Ayahuasca $2,500 - $4,500

Arkana Spiritual Center

Contact for $5

Overview
Reviews
Add Review

Our Program
At Arkana, we create the space for you to get in touch with your truth, opening your path for deeper meaning and greater fulfillment in your life. We work with ancestral medicines such as Ayahuasca, San Pedro, Bufo Alvarius, Rapé , using the traditional practices of the indigenous cultures of the Peruvian Amazon. We currently operate two centers in Peru, one in the Peruvian Amazon and a second one in the Sacred Valley (close to Machu Picchu), and one in Mexico, the choice is yours.

With great respect for the plants and the knowledge and healing that comes with them, our lineage of Shipibo shamans set the stage for truly deep and profound healing. Awaken your inner power through their sacred and powerful icaros (healing songs), and discover your connection to all things by exploring some of the 2.2 million hectare Pacaya Samiria National Reserve which is our backyard. Nourish your body and soul with fresh, clean, delicious meals that promote your Ayahuasca experience, and integrate healthy habits into your routine with our yoga classes and extensive selection of gym equipment for all levels. We believe the health of physical body sets the foundation for the health of the energetic body – Often ignored in this type of spiritual work, we find this to be an important part of the healing process, so you can begin implementing the healthy habits that will carry this work with you into your life back home. Finally, relax your mind and spirit with sound baths, meditations, breathwave sessions, and OM circles, or simply enjoy the tranquil views of both sunrise and sunset from our front porch on the banks of the Ucayali River, surrounded by lush biodiversity and the mesmerizing sounds of the jungle.

Arkana’s exceptional team of highly-trained Shipibo Master Shamans represent an unbroken lineage of plant medicine work. With a combined history of over 70 years of experience working closely with Ayahuasca and other master plant teachers of the jungle, our compassionate healers lovingly share their teachings, healing songs (icaros), capabilities, and knowledge with integrity and honor. We strive to maintain the traditional practices passed down through thousands of years of indigenous Amazonian culture, in order to continue to promote the true purpose and nature of plant medicine work.

Experiencing the medicines with us is a transformative personal journey, and so much more. We also work closely with our local community, the Amazonian village of Libertad, to ensure that our Center can benefit and give back to the people who have so generously let us into their homes and hearts. We create employment opportunities, teach free English classes, provide a space for the ladies to sell their handmade crafts, and assist in construction projects, among other things. Our latest endeavor is outfitting the entire village with free solar panels, so every house can have light and electricity. When you join us, you are helping the rainforest and the Amazon communities that live here.

Guests that come to our Center often say they feel like “part of the family” with us – that’s no coincidence, as we are one big family at Arkana! The people that are with you throughout your experience can simply facilitate your own healing journey or become an integral part of it. Our experienced, loving, and professional team of caregivers welcomes you to join our tribe, where we strive to make you feel at home and at ease, supported and cared for with all the love and compassion that is at the core of the plant medicines and people we work with.

Ayahuasca is a powerful medicine that offers us the opportunity to understand our true nature, by shining a light onto our darkness, and holding a mirror up to our fears, negative thought patterns, and self-limiting beliefs. We provide the environment and expertise of a team of highly skilled, warm, compassionate Shamans and facilitators to guide you through the process of awakening, of choosing differently, healing, and expanding. It is a slow but steady path towards freedom – from fear, from illusion, from self-constructed boundaries – resulting in a lighter, brighter, more authentic self, and the full experience of love. It is our honor to help you on this most fulfilling of all journeys: the journey back home.

We look forward to having you with us!

Lots of Love,
The Team

Reviews (642)

4.9 out of 5

Overall 4.9

buffy
April 7, 2022 at 11:37 pm

I didn’t know what to expect when my friend and I booked a week at Arkana, but I can tell you now that it far exceeded my expectations! They have you arrive the day before the retreat starts to check-in and acclimate yourself to the altitude. It starts off awkward because you don’t know anyone, except for whoever you came with, but that quickly changes within the first day. Over the course of the week, you really bond and get to know the other guests. You can be as cold or as vulnerable as you want, but I encourage the latter if you really want to get some depth out of your experience.

The grounds here was beautiful and conducive to meditation, focus, and relaxation. Angel trumpets and green everything surrounded you in every direction. The dog and cats here were friendly and empathic. The rooms were surprisingly nice. They were minimalistic but gave you everything you needed: a bed, blankets, sheets, towels, lights, a place to charge your electronics, a private bathroom, and a place to put your dirty laundry.

Food, fruit (bananas, peaches, apples, mangos, dragon fruit, etc.), and teas/water is included in the stay, and I gotta say, you can feel that the food was made with love and care. It’s mostly vegan or complies with the dieta, but it was so delicious, especially the chicken chickpea curry dish, quinoa, and salads. No need to bring your own food unless you like to snack on nuts. You will absolutely love the mango here!

Arkana prepares you well for the ayahuasca ceremony, from the moment you step foot on the grounds with a celebration of your presence, to the preparation ceremonies, to the food, and to the environment. There are 3 ayahuasca ceremonies (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday), a San Pedro ceremony on Friday, and an optional Sapo (Bufo) ceremony on Thursday as well throughout the stay. I highly recommend you add the Sapo experience. It’s hard to describe, but while it’s short and intense, it was mind-blowing and life-altering to the core. Any guard you had up during the week will be derailed by a toad. It will show you things you’ve never seen and feelings you didn’t know existed. I was lucky and my Sapo and last ayahuasca ceremony aligned with one another, so it made my journey all the more beautiful.

The ceremonies were beautifully performed. The ayahuasca is portioned to you individually, so they factor in weight, how you felt the previous ceremony, and if you felt you needed more or less depending on your journey. The shamans even perform a personal icaros for you, so it fits exactly what you need. During the ceremony, the shamans sing different icaros, and the facilitators also sing and play musical instruments. And my, do they sing beautifully! It’s even better when you’re under the ayahuasca spell. My only suggestion is to play music (from a playlist of what have you) at the beginning of the ceremony as I felt it would have enhanced the feel of the journey. Some silence is good, but the first hour was a long time of silence.

Lastly, the staff here is amazing. Even the food they make was made with love. Danielle, Tunde, Theo, Canelo, and Julio were exceptionally caring and nurturing and made the experience beautiful from start to finish. They are there for you when you need them and they are there for you when you didn’t know you needed them. They really made the experience and stay so calm and relaxing and handled any issues professionally and with great thought.

If you’re looking for a memorable and spiritually enriching ayahuasca experience, Arkana is the place to go! I would definitely do another retreat with them and already thinking about it! Thank you for making my experience an unforgettable one!
Cory
March 28, 2022 at 1:30 pm

LOOK NO FURTHER! Jose and the Arkana team including each facilitator, and shaman, healers, front and back of house staff were so talented and made you feel so safe, secure, they made sure even the smallest detail was addressed, making me feel so comfortable.

I went to the Sacred Valley location in the Andes. I had elevation sickness for 24-48 hrs. But the Coca leaves and tea mixed with the Muna tea really helped.

The food was incredible, (Jose if you are reading this, please tell the chef to make a cookbook for purchase) The accommodations were great with private bathrooms. The scenery was majestic, and the amount of individual growth I gained in 7 days was insurmountable. I would have never thought that I would look at my experience and the people like my second family.

I’m now working extra hard this year so I can afford to send my wife to Mexico or Sacred Valley. Then I want to go to the Jungle next year.
tcowley
March 27, 2022 at 9:15 pm

It can be pretty overwhelming selecting an ayahuasca retreat in Peru – you are putting trust in people you don’t know to safely guide your healing, and you’ve no doubt heard/seen stories of some unsavoury types working in the area too. With that in mind, please let me put your mind at ease – Arkana is the safest, most nurturing space I think I’ve ever experienced. It blows my mind that thousands of miles away in Peru, I could feel as safe as I do in my own home, maybe even more so.

The owner, Jose, runs such an amazing organization – there is so much attention to detail, so much love and care in every little thing. Right down to coming back to a hot water bottle in my bed after a night ceremony. They have also designed a great program, balancing out the ayahuasca ceremonies with things like sharing circles, hikes, breathwork, yoga, and the added extras of huachuma/san pedro to cap off the week in a really loving way, and sapo, which was life changing (don’t be scared, just speak to Jose and you’ll wan to try it!). The facilitators, shamans, staff, even the cats and dogs are the nicest, most tranquil beings you’ll ever encounter.

I’m so grateful that I pushed past my initial discomfort and picked Arkana Sacred Valley. I was originally torn between the Sacred Valley and the jungle, but walking into the oasis of the Sacred Valley, surrounded by mountains, flowers, butterflies and the flowing river Willkamayu – I knew I had come home. If you feel called to go to Arkana, just do it. When I was researching, I remember read some reviews that said that, and I’m so glad I listened. So I’m upvoting that sentiment for you! Thank you so much Jose, Danielle, Billy, Carolina, Tunde, and everyone at Arkana. You’re all changing lives just by being you.
Benjy S
March 1, 2022 at 11:05 pm

Everything about this place was top notch. From the resort itself to the staff and the facilitators… I can hardly imagine going anywhere else for an ayahuasca retreat. It’s extremely important to have the right people guiding you on this journey, and Arkana gave nothing but the best.

The accomodations were better than I expected them to be. A nice room with a private bathroom. All clean, nice, and well cared for. The food was excellent. The surroundings were gorgeous. Everything you needed was handled. The Sacred Valley location was perhaps missing something to do during your off time, but I think part of the iea is not to keep you too occupied and looking for things to do. You should sit with the experience.

The shamans were absolutely amazing. The experience and wisdom emenating from them was undeniable.

The staff and facilitators were all friendly, knowledgable, and very loving. You feel safe and held by all of them and never feel like you are on this journey alone.

I’ll admit that – personally – mother Ayahuasca did not give me quite the experience I was hoping for… not quite the experience that everyone else around me got. But that’s between me and Mother Aya. The staff, the resort, the location, etc… everything here was top notch, and if you are looking into a place to do ayahuasca, I would highly recommend choosing Arkana, whichever location suits you best. Jose – the owner – clearly put his heart and lifetime’s worth of wisdom into creating these sanctuaries. You are in good hands here.

Dont hesitate. Book now.

Thank you so much to everyone at Arkana, and I hope to see you again asap – when mother aya tells me it’s time.
JeffBakersfield
March 1, 2022 at 1:35 pm

When I arrived at the facility I was a shell of the human after years of addiction I was full of uncertainty, hate and overall felt very alone in this world. Outside of my immediate family I felt nobody cared.
Immediately after arriving to the facility an overwhelming calmness rolled over my body and mind I give 100% credit to the beautiful people that welcomed us to the facility we were met with two local children dressed in traditional garb and dancing a wonderful traditional dance, The two children invited us into the dance where we all held hands dancing in a circle smiling and laughing, I knew at that moment I needed to be there! As the week went on day after day I became closer with my fellow participants (now I consider my extended family) and all of the Arkana staff, at no point during the week through all the trials and tribulations through all the plant medicine I never felt I was alone. If I needed to speak with anyone including the shaman they made themselves available at a moments notice to listen to any concerns that I had. After all of the treatments and wonderful time we spent together. Friday afternoon I was so full of joy and love it was like my heart hurt, this review could honestly be 300 pages long but I want outside people that are looking for fulfillment that are struggling with addiction or overall depression to read this review so I’m going to keep it short. If you are thinking of seeking help and treatment through plant medicine but you have reservation – I would tell you GO don’t overthink it just GO! I am back home now my wife and family they can see the difference on my face I am so happy I went-
To make this an honest review the absolute only thing I felt that should change is the maximum time for this retreat should be 2 weeks, There were a few people that I labeled “ 3 weekers” and the honest reason I say this is because “3 weekers we’re harder to approach and I’ve felt they thought they were almost better than the “newbies” after a few days of course they put their defenses down and we all became very good friends! Much love to all of my new family members and look forward to continuing our long relationship