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.
*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 shamans, where you will share the experience from the previous ceremony night. There are 3 main things that they would like to know about, so they can further provide assistance:
- If you experiences any kind of physical discomfort.
- If strong negative 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.
Other Offerings:
- We have an Art Maloka for those interested in painting & drawing. Materials we do have are limited based on past guest donations.
- In our common area/lounge we have a quaint, diet friendly library of books on everything from spirituality, self-help, traveling, language learning, and fiction.
- Diet friendly popcorn on ceremony off nights 🙂
- There are beautiful walks throughout the center that lead you into our Botanical Garden, featuring a variety of Amazonian Master Plants and Ayahuasca on the property.
Donations for our Community at Nihue Rao
The shamans and their families, enjoy chocolate bars and Ricardo in particular is a lover of cashews. If you feel called to bring an offering you are welcome to. Supplies like pens, pencils, notebooks and art supplies are so helpful to the families and their children here as well.
If you wish to support the center, we always benefit from:
- Art supplies for our Art Maloka
- For the Nihue Rao Community/Pueblo:
- Balls and/or other types of childrens toys and games
- School supplies [pens, pencils, notebooks, art supplies, etc.]
- Clothes [Adults & Children]
- Medicine [for pain, fevers, decongestants, digestive aids, etc.]
- Office supplies:
- Pens & Sharpies
- Dry erase markers & erasers
- AA batteries
- Page protectors
- Office organizers
- Page protectors
- Safety Pins
- *Anything to support our administrative needs is greatly appreciated. 😌
- Old electronics [computers, cell phones, etc.]
- Western Medicine & First Aid such as: Tylenol, Gauze, Bain Aids, Electrolyte Packets
- Animal Care: Items like Frontline and/or Bravecto, flea/tick shampoos, blankets and other supportive items help the center in addressing pet care.
- Books for our Pasajero Library
- Any Clothing and Shoes (second-hand is perfectly acceptable)
Your Departure
We will arrange for a moto taxi to bring you back into town that will cost you 70-80 PEN. Simply coordinate with either our office administrator or a facilitator to arrange your pick up from Nihue Rao back to Iquitos.
FINAL CHECKLIST
✅ Arrange ground transportation with Nihue Rao Management
✅ Bring cash for your time in Iquitos and Nihue Rao
✅ Keep a copy/screenshot of flight information to coordinate departure from Nihue Rao
Feel free to reach out at any time if you have any additional questions, or refer to our FAQ. Our team is wishing you a pleasant journey here and are looking forward to welcoming you to Nihue Rao Centro Espiritual!
Email: nihuerao@gmail.com
Whatsapp: +51 910 316 715
Staying in Iquitos
Hotels
$ – Bora Hotel Iquitos is located a few minutes away from downtown, close to all tourist attractions. This lodging has rooms decorated in a modern style. They are equipped with a television, safe box and bathroom with toiletries. On the hotel’s roof there is a terrace. For sunbathing and excellent views
$ – Set in Plaza Sargento Lores, 600 metres away from the Plaza Principal and 5 minutes by car from the Boulevard. Each room has a private bathroom, toiletries, fan, free WiFi and more. Presenting a great terrace with a park view on the 2nd and 3rd level and a renovated and integrated shared kitchen, dining room and garden area on the 1st level of the property.
$$ – Family owned and operated budget accommodations, rooms with river or garden views. 10 minute walk to the Plaza De Armas, Shipibo Market, and delicious restaurants.
$$ – Brand new luxury apartments for rent right on the banks of the Amazon with stunning views and a quiet ambience. Walking distance to an atm, local grocery store and pharmacy as well as a few blocks from the Plaza de Armas and outdoor Shipibo Market. A quick motorcar ride to the infamous Belen outdoor Market as well.
$$ – Comfortable and bright rooms overlooking the street or a small landscaped courtyard of the Central Cafe. Close to the River and/or Plaza de Armas make this place the perfect option to enjoy the desired tranquility on your vacation.
$$$ – Comfortable luxury rooms, on-site restaurant and room service, WiFi, concierge service and outdoor pool. Atm, market and river views walking distance from the hotel along with ayahuasca friendly restaurants and shopping; i.e. Shipibo Market and retailers.
$$$ – The Casa Morey is a historic building and is a national monument that dates back from 1913. This attractive building was restored as the Casa Morey to conserve the charm and splendor of past eras, reminding us of the elegance of the historic buildings of the rubber boom era in the Peruvian Amazon.
$-$$ The Jungle House by Explorama is tucked into a quiet street only two blocks from the bustling Plaza de Armas of Iquitos, well away from the noise prevalent in most of the rest of the city. Inside, the rooms are airy, comfortable, clean and modern, and can accommodate single travelers, couples or families. The dining area is beautifully decorated with wrought iron and serves an elegant breakfast which is included in the cost of the rooms. The pool located just off the lobby is refreshing and inviting at any time of day.
Restaurant Recommendations 🌱 Ayahuasca Friendly
Dawn of the Amazon 🌱
La Noche – Restaurant Turistico 🌱
Ari’s Restaurant
Amazon Bistro
Casa de Hiero
We look forward to welcoming you soon at Nihue Rao for your ayahuasca retreat! If you’d like additional reading to help prepare yourself mentally and spiritually for your retreat, we recommend the following resources:
