasca ceremonies
- Master plant dieta included
- Plant baths, Icaros, sacred Mapacho
- Personalised 1-on-1 with Don Miguel
- Transportation from Iquitos
- All accommodation & meals
- ICEERS-certified safety protocols
- Free 30-day integration session
Reviewed within 24–48 hours. No obligation to book.
Starting from
- 26 transformative days in the Amazon
- 10 Ayahuasca ceremonies
- Full Master plant dieta initiation
- Deep shamanic training with Don Miguel
- Icaros learning & plant spirit work
- Transportation from Iquitos
- All accommodation & meals
- Lifelong community membership
What Our Participants Are Saying
Real experiences from real people — read directly from Google Reviews.
G ★★★★★ 5.0 Read all reviews on Google Maps"Attending Aya Healing Retreats has truly transformed my life. This was my third time — first an 11-day dieta, then a shamanic initiation, and now their Kambo Practitioner Training. Returning each time truly feels like coming home. The level of care, support, integrity, and intention woven into every aspect is unlike anything I have encountered elsewhere. I cannot recommend their retreats highly enough. 💚🙏"
"I left Aya Healing Retreats utterly enamored with the people, Land and plants. I am especially grateful for Don Miguel's wholehearted approach to doctoring — it is rare to meet a person of such great spiritual power who also has the gift of a true teacher. I experienced the spirit of the place as one of enthusiastic reverence and joy for life. Even very challenging moments translated into wondrous opportunities to heal and learn. A million stars of gratitude! 🙏"
"Amazing place for healing. Don Miguel, Cindy and Elio are amazing people. Don Miguel is a wealth of knowledge and a beautiful soul. Elio is my new soul brother and a wonderful being of light. I am honored to have had the opportunity to connect with these amazing people. I will be back soon! If you are considering coming here, don't hesitate — you won't regret it."
"This was my first time doing a plant dieta and working with plant medicine. The dieta was well managed and the food was nourishing. The shaman and space holders were incredibly supportive — I felt entirely safe throughout. The location is nestled in the jungle with visiting monkeys and a majestic Noya Rao tree on premises. Deep energetic and physical cleansing ensued. I can highly recommend this center."
"Incredible facility, staff and experience! Everything was beyond my expectations. The team really knew how to keep a sacred space for me to feel safe to go deep into my personal work. Extremely grateful to have chosen to come here and will definitely come back!"
"There are no words to fully capture my experience at the 11-day retreat at AYA Healing Retreats. It was truly life changing. I went primarily for grief healing — not only did I receive all the grief healing I needed, I also discovered what I want to do with the rest of my life. I was healed and rebirthed. The ceremonies were powerful, the dieta and interactions with the facilitators were excellent. I highly recommend AYA Healing Retreats!!!"
"A beautiful, deeply healing time. Don Miguel is a truly gifted healer — filled with love, integrity and compassion. The whole team are also reflective of this and provide a safe space for you to go deep into your processes with more ease. At this centre your needs will be met with attentive care. And the land! Oh wow. Just so powerful to be around all of the plants being grown there — including the powerful Noya Rao tree tucked away nearby in the jungle. This is a truly unique experience filled with magic and I cannot recommend their services enough! 🙏🏾✨"
"I never truly considered going to an Ayahuasca ceremony in the jungle — until I bumped into Elio in Lima. Right off the bat, he struck me as someone wise, calm, and grounded. A month before the retreat I had a preparation call with a facilitator — mental health screening, medical check-ups — everything handled with care. Don Miguel is in his 50s, vibrant and cheerful, exactly the kind of man the world needs right now. After the retreat I felt significantly more powerful — physically, emotionally, spiritually. More whole. IRAKE!"
Integration: Where the Transformation Becomes Permanent
The ceremony opens the door — integration is how you walk through it. Embedding your ayahuasca experiences into everyday life is how profound insight becomes genuine, lasting change.
Every AYA retreat includes a free 30-day integration session to help you honour and preserve the healing you've received, and navigate real-world challenges with the clarity you found in ceremony.
- Follow the post-retreat dietary guidelines for two weeks
- Maintain a daily meditation, breathwork, or yoga practice
- Join our private community to connect with fellow participants
- Spend intentional, unstructured time in nature
- Work with a professional integration specialist
- Journal your insights and track your growth
End-to-End Preparation & Integration Care
AYA doesn't just run ceremonies — we guide you from your first inquiry through every stage of your transformation. Our support system is built into every retreat.
- Personal 1-on-1 pre-retreat consultation
- Medical screening & medication safety review
- Dietary preparation & intention-setting guidance
- Daily facilitator check-ins during your retreat
- Post-ceremony morning integration circles
- Personalised insights from Don Miguel
- Free 30-day integration session after your return
- Private participant community access
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common questions about the ayahuasca retreat experience — answered honestly.
How much does an ayahuasca retreat cost?
Our 11-day retreat starts at $3,300. This includes 5 ceremonies, a master plant dieta, 1-on-1 consultation with Don Miguel, personalised treatments, plant vapour baths, return transportation from Iquitos, accommodation, meals, and a 30-day integration session.
How does ayahuasca change you?
According to the Global Ayahuasca Project, 85% of participants report a profound life change after ceremony. The key is pairing ceremony with clear intention, genuine preparation, and honest integration — all of which we support.
Which country is best for an ayahuasca retreat?
The Peruvian Amazon is the original home of Ayahuasca. Iquitos — the world's largest city unreachable by road — is the hub of authentic Shipibo healing tradition. Wherever you go, research safety protocols, healer lineage, and integration support carefully.
Have more questions?
Our full FAQ covers medications, contraindications, what to pack, the dieta, and everything in between.
Read the Full FAQReady to Begin Your Journey?
Take the first step. Book a free call to ask questions, or start your medical screening questionnaire now.