Dr. Sanango

Authentic ayahuasca retreats with experienced indigenous shaman in his medicine lodge and family home. Dr. Sanango facilitate ayahuasca healing retreats and shamanic dietas at Chinchelejo Lodge, the family home of indigenous ayahuascero Don Eluco Navarro. Chinchelejo Lodge is located in the Amazonian village of Jenaro Herrera on the banks of the Ucayali River, deep in the jungle, about 200km from the city of Iquitos. Our retreats include medicinal plant collection, ayahuasca cooking, medicinal plant baths and ayahuasca ceremonies in our jungle maloca (ceremony house), a 20 minute walk in to the forest. Our visitors can explore the surrounding rainforest and village, getting a taste of jungle life. This is not a luxury retreat but an opportunity to experience real Amazonian healing and living with a highly experienced indigenous shamanic healer and his family.

Don Eluco Navarro is part of one of the most powerful and famous shamanic groups in Peru, who reside in Jenaro Herrera. He apprenticed with the late Don Julio Llerena, one of the most powerful Master Shamans in the Upper Amazon Basin. Eluco has many years experience of shamanic practice working at prestigious centres in the Iquitos area. He established Dr. Sanango with his English apprentice , retreat co-ordinator, and anthropologist, Emily, in 2015. Our vision is to be a centre of positive cultural exchange. We aim to preserve, share, and develop shamanic knowledge through our interaction with the international community, whilst working with and serving the local community in Jenaro Herrera.

Reviews (7)

3.9 out of 5
Overall 3.9
  • fergus
    fergus
    August 22, 2018 at 8:45 pm

    I have been to Peru 4 times…done aya 27 times…this centre was my worst experience of all. this Shaman does not give a shit about you !First 3 nights came in half asleep mumbled a few times in 2 hrs …then left. Without comment or interaction….I pleaded for the “Jungle Maloca” experience stated on the site. we went there 2 nights in a row …and both nights the Shaman Don Luco sat in the chair …arms folded…and didnt utter a sound all night. Then when Aya had worn off …he and his son left to go home ….so me a foreigner was left in a wooden jungle bldg…without locks…and with 2 young white girls at risk…possibly.. it was all up to me. ………………….No security concerns going on here. The laziest Shaman I have ever experienced.

  • IstvanB
    October 25, 2017 at 3:49 am

    If I want to be brief I can describe our experience at DrSanango retreat in one single word: AWESOME!

    We cannot compare it with other retreats because this was our first ayahuasca retreat and everything was perfect so, if it’s perfect then we don’t need to look after another retreat because there is no such thing that is more than perfect (IMHO).

    If, as part of your healing process, you want to know how great is to go to swim into the river, nearby the center, after an excellent ceremonial night or to sit on the toilet, at night, in the jungle and watch the fireflies glowing while you are listening the jungle, then DrSanango is ideal for you.

    We wish to have enough financial support to go back every year but, unfortunately, is not possible. So, we will go back in 3 years (in best case maybe two) and stay there as long as we can. Until then we start to learn spanish to help us to interact with people more easily.

    If you are a tourist who want hot water, air-conditioner or cable tv then this place is not for you but if you are a traveler who wants, alongside the shamanic healing, to experience new lifestyle, to live, for a short term, among beautiful, kind and warm (also poor, but spiritually rich) people then DrSanango is suitable for you.

    About the DrSanango family we have only good words, but the native english speaker reviewers (except maybe kepler452b) made such a good job to describe them that I don’t want to be repetitive and telling the same thing.

    We love to travel and we visited a lot of countries but this was the first time when my wife an I felt that we can live there.

    Bottom line: We had such an awesome experience which helped us a lot!

  • Sylvie 7519
    Sylvie 7519
    October 13, 2017 at 3:21 pm

    I had a great experience at Dr Sanango.
    I got in touch with Emily Don Eluco’s English apprentice who responded me quickly and we managed to settle everything for my arrival. I have been looked after very well from the moment of pick up in Iquitos.
    The place is simple but comfortable. You can really switch off here and enjoy the tranquillity. The food was different from what I’ve used to eat with less variety but delicious using fresh local ingredients.

    It was my first Aya experience, and it started slow with little messages. Soon after when I really let go of my expectations, I had many visions and messages reflecting on my life. Aya gave me really valuable advice on many things. It was powerful and influenced greatly the way of my thinking. The Shaman was supportive and answered to our questions (with some help to translate from Spanish).

    I can only take home positive memories from this place. Highly recommended.

  • kepler452b
    kepler452b
    July 18, 2017 at 9:06 am

    Very disappointing experience!!! …There were 8 people in my group and none of them was happy about this retreat.We drunk ayahuasca 3-4 times (even 3 cups in one ceremony) without feeling anything.The shaman left the ceremony after two hours and
    sang for no more than one hour..and it looked like he sang the same Icaro for the all time..he even felt a sleep once.
    It was very difficult to communicate with him as he doesn’t speak english and there was nobody helping him with the language and during the ceremony..the shaman is probably a good person but I really believe he shouldn’t be a shaman.
    Maybe I have been unlucky (usually there is a girl from England who speaks spanish and helps the shaman and the participants) but I don’t recommend this place at all!

  • dannysaggers
    dannysaggers
    April 3, 2016 at 1:02 am

    I got in touch with Emily at Dr. Sanango through the referral of a mutual friend and after spending a couple of weeks at another centre in Iquitos I arranged to go and spend 8 days at dr. Sanango for a retreat that they were running. I had worked with Aya a fair few times before in both Europe and the jungle. There was quite a big group maybe around 13 of us. The energy of the group was fantastic and everyone really seemed to connect. I met some extremely beautiful souls whilst here which continue to exist in my life now as close friends. After an exciting over night journey up the Amazon we arrived in the early hours. There is the option of a fast boat but I would say the overnight journey there really adds to the excitement and maybe get the fast boat back. When we arrived I realised that the village I was in was the same one mentioned in Peter Gormans – ‘Ayahuasca in my blood’ and then it turned out Luco the head currandero at Dr. Sanango was direct lineage of Julio (a super powerful shaman who has now passed) the main healer from the book. The lodgings are basic and not fancy but do the trick. I know they are currently working on building projects further out in the jungle. On one of the first couple of days we were taken out to the deep jungle and as a group with the guidance of Luco and his son (also a currandero in training) we collected many medicinal plants to add to the medicine we were to drink. We all took part in the process of making the ayahuasca and added the extra plants we had collected. It was amazing to get to collect the plants and then prepare the medicine we were to drink. Just to put anyones minds at ease when I talk of extra plants there are not toe/datura or any other similar plants that are added for visions that could be potentially harmful. The healers of this area pride themselves on their knowledge of jungle medicinal trees/plants and it is mentioned in Chris Kalhams – ‘Ayahuasca test pilots handbook’ that the variety and amount of healing plants used in brews from this area are the most complex he has ever come across. These guys really know their stuff and use the plants to create a medicine yielding an even deeper healing synergy than a basic brew. Over 8 days we had 5 ceremonies. I had some really profound journeys, the medicine was stronger than other brews I have sampled in the jungle and I preferred the deeper experience. Luco and his sons energy in ceremony is strong yet light and they both have a natural playful energy outside of ceremony which I really admire and resonate to in this type of healing work. Emily is a wonderful soul from Manchester who facilitates the main running of the centre always with a friendly smile and joyful demeanour. She is amazing at looking after your needs and holding space during ceremony and is in training with Luco. Everyone on the retreat seemed to have very deep journeys and a lot of healing was done. We even had one of our ceremonies out on an island in the middle of the river which was very different from inside the molloca and I found amazing. After a few days out of the jungle myself and a friend that I had met on the retreat decided to go back and do a dieta with usho Sanango. This was 8 days long and a very strong experience I feel it would have been better suited to do my dieta deeper in the jungle but the way in which the dieta was held and supported was great. There is a river right by the retreat space and you can go for a swim anytime which was especially nice after ceremony. The locals are super friendly and I really felt safe here, I had had all of my stuff stolen at the previous centre I was at so I welcomed this calm energy of the area. Over all I really enjoyed my experience here and found the medicine to be powerful. The ceremonies felt more authentic and genuinely held by a true currandero than I had experienced elsewhere.

  • Erin Fowlie
    Erin Fowlie
    August 25, 2015 at 12:00 am

    The first thing I’d like to say is how incredibly lucky I feel to have met Emily, Luco and family. I guess it was meant to be and the events leading up to our arrival in Jenaro Herrera and how well we got along with everyone proved that.

    The centre is in a small community, it is available for the local population and there isn’t much separating the lodge accommodations from that of the local housing. We had a comfortable bed, mosquito net, running water, our meals were cooked over the fire and they were simple and delicious. We loved it, it felt genuine and not a big put on for the ‘gringos’.

    We always felt safe and comfortable during our Ayahuasca ceremonies. Overall we all had extremely positive experiences. Luco leads the ceremonies so well, the Icaros are beautiful and he knows just when to lighten the mood. Emily is great to talk to before and after the ceremonies.

    I can’t recommend Dr Sanango enough! I look forward to returning again one day.

  • Henry HG
    Henry HG
    July 30, 2015 at 12:00 am

    I spent a week at chinchelejo lodge 28.6.15. and thoroughly enjoyed myself, Eluco and his family are lovely people,the ayahuasca is good .the people in the village are very friendly and welcoming , I found Emily very friendly and informative, full of information on the local area and Iquitos .well worth the journey for a taste of the true amazon and ayahuasca !!!.. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED !! 😉 x

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