Where Ancestral Wisdom Continues to Be Shared
Takinuna was founded by Amazonian shamans whose shared vision gave rise to our ayahuasca retreats in Peru: a place where ancestral wisdom, master plants, and rainforest traditions could be freely shared.
Their vision remains an essential part of Takinuna’s foundation, while the teachings, icaros, and healing traditions that guide this work continue to flow through an ancestral lineage carried across generations of Amazonian shamans.
Here, the work extends beyond the ceremonies. Through conversations, traditional practices, daily life in the rainforest, and relationships with the shamans and the plants, participants are invited into an encounter with a wisdom that continues to be lived and transmitted today.
Retreats take place in small groups, creating space for guidance, learning, and for each person to develop their own relationship with Ayahuasca and the master plants.
The Four Pillars of Takinuna
At Takinuna, our work is rooted in four interconnected pillars: the master plants, the guidance of Amazonian shamans, the ancestral wisdom of the Peruvian Amazon, and a holistic approach to integration through relationship. Together, they shape the way we approach healing, learning, and life with the plants.
Master Plants
Ayahuasca, Bobinsana, Huachuma, Tobacco, Camalonga and other master plants are at the heart of our work. Through ceremony, traditional practices, and learning diets, participants are invited to enter into relationship with the plants and the teachings they can bring.
Amazonian Shamans
The work is guided by Amazonian shamans who have dedicated decades of their lives to learning from the master plants. Through ceremonies, conversations, and traditional practices, participants have the opportunity to learn from their experience and the ancestral wisdom they continue to share.
Ancestral Amazonian Wisdom
The knowledge surrounding the master plants has been carried through generations of Amazonian shamans. At Takinuna, participants are invited to encounter a wisdom that continues to be lived, practiced, and shared through ceremonies, teachings, and daily life in the rainforest.
Integration Through Relationship
Integration unfolds through relationships with the plants, the shamans, nature, and everyday experiences in the rainforest. Conversations, time in the forest, and moments of reflection all become part of making sense of what emerges during the retreat.
The Medicines at the Heart of Takinuna
Ayahuasca, Bobinsana, Huachuma, Mapacho, and Camalonga form the heart of the ceremonial and learning work at Takinuna. Each medicine carries its own teachings and invites a different relationship with oneself, nature, and life. Together, they offer distinct paths of healing, learning, and connection.
Those who wish to deepen their understanding of these and other traditional Amazonian medicines can visit our Master Plant Medicines page.
Explore Master Plant MedicinesAyahuasca Banisteriopsis caapi
Present in all of our retreats, Ayahuasca forms the centre of the ceremonial work at Takinuna. Often approached as a teacher plant, it invites people to sit with the questions they carry, revisit important moments in their lives, and encounter themselves and the world from new perspectives.
Bobinsana Calliandra angustifolia
Traditionally associated with the heart, Bobinsana often invites greater sensitivity, connection, and openness to relationship. For many, it brings a gentle yet profound dimension to the ceremonial work and the learning that unfolds throughout the retreat.
Huachuma Trichocereus pachanoi
Included in our longer retreats, Huachuma invites participants into a relationship with nature, perspective, and connection. The medicine is approached through both a daytime and a nighttime ceremony, guided by the distinct energies of Inti Taita (Father Sun) and Mama Quilla (Mother Moon), each revealing different dimensions of the work and the teachings of the medicine.
Mapacho Nicotiana rustica
Mapacho forms an essential part of the daily ceremonial work at Takinuna. Traditionally associated with cleansing, protection, prayer, and guidance, it accompanies participants throughout the retreat and supports the relationships that develop with the plants and the work itself.
Camalonga Tanaecium nocturnum
Traditionally associated with protection, Camalonga brings another dimension to the work with the master plants. Through ceremony and learning, it invites participants into a deeper relationship with protection, clarity, and the inner resources that support the path with the medicines.
Paths of Healing and Learning
At Takinuna, there is no single way of working with the master plants. Some people come seeking a first encounter with Ayahuasca, while others feel called to deepen their relationship with the plants and the ancestral wisdom that surrounds them.
For this reason, we offer different retreat and dieta options that can be combined and adapted in conversation with the shamans, creating paths that honour each person’s intentions, experience, and relationship with the medicines.
The Yachay Wasi Path
The Path of the House of Medicine
Yachay Wasi means “House of Medicine” in Quechua. This path invites us to gradually fill the house of the body and spirit with the medicines of the Amazon, creating space for healing, learning, and for the wisdom of the master plants to begin living within us.
Choose the retreat that best supports your intentions:
7 Days
7-Day Ayahuasca Retreat in Peru
A focused introduction to ceremonial work with Ayahuasca and the master plants. Through ceremonies, traditional plant treatments, and integration, participants are invited into a meaningful first encounter with the medicine and the traditions of the Peruvian Amazon.
Explore the 7-Day Retreat
10 Days
10-Day Ayahuasca and Bobinsana Retreat in Peru
Alongside Ayahuasca, this retreat includes Bobinsana, a master plant traditionally associated with the heart, emotional openness, self-love, and gentleness. The additional days offer more time with the plants and create opportunities to deepen learning, connection, and one’s relationship with the plants and the ceremonial traditions of the Amazon.
Explore the 10-Day Retreat
12 Days
12-Day Ayahuasca, Bobinsana and Huachuma Retreat in Peru
The most immersive retreat offered within the Yachay Wasi Path. Through Ayahuasca, Bobinsana, and Huachuma, participants are invited into a broader encounter with the master plants and the ancestral wisdom of the Peruvian Amazon, with more time for learning, reflection, and relationship with the medicines, the shamans, and the rainforest.
Explore the 12-Day RetreatThe Takinuna Path
The Path of the Song of the Spirit
Taki means “song” and Nuna means “spirit” in Quechua. For those who feel called to continue beyond the retreat, this path combines a retreat with a healing or learning dieta, offering additional time with the master plants, Amazonian shamans, and the ancestral wisdom of the Peruvian Amazon, creating space for the wisdom that now lives within us to continue unfolding and for the spirit to gradually find its song.
Choose Your Retreat
Begin by choosing one of the retreats within the Yachay Wasi Path.
Choose Your Dieta
Beginner Dietas
May include Bobinsana, Ajo Sacha, Corazón Sacha, Camalonga, and other suitable medicines.
Intermediate Dietas
May include Chiric Sanango, Huaira Caspi, Punga, Tobacco (Mapacho), and other suitable medicines.
Advanced Dietas
May include Ayahuma, Toe, Lupuna, Huachuma, and other suitable medicines.
Explore the Path with the Shamans
There is no fixed formula. In conversation with the shamans, participants are invited to explore which combination of retreat and dieta may best honour their intentions, experience, and relationship with the medicines.
From Plant to Ceremony
The Medicine Behind Our Ayahuasca Retreats in Peru
The medicine used at Takinuna is prepared according to traditional Amazonian knowledge passed down through generations of shamans. The plants, the cooking process, and the time given to each preparation are approached with patience, attention, and respect.
Preparing Ayahuasca is not understood as a purely technical process. It is part of an ongoing relationship between the shamans, the plants, the rainforest, and the intentions carried into the ceremonies.
As the medicine cooks, it is carefully tended and observed. This slow process creates space for the knowledge of the plants and the experience of the shamans to come together long before participants enter the maloca.
By preparing the medicine within this living tradition, Takinuna seeks to preserve continuity, responsibility, and a direct connection with the ancestral foundations of the work.
At Takinuna, preparing the medicine is understood as part of the ceremonial work itself.
The path with the master plants
A Journey of Relationship
Through time with the medicines, we are invited to listen more deeply, to learn from the plants, and to rediscover our place within ourselves, nature, and life.
A Space for Safe and Meaningful Work
At Takinuna, we believe that meaningful work with the master plants begins long before the ceremonies themselves. Preparation, small groups, guidance from Amazonian shamans, and space for integration all help create an environment where participants can approach the medicines with care, respect, and a sense of safety.
Before the Retreat Begins
Before each retreat, we take time to get to know the people who will be joining us. Through conversations and a careful registration process, we seek to understand each person’s health, circumstances, and intentions, creating a strong foundation for the work that follows.
A Space Held with Care
Throughout the retreat, the presence of experienced Amazonian shamans, small-group settings, traditional practices, and opportunities for integration all contribute to an environment where the work with the medicines can unfold with attention, care, and respect for each person’s unique path.
What This Includes
- Personal conversation before the retreat
- Health and medication information shared by participants
- Guidance for preparation before arrival
- Retreat preparation guide and journal
- Small-group retreats
- Guidance from experienced Amazonian shamans
- Traditional plant treatments and ceremonial work
- Space for integration throughout the retreat
A Retreat Centre in the Heart of the Amazon Rainforest
Takinuna Healing Centre is located in the Peruvian Amazon, approximately 30 minutes by boat from Iquitos, one of the last major cities before entering the deeper Amazon rainforest. Surrounded by forest and accessible only by river, the centre is home to our Ayahuasca retreats and learning dietas.
Where Nature Becomes Part of the Work
The centre offers simple accommodation, limited electricity, and a slower rhythm of daily life, creating an opportunity to step away from many of the distractions of modern life and spend time in close relationship with the natural world.
The Amazon rainforest is more than the setting of the retreat. The forest, the river, the wildlife, and the changing atmosphere throughout the day often become part of each person’s experience with the medicines, creating space for contemplation, learning, and a deeper relationship with nature and life.
Voices from Our Ayahuasca Retreats & Dietas in Peru
The reflections below were shared by people who have attended our Ayahuasca retreats and learning dietas in Peru. Each person’s relationship with the master plants is unique, and these voices offer a glimpse into the many ways healing, learning, and relationship can unfold at Takinuna.
Begin Your Path with Ayahuasca and the Master Plants
Healing retreats and learning dietas with Amazonian shamans in the Peruvian Amazon.
Choosing to work with Ayahuasca and the master plants is an important step and one that deserves care and preparation. If you feel called to explore this work, we invite you to begin a conversation with our team.
We are happy to answer your questions, learn more about your intentions, and explore together the retreat and dieta possibilities that may best honour your intentions and support the relationship you wish to cultivate with the master plants.
Scientific research on Ayahuasca can be explored in this scientific study on Ayahuasca.
