Details and More
Type of Event
Inperson
Itinerary / Program Information
Owned and operated by Shipibo Maestra Estela Pangoza, Aya Madre is the premier sacred plant medicine retreat to receive your healing in Iquitos, Peru.
Retreat Topics
Ayahuasca
- Ayahuasca
Psychedelic & Plant Medicine
- Shamanic
Reviews
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3 Reviews on “Aya Madre Healing Center”
Do not trust this center!
I’ve never met a group of more highly manipulative, deceitful and spiteful people in my entire life. Super sleazy hustler vibes. Con artists. Highly unprofessional. They “yes” people to death, making all sorts of claims as to what they can do for others both in services and in healing, and then do not deliver. Then compulsively lie, making up stories/excuses (as to why they didn’t deliver) as it fits their needs and lack of willingness to be supportive and empowering for guests.
Their entire website is fraudulent. Do not believe anything it says and do not send them money Friends and Family (which again is fraud). When I pointed out I was not receiving what I purchased and wanted a refund so I could leave, they refused. They clearly just want to make money. They spend money carelessly, putting extravagant personal gifts as priority over guest care, compromising things such as food (basic human need) and medicine which is promised and part of the cost of the stay. Highly negligent. Highly overpriced. They are using westerns for money.
The environment and community is not peaceful. Constant drama and fighting among staff. The staff will withhold food and medicine from guests intentionally to try to take power when they feel triggered or angry, a form of bullying and retaliation. I had to call the US Embassy and the support of qualified professionals and abuse survivor groups as my health was diminishing rapidly (such as suicidal ideation) due to the abuse, which they ignored and refused to help. This is by far the worst experience of my life. It’s like a game, and we are used and abused for their personal amusement. Sick.
The Maestros are unprofessional, belligerent, immature and arrogant. They and the family are manipulating and abusing guests, such as emotionally (shaming) and sexually (inappropriate touching of guests and self with sexual advances). Not a safe place for women. Its like Never Land, where lost boys never have to grow up, and childish/unprofessional behavior among staff is allowed. No accountability. It’s like being in pre school with no teacher/supervision.
The “volunteers” are just as bad; self serving, manipulative, defensive, do not advocate for guests and their safety, and are not qualified to care for/support others. They also have extreme boundary violations and sexual advances towards women, which the family allows. Do not believe any of the communications you have with them.
This center takes your money but does not deliver on the agreements made as far as the services, care and experience you’ll receive, while they abuse you. Do not tell them your wounds (what you’d like to work through) because they will use that as bait for manipulation. Do not waste your time/energy/money here! There is NO integrity. Do not believe anything they say. This is a total tourist trap, no longer sacred. Please protect yourself.
It was my first time in Peru in general and first time with Ayahuasca. After watching a documentary “THE SONG THAT CALLS YOU HOME” on Gaia, I decided to go to Aya Madre. I flew with my good friend and my husband. The entire communication was via WhatsApp and with the help of a volunteer. We arranged a pick up with the center upon our arrival. All of us were picked up and safely brought to Aya Madre Healing Center.
STAFF: Main Maestro was Maestra Estela, who is a wonderful human being and a very powerful shaman. She is a female. This was also a reason why I wanted to come to her retreat as I felt that a woman and a mother will understand better… My intuition did not deceive me. I felt a very strong energetic connection with Maestra Estela especially when she chanted incaros. It was sooo powerful!
Maestro Roldan is a great shaman too! Maestro Jakob is a powerful shaman without no doubt. A yogi volunteer was very helpful young lady. I had an incredibly healing experience and spiritual too.
ACCOMODATIONS: Each person had its own hut “Tambo” with simple wooden bed, with a matrass with clean sheet over, a pillow and a blanket. Small table and a chair. You will have also a mosquito net attached around the openings and over your bed. I really liked my Tambo and my privacy. My husband had his own Tambo near mine. 3 communal bathrooms with flashing toilets were always clean. 3 communal showers with cool water also were clean and simple.
INTERNET: rarely you can connect to local Wi-Fi. But this is enough to text via WhatsApp (it works here) to your close ones that you are OK. Electricity is only in the kitchen and bathrooms from solar panels.
KITCHEN – was simple but all was fine. You will have drinking water.
FOOD: Food was super simple but you will not walk around hungry.
MEDICINE: You will be prescribed by Maestra Estela medicinal drinks based on your health condition. I had 6 herbs. You will have access to all herbs. You will prepare your herbal drinks by yourself. It takes time. I liked it. You can connect to the trees…
CEREMONIES: Very powerful!!! You get the Medicine first from Maestra Estela. After about 30 – 40 min. shamans will start chanting icaros. Then each person will sit in front of the each shaman for about 10 minutes and after that you go back to your mattress in Maloka. You will vomit, you may have diarrhea. This is all cleansing all your toxins out. It is good for you as you feel better afterwards. After about 2-3 ceremonies you will feel amazing!
PRICES: We paid $120 per night – all included except pick up and drop off to the airport. It is at least 2 time less that the charges at other retreats. But be prepared to a very simple accommodations. you will lose weight. I think it is good! 🙂
SUGGESTIONS:
1. Bring your own bottle to drink water especially during ceremonies.
2. Bring your own towel(s) for after shower. You will not get one from the center. 2 towels are better because anything dries very slow because of the wet climate. Bring a rain coat.
3. Yellow fever vaccination – we did not have time to do it. I was told that the Aya Madre area is not saturated with this disease. It is up to you.
4. Please wear your snickers and bring toll rubber boots as you may go to the jungle. I contracted a parasite (“Sand Flee” and another one) in my foot. Sometimes you can get this parasite from local dogs or from sand. I did not wear shoes. It was my mistake. You just need to be careful. This is tropics.
5. TIME for STAYING: I am glad we stayed 12 nights. Then you will get more healing and spiritual benefits.
6. Download on your phone Google Translate as it can work off line too.
OVERALL IMPRESSION:
I loved it! My husband and my friend also had great experiences. We will be back!
People were very friendly and caring. I did not encounter any abuse.
If you speak Spanish then it is fantastic. I do not speak Spanish. We had a very nice translator volunteer. I recommend this center as people here are sincerely helping you. You will be reborn here again!
It is not easy to put all my negative experiences in this center together in one review but I will give it a try, so people will know what they are going into, as it is an overrated place because of just one documentary, which does not reflect the reality of now.
First of all, I want to say that I have been to many retreat centers and this was the most disorganized and the one where guests are the least cared about. Actually all they care about is money. First, we went there especially for Maestra (we are a couple experienced with medicine), but we barely saw her. There were 2, sometimes 3 other Maestros in the ceremonies, which I am not sure about their expertness, as they were all singing the same Icaros to everyone, all the time, with their laud voices, which most of the time feels like they were angry and just shouting, whether there is someone in front of them or not. They start singing all together, all through the ceremony, without any break. And their Icaros not even beautiful, sorry.
Maestra might be good at what she is doing, her Icaros is good, but the center is managed very poorly and you do not even see her around, sometimes she is not even in the ceremonies, so I did not get the point why we were there. The food you will get is probably the simplest, just some, and same, veggies and soup every night. Sometimes they even forget you, or cook very late. You must feel lucky if you get any fruits from time to time. The plants they give you for the dieta is most of the time missing (you go there for plants, but there are no plants), it takes days to bring them (which actually center is not very deep in the jungle, the staff travels to city all the time but somehow they do not bring the plants or food you paid for). And also real Dieta is not done in this way. Maestra gives you 5 or 6 plants, which should not happen in a dieta. If you want to go for a real dieta, you should do it only with 1 plant, in an isolated space. They sell this retreats as a dieta, but it is a lie in this case. They even cook pasta, which should not be even in just ayahuasca dieta. This is the care they give about you.
Apart from these, as I learned after from another visitors, one of the Maestros, who is from the family, had abused a woman guest. I was not planning to write about my experience until I learned this. The center is owned by a woman but I don’t think it is a safe space for women, if a Shaman from her family sees the right on himself to do this, it means Maestra creates space for it. And the place is also full of male workers, who just cut the trees all day to build new facilities. It is just uncomfortable.
This center might be cheaper than many others but this is the quality that you get.