“Coming to La Medicina was the best decision I made to becoming a better person. My journey was beyond profound and life-changing.”
91% Exceeded Expectations
ABOUT LA MEDICINA
Retreat Center Overview
Located just 20 minutes from Tarapoto, Peru, La Medicina offers thoughtfully priced ayahuasca retreats that honor traditional Shipibo ceremony while maintaining modern safety standards and comfortable accommodations.
Our programs range from 6-day introductory retreats to 15-day Master Plant Dietas.
We welcome seekers of all backgrounds, those navigating trauma, veterans finding their path forward, spiritual explorers answering a calling, and anyone ready for inner exploration.
KEY DETAILS
- 👤 Operating Since: 2011
- 📍 Location: Tarapoto, Peruvian Amazon
- 🗣️ Languages Spoken: English, Spanish, Shipibo, Czech
- 👥 Group Size: Maximum 12 participants
- 📅 Program Length: 6, 8, 10, or 15 days
- 💵 Price Range: Starting at $1,860
- 💙 Specializing In: Traditional Shipibo healing, trauma/PTSD treatment, master plant dietas, military veteran support
- 🌿Medicine: Traditional ayahuasca grown on-property and sourced locally
- 🩺 Medical Support: Comprehensive pre-screening, 24/7 facilitator presence, medical facility 20 minutes away, mandatory insurance required
RETREAT HIGHLIGHTS
- 🌳Off-Grid Jungle Immersion – 75-acre pristine property with jungle paths, visible master plants, and abundant wildlife
- 🎵Traditional Shipibo Icaros – Authentic healing songs from experienced maestros with decades of traditional training
- 🌺Daily Flower Baths – Cleansing and energetic preparation before ceremonies
- 📵Digital Detox – Intentionally no WiFi or cell service for complete immersion
- 🍽️Ceremonial Diet – All meals gluten-free and dairy-free, prepared fresh with locally sourced ingredients
- 🏞️National Park Gateway – Located at entrance to Cordillera Escalera National Park with pristine jungle surroundings
- 📚Comprehensive Resources – 850+ book library on plant medicine, shamanism, spirituality, and philosophy
- 🎖️Veteran-Focused Care – 50% capacity dedicated to military veterans through Heroic Hearts Project partnerships
PARTNERSHIPS
La Medicina proudly partners with:
- Heroic Hearts Project – Supporting military veterans’ access to psychedelic healing
- Psychedelic Society UK – Non-profit promoting responsible use of psychedelics
- Chacruna Institute – Reciprocity and protection of sacred plants
ACCOMMODATIONS
ECO-TAMBOS (ROOMS 10-11)
Facility Type: Traditional forest huts with maximum jungle immersion
Room Details:- Traditional forest setting
- Maximum connection to nature
- Solar-powered lighting
Pricing:
- 6-Day Retreat: $1,860
- 8-Day Retreat: $2,220
- 10-Day Retreat: $2,560
- 15-Day Dieta: $2,600
CASA NUEVA (ROOMS 8-9)
Facility Type: Simple rooms in central location
Room Details:
- Shared bathroom
- Central location for easy access
- Solar-powered lighting
Pricing:
- 6-Day Retreat: $2,140
- 8-Day Retreat: $2,700
- 10-Day Retreat: $3,260
- 15-Day Dieta: $2,600
CASA VISTA (ROOMS 6-7)
Facility Type: Hillside location with jungle views (stairs required)
Room Details:
- Private bathrooms with hot showers
- Jungle views
- Most private accommodation option
- Solar-powered lighting
Pricing:
- 6-Day Retreat: $2,500
- 8-Day Retreat: $3,100
- 10-Day Retreat: $3,760
- 15-Day Dieta: $2,600
CASA HUÉSPEDES (ROOMS 3-5)
Facility Type:Central location with private bathrooms and shared living room
Room Details:
- Private bathrooms with hot showers
- Shared living room
- Central location
- Solar-powered lighting
Pricing:
- 6-Day Retreat: $2,620
- 8-Day Retreat: $3,280
- 10-Day Retreat: $3,960
- 15-Day Dieta: $2,600
STUDIO SUITES (ROOMS 1-2)
Facility Type:Fully contained suites with kitchenette
Room Details:
- Fully contained with kitchenette
- Highest quality mattress
- Private bathroom with hot shower
- Central location
- Solar-powered lighting
Pricing:
- 6-Day Retreat: $2,860
- 8-Day Retreat: $3,560
- 10-Day Retreat: $4,240
- 15-Day Dieta: $2,600
🏠 FACILITY AMENITIES
La Medicina Property Features:
- 🏛️ The Maloka:Sacred circular ceremonial space with optimized acoustics and attached bathrooms
- 🌸 Chiloka:Mesh-enclosed relaxation area with instruments, puzzles, chess, rocking chairs
- 📚 Library:850+ books on plant medicine, shamanism, spirituality, philosophy
- 💧 Daily Flower Bath Area:Dedicated space with Shipibo vision mural
- ♻️ Sustainable Systems:Off-grid solar power, hot water, flush toilets
- 🐒 Wildlife:Monkeys, abundant birds, natural creek
- 🌺 Master Plants:Visible and accessible for meditation and connection
Venue Description:
La Medicina’s off-grid jungle property provides an optimal environment for deep healing and transformation. The pristine natural setting combines authentic traditional space with modern comfort—sacred ceremonial areas, comfortable accommodations, and sustainable systems.
MEALS & NUTRITION
- 🥗 Omnivore
- 🥦 Vegetarian
- 🌱 Vegan
- 🌾 Gluten-Free
- 🥛 Dairy-Free
- 🐟 Pescatarian
- 🥜 Allergy accommodations available
Nutritional Approach
Menu includes fish, chicken, whole grains, and vegetables—nourishing traditional Peruvian dishes with locally sourced ingredients.
Meals are designed to support the ayahuasca work, following traditional dietary restrictions that enhance the medicine’s effectiveness while providing proper nourishment. The culinary experience honors both ceremonial tradition and guest comfort—featuring three prepared meals daily with accommodation for dietary restrictions.
Travel & Arrival Details
- 📍 Venue Locations: Tarapoto, Peruvian Amazon
- ✈️ Airport Transportation: Tarapoto Airport (TPP) – 1.5-hour flight from Lima
Arrival Process:
- Fly to Lima (LIM) internationally
- Take domestic connection to Tarapoto (arrive at least one day early to rest)
- Stay at our designated pickup hotel
- Group transport departs hotel at 11:30 AM on Day 1 (20-minute drive)
Travel Tips:
- Bring pristine USD bills for balance payment
- Light-colored ceremony clothing recommended
- Biodegradable toiletries only
- Rain gear
- Comprehensive travel insurance is mandatory
CLINICAL & CEREMONIAL TEAM
HEALERS & FACILITATORS
Shipibo Healers
Maestro Gabriel (Niwe – “Wind/Air”)
Experience:
- 15 years serving medicine publicly
- Trained by father from age 11
- Hundreds of ceremonies facilitated
Training:
- Traditional Shipibo lineage training
- Extensive master plant dietas
- Specialized in light-based healing
Approach:
Maestro Gabriel specializes in light-based healing and protective icaros. His work emphasizes clarity, protection, and connection to plant spirits through powerful traditional songs.
Signature Plant: Noya Rao – powerful teacher of light, healing, protection
Languages: Shipibo, Spanish
Maestra Tania (Neten Yaca – “Bright World”)
Experience:
- 13+ years with ayahuasca
- From remote Shipibo village of Roaboya
- Family lineage of healers
Training:
- Traditional family lineage training
- Extensive master plant dietas
- Specialized in traditional women’s healing wisdom
Approach:
Maestra Tania brings deep traditional women’s healing wisdom from her remote village upbringing. Her work honors ancestral knowledge and feminine healing practices within Shipibo tradition.
Signature Plant: Marosa, Piñon Colorado, Shiwahuaco
Languages: Shipibo, Spanish
Maestra Sulmira (Siniveri – “All Equal”)
Experience:
- 23+ years treating with medicinal plants
- Started dieting at age 13
- Trained by father Melchiade Vela Lomas a renowned regional healer
Training:
- Multi-generational family lineage
- Decades of master plant dietas
- Known for healing across all ages
Approach:
Maestra Sulmira brings over two decades of deep plant medicine knowledge. She is known for her ability to work with participants of all ages and backgrounds, treating each person’s unique healing needs with equal care and wisdom.
Signature Plant: Piñon Colorado, Albahaca, Bobinsana, Waira Caspi
Languages: Shipibo, Spanish
Maestro Jorge (Iscumeni – “Beautiful World”)
Experience:
- 30+ years total healing work
- 8 years as tobaquero
- 25+ years with ayahuasca
Training:
- Traditional tobacco healing
- Extensive ayahuasca training
- Specialized in tree medicines
Approach:
Maestro Jorge specializes in tobacco healing integrated with ayahuasca work. His decades of experience with both sacred tobacco and ayahuasca create a powerful combined healing approach rooted in traditional practice.
Signature Plant: Huacapurana, Icoja, Chuchuhuasi, Tamamuri, Murure
Languages: Shipibo, Spanish
Lead Facilitators
Vlad — General Manager & Lead Facilitator
Experience:
- 14 years Peru-based
- Co-owner since 2022
- Temple of the Way of Light (5 years)
- Mestizo tabaquero healing in Iquitos (3 years)
- Quechua/San Pedro medicine (4 years)
- Bwiti/Iboga in Gabon (4 months)
- Soltara facilitator
Training:
- Master’s in Liberal Studies focusing on sustainable societies
- Extensive cross-cultural plant medicine training
- Multiple healing modalities
Approach:
Vlad creates safe containers bridging traditional wisdom with modern understanding. His diverse experience across multiple plant medicine traditions informs his comprehensive, culturally sensitive facilitation approach.
Languages: English, Czech, Spanish
Kasey — Lead Facilitator
Experience:
- 15 years with Huachuma and Ayahuasca
- 7 years with Shipibo families
- Maintains bio-dynamic gardens using permaculture
Training:
- Master’s in Art Education
- Degree in Sound Therapy
- Specialized in herbalism, flower essences, astrology, shamanic practices
Approach:
Kasey specializes in sound healing, herbalism, and creating nurturing containers for deep transformation. Her expertise in multiple healing modalities enriches the retreat experience with comprehensive holistic support.
Languages: English, Spanish
Matty — Facilitator
Experience:
- 7 years plant medicine journey
- Former self-defense instructor and MMA fighter (25+ years)
- Heroic Hearts Project specialist
Training:
- Expert in breathing exercises and meditation
- Specialized in movement practices
- Trauma-informed veteran support
Approach:
Matty specializes in veteran and trauma support through Heroic Hearts Project. His background in martial arts and discipline-based practices brings a grounded, structured approach to healing work, particularly effective for military veterans and those with PTSD.
Languages: English
MEDICINE INFORMATION
Primary Medicine: Traditional Ayahuasca
Source: Banisteriopsis caapi vine + Psychotria viridis leaf
Preparation:
- Prepared fresh by Shipibo maestros using traditional methods
- All ingredients grown on-property or sustainably sourced locally
- Traditional cooking process honors ceremonial protocols
Environment:
The Maloka:Sacred circular ceremonial hut with conical roof optimizing icaro acoustics. Multiple attached bathrooms for easy access during purging. Comfortable floor cushions, mattresses, blankets, and buckets provided.
Setting:Pristine jungle surroundings with natural sounds of wildlife, creek, and wind in trees. Off-grid location ensures complete darkness for ceremonies and deep connection to nature.
Atmosphere:Traditional Shipibo ceremonial practice conducted with reverence, authenticity, and safety. Intimate group size (maximum 12) creates close-knit healing community.
Philosophy:
La Medicina operates within authentic Shipibo tradition—an indigenous lineage from Ucayali region with hundreds of years of ayahuasca work. All healers have completed extensive dietas (samati) with master plants to become Onanyas (ones who know). Icaros are gifts from plant spirits or passed through lineage. The medicine is viewed as teacher, healers as channels, participants as active agents in their own healing.
Safety Record:No one has ever died or been seriously harmed at La Medicina.
FINE DETAILS
All Retreats Include:
- ✅ All Meals
- ✅ Accommodation
- ✅ Vomitivo: Purging body preparation
- ✅ Daily Yoga: Morning and pre-ceremony sessions
- ✅ Ceremonies: 3, 4, or 5 with dieta depending on program
- ✅ Daily Flower Baths: Traditional cleansing before ceremonies
- ✅ Transportation: Round-trip transport between Tarapoto and retreat center
- ✅ Education & Integration: Orientation, ayahuasca education, and integration talks
- ✅ Healer Consultations: Individual sessions with Shipibo healers
- ✅ 24/7 Maloka Access
- ✅ Nature Access: Jungle paths, master plants, library, communal spaces
- ✅ Hammock
- ✅ Drinking Water: Spring-fed
- ✅ Facilitator Support: All guidance and support
- ✅ Integration Resources: Post-retreat materials
What’s NOT Included:
- ❌ International Flights: To Lima
- ❌ Domestic Flights: Lima ↔ Tarapoto
- ❌ Hotel Accommodations: In Tarapoto (before/after retreat)
- ❌ Insurance: Travel and medical insurance (mandatory)
- ❌ Personal Items: Toiletries, medications
- ❌ Tips/Gratuities: For staff (optional but appreciated)
- ❌ Shipibo Artwork: Purchases at market
- ❌ Medical Expenses: If emergency evacuation occurs
REVIEWS & TESTIMONIALS
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9.5/10 Average Rating
Overall Satisfaction: 91% exceeded expectations | 82% would return
Guest Testimonials
“Life-changing transformation in the jungle”
“Coming to La Medicina was the best decision I made to becoming a better person. They provide all the comforts while allowing a fully immersive experience in the jungle where the medicine is from. The facilitators are supportive, compassionate and hold space effectively. The healers and medicine are powerful agents of transformation. My journey was beyond profound and life-changing.If you are called to sit with the medicine, I cannot recommend La Medicina enough.”— Sophie, New Zealand
“Deepest healing of three ayahuasca retreats”
“This was my 3rd ayahuasca retreat. The healing was deeper and stronger at La Medicina—possibly due to the Maestro and Maestra’s many years of dietas, being in the jungle, and disconnecting from the world. For the first time I feel like my ayahuasca work is complete. The group size is wonderfully small—max 12. Kasey and Vlad are amazing guides. Maestro Gabriel and Maestra Tanya almost seem like magical unicorns who create the most safe container for healing.
I trust and 110% recommend La Medicina.”— Tara, United States
“Magical sanctuary for profound self-discovery”
“Traveling from Munich, what unfolded was nothing short of magical. Beyond powerful ceremonies, La Medicina is a sanctuary for profound self-discovery. The facilitators demonstrated extraordinary sensitivity, creating trust and understanding. Each ceremony revealed layers of myself I hadn’t encountered. The final revelation: ‘Love like there is no tomorrow, because there isn’t. It’s always now.’
To anyone contemplating the journey, I wholeheartedly affirm it is worth every mile traveled.”— Daniel, Germany
“Incomparable experience with traditional Shipibo medicine”
“We chose La Medicina to experience traditional Shipibo plant medicine without compromising safety, comfort or hygiene. The high-jungle location with fewer pests, mild climate, hot showers and easy hospital access put us at ease. We have previously attended a retreat elsewhere, which was great but this experience was incomparable.
I have no doubt about where I’ll be going for my next plant medicine retreat.”— Conner, Canada/New Zealand
Summary of Reviews:
Across all reviews, participants consistently highlight:
- Authentic Shipibo tradition: Experienced maestros with decades of training
- Safe, professional container: Comprehensive facilitation and medical screening
- Life-changing results: Profound healing from trauma, depression, anxiety
- Pristine jungle setting: Off-grid immersion enhances medicine work
- Intimate group size: Maximum 12 creates close healing community
- Skilled facilitators: Vlad, Kasey, and Matty provide exceptional support
- Powerful medicine: Traditional preparation and authentic ceremony
- Integration support: Tools and practices for lasting transformation
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
About The Retreat
-
Q: What language is spoken?
A: English is primary facilitation language. Shipibo healers speak Shipibo and Spanish; facilitators translate when needed. Spanish helpful but not required.
-
Q: Is WiFi available?
A: No—intentional digital detox. No WiFi or cell service allows deep immersion without external distractions.
-
Q: What activities are available during downtime?
A: Morning/pre-ceremony yoga, jungle walks, visiting master plants, 850+ book library, chiloka (communal space with instruments, puzzles, chess), journaling, hammock time, creek exploration, meditation, creative arts.
-
Q: Can I attend alone or should I bring someone?
A: Both work well. Many attend alone and form deep bonds. Small groups (max 12) create intimacy regardless. Coming with a partner provides built-in support, but everyone’s journey is individual.
-
Q: Do you offer Master Plant Dietas?
A: Yes—15-day program including 5 ceremonies, 5-day dry fast in isolation, work with traditional master plants. For experienced practitioners ready for serious commitment. Post-dieta restrictions last 3 months minimum. Maximum 10 participants.
Logistics
-
Q: Which airport?
A: Tarapoto Airport (TPP). International travelers fly to Lima (LIM) first, then domestic connection (1.5 hours). Arrive at least one day early to rest.
-
Q: What are age restrictions?
A: Minimum 18 years. No upper age limit, but health screening more stringent for older participants (especially cardiovascular health).
-
Q: What’s the typical weather?
A: Tropical climate, 75-90°F (24-32°C) year-round. Rainy season: December-May. Dry season: June-November. High humidity always. Pack rain gear.
-
Q: How can family contact me in emergency?
A: Family/friends can contact La Medicina via in**@*********na.com or phone. Provide emergency contacts with our information before departure. Participants cannot be reached directly during retreat due to off-grid location.
-
Q: Do you offer financial aid?
A: Not typically for public retreats. We work with Heroic Hearts Project providing veteran scholarships. Veterans should contact Heroic Hearts directly.
PRICING & BOOKING
Retreat Pricing by Accommodation
Accommodation Type:Eco-Tambos
6-Day: $1,860
8-Day: $2,220
10-Day: $2,560
15-Day Dieta: $2,600
Accommodation Type:Casa Nueva
6-Day: $2,140
8-Day: $2,700
10-Day: $3,260
15-Day Dieta: $2,600
Accommodation Type:Casa Vista
6-Day: $2,500
8-Day: $3,100
10-Day: $3,760
15-Day Dieta: $2,600
Accommodation Type:Casa Huéspedes
6-Day: $2,620
8-Day: $3,280
10-Day: $3,960
15-Day Dieta: $2,600
Accommodation Type:Studio Suites
6-Day: $2,860
8-Day: $3,560
10-Day: $4,240
15-Day Dieta: $2,600