Ayahuasca

Onikano

Name: Onikano
Rating: 4.9

Iquitos, Peru

4.9 (102 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 (102)

4.9 out of 5

Overall 4.9

Yvette
December 26, 2018 at 1:56 pm

It was the 2nd time I did 3 ceremonies with Heberto and both times the medicine was calling me. I knew I had to go. The process already started long before the actual ceremonies took place. Although the ceremonies were sometimes very intense I always felt very safe and without fear knowing Heberto was in control. I was touched and impressed by his love and unbelievable energy to sing the powerful ikaros in such a perfect and passionate way. I am very grateful for the personal ikaros he sang to help me heal my fears and let my inner light shine again which had become very small because of several difficult times in my life. Heberto is a real Maestro and I recommend him to everyone who likes to do a ceremony.

Ver abajo mi comentario en español a través de Google Translate.

Era la segunda vez que hacía 3 ceremonias con Heberto y las dos veces la medicina me llamaba. Sabía que tenía que unirme. El proceso comenzó mucho antes de que tuvieran lugar las ceremonias reales. Aunque las ceremonias a veces eran muy intensas, siempre me sentí muy segura y sin miedo de saber que Heberto estaba en control. Me conmovió y me impresionó su amor y su increíble energía para cantar a los poderosos ikaros de una manera tan perfecta y apasionada. Estoy muy agradecido por los ikaros personales que cantó para ayudarme a sanar mis miedos y dejar que mi luz interior brille nuevamente, que se había vuelto muy pequeña debido a varios momentos difíciles en mi vida. Heberto es un verdadero maestro y lo recomiendo a todos los que les gusta hacer una ceremonia.
Boltjewiekje
December 18, 2018 at 10:58 am

Bob and I went for the first time to a ceremony with Heberto, on the advice of a friend. It was very special and valuable! The safe invironment he creates, his energy, his patience, his dedication, the icaros he sang for us individually full of love and also that he is completely tuned in on us, made me feel safe so I could completely surrender to the the process and to him. This has given me profound insights and healings in a loving way, which I am very grateful for. It was a valuable experience, for us no more ceremony without Heberto. Next year we will definitely go back (in the Netherlands) and hopefully next year, or the year after that, to Peru. We recommend him very much to anyone who is interested in an Ayahuasca ceremony.

Google translate Spanish:
Bob y yo fuimos a una ceremonia de ayahuasca este año por primera vez con Heberto, por consejo de un amigo. Fue muy especial y valioso! El ambiente seguro que crea, la paciencia, su energía, su dedicación, los icaros que cantó para nosotros individualmente llenos de amor y también que está completamente en sintonía contigo, me hicieron sentir segura y completamente entregada al proceso ya él. Esto me ha dado profundos conocimientos y curaciones de una manera amorosa, por lo que estoy muy agradecido. Fue una experiencia valiosa, no más ceremonia para nosotros sin Hebert. El próximo año definitivamente regresaremos a Holanda y con suerte a Perú. Lo recomendamos a cualquiera que esté interesado en una ceremonia de ayahuasca.

Muchas gracias, Heberto!
Bob y Annet
inesines
December 15, 2018 at 8:32 am

Participé de dos semanas de dietas y ceremonias con Heberto, y lo recomiendo mucho, como buena persona y como buen curandero. Lo primero que hizo fue soplarnos mapacho en la cabeza, las manos y los pies. A través del humo nos fue leyendo a uno por uno y al mundo invisible a nuestro alrededor. Sus visiones fueron tan acertadas que me sorprendí, sin dudas él podía ver. En las ceremonias la potencia y belleza de sus cantos me hizo emocionar hasta las lágrimas, ayudándome a destrabar bloqueos muy antiguos. Después, cada mañana nos reunimos en círculo y él se encargó de interpretar y comunicar los mensajes que le llegaron con mucha paciencia, recomendándonos meditaciones, hierbas y rituales pensados especialmente para cada uno de nosotros. En todo momento compartió su conocimiento con generosidad y humildad. Para mi fue evidente que, además de su sensibilidad innata, su habilidad para viajar entre los mundos es fruto de mucha disciplina, profundo amor por su trabajo, y toda una vida dedicada al servicio de los demás. Muchas gracias Heberto!

—In English—
I participated in two weeks of diets and ceremonies with Heberto, and I recommend him a lot, as a good person and as a good healer. The first thing he did was blow mapacho on his head, hands and feet. Through the smoke he was reading us one by one and the invisible world around us. His visions were so successful that I was surprised, no doubt he could see. In the ceremonies the power and beauty of their songs made me move to tears, helping me to unlock very old blocks. Afterwards, each morning we met in a circle and he was in charge of interpreting and communicating the messages that arrived with great patience, recommending meditations, herbs and rituals specially designed for each one of us. At all times he shared his knowledge with generosity and humility. For me it was evident that, in addition to his innate sensibility, his ability to travel between the worlds is the result of a lot of discipline, a deep love for his work, and a whole life dedicated to the service of others. Thank you very much Heberto!
Joanna_mermaid
December 9, 2018 at 4:22 am

Having the priveledge to work with Herberto has been nothing short of amazing.
I am blown away by the level of deep healing he can do in such a short space of time, whilst still holding the space in such a gentle and loving way. I trust Herberto’s work so much so I came back again to his retreat three weeks later for a plant diet and more cermonies to work on my blocks.

Having worked with various other healing work, by far this this is the most profound and the most incredible. He is a true gift to the world and I would definitely urge anyone considering shamanic work to go and see Herberto, For a life changing experience and to open you up to a new world of possibilities. Having spent much of my life searching, I feel like I have stumbled across something that has started to guide me in life of alignment with my true self, and open me up to the bigger picture of the universe.

I first came with my friend and she has been to many ceremonies before and was so frightened of the medicine and it’s effects because of her past experiences with shamans that didn’t hold the space for the group as Herberto does. By the end of the retreat her faith and trust in the work had been restored as she had never seen a ceremony conducted in such an individually supportive way for such a large group of people. All down to Herberto.

Next stop peru!

Xx
Higo
December 7, 2018 at 4:25 pm

Herberto was in tune and astute to what’s going on inside us and is dedicated to use his gifts and special training to heal us. He is very good natured and patient, as well as effective and I trust him to take care and protect that which he heals.