Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual

Llanchama, Peru

We are an ayahuasca retreat healing center, operating as a lodge in the Amazon rainforest. We are located 90 minutes outside of Iquitos, Peru near the small village of Llanchama along the Nanay River.

We provide traditional Shipibo medicine services wich includes: healing and learning diets, master plant medicine, and traditional Shipibo ayahuasca ceremonies.

Once you are here, you will meet with our shaman master healer Ricardo Amaringo, and with the asistance of a profesional translator, you can explain him your intention for the healing procces.

Your treatment will then be tailored to your personal needs, often including further treatment with a master plant. Furthermore, in traditional style, you will then adhere to a strict healing diet developed to promote the healing work of the curanderos and our medicinal plants.

Once on the diet, you will be invited to participate in ayahuasca ceremonies four times a week, for further ceremonial healing under the guidance of Ricardo and his assistants shamans. In ceremony, you will be further treated by the curanderos through the traditional healing song, called icaros.

The day after every ayahuasca ceremony, with the exception of Fridays, there is a group discussion led by Ricardo to review experiences in the ceremony and the progress of all of our participants, apprentices and visitors.

In some cases, further treatment techniques are also indicated, including healing plant preparations for bathing and vapor treatment, or cataplasm.

Traditional treatment requires time, so visitors are encouraged to visit us for one week or more. Group programs are often designed for 10 days or 2 weeks and more advanced treatment can take one/two months or longer.

For particular individuals, we also offer traditional diets for learning under the guidance of Ricardo. This level of training is best discussed in person with Ricardo himself.

We charge an all-inclusive daily fee for our services, which covers transport from the Iquitos airport, private room, modern bathrooms and showers, diet meals, laundry service, electricity, wifi internet, traditional medicine and experienced international facilitator staff support.

If you are interested in visiting, please email us to establish contact and verify availability at our center. From that point, we can plan your visit!

Reviews (146)

4.7 out of 5
Overall 4.7
  • david.sibylle
    January 11, 2024 at 12:56 pm

    My experience at Nihue Rao was the most magical experience of my life to date. My partner and I came for an 11 day retreat. It was both of our first time with the medicine and we were taken away by the care, depth and wisdom in which the medicine is practice and received. We were asked directly and clearly on arrival what the reasons were for our interest and work with the medicine and these needs and intentions were clearly and carefully translated to the shamans. We were then prescribed a plant diet during the duration of our stay based on our concerns. The Casa de Medicina was a beautiful place to visit in the morning to receive this plant. We enjoyed equally as much as our work with Mother Ayahuasca as we did the relationships we were able to build with Oje, the plant of our diet. The ceremonies were so profound and each one I developed a deeper understanding and relationship with the medicine and myself. The facilitators, security, cleaners, chefs, locals, and children at the center all added to this magic and complete feeling of safety and good will. It was a joy to be at the center in our down time and there was alway a sweet acknowledgement to be had or kind words to pass along. I am so grateful for my time at Nihue Rao and am looking forward to returning when possible. I would highly recommend visiting this center if you are interested in deep indigenous Shipibo healing and want to learn the power of the medicine and Icaros from a community as dedicated as this one.

  • Allex
    October 3, 2023 at 3:43 pm

    I have experience with half a dozen shamans/facilitators.
    I drank ayahuasca over 100 times in different countries and different retreat centers. So I have abit of experience to have an informed opinion.
    In 2019 I’ve discovered Nihue Rao and then never drank ayahuasca anywhere else.
    It is not a luxury center (I’ve been to a couple of those) but rather a rustic and full of local people that work there.
    Food is excellent while being diet friendly.
    There are 24/7 guards and from my experience it is a very safe place for both men and women.

    Ricardo the main shaman is probably among best shamans in the world with unspoiled integrity.
    I learned during the 3-4 integration discussions more about ayahuasca and how read the symbols in the visions than in my previous 6+ years of discussions and experinces combined.

    Recommended if you are really interested in the deep medicine work, how to heal yourself and how to learn the medicine.

    Not recommended if you’re looking for a luxury, glamorous retreat where the emphasis is on making the tourist see visions with little understanding or actual healing.

  • JacksonFromCanada
    September 30, 2023 at 7:19 pm

    I recently spent 11 days at a starter retreat here at Nihue Rao and this retreat was a truly magical experience.

    This was my first time sitting with the medicine of Mother Ayahuasca, and Nihue Rao did a wonderful time facilitating me and my process.

    During all of my ceremonies I felt so held and supported. Whether I was having the best ceremony of my life or a very challenging one, the facilitators and shamans did a wonderful job being there for me during the middle of ceremony until the effects of the medicine started to wind down. They helped me trust, surrender, love, listen, and connect deeply with mother ayahuasca in her world with her medicine.

    During integration was a great time to help make sense of what you saw and get professional help from the shamans to help interpret your experience and let it make more sense for you in your integration.
    The facilitators also did a great job being there for you if you wanted to discuss your experience in further detail afterwards. I personally had great experience with this and was left feeling very grounded and centered, ready to go into my next ceremony.

    The facility does a great job of disconnecting you from the busyness of modern life and really invites you to slow down and take time for you and take time to integrate your experience. This also helps you stay grounded and centered going going into any ceremony you have.

    This facility isn’t no fancy western-er hotel or fancy retreat center, but it a place for you to go very deeply within and a place for very real and practical healing to take place.

    I’m filled with so much love and light and gratitude after my experience here and I’d love to visit again someday. Thank you everybody at Nihue Rao who made my experience here so special. You really made me feel so safe, loved, and supported. Thank you for helping me strengthen and go deep to help me shine my light even brighter in this world. You all are awesome ❤️

  • llove
    September 24, 2023 at 11:52 am

    The time spent at Nihue Rao is beyond amazing and reveals another dimension/reality. The professionalism and dedication of the shamans, the management of the center, and the facilitators are beyond any expectations. I can’t wait to return and stay for a longer period (I only stayed for 2 weeks now).

  • Joy108
    September 23, 2023 at 5:03 pm

    I just came back from another retreat to Nihue Rao Center, I plan to go there every year at least for 1 month, until my schedule will allow me to stay longer – 3- 6 months, for a deeper process. The Ikaros I received were powerful, the healing I feel after every retreat is unique and life changing. The 3 shamans are dedicated to the sacred work, I felt their love and compassion during all ceremonies. I am grateful to have found this place, and these Masters of Divine Light ✨️

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