Ayahuasca

Onikano

Name: Onikano
Rating: 4.9

Iquitos, Peru

4.9 (103 reviews)

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Onikano is one of the very few ayahuasca retreat centres still owned, led, and inhabited by the same Shipibo family whose lineage it was built to honour.

Located in the Allpahuayo Mishana National Reserve, 22 km from Iquitos, Onikano operates within a living Shipibo healing tradition under the direct guidance of Maestro Heberto García — known by his Shipibo name, Niwen Koshi. His grandfather, Yosi Ocha, was regarded as one of the last Merayas: healers who reached the highest level of traditional Shipibo curanderismo. That lineage is alive at Onikano today.

What makes Onikano different is the deeply personalised nature of the work. Each guest is received as an individual, not as part of a standardised retreat formula. After an initial personal evaluation, Maestro Niwen Koshi designs a healing process that takes into account each person’s history, needs, intentions, and energetic condition. Guests may come for one week or remain for several weeks or months, depending on the depth of the work they feel called to undertake.

Retreats at Onikano are rooted in a broad range of traditional Shipibo practices: ayahuasca ceremonies guided by ícaros, plant dietas, purification baths with plants and flowers, ancient rituals and work with the palos maestros, or teacher trees. Alongside this Shipibo foundation, Onikano offers San Pedro (huachuma) ceremonies — a tradition that Maestro Niwen Koshi learned from Andean maestros and integrates as a complementary path within the healing process.

Onikano sits deep within the reserve, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the Peruvian Amazon, characterised by majestic trees, red-water streams, and distinctive white-sand forests. The centre includes private bungalows, a traditional ceremonial house, a lake for swimming, and a cosy dining room where guests share meals prepared with fresh, local ingredients.

People come to Onikano for many reasons. Some arrive for their first encounter with ayahuasca. Others return year after year. Some stay for a week; others enter a longer path of healing, dieta, or shamanic apprenticeship with Maestro Niwen Koshi. What they all share is a sincere willingness to work deeply and respectfully, with trust in a tradition passed down through generations.

Onikano is not the right place for everyone. It is the right place for those who are ready to do real work. If that resonates, the journey begins with a personal application.

Reviews (103)

4.9 out of 5

Overall 4.9

nabilmc
January 7, 2024 at 1:03 am

Yosi Ocha is amazing. Firstly, Maestro Herberto is a real master – you really feel his layers of protection during the ceremony. The staff and volunteers are beautiful, kind and patient – and the setting is magical.
ss
December 14, 2023 at 1:33 pm

Yosi Ocha is a simple, rustic retreat that feels remote — it’s in the Amazon jungle — but is only an hour or so from the city of Iquitos. The accommodations are comfortable, the food is healthy, and the overall sense of the place is one of peacefulness and ease. Meditation, walks in the jungle, flower baths, and swims in the natural pools are all encouraged, as is increasing one’s knowledge of various master plants and trees. Most importantly, Maestro Herberto is a powerful healer, and he and his family are incredibly warm, hard-working and kind. In all, a safe, authentic experience not soon to be forgotten.
yambelcrinde
November 25, 2023 at 10:27 am

Yosi Ocha es un centro de retiros especializado en el uso de la ayahuasca y otras plantas amazónicas siguiendo la tradición shipiba.
Aunque además (y en esto difiere de otros centros de retiros chamánicos de la zona) también facilita ceremonias de San Pedro-Huachuma, lo que a mi modo de ver enriquece notablemente la experiencia allí.

He estado dos semanas en Yosi Ocha. Mi objetivo era conseguir un mayor autoconocimiento y mejorar mi salud. Creo que ha valido la pena. Siento que mi energía es más limpia que antes de ir.
Tomar contacto con las Plantas Maestras implica estar dispuesto a enfrentarse a veces con partes de uno mismo que no son necesariamente agradables, pero que al tomar conciencia de ellas pueden ser curadas o transformadas. Para mí ha sido un proceso duro en algunos momentos. Aunque para otros pasajeros me consta que el proceso ha sido más fácil.

El trabajo chamánico del Maestro Heberto y de su hermana Eunice va mucho más allá de suministrar una planta visionaria.
He llegado a la conclusión de que hay dimensiones más allá de nuestra percepción ordinaria en Occidente y de que los buenos chamanes como ellos pueden acceder a ella y manejarla con seguridad y claridad. No te ahorran amargas lecciones pero cuidan de que se den en un entorno protector y cariñoso. Y de que salgas mejor de cómo entraste.

La acomodación es en bungalows de uso individual o por parejas, con ducha propia y ropa limpia, en un entorno elegante y agradable. La comida es sencilla pero bien elaborada, dentro de los límites dietéticos que exige un trabajo de este tipo.

Había menos mosquitos de los que me esperaba, tema que puede ser una pequeña o gran molestia (según cómo te lo tomes) en otras zonas amazónicas.

El precio a mi modo de ver es un poco caro para según qué economías. Pero la verdad es que en Yosi Ocha se trata de algo más que de pasar unas semanas entretenidas, sino de conectar con una tradición espiritual que puede cambiar la vida. En ese sentido, vale la pena.
NK
October 29, 2023 at 10:41 pm

Excellent place for AYAretreat seekers.
I and most of the visitors of the week from October 9-15, 2023 had a positive experience. I can definitely recommend a visit.
There is nothing to compare with, but here’s what’s worth knowing:
the food is good and of high quality, the rooms are simple,
the basics are there, it’s not 5 stars.
There is no electricity in the rooms, it gets dark at 6pm.
Wifi is available upon arrival and towards the end of the retreat.
So that people focus on themselves and nature.
The people around are very friendly.
Do not forget that this is a deep jungle far from civilization
and small midges and insects sometimes penetrate inside.
I didn’t see any snakes, but there were lizards, frogs, birds,
parrots, a puppy and monkeys.
The maestro works well, I had no questions about the quality of his work.
Payment by PayPal, everything is fair and transparent.
I highly recommend performing the San Pedro procedure
in the water near the lake where wifi is located.
Water is very helpful in relieving distracting discomfort.
Everyone liked this format.
There arent fish in the lake, living creatures or algae.

I would recommend going to people who really want to work on themselves and become cleaner and better internally. I’m not sure that this is a place for fun and new experiences. This is a difficult path to your soul. If you are ready for this, then welcome.
Ada
July 13, 2023 at 2:08 am

I have recently stayed at Yosi Ocha for 4 weeks. I was diagnosed with breast cancer, had different conventional treatments, but still felt that those were not enough for me, as I read more and more about importance of holistic approach which includes body-mind-spiritual healing, diet change, energy healing and trauma/suppressed emotions resolving.

My search brought me to Yosi Ocha. And I must say It has exceeded all my expectations. It’s a magical place, like heaven on earth, in the middle of the greenest jungle, with beautiful trees, flowers and plants, the peaceful sandy pond, and nature sounds – all in harmony and itself therapeutic…I had definitely deeper connection with nature. I was staying in a cute, clean and cosy bungalow in the middle of green, so peaceful. The fresh cooked food served 3 times a day was very healthy and delicious!

Maestro Heberto is a very powerful shaman, a person with the biggest heart full of love ❤️. His main focus is healing people, both during the stay and during ceremonies. He carefully programmed customised treatment for me. He confirmed my suspicion and said that even if tumor was gone there is still cancer energy. So, in my case I definitely needed to stay at least 4 weeks so that he could do all the treatments he wanted to do. And I am glad I chose to stay 4 weeks, longer would be even better actually. And during my treatment I was getting special medicines and therapies. The Yosi Ocha team was very caring and helping.

I met many amazing people there, all so kind and lovely, we had genuine and deep connection. The healing was not an easy process, but everyone was supporting each other in a beautiful compassionate way!

My birthday was during my stay and the Yosi Ocha team surprised me with birthday cake and celebration with tree planting by me in the garden, it was an amazing day, so much love and fun ❤️. I felt reborn and transformed in so many different ways!

I had a very positive, life-changing experience at Yosi Ocha. Big thanks to Maestro Heberto, and to the whole Yosi Ocha team. I’ll definitely come back ❤️!!