Ceremonies twice a week, small groups and a brew we prepare ourselves – deep in the Peruvian Amazon.
At Paojilhuasca, we hold ceremonies twice a week under the attentive guidance of Don Gardel (typically hosts Tuesday ceremony) or Maestra Alicia (Friday ceremony). Don Gardel’s ceremonies tend to be vibrant and uplifting, and he sings diverse icaros while playing drums and other instruments. It’s not unusual for guests to clap along or even stand up and dance during these ceremonies! In contrast, Maestra’s ceremonies tend to be softer, the icaros and her accompanying maracas sounding more trance-like and rhythmic – helping guide guests deeper and deeper into their own experiences. Between these two styles, we strike a healthy balance between masculine and feminine during a week-long retreat.
Occasionally, a visiting mother-daughter duo of Shipibo shamans host ceremonies for guests within our maloca. This normally coincides with a Shipibo art market the next day, which gives guests the opportunity to speak to the shamans and learn more about the icaros sung.
To ensure each participant receives personalized attention and support on their journey, we try to limit group sizes to a maximum of 10 participants per ceremony. Contact us for more information on specific group sizes during booking.
Retreats structure their weeks in different ways, and so you might wonder why we have chosen to host two ayahuasca ceremonies per week. We prepare our own ayahuasca in line with local tradition, including its relative concentration, so each ceremony can be a significant experience in its own right. We intentionally space out our ayahuasca across the week to give you time to rest, ground, and integrate before the next one. Often, we find that these days between ceremonies matter just as much as the ceremonies themselves.
Everyone’s experience with ayahuasca is different. Some guests feel entirely satisfied after a single ceremony and choose to sit out of the second, whereas others feel very little during ceremonies in their first week. The conscious effects of ayahuasca often build over repeated ceremonies for guests who don’t feel much at first. If you feel called to go deeper, we recommend staying 2 or more weeks – allowing time for more ceremonies, and also a master plant dieta, which tends to strengthen ceremony experiences. Additionally, engaging with other plant medicines like yopo (optional, Thursday evening) can provide a different type of visionary experience. Keeping our groups small means our team can give each person individual attention, and we’ll help you decide what feels right for you as the week unfolds.
We prepare our own Ayahuasca brew, and if we make more during your stay, you can participate in the making every step of the way – including picking native plants with Don Gardel on jungle walks, smashing the ayahuasca vines together in the maloca, and helping add all different plant components to the brew before it’s finally put on the fire. Guests can watch the ayahuasca brew boil and reduce down to its final concentration, and if length of stay allows, drink the very ayahuasca that they helped produce.
Ayahuasca affects serotonin pathways, so it can interact dangerously with certain medications, particularly antidepressants, and it is not recommended for people with heart conditions or some mental health conditions. If you take any medication or have a medical condition, please contact us well in advance (and at least 7 weeks ahead for antidepressants) so our physician can discuss with you whether participation is possible and provide medical advice specific to your situation.
Ayahuasca is a traditional Amazonian plant brew, used for centuries by Indigenous peoples across the Amazon basin in healing and spiritual ceremonies. It is most commonly made by simmering the stem of the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with the leaves of Psychotria viridis (chacruna) or a similar plant. The leaves contain N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a powerful psychoactive compound, while the vine contains harmala alkaloids that inhibit the enzyme which would normally break down DMT in the gut, making it active when taken orally. The effects typically begin within an hour and last four to six hours. They may include vivid visions, intensified emotions, altered perception of time and self, and often a purging response such as vomiting, which is traditionally understood as a form of cleansing.
Many people describe the experience as deeply introspective, bringing up memories, insights, or a sense of connection with nature and something larger than themselves. Because the brew affects serotonin pathways, it can interact dangerously with certain medications, particularly antidepressants, and it is not recommended for people with heart conditions or some mental health conditions. All guests undergo comprehensive medical and psychological screening prior to attending and are encouraged to discuss any possible contraindications or concerns with our doctor, Caterina.
The word ayahuasca comes from two Quechua words: aya, meaning ‘spirit’, ‘soul’, or ‘ancestor’, and huasca, meaning ‘vine’ or ‘rope’. Hence it is known as “the vine of soul.” It is also referred to as “la purga” due to the traditional belief that it cures the soul, offering a deep introspective journey that enables the user to examine their emotions and ways of thinking. It plays a central role in the spiritual and cultural traditions of the Amazon and, in 2008, Peru’s National Institute of Culture declared it part of the national cultural heritage. Its ceremonial use dates back thousands of years. Archaeological evidence suggests that ayahuasca has been used as a sacrament for at least 2,500 years.
