Shamanic Vida

Cusco, Peru

A small retreat center focused on individual healing plant medicine process in groups of no more than 10 participants at a time. We are located in the famous Sacred Valley of the Incas in a remote Andean village. Scheduling is by request. We offer 4, 6 and 11 Day Retreats, Kambo treatments and stays, all with the option to extend for more time resting or deeper cleansing. The retreat healings plants and therapies include Ayahuasca, Yopo, San Pedro, Kambo and Temazcal (Sweat Lodge).

Our purpose is to create a ripple effect in the consciousness of humanity through work with sacred plant medicines of Peru and healing techniques we have chosen, through our own positive experiences, and believe compliment the process of plant medicines. To bring about a new earth first we must help heal the traumas of the past.

We first must begin healing the individual in a gentle process. Each process is considered on an individual basis and what the healers feel would be best suited to the work they would like to accomplish. There is space to explore deeper and daily consultations after ceremony to begin to understand the messages of the plant medicine and have a focus for the next ceremony.

The longer the retreat, the deeper the healing. All of our programs are intensive, however there is space to take your time in the healing process through extending your retreat or opting to take less or no medicine. We guide participants only to where they feel comfortable or ready for. The ceremonies are practiced in a sacred context with Icaros (medicine songs) and sacred instruments. Each ceremony has assistants to help care for each person and anything they need.

During your time at the retreat you will have everything you need for a comfortable stay with all modern necessities. We provide everything, you need only to bring yourself and a few pairs of warmer clothes. In the Andes, we can experience all four seasons in one day, but tend to have cold nights and warm days. There are Incan ruins above the center and plenty of hiking trails around, so comfortable clothes and good shoes are a must.

With the power of the heart we are bringing every person into the healing power of the sacred medicinal plants of Peru through ceremony. We have ongoing local projects offering people in the nearby town healings and ceremonies.

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the single candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” – Buddha

Reviews (71)

4.9 out of 5
Overall 4.9
  • rahulmojo
    rahulmojo
    June 2, 2023 at 2:11 am

    Pako is a great dude and has picked one of the most stunning places I’ve seen in my life to host his retreats. Amazing place, great people, and a really great overall experience during the ceremonies with the medicines and Pako killing it on the tunes

  • studiosaur
    studiosaur
    January 6, 2022 at 8:03 pm

    My experience at Shamanic Vida was unfortunately almost life-destroying. Prior to my experience with them I had discussed that I was new to psychedelics and wished to have a very small dose in order to ease me in. We had agreed upon this course of action, but after a very overwhelming experience it was revealed to me by the Shaman that he had ignored my request and given me a full strength dose and completely betrayed my trust and our agreement. His reason, he said with a smile is that “mother aya said you needed a shock” As a result of this I suffered for years with PTSD and derealization, and eventually had to be admitted to a trauma clinic for months. The treatment over the years has cost my family tens of thousands of pounds. Money which they did not have to spare. I still do not feel as though I have fully recovered. I have since spoken to many people with similar stories. Please do not trust shamans lightly and do not underestimate psychedelics, especially if you are inexperienced. if you have any similar experience please contact me at elzilch@gmail.com. I would be happy to help.

    • shamanicvida
      shamanicvida
      May 22, 2023 at 12:32 am

      First, I apologize for the delayed response to this message. It was not written during a time when we were open, I was on a long term dieta in the jungle with my teachers. Then I was unsure if I would keep this subscription to ayaadvisors. Also it took time to recall this person and our shared moments. This would have been from 2018, the clue was “family spending tens of thousands of pounds”. I remember the participant calling me stating this same phrase. They had not been sleeping for long periods of time and suffered from excessive THC use. After consulting with doctors in their country, they did not want to spend tens of thousands of pounds and decided not to follow the allopathic path because they did not feel it offered a solution. When I was called it felt like we could help and similar to many other cases we have seen. Then the said participant arrives and enters into a state of complete distrust. Something we had never experienced before. We try to help and give different teas/treatments to relax them. They did one ceremony expecting a miracle, the next day a refund was issued. Before they left we attempted to guide them to healing centers who have Doctors on site hoping they would feel more comfortable there and arrive to the healing their heart desired. In regards to the moment they were given too much, the first ceremony dose is always light. The amount of medicine given is in the hands of the healer who understands how the medicine works. It seems as though the former participant ended up having to spend the money they had hoped to avoid spending. Wishing them the best, we did everything we could. After training in psychological emergencies and traumas these years, I would take the same course of action today. Ayahuasca cures our participants frequently from many long term ailments, sometimes it takes longer than a few sessions, it always takes trust in yourselves and in the medicine.

  • Billyr007
    Billyr007
    February 4, 2020 at 2:38 pm

    Shamanic Vida 2019

    I was initially very nervous about going to Peru for my retreat. It’s certainly way out of most people’s comfort zone to travel to a foreign country to partake in something as taboo, in Western culture anyway, as a plant medicine and diet retreat. But sometimes you just have to take the plunge, so to speak. Well I chose to take my plunge in the sacred valley with the shamanic Vida family, Chrissy, Pacco and their volunteers. It took me over a year of research to finally pick them and it was worth every minute and dollar spent.

    First of all, the price is right which says a lot about their intentions and what they’re actually there to do. Next, the setting is breathtaking. Its situated about an hour outside of Cusco in the sacred valley. I chose this instead of the jungle because of the weather and the insects. I prefer cold and no bugs at all, but that’s just me. Finally, safety. I felt like the entire process of getting to the retreat from Cusco was much easier and less shady than going through Iquitos down the river to the Amazon. They had taxis pick us up at a hostal in Cusco close to historic down town at an allotted on a certain day and they were to drive us an hour or so to the retreat. Just seemed much more up my alley.

    I honestly believe that my decision to choose Shamanic Vida was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life. Chrissy and Pacco are amazing at what they do. You can tell that they are true healers and love every minute of it. The setting was breathtaking there. I’d have to say that this retreat was one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been. I did the 11 day retreat to get the most out of the experience, and I think that was another great choice. Most people were there for the 5-6 day retreats and each one of them wished they’d have stayed longer.

    When I first got there I just had this huge weight on my shoulders. I was uptight, nervous and uncomfortable. I had some problem I needed to work through and I was there to face this. It was one of the toughest things I’ve done and certainly the most rewarding. It’s now been 3 months since I left Peru, and I can say now for certain, that trip had an enormous positive effect on my life and how I look at things. I also lost almost 15 pounds while I was there, as just an added benefit to the whole thing.

    These medicines can be very hard, if you’re reading this and thinking about going, hopefully you already know this about Ayahuasca and the others. These plants are the real deal and when taken properly can change your life, but there’s nothing easy about the process. A bit of advice, know your “Why” before you book your trip. If you have clear intentions and are willing to do the work, these plants WILL do what they were put on this Earth to do and you will be better because of it

    Another thing I loved about shamanic Vida was the medicine variety they offered. I don’t think there’s another retreat, that I found anyway, which offers so many different medicines at the cost that Chrissy and Pacco offer them for. I’m telling you, that place is the total package. But my favorite thing of all was the shamans themselves and their music. Ugh I can’t tell you how deeply their music touched me during each of my ceremonies. Pacco is incredibly talented on many different levels with his music and Chrissy is awesome in her own right. They compliment each other well and just fit. She brings a strong feminine energy to the experience while he brings this soft masculine vibe. It’s really just a wonderful place to be and if you’re thinking about doing Ayahuasca and doing it properly in Peru, there is no better place than Shamanic Vida.

    The retreat is cozy and rustic set in the middle of beautiful sacred valley, Peru. It’s peaceful and safe and offers you all the Amenities you will need. There’s a big waterfall close by you’ll hike to during your San Pedro ceremony. Their music is amazing and fits the vibe there perfectly. The food is good, the setting is great and the people are world class. I fully intend on returning once a year from here on out to continue healing. And now that I’ve gone, I can safely say, I’ll be comfortable bringing my wife on my next visit. I’m 100% confident that she’ll love it as much as I did and that she’ll be completely safe while doing it.

    Billy R.

  • john.spurigan@gmail.com
    john.spurigan@gmail.com
    February 2, 2020 at 5:14 pm

    Did an 11 day retreat with the team at Shamanic Vida. From the beginning the communication, planning and information was excellent and the retreat was a fantastic and rewarding experience with attention to detail and very much centred around making the experience an unforgettable one. Highly recommend it!

  • wagnerwe
    wagnerwe
    January 29, 2020 at 11:17 am

    I cannot recommend Shamanic Vida strongly enough. I felt cared for and safe through what has turned out to be a transformational journey. I had few expectations before arriving and was thrilled with how everything went. There were some changes in venue and plans due to issues with the usual location, but Chrissy handled this seamlessly without affecting any of our experience. I am planning on going back a year from my first retreat and cannot wait. I feel that Ayahuasca is a very personal experience-the important thing for me was the support that occurred through my and my fellow travelers experiences.

  • pete
    pete
    September 29, 2019 at 7:26 am

    Hi my names Pete I did the 11 day retreat at Shamanic Vida between the 29 August and 8th September, this place is like heaven on earth the shaman pacco is the coolest wisest guy you will most likely ever meet in your lifetime and Chrissy his wife is like an earth bound Angel with the staff of little angels looking after all that are drawn there for their own reasons, I personally have tunnel vision and the staff helped me whenever required and keep me safe, everybody that was on my retreat were friendly and you could see they all benefited from the retreat in their own ways, in my Ayahuasca sessions they all ended the same with the same face every time, that of a young Thai lady named DOW not that I dares to tell her did not know how, she was on the same retreat who as me and was like my own Angel all ways their too make sure I was safe and there for any support at the right time, she had the nicest soul I have ever come to meet
    (shame she was married perfect wife material)
    But don’t know how the marriage was as I would of liked to stay in contact with dow .
    Should you ever read this my email address is petespad1@hotmail.com if you should like to stay in contact or if Chrissy or Pacco could pass my email address on for me to dow I might find out why she was always in my visions and get conclusion to the mystery.
    Thanks for the life changing experience you all gave me
    Pete

  • FriendlyLion
    FriendlyLion
    September 28, 2019 at 1:45 am

    I was very fortunate and grateful to work with Pacco and Chrissy in June 2019 over a 11+ day retreat. They were sensational. Their approach is unique in that they combine many different practices (yoga, meditation, plant medicines, hiking and much more). It was a truly life changing and beautiful retreat.

    They have a very comfortable modern centre, with nice showers and good beds.

    Personally, they are very kind and funny people who truly care about each person that comes to their centre. I felt safe, respected and free the entire time I was there. It was a really fun (but deep and rewarding) 2 weeks!

    I trust both of them very highly and have since recommended Shamanic vida to family and friends. I will be back!

  • ChristineH
    ChristineH
    September 7, 2019 at 12:32 pm

    I did the 6 day Ayahuasca Retreat at Shamanic Vida and I can definitely say, that it was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever made. The rooms and beds at the retreat are nice and comfortable, the whole center is clean, lovely decorated and has a nice flair and the food is really tasty even though the Ayahuasca diet has a lot of restrictions. Also the surrounding mountains and nature make the place very special and calm. Moreover and thanks to Pacco and Chrissy (and everyone else who helps there) the place is just so positiv and peacefull. Indeed I guess its the most peacefull place I’ve ever visited. Everyone supports and cares about you 100% during your whole stay and process. Pacco and Chrissy are simply wonderfull and have so much love to give. They are always they for you. Of course the Ayahuasca ceremonies are really special. But there are also many more parts of the retreat (yoga, reiki, meditation, and more) that make it just perfect. The 6 days I spend there where just wonderfull. The Ayahuasca Ceremonies, the contact to the wonderfull people there and the whole atmosphere there taught me so much and gave me a lot of positive energy and made it clearer for me, how I want to live and which way I want to go with myself. I was really sad, when I had to leave this peacefull and love fullfilled place. But I’m sure I will visit it again soon. I can highly recommend Shamanic Vida by heart. Its one of the best places I’ve ever been to, it opened me up and I’m just thankfull for everything I experienced there.

  • Jacobwallman
    Jacobwallman
    August 4, 2019 at 5:36 am

    Absolutely wonderful experience. I was there for the 4 day retreat and while I had wished it had been longer, I felt although I couldn’t have asked for anything more than while I was there. Beautiful hosts, an incredible Shaman, enthusiastic and caring volunteers. Truly unforgettable and would strongly recommend to first timers and experienced people alike. No better environment to witness the power of mother Ayahuasca.

  • warrenw
    warrenw
    July 9, 2019 at 5:44 pm

    I’ve postponed writing my review of the 11-day retreat I did at Shamanic Vida in April because I wanted to be able to speak to the long-term benefits of the medicine and of the holistic healing program Chrissy and Pacco are offering. Now that it’s been almost 3 months since the last ceremony, I can say without reservation that attending this retreat was among the top three best decisions I’ve ever made for myself. I won’t go into detail about the radically positive transformations I underwent because what each person gets out of working with Ayahuasca is a very individual thing, but I know that the care that Chrissy and Pacco and all the other kind souls in their crew put into creating such an optimal, magical sanctuary for healing and growth was an essential part of this. I also had the time of my life and was definitely not alone in that feeling 🙂

    I can only echo the sentiments of the previous reviewers about how perfect every element of it is. Pacco’s heart is big enough to encompass the earth. Chrissy and Pacco are incredibly generous with their empathy, energy, and wisdom. All that you need is there, and more.

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