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

Pietje
May 2, 2021 at 5:36 am

The best decision I ever made, was to go here. My partner and I have travelled together for 1,5 years and we literally speak of ‘the travel before Aya Madre’ and ‘the travel after Aya Madre’. Before we were more restless, having habits we did not want but did anyway. After Aya Madre we stopped these habits, came more to ourselves and now we both feel we are on our right path. For me, having a chronic disease, I always saw myself as a victim. Only here I deeply realised I am a creator. I am healing myself now and it is a beautiful process. My personal plant diet during my time in the centre helped me realize this as well.

If you want a centre for true healing, where they work with deep respect for all life, where you will learn more about energy and different types of plants, you should most definitely go here. What I loved most is that Maestra Estella works with the light, so the ceremonies are during the day. I have had some ceremonies at night in different places, but it is such a beautiful pure experience in the morning. And Maestra is a very powerful women, who sings your personal healing icarus with a lot of ‘fuerza’.

You have your own Tambo (hut) so your own space, you follow your own personal plant diet that you prepare yourself so you can really connect to every plant and feel how this is for me. And everything else you need is taken care of. If you want to invest in yourself, do it here. I wish you the very best <3
he473r
May 1, 2021 at 1:26 pm

This is not just an ayahuasca retreat, it is a complete immersion into pacha mama and the magic within her bounty. My expectations were met and exceeded with an experience above and beyond anything I had previously experienced.
Through the divine guidance of maestra, I was tasked with cultivating a relationship with a multitude of plant medicines. I worked with these plants everyday, listening and learning. I would take notes and meditate on ideas that were presented. Vapor was my favorite. A big pot was boiled over fire with a blend of plants and oils specific to the time and season. Placed in front of a stool, I would sit and be wrapped in three blankets over the pot. “Listo.” Rolli would say and I would lift the lid. Flooded with a rush of hot, fragrant steam, I would begin to breathe it in. I would continue breathing deep until my whole body was vibrating and alive with the jungle spirit.
When the time came for ceremony, the plants that I had been working with teamed up with shamburi, ayahuasca, mushrooms and huachuma along with maestra and mastro’s iquiros to connect the dots of healing that my spirit needed. The experience was truly priceless and life changing. I struggle with using such ordinary words to describe this extraordinary event. If I had one wish for whomever is reading this, take the opportunity to feel the love of Ayamadre.
FormerAdminAYAMADRE
April 27, 2021 at 4:44 pm

Hello everyone. I am the former business administrator at Aya Madre. This Is in response to user “TheTruth” 1 star review. I was here during this time period and I feel his response needs to be clarified and debunked. Starting at his first problem with the medicine of Shamburi that we serve. Shamburi is the first medicine that we give our guests in their first ceremony with us. This is clearly stated on the website. Afterwards, the guest has total freedom in choosing what medicines they would like to take in the next ceremony (Shamburi or Ayahuasca or San Pedro on Friday ceremonies). In the case of this specific guest, every time he came out of an Ayahuasca ceremony, he was left more confused and anxious. His visions confused him and made him feel like the energy he was dealing with was trying to attack him. When guests come out of Ayahuasca and they feel more confused from their experiences, if they do not have a strong meditation practice and focusing is difficult, we often recommend Shamburi. Shamburi is totally different from Ayahuasca. If Ayahuasca is a Doctor who comes in and does the job where he or she sees fit, Shamburi is the gentle, motherly nurse. When you say, “Shamburi, there is something wrong with my head.”, Shamburi is going to rock you gently and take care of every part of your head. She is soft medicine, pure light. She doesn’t give a rollercoaster of a lightshow every time but she is certainly capable of it and has done so for many of our guests. When this specific individual took Shamburi, he came out of ceremony feeling lighter and softer. He said he felt more clear in his thoughts and balanced. He would then go back and forth taking Ayahuasca one day, feel confused, then take Shamburi and feel more grounded. We never forced Shamburi upon him but we did recommend it to him and he was seeing his own growth and how it made him feel better. In regards to him saying he had a lack of trips… If a guest would like to take more medicine because they feel that they are not connected to the medicine well or it hasn’t opened, we instruct our guests to ask the Maestro or Maestra for more medicine (This isn’t taboo, it is a part of the process but our guests must speak up and ask). This is shared and made clear to all of our guests. The brew that we make is very strong but sometimes it doesn’t open to guests depending on how blocked they are. We are a center that does not give medicine to get blasted off into a light show and lose control. We take this sacred medicine with respect and for the purpose of cleaning and healing our body, mind and spirit. This guest was so focused on getting a trip that he once asked to take Shamburi, Ayahuasca, and San Pedro all in the same ceremony.

This guest did lose his phone on the way to our center. His phone fell out of the motor taxi. The road that we use to get to our center is a public road that runs through a well populated town. This road is not “our” road. He lost his phone on a public road and not on our property. A worker did not steal it. A local found the phone and wiped the data to then use for his own personal use or sell. But the reward that this guest offered did bring back his phone, although the data was wiped. The important part is that the phone was not stolen on our property or by our workers.

There was truly an accident for one of the workers. His motor taxi crashed and he hurt his leg. Maestra was asking all the guests at that time period for anything extra they could give to help. Maestra Estella never asks guests for extra money. In all my time here, this was the only time period I ever saw it.

There was also a period where bank data on the recent guests that had arrived could not be found. We couldn’t locate if they had completed their bank or PayPal transfers. At no point did we ask for more money, we simply asked if they could find us confirmation on their end that they had completed the transfer. We eventually resolved the problem. We never received or asked for more money, just confirmation.

When this guest left, he left in a good state. He was happy and loved by all the guests and staff here at Aya Madre. We all tried finding him after he left but all of the contact information that he gave us didn’t connect us to him. We were concerned that he needed friends to help him integrate and we wish we could of maintained contact. We wish for him nothing but love.

I felt called to respond because this is not how this time period transpired and this is not how I know this loving family of Aya Madre, Estella, Guillermo and everyone involved treat their guests. Each guest receives care directly to their needs. No guest is the same and treating each guest requires their own plan of nurturing. I hope that this helps to clear up any confusion.
TheTruth
November 7, 2020 at 4:28 am

This place is run by a bunch of crooks. They do an excellent job of deceiving you, and it can be pretty hard to connect the dots until you look at it later. Firstly, they will do everything they can to stop you from taking Ayahuasca. They will first try and get you to take a shady medication called Shamburi (which is hilarious in retrospect as it contains the word SHAM) for as long as they can convince you to. Its just an entactogen of some kind, but they put on quite the theatrics to make it seem convincing. You will become very docile and easily convinced once you’re on this stuff. Its apparently sourced from some mystery dealer in town that they will not reveal to you, and instead you’re told cult like stories of the Shaman (woman in this case) to make it seem like she’s God’s gift to earth. I insisted on the Ayahuasca as much as I can as that was the purpose of the trip, and it was a total dud most of the time. Over 2 months I only had three actual trips. They do not know how to brew Ayahuasca properly, its terribly inconsistent. I also had my phone that slipped out of my pocket stolen by a worker during the bumpy motorkar ride in the trail to the center, and it was mysteriously found when I went around offering a hefty reward for it (it ended up being pointless as they had completely wiped the phone by the time I got it back). Of course they convinced me that it was stolen by some kid who ran into town, and all the garbage they feed you to turn you docile will have you believe them until you connect the dots later. They also tried to con everyone into giving more money by faking an accident that happened with one of the workers. They told us that a worker got hit on the highway and lost his leg, and put up some fundraiser for more money. I’m convinced without a doubt that worker quit, and they were just selling us snake oil. Its disgusting what these sick jokes do to try and squeeze every dollar out of you. They literally look at you like a walking wallet waiting to be picked. Last thing they tried to do when I was leaving was tell me that the bank was withholding payments from several people that they had received to try and guilt a couple of us into giving them even more money. Absolutely garbage human beings.
Estelle A.
June 13, 2020 at 12:40 pm

Maestra Estela is a great human being and a fantastic healer. Trained by her Shipibo grand father, worked in centers for 30 years and finally was guided by Divine Light to open her own. While I traveled through Peru I asked travellers if they have met a great shaman, and 7 different ones told me her name. So on my return, I booked a month at Aya Madre.
I was so happy that she re discovered the mother of all plants, Shamburi, that treats you like a caring mother, without the hardship of ayahuasca. In the 12 ceremonies I had, I went back 4 lives ago to understand what was my last thought before dying, why I became a victim for 3 more lives and why I had tumours in my colon, and they got removed. I had brain and stomach surgeries, DNA was corrected, karma was erased , all my body cells cleaned. My soul grew by 12 times. If there was no lock down, I would be there now for 6 months, as a volunteer. A place where you learn to be responsible of your own healing, your dietas, and what master plant you wish to drink during ceremonies. I made a little video about it, that will explain and show you well the center. Much gratitude to Maestra Estela, her family and team, for making us feel safe and healing us with love … One Love

Admin’s note: An external link was removed from this review, but the original text of the review has been left completely in-tact and in its original form.