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

okjadebird
February 23, 2023 at 12:54 pm

In restrospect, I can’t recommend this to folks seeking healing and a fresh perspective on life. The risks are too great and mostly hidden, not talked about in this community of “love and light”. Vulnerable folks who are thinking of going alone, or with people they don’t know that well, should probably stay closer to home.

If you’ve done exhaustive research, taken stock of your own mental & physical health, and still feel that you MUST go, I’d suggest the following:

1) Don’t expect much and 2) Don’t let your guard down. Go with a trusted companion who is much more grounded and much less interested in altered states than you are. Ideally, this person really knows themselves mentally and emotionally, is not desperately seeking a “spiritual experience”, and will protect you should something go awry.

This person should definitely NOT stand to benefit — financially, reputationally, or romantically, for instance — from pursuading you to try risky substances known to lower your defenses and inhibition. Never let anyone convince you to ingest things unless you know they actually have YOUR best interests (over their own) at heart.

This review is based on my experience at Aya Madre and its aftermath. While the 10-day stay itself went smoothly, with time I realized that I’d simply been lucky. A lot could have gone awfully wrong. I’d been lulled by a former manager who worked there into believing that this was ‘a safe place for women traveling solo’. (I guess he was very into wanting to act the “feminist ally”.)

Well, the tambos (small personal huts) had no locks on the doors and only screens as windows. This would be a haven for voyeurs — maybe it has been for a while. There’s a good chance you’ll be ogled.

Be ready for inappropriate, amateurish actions by a staff member. The manager while I was there somehow decided it’d be a good idea to talk about sex dreams the night before. We were 3 women (all under 35, one in her early 20s) and he was the only male (late 30s). THIS was supposed to be our main guide while under the influence of powerful drugs?!

What brings you to Aya Madre is Maestra Estela’s reputation, but the staff (many of them volunteers happy to get free lodging and ‘medicines’) are the ones you’d need to trust. And I’m just not convinced.

Beware of their “No refunds ever” policy, which will make you feel pressured to stay even if you are made very uncomfortable by their actions.

Emotional manipulation, which is often subtle, is also very serious when it comes to mind-altering drugs. Why might it be incredibly prevalent and damaging here?

1. This is a gathering place for folks struggling with inner turmoil and/or emptiness, which makes them vulnerable to being abused (and in some cases abusing others). You don’t have to take my word for it — check out the negative reviews across various retreats.

2. The commercial ayahuasca scene makes for an awkward bunch of incentives and power inequalities. Poor Peruvian people both appreciate and resent the visitors. There is money to be made from these people who are seeking help, who open up about their traumas (leaving them vulnerable to manipulation).
At the same time, the ayahuasca industry has robbed the Peruvian communities of a sacred practice by making it less available to them. This is driven by relationships that are very extractive (both ways) and brief, while laden with lots of meaning. In my view, this is not a setting conducive to safe and deep healing for “seeking” types.

3. There is no oversight (say, by a neutral third party or regulatory agency) to address conflicts and accidents. My recent experience with a so-called “mediator” with Aya Madre was deeply dispiriting and frustrating. There was no willingness to admit mistakes, face issues squarely and remedy them.
One of the agreements that came from the (otherwise impotent) “mediation” was that a new volunteer policy be adopted, one that calls for proper vetting before anyone is hired. A conflict of interest policy would also make sense. It’s been 2 months and that mediator is still dragging his feet on these common sense remedies. It’s pathetic and disrespectful.

Final things to note:

-You will have no internet and almost no phone reception. Nothing about this was on the website until much later. Where is the nearest hospital and how can you be sure you’d get there in an emergency? NO ONE from Aya Madre so much as mentioned any of this.

-Staff turnover is terribly high. This means zero accountability. Your main contact there may not be working there after just a few months, and the new folks just won’t care enough about your concerns.

Sure, it’s more affordable than many other centers. But it means you must take extra precautions, and depending on how well you’re doing, managing all these risks can really get in the way of healing there. Remember, you are paying hundreds of dollars of your hard-earned money for the opportunity. Consider saving it and healing closer to where you are now.
PhoenixRising
October 2, 2022 at 8:28 am

I recently completed my third stay at Aya Madre.

My first two stays (two months last year, five weeks earlier this year) were pure magic. I LOVED the ceremonies, the plants, the retreat grounds (full of so much healing energy!), and Maestra Estela’s healing. The other Maestros were also very knowledgeable, compassionate, and helpful. I truly felt I’d found a spiritual home at last, a place of healing to which I could return again and again.

I am heartbroken to have to use the past tense, as I truly loved Aya Madre, and a part of me still does.

However, it has changed. This recent stay (five weeks) found me at a very different Aya Madre.

It felt rundown, haphazard, disorganized. Treatments and medicines were often promised and never given. My food preferences (not exorbitant ones by any means) were not respected. There was little follow-up with the pasajeros to see how they were doing, leaving some puzzled and adrift. (Though, to her credit, Maestra did always make herself available for questions). The plants we were asked to diet often changed, without explanation.

A specific example: I badly stubbed a toe on a protruding root, possibly breaking it. It got badly swollen and made walking difficult (I still feel it!). Maestra noticed it the next day and did give me a treatment…which was the ONLY treatment anyone would ever give me. No one—not Maestra, not any of the other Maestros—ever again tried to help, even while seeing me hobbling around Aya Madre in visible pain.

Excepting a brief period at the beginning, there was also no admin and no translator. Pasajeros who happened to be fluent in Spanish were thrust into the translator role—which took away from their focus on the dietas and inner work. For the money pasajeros pay to stay there, surely these services should be provided?

The volunteers (and pasajeros unofficially volunteering) were a mixed bag. Some were genuinely kind and did their utmost to help. Others were utter narcissists, monopolizing attention, imposing their warped will on the pasajeros instead of being there to help them, offering opinions where none were requested, etc. One, in particular, repeatedly pressured me to eat meat, which runs contrary to my deeply held beliefs. Being told this did nothing to deter him!

Moreover, the dynamic involving some of the volunteers was weird, as some were from the same geographical area and often hung out together, leading to a clique-ish atmosphere.

And, truth be told, I do not feel healed. Almost all of the ailments I trusted Aya Madre to cure are still there. I noticed little to no improvement in my condition as the days turned into weeks. When told this, Maestra expressed sympathy, and I do believe it was legitimate—but she did very little to actually help.

By far the most shocking, though, was what happened in my fifth and final week.

Not long after I arrived, Maestra Estela said she may call upon a vegetalisto doctor to help me. Nothing happened until the fifth week, when she finally brought one to Aya Madre. We conversed, and he promised to cure me in four sessions.

Now, this should have sent up red flags right away—a true healer NEVER promises a cure.

As the patient, I was desperate for relief and thus overlooked this (lesson learned: never again!). But Maestra Estela should have spotted the red flag straightaway. She did not—or if she did, she said nothing. Instead, she turned me over to his care.

He turned out to be—to put it bluntly—an utter quack. I placed my trust in him (since Maestra Estela trusted him) and received three treatments from him. The result? Not only did my ailments not improve, but one—a skin condition—worsened drastically. Will post a photo below (don’t view while eating!).

The treatment also made me very depleted and rundown. When I brought this up, I was either ignored outright or told to “drink more [insert plant medicine name].” As you may have guessed, the suggested remedy did nothing whatever to help.

Now, I gave it two stars instead of one. This is because one thing remains spectacular and utterly magical: the ceremonies. The medicines, the icaros…just wow. Pure magic.

Sadly, though, I cannot recommend Aya Madre at this point. It WAS a truly special place. It still holds a place in my heart, and I hold out hope that the old magic will somehow return. However, this would require making changes—and, as undeniably gifted a healer as Maestra Estela is, she is extremely set in her ways.

It breaks my heart. This truly was a place of magic and joy. Sadly, not anymore.
melissa.mantejkaur
September 13, 2022 at 10:15 am

Do not trust this center!

I’ve never met a group of more highly manipulative, deceitful and spiteful people in my entire life. Super sleazy hustler vibes. Con artists. Highly unprofessional. They “yes” people to death, making all sorts of claims as to what they can do for others both in services and in healing, and then do not deliver. Then compulsively lie, making up stories/excuses (as to why they didn’t deliver) as it fits their needs and lack of willingness to be supportive and empowering for guests.

Their entire website is fraudulent. Do not believe anything it says and do not send them money Friends and Family (which again is fraud). When I pointed out I was not receiving what I purchased and wanted a refund so I could leave, they refused. They clearly just want to make money. They spend money carelessly, putting extravagant personal gifts as priority over guest care, compromising things such as food (basic human need) and medicine which is promised and part of the cost of the stay. Highly negligent. Highly overpriced. They are using westerns for money.

The environment and community is not peaceful. Constant drama and fighting among staff. The staff will withhold food and medicine from guests intentionally to try to take power when they feel triggered or angry, a form of bullying and retaliation. I had to call the US Embassy and the support of qualified professionals and abuse survivor groups as my health was diminishing rapidly (such as suicidal ideation) due to the abuse, which they ignored and refused to help. This is by far the worst experience of my life. It’s like a game, and we are used and abused for their personal amusement. Sick.

The Maestros are unprofessional, belligerent, immature and arrogant. They and the family are manipulating and abusing guests, such as emotionally (shaming) and sexually (inappropriate touching of guests and self with sexual advances). Not a safe place for women. Its like Never Land, where lost boys never have to grow up, and childish/unprofessional behavior among staff is allowed. No accountability. It’s like being in pre school with no teacher/supervision.

The “volunteers” are just as bad; self serving, manipulative, defensive, do not advocate for guests and their safety, and are not qualified to care for/support others. They also have extreme boundary violations and sexual advances towards women, which the family allows. Do not believe any of the communications you have with them.

This center takes your money but does not deliver on the agreements made as far as the services, care and experience you’ll receive, while they abuse you. Do not tell them your wounds (what you’d like to work through) because they will use that as bait for manipulation. Do not waste your time/energy/money here! There is NO integrity. Do not believe anything they say. This is a total tourist trap, no longer sacred. Please protect yourself.
milan
December 13, 2021 at 7:00 am

Being at Aya Madre felt like being at home.

It was amazing to live in the jungle, with people who know it and live with it so intimately. Tamboos (small private huts where you sleep) are surrounded by dense Amazonian nature, so we felt like being guests of a jungle as much as of Maestra and her family.
If this was purely tourist visit, it would deliver on authenticity and beautiful nature. But it was not, far from it.

The connection between this place and nature is easy to feel but not that easy to capture in words. I’ll offer 3 stories which try to bring this a bit closer to you.
1. There was a big beautiful parrot called Carlos. He interacted with everyone, was fun to spend time with and we even joked he is the real shaman around there. You would think Carlos is a pet, but he is not. He lived in the jungle, got injured, someone from the village helped him and Carlos decided to stay with the village where he found a new place he belongs to.
2. One day we had a privilege to get a “jungle walking tour” by one of the locals. We took a two hour walk through the dense jungle. Other than knowing his way around like you would in your own town, the young local guy knew every single tree the way young men in west know celebrities or famous sport players: what it is useful for, how does it sound, can you eat leaves or roots, the way it smells, …
3. Medicine room filled with these plants and trees is one of the best things at Aya Madre, I’m so grateful for it. Maestra skilfully uses knowledge of plants and understanding of spirit to offer 5-6 plants you can consume couple of times of day. One of the best tips one of the volunteers gave us (thanks Chase! <3) is to "connect with the plants, not just drink/eat them". And really, connecting with the taste, drinking mindfully, staying with how they make you feel, one develops an intuition for these beautiful plants I didn't know even existed before.
Spending time at Aya Madre, you also share this connection which is long lost in most of the western world and feels like home at the most human level.

And the hardest part to capture and put in some characters on screen are ceremonies. I can say Icaros are amazing. Maloca (ceremony place) is serene and beautiful. We had a luck to got offered Shamburi, Huachuma (“San Pedro”), Hongos (“Magic Mushrooms”) as well as Ayahuasca during our stay.
If you feel called to do 4 ceremonies within 5 days, this is might not be a place for you and there are many westernised retreats that offer just that.
Aya Madre is more of an open and accepting traditional community that you can spend some time with, and we couldn't be more grateful that it opened as an opportunity for us.
Samika Kalra
June 18, 2021 at 3:06 pm

I stayed at aya madre with my mother for four months and I can tell with full confidence that this is the best place a person can visit. I went there with a lot of sickness and a little bit of hope. From the moment I entered the centre, maestra Estela helped me in every way to heal myself completely. She and maestro Guillermo are really good with their work and have a lot of experience in plant medicines. The plants which are given by the them to each individual is according to their specific needs. However, a person can choose on their own too. The cook is also a really good lady.