Ayahuasca $100 - $2,000

Aya Madre Healing Center

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Aya Madre is a shamanic healing center outside of Iquitos, Peru. It is owned and operated by master Shipibo shaman Estela Pangoza and her family. Maestra Estela is a renowned healer who works with the power of ayahuasca and mother nature as part of an ancient system of holistic treatment. Come heal your physical, emotional and/or spiritual illnesses, and connect more deeply to nature, yourself and higher states of well-being.

Maestra Estela has owned this property and been hosting a wide range of guests, clients and patients for over 5 years. In 2018 the center was officially founded as “Aya Madre.” Maestra Estela’s vision is to open a space deep in the heart of the jungle for people from the around the world to experience the deep and profound healing of mother nature.

While “ayahuasca tourism” has boomed in the Amazon jungle, with tourists seeking the sometimes thrilling visions ayahuasca can offer, Maestra Estela practices a traditional form of Shipibo plant medicine. This tradition sees ayahuasca as one of many master plants which along with a range of other plant treatments, can act as a powerful diagnostic tool, purgative, and ultimately, help us connect more deeply with the healing power within ourselves and all around us. This form of Shipibo plant medicine has been practiced for thousands of years, and at Aya Madre guests will be immersed in the full system of healing under Maestra Estela’s care and guidance.

As far as we know, this center is unique in being 100% owned and operated by a female, indigenous shaman. This is no small task in a world of shamanism dominated by men. Maestra Estela provides a safe, nurturing, empowering environment where you can experience the deep healing of the jungle, Ayahuasca, and the Shipibo plant tradition.

Reviews (44)

4.3 out of 5

Overall 4.3

Bob_p
August 26, 2023 at 3:56 pm

This was my second time at Aya Madre and just like the first time it was a truly amazing experience. Maestra Estela knows exactly what medicinal plants to use for a tailor-made dieta and healing. Adding to the experience is being in the Amazone Jungle amidst an authentic Shipibo tribe and learning their traditions. Going to Aya Madre has been life-changing. I can imagine that for some visitors it might be a culture shock and difficult to adapt but come with an open mind, be proactive, and trust the process. Remember, we are being welcomed into their culture and lands to help us to heal. Let’s be grateful. Gracias Familia!
loveisforever
July 22, 2023 at 12:56 pm

After being a volunteer at Ayamadre for 2 months I could not leave a negative comment. After reading all previous comments I feel myself obligated to share my honest experience. I have extensively talked with maestra Estela about the comments and trying to clarify why some patients left with a bad taste. Concerning the situation with maestro Andres, that situation I must say was not handled the best way it could have been. I have spoken with maestra about how the situation should have been treated to avoid this ever happening again. Maestro Andrés has not been at the center for June and July and maestra assured me that he will not be coming back. Right now Maestro Gilberto, a very lovely 70 year old with so much experience accompanies maestra Estela in ceremony. All my ceremonies have been exactly what I needed and I am so grateful for both of them. I became quite close with the whole family and feel really cared for. I got to know the people that work at the center as more than workers, staff, and Maestros, I got to know them as so much more. They do not live for the patient, they also have their own lives. Of course they will take care of you and provide everything you need but it’s not always possible to do something from one day to another. Patience is required and going with the flow is the only sane way to live here. Volunteers are responsible for communicating to the maestra if there are plants or food missing and when that communication is missing then problems may arise. I have told maestra about all these comments and the importance of making sure that none of it happens again. While I’ve been here for retrying has been smooth. Maestra estela is in charge of everything at the center and within her big family, so do be patient if you have to remind her of something. She also had just had surgery which I believe might have forced her to miss on some ceremonies but since I’ve been here she has been in ceremonies. So that is only one example of how we can’t always see the full picture. I am a woman and would not want other women to come if I felt unsafe in any way. But based on my experience everything has been good and the only discomforts I felt were that of my own process (to be expected). In coming here you are not supporting the simple commercialization of ayahuasca, but rather supporting a healing center. All the money is managed by Maestra estela and goes towards the patients needs, paying the maestros and supporting her large family. This is not corporate world like other center, but individuals receiving healing and giving back to the communities that provide that healing. Thank you for reading and please do reach out if you would like more clarifications or if I missed something crucial.
overture74
May 7, 2023 at 1:09 pm

My experience was 50-50. I decided to visit this center after. referral from a friend who had spent 3 + months as a volunteer at this center during pre-pandemic days. I signed up for a 4-week diet. I really wanted to work with with a woman shaman during the day. For the first 2 weeks, all the ceremonies were nighttime. This was very disappointing. After new pasajeros arrived, with a some effort from my side we managed to get 4 day time ceremonies for the remaning 2 weeks, Since Maestra collects 50% of the balance due right after the initial consult. & there is no refund if you want to leave the center. You are stuck with it. The food served was utterly disappointing. We had to cook one of the days. There is no accountability at this center. This is a revolving door of volunteers. Your experience at the center also depends on the volunteers. If you don’t know Spanish, the volunteer is the conduit between you and; Maestra. There were 3 other male maestros. One of them, appeared very distracted by women pasajeros. I learned this place is also a revolving door of male maestros. Solo female travelers- approach this center with caution. The icaros at times sounded like a cacophony at the Belin Market, and I had a very difficult time connecting with it. All the Maestros appeared yelling at the top of their voice. I had a difficult time even hearing the icaros sung to me. . They offer San Pedro ceremonies on Friday. I personally had powerful experience with San Pedro ceremony in Sacred Valley, The 4-day time Ayahausca ceremonies with Maestra were very very good. I got the most of out it. I was grateful to experience the healing from light. These ceremonies changed my view of Ayahausca experience. I’m a big fan of experiencing medicine during the day. I carried with me that blissful feeling and lessons when I left the center.. Bottom line- This is not a center that offers only day time ceremonies. It’s a mix. You are taking a chance. Depending on the duration of your stay, you may never get to experience day time ceremony. .The website is inaccurate. First-timers, -especially women, go with a companion. The center is very remote.
ayapath4
May 6, 2023 at 10:48 am

It is not easy to put all my negative experiences in this center together in one review but I will give it a try, so people will know what they are going into, as it is an overrated place because of just one documentary, which does not reflect the reality of now.

First of all, I want to say that I have been to many retreat centers and this was the most disorganized and the one where guests are the least cared about. Actually all they care about is money. First, we went there especially for Maestra (we are a couple experienced with medicine), but we barely saw her. There were 2, sometimes 3 other Maestros in the ceremonies, which I am not sure about their expertness, as they were all singing the same Icaros to everyone, all the time, with their laud voices, which most of the time feels like they were angry and just shouting, whether there is someone in front of them or not. They start singing all together, all through the ceremony, without any break. And their Icaros not even beautiful, sorry.

Maestra might be good at what she is doing, her Icaros is good, but the center is managed very poorly and you do not even see her around, sometimes she is not even in the ceremonies, so I did not get the point why we were there. The food you will get is probably the simplest, just some, and same, veggies and soup every night. Sometimes they even forget you, or cook very late. You must feel lucky if you get any fruits from time to time. The plants they give you for the dieta is most of the time missing (you go there for plants, but there are no plants), it takes days to bring them (which actually center is not very deep in the jungle, the staff travels to city all the time but somehow they do not bring the plants or food you paid for). And also real Dieta is not done in this way. Maestra gives you 5 or 6 plants, which should not happen in a dieta. If you want to go for a real dieta, you should do it only with 1 plant, in an isolated space. They sell this retreats as a dieta, but it is a lie in this case. They even cook pasta, which should not be even in just ayahuasca dieta. This is the care they give about you.

Apart from these, as I learned after from another visitors, one of the Maestros, who is from the family, had abused a woman guest. I was not planning to write about my experience until I learned this. The center is owned by a woman but I don’t think it is a safe space for women, if a Shaman from her family sees the right on himself to do this, it means Maestra creates space for it. And the place is also full of male workers, who just cut the trees all day to build new facilities. It is just uncomfortable.

This center might be cheaper than many others but this is the quality that you get.
afellowtraveler
April 19, 2023 at 9:10 am

In early 2023, Maestro Andres (who from my understanding is Maestra Estela’s nephew) was one of the shamans participating in ceremonies at Aya Madre. He rubbed quite a few people who came to the center the wrong way with his repetitive icaros (he seemed to sing basically the exact same icaro in every ceremony to every single participant), strange ceremony behavior (e.g., falling asleep, sitting with his legs spread wide open), and questionable interactions with women (suggestive commentary, hugging, and trying to remain in touch with them after they left the center).

Though he made some people uncomfortable, I don’t think any of us thought he would cause real harm. Then, we learned that he had unprotected sex with one of the female visitors to the center when she was feeling strong after effects of the medicine and wasn’t in a normal state of mind (i.e., could not give proper consent).

In my humble opinion, this is an egregious betrayal of the trust that is placed in the shamans we work with and a very serious form of abuse.

I’ve been to Aya Madre multiple times and experienced much healing at the hands of Maestra Estela. I have (and will continue to have) deep appreciation for what she has done for me personally as well as respect and admiration for her as a shaman.

However, after this event has taken place, I no longer feel safe and comfortable at the center and will not be returning there in the future. I also can’t in good conscience recommend female guests to come to the center as given the way things are currently run and operated (e.g., multiple visiting male shamans coming to the center and having access to the entire grounds), there isn’t much preventing such an event from recurring.

At the time of writing this, Maestra Estela had been made aware of the situation and though she said she would no longer work with Maestro Andres, nothing else had been done and Maestro Andres was still planning on opening his own center in the summer. Worse, the stories that were shared surrounding the incident afterwards were that it only happened “in a vision” or didn’t happen at all, which frankly seems like a coverup to try to protect the reputation of the center and prevent people from learning what actually took place.

Being under the influence of a powerful hallucinogenic such as ayahuasca can make one really vulnerable and affect normal decision-making, so it’s critically important that taking these substances is done in a safe and protected environment. Please do your own research, read reviews, and speak to previous attendees and volunteers of centers to ensure that the place you choose to go to will truly be a healing experience.