8-day Ayahuasca and Plant Medicine Amazon Retreat

Name: 8-day Ayahuasca and Plant Medicine Amazon Retreat Jan 23 to Jan 30, 2025
Start: 2025-01-23
End: 2025-01-30
Location: Novalis
Rating: 4.75

4.7516 reviews

Novalis, Jiron Arequipa, Puerto Maldonado, Peru

Up to 7 in group

January 23 - 30, 2025

Retreat Highlights

2000 Hectares of Primary Rainforest
Small Groups
Individual Plant Medicine work
Healthy Facilitator to Participant Ratio (4 facilitators per ceremony)
Vegetarian Food
Off-grid Living
Supports Amazon Conservation

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Juan

Loyver

Juan Zuniga

I want to start our conversation telling you that my life through the ayahuasca medicine path started in 2008, but working with my ancestral lineage started much earlier. Since I was a youth, I was actively participating in the healing ceremonies that my family practices: we are descendants of a Andean tradition. My father is a hampy camayoc, and my great grandmother was the curandera of her little village, Quiquijana. This district is located in Quispicanchis, Cusco. My fathers lineage is traced back almost 600 years. Now my work with energy medicine (such as Andean offerings), Amazonian plant medicine, Huachuma and Ayahuasca is dedicated to these familiar maestros. In 2017 I started Novalis alongside my wife and dear friend. I am director of our center, and we are dedicated to conservation. We are the stewards of over 2000 hectares of primary rainforest in the south-east Peruvian Amazon. I have been living and working in these jungles since 2006, and I know the people and plants here well. Thank you for considering to work with us.

Loyver Yui

Loyver is from the Alto Ucayali region, and was born in the community of San Francisco de Yarina Cocha. As a young boy he was first initiated by his mother, a healer who was trained by her grandfather, father and father-in-law, who recounted her many experiences of Medicine and ceremony to her young son. Two important lineages came together in Loyver (or Wesha´kea, his Shipibo name, which signifies 'infinite patterns of possibility'): the lineage of his maternal grandfather, who contacted him in dream from early age and taught him to dream lucidly, and the lineage of his paternal grandfather, a traditional Shipibo ayahuasquero. Loyver learned how to heal with ayahuasca and the pharmacopeia of the rainforest through many years of ceremony and dieta in isolation. Loyver also traveled through the region of Ucayali to study and take medicine with other masters and some relatives during his young adulthood. He also works as an artist, exhibiting his paintings throughout Peru. His paintings tell the most exquisite tales through expressing some of his experiences with the medicine.

Details of this retreat

Treehouse Lodging. Small group retreats with personal attention. Flexible Pricing. 2000 hectares of Virgin Amazon Rainforest. Volunteering.

Our goal is the protection of 2000 hectares of Amazon RainForest. For this, we have decided to operate as a platform that offers the necessary space for the implementation of projects where all work can be carried out under the concept of collaboration and harmony with nature. We are an open laboratory for human/nature interaction in this part of the world. We offer ayahuasca medicine retreats, nature retreats, and artist residencies.

Keeping our retreat groups exceptionally small ( 6 -8 people), allows us to provide personal attention to each of our guests and to keep the atmosphere of a small family house in the deep forest.

Each retreat will offer you: - Transportation from Puerto Maldonado to Novalis- Accommodation in our shared tree houses completely screened from mosquitos and with mosquito netting provided over the beds.- Ayahuasca ceremonies (the number dependent on the type of the retreat)- Individual health consultations, if required- Flower baths and cleanses ( optional )- Individually selected plant dietas (depending on the type of the retreat)- Pre- and post- ceremony sharing circles- Jungle walks- Locally grown vegetarian food cooked with love- Translation from Spanish to English

Our home is located in the middle of primary rainforest full of animals and birds and we offer unique treehouse living as a way to re-connect with nature. We offer flexible pricing on our Ayahuasca retreats, shamanic plant dietas, and work exchange opportunities.

Novalis offers various options for accommodation and can host between 6 and 12 people at a time in our 3 double occupancy treehouses or the ground level 4-bedroom house. We are also available to host any guest retreats that might benefit from the rainforest setting. All our houses are completely mosquito-proof and built with locally sourced lumber, often from salvaged wood, and with a focus on simplicity, sustainability, and functionality.

For this retreat, we will be working with the main medicine team of Novalis director Juan Zuniga, Shipibo Loyver Yui, and Machiguenga elders, Carmen, and Luis.

**Email us at wearenovalis@gmail.com for more information.

Please Bring

Headlamp & Extra Batteries

Water Bottle

Umbrella

Repellant

Eco-friendly Soap & Washing Detergent

Loose Clothes

Schedule

Weekly schedule during our 8-day Ayahuasca Retreat:

Day 0

(the day before your retreat begins) - Ideally you should arrive in Puerto Maldonado (Airport code PEM) the day before your retreat begins. But it is okay to arrive in the morning of Day 1, too.

Day 1

Please ideally arrive the day before retreat begins

12pm Depart Puerto Maldonado

2:30pm Arrive to Novalis!

2:30pm Lunch *Comedor*

3-6pm Land Tour and Get Settled

6pm Dinner *Comedor*

7pm Opening connections

Day 2

8am Breakfast *Comedor*

9-11am 1-1 Personal Sessions with staff

1pm Lunch *Comedor*

2-4pm 1-1 Personal Sessions with staff

5-8pm Time for Reflection for Ceremony

8pm Ayahuasca Ceremony 1 *Maloka*

Day 3

8am Breakfast *Comedor*

9am Integration Circle *Maloka*

1 pm Lunch *Comedor*

2-5pm Workshop

5pm Dinner *Comedor*

7pm Evening Circle *Maloka*

Day 4

8am Breakfast *Comedor*

9-11am Personal Sessions

1 pm Lunch *Comedor*

2-5pm Workshop

5-8pm Personal Reflection for Ceremony

8pm Ayahuasca Ceremony *Maloka*

Day 5

8am Breakfast *Comedor*

9am Integration Circle *Maloka*

1 pm Lunch *Comedor*

2-5 pm Workshop

5pm Dinner *Comedor*

7pm Evening Circle *Maloka*

Day 6

7-8am Morning Practice *Maloka*

8am Breakfast *Comedor*

9-11am Personal Sessions

1 pm Lunch *Comedor*

2-5pm Workshop

5-8pm Personal Reflection for Ceremony

8pm Ayahuasca Ceremony *Maloka*

Day 7

8am Breakfast *Comedor*

9am Integration Circle *Maloka*

1 pm Lunch *Comedor*

2-5 pm Art Immersion *Comedor*

5pm Dinner *Comedor*

7pm Closing connections

Day 8
Departure for city

Schedule for our 15-day Ayahuasca Retreat with 8 days of plant dieta:

**PLEASE NOTE THE LENGTH OF YOUR STAY (16 or 17 or 18 days) DURING LONGER RETREATS AND PLANT DIETA DEPENDS ON SPECIFIC DATES.

Day 0 - 4

Same as short retreat...

Day 5

First day of the plant dieta

Day 6-12

Shamanic dieta in an isolated tambo (house)

Day 12

Last day of the dieta.

8pm Third Ayahuasca ceremony *Maloka*

Day 13-15

Same as short retreat

**Email us at wearenovalis@gmail.com for more information.

Please Bring

Headlamp & Extra Batteries

Water Bottle

Umbrella

Repellant

Eco-friendly Soap & Washing Detergent

Loose Clothes

Note: Schedule is approximate and may change

Getting Here

Novalis, Novalis, Jiron Arequipa, Puerto Maldonado, Peru

Directions

We are located 2 hours outside of the city of Puerto Maldonado in SE Peru. Please arrive to Puerto Maldonado, and from there we will take care of your transport.

Accommodation

Our treehouses are 10 meters up in the canopy with beautiful 360degree views. These treehouses are home for 2-3 people, and depending on group size sometimes we also have space for single occupancy. Please enquire.

Please contact us for discounts or low-income options.

Venue & Amenities

Our center is located 4km from the riverside and is completely surrounded by primary rainforest. We have running water, composting toilets, kitchen facilities, and many different indoor and outdoor spaces for you to be and relax. We have over 30km of walking trails in active Brazil Nut harvested forest.

Meals

Menu Types

Vegan

Vegetarian

Pescetarian

Ayurvedic

Includes Meat

Organic

Gluten Free

Dairy Free

Nut Free

We serve vegetarian food and can cater to many types of diets and food intolerances, including allergies.

What's Included

Each ayahuasca retreat will include:
Transportation from Puerto Maldonado to NOVALIS and back (40-minute car ride followed by a 45-minute beautiful boat ride along the river, and a 40-minute scenic hike through the rainforest)
Accommodation in our shared tree houses is completely screened in from mosquitos, with netting provided over the beds, comfortable mattresses, fresh sheets, and lanterns.
Possibility to take part in the preparation of the medicine (depending upon the timing of cooking and a particular retreat)
Individual health consultations with our medicine people
Sharing circles before and after ceremonies
Individually selected plant dietas (depending on the type of retreat)
Opportunity to deepen your knowledge of shamanic practice and the use of medicinal plants
Nature Immersions (plant identification walks, nature walks, forest meditation)
Locally grown vegetarian meals cooked with love (All meals included)
At least 3 Shipibo Grandmother Ceremonies
Transpersonal Psychology Integration Circles

What's Not Included

Airfare from your home
Hotels before and after
Food in the city of Puerto Maldonado

Customer Reviews

4.75 out of 5.0 average rating

Anonymous • May 29, 2023

5.0

Verified

Precious Place With Precious People

I cannot recommend Novalis highly enough to anyone who wishes to visit the Amazon jungle and learn about it as well as about its people and plant medicine, go on an adventure to reconnect with nature, themselves, others, … and much more. Sincerely. Their team is an absolute treasure. Honest, caring, dedicated, skilled, generous, professional, devoted… these are just a few of the beautiful qualities they uniquely embody.
Having a chance to be immersed in the magical rainforest in such a unique way is purely and simply a gift. An exquisite experience to say the least. To be giving back to Mother Nature by supporting the cause Novalis vouches for is also such a highlight in going on a retreat with them.
They will welcome you with wide open arms and big bright smiles, cook delicious food for you, offer you a comfortable room in an real treehouse, provide you with the right tools you may seek, share their knowledge and wisdom with you, and support you every step of the way - whatever your aim is when choosing to journey with them.
You will most certainly feel safe, supported, and empowered in every aspect.
Wishing for you to take a leap of faith as I did as you will most certainly not regret it.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you Novalis family. To me you are now family too. I will see you soon and already cannot wait for next time.
Until then, take good care of yourselves.
With all my love,
Mathilde

Mireille • Dec 19, 2022

5.0

Verified

Thank you Juan!

Juan is a human with a big heart and a good ear. He will do what he can to make your stay a success. He took the time to listen to eveyone's story, helping with his knowledge and own experience. His presence was always very comforting. He also took us for a walk in the jungle and shared a fair bit of knowledge about medicinal plants. Thank you Juan and Cassandra for making this possible!

Mireille • Dec 19, 2022

5.0

Verified

Thank you lovely people!

Went to Novalis for an 8 day retreat with a shaman and Ayahuasca. I received the answers to my life questions, lots of love and learnings. The tree houses are comfortable, the food was delicious and plentiful. It was a true immersion in the amazon forest, hot and humid! The groups are small (7 to 9 participants) and we each had the opportunity to have a good clean with Jonathan, our shaman, who was very loving and helpful. Staying there a week, doing 3 Ayahuasca ceremonies, we had time to know eachother and get comfortable, wich, for me, was a must. We had lots of free time, but found some good books to read. Juan, the hosting familly and also our musician were all very loving, full of good vibrations! I had an awesome experience. Thank you again to all of you at this retreat!
: ) xxx

Dalia • Apr 28, 2020

5.0

Experience the reality of selva

We spend great time in Novalis, experiencing the reality of Peruvian selva, while living on the beautiful tree-houses and observing the nature. That was the best experience from our two months trip to Peru. You leave in with more peace in your mind.

Eva • Feb 04, 2020

5.0

A rare and magic portal

Everything about this retreat was truly personalised and caring. I met with Juan and Cassandra the night before and they took the time to really explain everything and settle me, answer all my questions. I felt very safe and held. On arrival, Juan spoke about his vision for conservation, landing us fully in context and the reality of the rainforest rather than trying to authenticate an 'indigenous experience'. That said, once we landed (after the beautiful boat ride and trek) at Novalis itself, it was like entering a true oasis. The whole team work like magic. The food is amazing. The tree-houses are quite unique (! total immersion!) And most importantly, Juan and luyver work as the most attentive, expert and deeply spiritual team to deliver you exactly the experience you need. Juan's theraputic session with me before Ceremony was profound - he saw into my soul with deep care and guided me towards setting the perfect intentions, laying the ground work for a truly healing and remarkable medicine journey. Luyver's song pierced my soul and spoke to me with a depth of wisdom and spirit through his shamanic lineage. The forest shower and the personalised floral baths were an absolute treat. The special resin Juan ground me for a problamatic spot is just one example of how caring and personalised, and especially knowledgable he is with his plant medicines. The spot, needless to say, disappeared within days. But the profound effect of staying at Novalis and the wisdom, beauty and downloads I received there will stay with me for a life time...

8-day Ayahuasca and Plant Medicine Amazon Retreat

Retreat Highlights

About this Retreat

Your Guides

Juan Zuniga

Loyver Yui

Details of this retreat

Schedule

Getting Here

Directions

Accommodation

Venue & Amenities

Meals

Menu Types

What's Included

What's Not Included

Customer Reviews

Anonymous • May 29, 2023

Precious Place With Precious People

Mireille • Dec 19, 2022

Thank you Juan!

Mireille • Dec 19, 2022

Thank you lovely people!

Dalia • Apr 28, 2020

Experience the reality of selva

Eva • Feb 04, 2020

A rare and magic portal

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