Ayahuasca $2,500 - $4,500

Arkana Spiritual Center

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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

boydlena
February 16, 2020 at 10:50 am

I loved everything about my Ayahuasca journey with Arkana! This center does a wonderful job making you feel at home and part of the family, providing gentle support and encouragement in facing what you have come for – either clearing, healing or rebooting. The shamans are amazing: the trust they have with Ayahuasca and their icaros are simply otherworldly. Each Ayahuasca ceremony was mind-blowing – authentic and powerful, thanks to the presence of the shamans and all of the facilitators. They carry you through every step of the process: from setting up an intention, holding space, icaros, bringing you back and integration. Waking up to the primordial forces of Life could be both beautiful and difficult, and I believe is important for the healing and evolution of our souls. I would recommend Arkana to any solo-woman traveler
Jes38
February 15, 2020 at 4:13 pm

I went to Arkana’s ayahuasca retreat in November 2019. I can’t say that it was an easy week but it change. my. life. The space is absolutely beautiful, the facilitators have an incredible amount of wisdom and make you feel SO safe and loved. The food was healthy and delicious, I couldn’t recommend Arkana enough. Put together so well. I’ve never been happier and healthier now that I have some time in to the integration process. If you’ve gotten the call to ayahuasca, Arkana is the place to go!
I went to Arkana’s ayahuasca retreat in November 2019. I can’t say that it was an easy week but it changed. my. life. The space is absolutely beautiful, the facilitators have an incredible amount of wisdom and make you feel SO safe and loved. The food was healthy and delicious, I couldn’t recommend Arkana enough. Put together so well. I’ve never been happier and healthier now that I have some time in to the integration process. If you’ve gotten the call to ayahuasca, Arkana is the place to go!

Admin’s note: This review was edited for over-capitalization, but the original content has otherwise been left in-tact.
Jonesbc82
February 15, 2020 at 3:17 am

The following retreat took place January 5th-11th.

My stay at Arkana Spiritual retreat got off to a rocky start. I got sick during the Kambo ceremony and chose not to participate in the retreats first Ayahuasca ceremony of the new year. Arkana was not at fault with me getting sick. I made an error on how I wanted the venom administered into my system. Normally, the Kambo administer would inject two small doses of venom in a particular area of a body. It could be the left or right shoulder, knee, ankle and etc. Or one could have an injection different areas of the body. In my case, I had him inject the first dose of venom in my right shoulder and the second injection on my left knee. I realized hours later this was a mistake because I had not purged enough of the venom out of my system. I thought I did, but this wasn’t the case. So instead of feeling refreshed and energized due to the venom’s ability to remove toxins out of my body, instead it made me feel fatigued, dizzy and bloated due to the venom remaining in my system. The Shamans and facilitators were able to fix me, but it was not a fun experience and I learned my lesson. The next time I partake in a Kambo ceremony, stick to one area of the body! At least in my opinion. I also regret not taking part in the Ayahuasca ceremony regardless of my illness from residual residue of the Kambo. I shouldn’t have been afraid because Ayahuasca is a healing agent, not a curse. I think the lesson here is regardless of your level of sickness, the plant medicine is there to help you, not hurt you.

So my second Ayahuasca ceremony was my first ceremony and again I made some mistakes that made my experience somewhat uncomfortably intense.

I think during the second ceremony I tried to hard to make up for that first ceremony. I tried to hard to make it work. I tried to force the process and did not let the plant medicine properly work it’s magic. I learned through research that purging is a method used by the plant medicine to cleanse the body of negative emotions, stress and physical toxins. Due to my eagerness to make up for the first ceremony, I tried to force myself to purge. Sometimes I would stick my hand down my throat or drink a lot of water in an attempt to expedite the process. This is NOT what you are suppose to do during the ceremony. You do NOT stick your hand down your throat, and you never drink water during the ceremony. Water enhances the effects of the medicine on your mind and body. When the ceremony was over my stomach was in a lot of pain due to my actions. Thankfully(and once again) the Shamans and facilitators made me better.

Now don’t get me wrong, the ceremony wasn’t a complete disaster. As a matter of fact it was rather insightful. I just wish I’d been more patient and not try to force the magic, but let the magic come when it is ready to come. Remember, Ayahuasca is the teacher, you are the student. Be the student! Don’t interrupt the teacher or she will “interrupt” you!

My third ceremony at Arkana went much better than the second. Instead of being anxious and on red alert, I simply lied down to freely allow the medicine to do it’s work. I don’t remember exactly everything that happened, but what I do know is the medicine worked more on healing my body on a physical level than on a spiritual or emotional level. When the ceremony was over I was extremely tired and was still “tripping” from the medicine, while most of the other people in the group were chatting about their experience in a gleeful manner. Anyway, I eventually made it to my room and the next morning I felt pretty good.

The last and final ceremony was by far the most profound and enlightening experience of my entire week at the Arkana retreat. Since it was the last ceremony of the retreat I took a larger dose of Ayauhasca. Add that along with the presence of a full moon probably amplified the experience of the ceremony 10 fold. I was able to go deeper with the medicine and saw things that blew my mind. I saw a type of code designed in somewhat of an alien like manner. I saw the galaxy slowly expand before my very eyes, but I didn’t just see the galaxy, I was a PART of the galaxy. It was beautiful thing to witness, yet frightening and very overwhelming. It was a power I was not sure I was capable of handling nor was I sure if I wanted to wield such power.

I’m not sure what else happened after that, but I do remember the deeper I went the more I felt I was losing my sense of humanity. I felt like I was turning into something akin to an animal or a lizard. I am not sure how I cam to this realization, but I decided I needed to regain my sense of humanity so I started taking deep breaths. I would breathe deeply and slowly until I got my body under control. Once my body was under control I was able to sit up in a somewhat ugly lotus position and in that ugly position I continued to breathe deeply and slowly doing my best to send healing energy to others who needed help. The songs the Shamans would sing during the ceremony were a HUGE help. Their kind and lovely melody really kept me grounded. It kept me sane. This ceremony felt longer than usual and I don’t know if it WAS longer than usual, all I know is I felt exhausted yet incredibly satisfied because through the ups and downs of my madness I found the answer to my intention. I wanted to know how I could better treat other people as if they loved me. Now the answer I got might be obvious to many, but to me it was somewhat of a revelation. The medicine told me to help other and put their needs first. Not all the time, but just enough to show them you appreciate them and that you see them for who they are. You see them, you know them and you love them and if they ever need anything you will be there for them to help them if the need it, love them if you can.

I took a half a cup of Ayahuasca during my first and second ceremony. My third and final ceremony of the week I took a 3/4th cup. I admit taking part in this retreat was somewhat nerve racking because I was not sure what the medicine was going to show me. I wasn’t sure if it was going to show me a horror movie or a movie full of love, hope and happiness. I guess you can say it gave me a bit of both, but looking back, I realized I could have gone MUCH deeper with the medicine. Weight and size(I weigh 120lbs) does not matter with Mother Ayahuasca because all she cares about is your intention and motivation. If you are honest with her, she will be honest with you in a firm but loving manner. She will not hurt nor harm you, but will shock you if she feels you need a wake up call.

I hope to someday come back to Arkana and when I do I intend to go deeper with the medicine. If I stay for a week I will attempt to increase my dosage of Ayahuasca each ceremony by one cup. If I go this route, I will attempt to drink 4 cups of the medicine on the fourth and final ceremony(if the Shamans allow me to do so). Taking four cups might be a little extreme, but it has been done before and will be done again in the years to come. If I stay for two weeks(Arkana one week/Sacred Valley the next) I will increase my dosage by half a cup. And again, if I go this route, by the seventh and final ceremony I will attempt to take 4 cups of Ayahuasca(again, with the Shamans blessings).

I’m not doing this to brag or pound my chest. I’m just tired of being afraid to attempt to be the person I know I can be. I’m afraid to step out of my comfort zone. I’m afraid to be free. I think the only way to overcome that fear is to face it head on. I need to let the medicine take me to the deep end of the water and force me to swim my way out. I want to be challenged. I want to be pushed to my maximum limit to the extent that if I survive this ordeal I will come to better understand and fully appreciate the beauty and preciousness of freedom. I will understand it. I will love it and I will not be afraid to embrace it in my everyday life and not worry what others may think, say or do when I act this way because I’ve been on dark side of the moon for too damn long and I want to see the sunny side of Venus if only for a minute to tell her that I love her and hope she can love me despite all my flaws, fears and imperfections.

I hope this review has been helpful to you and I hope you will learn from my mistakes, my victories, my struggles and my joys during my stay at Arkana. Mother Ayahuasca is a beautiful medicine and I wish I had the power and ability to give it to those who need it more than I do because the world if filled with those who need it more than the dark side of the moon needs them.

Brian Jones

Admin note: This review was edited for over-capitalization, but the original content has been left in-tact.
junglechu78
February 15, 2020 at 2:30 am

Last fall, I was privileged to attend Arkana’s combined two week program; starting my first week in the jungle and finishing in the Sacred Valley. I could not find a better place for me , this has been without a doubt the most transformational two weeks of my existence and I will be forever grateful to these people for helping me get my life back.

I grew up in a broken home, physically and mentally abused by an alcoholic father. Early on I turned to all kinds of drugs to escape my reality at home. This sent me in a downward spiral where I lost myself for years. I tried different solutions, in and out of rehab clinics to no avail. I was in a very desperate situation and at times thought of ending my life. It wasnt until a friend of mine last summer recommended that I look into Ayahuasca. After doing thorough research I settled for Arkana because of their stellar reviews and their program that offered different medicines.

From the very first moment where I exchanged emails with Liliana, I knew this was the right place for me, she kindly answered all of my questions and encouraged me to attend to get healed. Upon my arrival to Iquitos, my last minute nerves and anxiety quickly dissipated as soon as I met Jose and the rest of his team. Every single detail was taken care of with flawless execution, from the check in, to the transportation, the meals, the welcome reception. It was as if I was coming home to the jungle. The ceremonies in the jungle, were intense and some quite difficult. I had to face all of the darkness Ive accumulated over the years with my addiction. Maestra Justina their main shaman, a lovely old woman that embodies the wisdom of the plants never gave up on me. Like a skilled surgeon she helped me clean all of my trauma and all of my demons. As the week progressed the dark veil started to lift and I could see light at the end of the tunnel.

During my second week I continued my treatment in the Sacred Valley with Justina’s brother Maestro Armando. He helped me reconnect with my true self I lost many years ago and forgive myself for all the harm Ive caused to others. The highlight of my two weeks was Sapo (5MeO DMT) which connected me back to source and gave me a perspective on what universal consciousness really means. I found that their program is carefully orchestrated and all of the medicines / activities work in tandem to produce the best possible outcome.

For the first time in years, Im happy to be alive and excited about the future. Arkana’s Ayahuasca retreat gave me a new perspective on life and for that I will be forever grateful. Thank you to all of people that were a part of my journey: Jose, Fernanda, Gloria, Emilie, Justina, Armando. Im proud to call you family. Please keep doing the work you are doing, keep spreading your love and light to a world that desperately needs it.

Ayahuasca is not a magic overnight pill that cures all, but for those of you willing to face your worst darkness and put in the work, the payoff is totally worth it all. If you feel the calling, please do yourself a favor and book with Arkana, you will be in the hands of the most skilled healers who will always have your best interest at heart. Read past any outlier reviews and find comfort in the hundreds of reviews of people who like me turned their lives around.

As a final note I want to comment on the group size. I read some people commenting about the ceremony being too full, my take on this was completely opposite. To me being in a group of 18 people was a big plus to my experience. You share very intimate moments with your new family, and I could really feel the love from each individual, I thoroughly enjoyed that. In my mind a crowded ceremony is a place with 80 people like they do in a very well known center in Costa Rica.

If you have any questions please email me at jasonjchu78@gmail.com Ill be happy to talk to you about my experience.
morganzs
February 14, 2020 at 7:53 pm

Arkana’s an adventure love story. You are in the middle of the Amazon jungle. You are Jonah and the Whale swallows you whole. Inside the whale is a shaman. The shaman is the Great Mother. She’s your spirit guide. You have no reason to fear. Parts of you will die off like deadwood, and in their place will bloom love, meaning and wonder. It is the eternal death and rebirth. Anybody that has truly affected humankind has had a withdrawal + return cycle. Each citizen of Ancient Greece participated in the Eleusinian mysteries. It was a rite of passage. If you’re hearing the call, then your rite of passage is Ayahuasca.

This place is sacred. There’s not many sacred places left. Arkana fills you with awe. It offers you an inexhaustible source of transformative insight. You’ll encounter spirits you never thought were real, and wise elders you’ve been dying to meet. I dream of making love to Emilie’s soul! Jose is the heroic father I never had, a true beacon of light radiating through the entire planet, through all of us, Arkana’s children. I’ve made lifelong friends. We all continue to share music, pain, grief, insights, journeys and love. Plants are great teachers. I am eternally grateful for Arkana, the people, Ayahuasca, 5-MEO Sapo. Every moment since I left has confirmed that Arkana is an integral part of our story, the one that changes the western dream of dominating nature and shows us the one real truth – the interrelatedness of all being. SOHUM.