AYA Healing Retreats

AYA Healing Retreats runs ayahuasca retreats at El Encanto de Chullachaqui, a jungle centre near Iquitos, Peru, where the Shipibo curandero Don Miguel leads the ceremonies. Founded by Elio Geusa in 2017, it also offers a 26-day shamanic initiation and kambo practitioner training.

Approach

Don Miguel began his apprenticeship as a boy under his grandfather, a community healer. The 11-day retreat holds five ayahuasca ceremonies, a personal master plant dieta, private consultations with him, and plant treatments such as vapour baths. The brew is made on site from plants grown at the centre.

Who it is for

A 7-day format, with two ayahuasca ceremonies and one huachuma (San Pedro) ceremony, is meant for first-timers and people short on time. The initiation suits people with experience of plant spirits who want to study curanderismo. Themed retreats include a 13-day women’s retreat led by Shipibo maestras and the Noya Rao Voice of Light retreat, which centres on the voice.

Practical details

The 11-day retreat costs $2,700 to $3,300 depending on when it is booked, with lower rates for returning guests and Central and South American residents. The 7-day retreat is $1,950 and the initiation $4,900 to $5,900. Groups are capped at 12 or 14. Guests have private tambos with bathrooms, 1 hour 45 minutes by road and a 15-minute walk from Iquitos.

Care and safety

Applicants are screened for physical, psychological and spiritual health in a process built with ICEERS. Each ceremony has the curandero, two English-speaking facilitators and an assistant, and a sitter stays with guests until 4am. Emergency transport to a clinic runs at any hour. A preparation session comes first, an integration call with a Somatic Experiencing therapist follows a month later, and guests get the nonprofit platform Nectara free.