5.0
True AyaMadre
THE LAND: Prepare for an adventure! Ayamadre is located at km22 from the Iquitos airport. After a jumpy motor-car ride and a jungle walk, we finally reached the hill on top of which Ayamadre is situated. The land is beautiful, far away from the noises of the city, the forest alive, clean and healthy, there's even a small river that flows through the property just meters away from the first tambo in which we can bath and often (when it has rained enough) swim!
THE CENTER: Rustic, an authentic Shipibo style retreat. Though I feel like Estela's will shortly attract more and more "passejeros", the center as of today is more like a family village: the experience is super-intimate, ideal for those who seek a connection with Shipibo culture and curanderismo. The fact that Ayamadre just opened gives us "passengers" the quite unique opportuinty to establish an up-close and personal relation with the shamans and their family - very different from other centers where the shamans are not easy to approach.
MAESTRA ESTELA: She is the mother of Ayamadre, a powerful and caring medicine woman. Her mission seems to be more about sharing her knowledge and guide us into finding our own connection with the healing plants of the jungle than to "content us" with mystical journeys only; at the same time her shamanic skills are incredible - her icaros accompanied me straight to the heart of the issue that led me to seek healing in the jungle, and found it. She is a true maestra/master.
The team - which at the moment counts the help of Clementina (a shaman herself and good friend of Estela) and Chris (a lovely New Yorker who translates for those who don't speak Spanish and helps with logistics and organization) and Estela's family - is friendly and always ready to help.
I will DEFINITELY and JOYOUSLY go back to Ayamadre. Truly grateful to have been there in its first days.
I recommend this place to all those who seek more than just an ayahusca experience but a whole immersion into the heart of Shipibo Shamanism and tradition. Read More
THE CENTER: Rustic, an authentic Shipibo style retreat. Though I feel like Estela's will shortly attract more and more "passejeros", the center as of today is more like a family village: the experience is super-intimate, ideal for those who seek a connection with Shipibo culture and curanderismo. The fact that Ayamadre just opened gives us "passengers" the quite unique opportuinty to establish an up-close and personal relation with the shamans and their family - very different from other centers where the shamans are not easy to approach.
MAESTRA ESTELA: She is the mother of Ayamadre, a powerful and caring medicine woman. Her mission seems to be more about sharing her knowledge and guide us into finding our own connection with the healing plants of the jungle than to "content us" with mystical journeys only; at the same time her shamanic skills are incredible - her icaros accompanied me straight to the heart of the issue that led me to seek healing in the jungle, and found it. She is a true maestra/master.
The team - which at the moment counts the help of Clementina (a shaman herself and good friend of Estela) and Chris (a lovely New Yorker who translates for those who don't speak Spanish and helps with logistics and organization) and Estela's family - is friendly and always ready to help.
I will DEFINITELY and JOYOUSLY go back to Ayamadre. Truly grateful to have been there in its first days.
I recommend this place to all those who seek more than just an ayahusca experience but a whole immersion into the heart of Shipibo Shamanism and tradition. Read More
