And, so your journey begins Dear Pasajero [passenger en español]! We use this name to identify those who have chosen to venture into the jungle, to sit with Ayahuasca, and other Master Plants.
As you begin to prepare for your time with us at Nihue Rao, we’ve created a detailed overview of what to expect for your arrivals, packing suggestions, daily activities, etc. Once you’ve booked your retreat, please read through the entire document thoroughly and without distraction. The information below is important and will answer many questions you may already have around how you can begin to prepare physically, spiritually and emotionally for your time here at Nihue Rao Centro Espirtual.
We thank you for trusting us with your healing process and look forward to meeting you in person.
Your arrival
We arrange a complimentary pick up from either the IQT airport, or your hotel in Iquitos. At the airport, our driver will have a sign but sometimes they will call out your name, and/or say Nihue Rao (sounds like Knee-Way). From there, you will be driven by motor car to the center. If you are booked during the wet season (Nov-March) your journey may also involve a short boat ride to the Ninarumi boat launch and then the center. FYI, if traveling during the wet season we recommend traveling with a waterproof suitcase or duffle bag/backpack.
Upon arriving at Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual, you will be welcomed, given a brief tour of the center, and shown to your room. Depending upon your arrival time there may be meal time for you to eat after settling, our last meal time is around 4 pm. If you plan to eat at the center please inquire with the manager regarding your timing so we prepare you in advance as to whether your arrival will coincide with meals.
Meetings with Maestro Ricardo, the owner and head shaman of Nihue Rao, happen either Saturday or Sunday afternoon. During this meeting you will meet 1:1 with the Maestro [and our translator] to handle find payments, discuss your intentions, and be assigned a Master Plant Dieta. This is also a great opportunity for you to ask any questions to the Maestro directly 1:1 and bring any offerings from your hometown [if you have].
When booking your flights, we suggest you find an arrival day that lands on either Saturday or Sunday. These days our center does not have ceremonies and there is more space to settle and rest. By exception, we also allow for Wednesday arrivals if necessary.
The Preparation Dieta
10 days prior to your first ceremony, it is vital to clear the mind and body of as many impurities, toxins, and intrusions as possible. However, the sooner you can begin your preparations the better. Preparations help you in your approach to plant medicines providing your introduction to the medicine with a more “intact” energy. This will offer you more emotional centeredness and physical endurance for the long nights in the maloca for ceremony. We highly suggest you begin landing in a deeper meditation practice, as you will be spending a great deal of time in ceremony in meditation with the medicine. If you are new to meditation, try sitting for 10 minutes a day and working up to a half hour over the next 10 days.
In terms of food preparations, 10 days prior [if not even longer] we recommend adhering to a soft food diet. This means you stop eating:
- Pork & Red Meat
- Dairy
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Junk Food
- High saturated fats/oils
- Processed foods
And also refrain from all sexual activity.
ALSO reduce –do not completely remove– the following:
- Salt
- Sugar
- Oil
After your retreat, post care needs and conditions are important to take into consideration. Please see our Post Dieta guidance and plan your departure accordingly.
Reminder: Please share with our facilitation team any existing or preexisting physical and/or mental medical conditions you have, along with the medications you are currently taking. It is strongly recommended that at least 3 days prior to your first ceremony you stop using any over the counter medications and/or supplements. Reminder: Please consult your physician regarding medical conditions which require pharmaceutical support. Make sure you provide yourself with the proper information and guidance before making any adjustments.
Logistics in life
Take care of as much business as you can, ideally leaving a solid two-week window for preparation without business chaos interfering. Take care of as many lingering details as possible, such as finances, emails, bills, making arrangements for your animals, etc.
Lastly, before you depart, think about cleaning your home or your room, clearing clutter, doing laundry, etc. so when you return your home feels clean and peaceful. You are preparing now for your return, so creating a soft, safe, and clear space to land will be helpful in your transition back home and begin your integration process.
Packing Checklist
Be aware that you are traveling to the Amazon jungle. Dry season runs roughly from August to November and rainy/wet season from mid-December to mid-May. The jungle is more or less tropical which means high humidity coupled with high temperatures; for the most part.
Packing Suggestions:
- Water bottle, to avoid single use plastics (we will have clean drinking water stations for you to fill up your bottle throughout the retreat)
- Flashlight with a red-light setting (important) for post ceremony use or moving throughout the center at night on our “rest days”
- Journal/art supplies
- Light spiritual books (as opposed to novels or books that have no relation to what you are coming to the retreat for that might distract you). We do have a library if you wish to skip the extra packing items.
- Loose, lightweight clothing (quick-dry material is ideal). For ceremony bring light colored clothes, ideally white.
- Swimsuit
- Flip flops or athletic wet/dry sandals (such as Chacos, Crocs)
- Sunglasses, sun hat and/or UV umbrella
- Compostable feminine products or menstrual cups
- Soap and cosmetics: please do your best to bring only biodegradable products with minimal added chemicals and without strong scents/perfumes
- Mosquito repellant
- Sunblock
- Lighter
- Any extra batteries you need for your flashlight, devices, etc. (and please take used batteries back home with you).
For wet season:
- Rain jacket or poncho
- Rain boots (strongly recommended)
* We suggest bringing protective bags like Dry sacks for your electronics and varied sized Ziploc bags for your clothing and toiletries. Occasionally pasajeros [passengers] are visited by insects in their rooms so please be mindful of your belongings by keeping everything zipped in bags, and scented products in Ziploc bags. Jungle life!
Lastly:
- Bring extra money [USD or PEN]: We do have a safe in our office to lock money and passport.
- Each of our shamans have their own stores and sell beautiful handmade Shipibo offerings like blankets, clothing, pipes and jewelry.
- There are massages offered throughout the week. They cost 100-150 soles for an hour of body work.
- Excursions to town or tours during the downtime [Wednesday, Saturday, or Sunday] are available. We can arrange for a trip to the beach, a tour to Monkey Island, or a boat tour to see pink river dolphins. $250 USD per person, 3 people or more the price is $120 USD.
*ATTENTION: Please try to bring as little plastic or other items that can end up as garbage. There is no garbage collection here in the jungle, in the end everything is burned or sadly can also simply end up on the side of the road. In order to preserve and conserve this Amazonian region, please be as environmentally conscious as you can when preparing and packing for your trip.
Weekly Overview
On Monday morning you will skip breakfast and participate in a vomitivo. This is a drink consisting of master plant Oje, Azucena, and sometimes a tiny amount of mapacho (local tobacco). This purging ceremony helps to clear the physical body of toxins, prepares you for receiving your master plant, as well as preparing the body to receive Ayahuasca. The vomitivo may also help to reduce the purging during the Ayahuasca ceremony nights to come.
After your vomitivo lunch is served and in the afternoon our facilitators will hold an “Orientation and Introduction to Ayahuasca” meeting to share additional information around:
- Information about the centers meal times and daily activities
- The structure of the Ceremony
- The maloca (ceremony space) etiquette
- How to navigate the world of Ayahuasca
- Answer any other additional questions you may have about the structure of our healing center.
Ceremonies are held Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday nights. Private ceremonies are occasionally held by personal request or at the recommendation of Ricardo on Wednesday or Saturday nights. The cost for a private ceremony is $1,500 USD.
Integration is Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. After the ceremonies we hold the integration circles with Ricardo and the other 2 healers, where you will share the experience from the previous ceremony night. There are 3 main things that the healers would like to know about, so they can further provide assistance:
- If you experiences any kind of physical discomfort
- If strong emotions came to the surface
- If you had confusing or disturbing visions.
Also, please feel free to share whatever you feel is meaningful, however be mindful of time, as there are other guests who need to share. Our facilitators are also always here to listen and support you outside of integration circles if you would like more time and space to explore and process what you experienced in the ceremony.
