This is one of the most important questions we receive, and we take it seriously.Ayahuasca contains MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors), which interact significantly with a number of common medications. SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, lithium, and certain heart and seizure medications are not safely compatible with Ayahuasca. This is not a minor consideration. It is a matter of physical safety.Before your spot is confirmed, every participant completes a full medical screening. If you are on any of these medications, we will tell you clearly and honestly whether it is safe to attend. If the timing is not right, we will tell you that too, always in conversation with your prescribing physician.San Pedro (Huachuma) carries fewer pharmaceutical contraindications, but a full screening still applies.If you are unsure, reach out before booking a discovery call. We would rather have this conversation early.

Most of our participants travel alone. That is not unusual here. When you arrive, you will find a small, carefully held group of people who came for the same reason you did. The shared intention creates its own bond. Many participants describe the group container as one of the most meaningful parts of the journey. That said, you are welcome to arrive exactly as you are, whether accompanied or alone. We provide coordination support throughout: guidance on flights, arrival logistics, and how to orient yourself in Cusco before the retreat begins. You will not be alone at any point that matters.

The 10-day retreat includes:The connecting flight from Iquitos to Cusco partway through the retreatAll ground transportation throughout the journeyLodging at each stop, standard or private depending on your tierAyahuasca ceremonies with indigenous Shipibo facilitators in IquitosSan Pedro (Huachuma) ceremony in the Sacred Valley with Andean lineage holdersGuided visits to Machu Picchu and Humantay LakeA preparation call before you arriveIntegration support through our sister sanctuary, Sacred Healing, after you returnNot included: your own travel to Iquitos to begin the retreat and from Cusco at the end, international flights, personal expenses, and gratuities. International travel insurance is not required, but recommended.

We understand that life does not always hold still.More than 60 days before the retreat: your deposit is fully refundable.Between 30 and 60 days before: 50% of the deposit is refundable.Within 30 days of the start date: the deposit is non-refundable.If you need to reschedule rather than cancel, reach out as early as possible. We will work with you wherever we can.

This is a question only you can answer. But here are some of the things people who have come here describe in retrospect. You have felt a pull toward this that does not come from novelty or curiosity alone. Something in you recognizes the medicine, or the land, or the tradition, before you have even arrived. You are willing to prepare, to follow the dietary guidelines, and to engage honestly with whatever the ceremony opens. You understand that what happens in ceremony is not an entertainment, and that the days that follow are part of the work. You are not looking for a shortcut. You are looking for the real thing. If you are still unsure, a discovery call is the right first step. We do not move people toward booking who are not genuinely ready. Turning someone away at the right moment is also part of how we hold care.

Preparation begins at least two weeks before arrival. During that time, we ask that you follow a traditional dieta: no alcohol or recreational substances, minimal caffeine, no pork, no red meat, no aged cheese, and low sugar and light foods where possible. Beyond the physical, we ask that you begin moving your attention inward. Reduce noise where you can. Notice what is already present. The ceremony will meet you where you are. The more consciously you arrive, the more the work has to hold. A preparation call is included in your retreat. We will walk through what to expect, answer any remaining questions, and help you arrive as ready as you can be.

Both are traditional plant medicines, but they come from distinct lineages and work in different ways. Ayahuasca is carried by the Shipibo people of the Amazon. Ceremony is held at night. It moves through the deep interior: touching what is unresolved, hidden, or in need of release. It is often described as the most demanding and most generous medicine people have ever encountered. San Pedro, also called Huachuma, is a cactus medicine of the high Andes, used in ceremony for more than 3,000 years. It works in daylight, over the arc of a long day. Where Ayahuasca descends, San Pedro opens. It tends to move through the heart. Together, these two medicines hold a complete cosmology: the underworld of the jungle and the upper world of the mountains, the deep interior and the wide open. Both are facilitated by lineage holders working within their own ancestral traditions. Not by outside practitioners who have borrowed the forms.

Yes. Every participant completes a screening before a booking is confirmed. The screening covers medical history, current medications, psychiatric history, and your relationship to plant medicine and ceremony. It is not a test. It is a conversation, designed to make sure this is the right time and the right container for you. We reserve the right to decline a booking for any reason. This is not judgment. It is care: for you, and for the integrity of the container everyone shares.

Peru is a well-traveled destination with a strong tourist infrastructure, particularly in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and Iquitos. Hundreds of thousands of people travel there each year without incident. That said, we recommend basic travel precautions: use reputable transportation, keep important documents secure, and follow the guidance we provide during the preparation call about arrival logistics, altitude acclimatization in Cusco, and how to move safely between sites. You will be met and coordinated throughout the retreat itself. You are not navigating this alone.