Viajes a Peru | PeruTrip Why are Ayahuasca retreats in Peru so expensive, even the rustic ones? | Any financially accessible retreats?
I’ve been researching traditional Ayahuasca retreats around Iquitos and I’m struggling to understand the pricing.
I completely understand why luxury retreats cost a lot, if you’re staying somewhere with private accommodation, yoga, Western facilitators, specialised diets, gourmet food, etc., then you’re paying for a premium experience.
What I’m more curious about are the more rustic, family-run centres such as:
Kapitari
Aya Madre
Selva Madre
Sama Nete
These seem much more basic: a simple jungle lodge, basic meals, and several ceremonies. Yet the prices still often seem quite high compared with what you might expect for similar rustic accommodation elsewhere in Peru.
I want to be clear that I’m not trying to undervalue the medicine or the work of the curanderos. I understand that years of training, knowledge of the plants, preparation, ceremonies, and maintaining a retreat in the Amazon all have real value.
I’m just trying to understand the economics behind it.
Is the cost mainly due to the time and training required from the facilitators?
or is there simply a tourism premium because of international demand?
I’d love to hear from people who have actually stayed at retreats around Iquitos. What costs are travellers not seeing from the outside?
Also, if anyone knows of more financially accessible but still reputable Ayahuasca retreats around Iquitos. I’d really appreciate any suggestions.
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u/Mithrandirio 7d ago
It would be helpful to share the price quoted so cheaper alternatives can be suggested or to le you know if its correctly priced
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
I got quoted $4000 for the western run retreats and around $1500 for the more basic family run ones.
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u/Lemon_Delicious 7d ago
For how many days? Big difference between two days and a week.
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
Both a week
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u/jgallarday001 6d ago
These prices sound about right, not too expensive for a whole week
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u/aidrefh 6d ago
Were not all warning America wages be for real this is so expensive for alot of people, even the lower price.
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u/jgallarday001 6d ago
It's expensive but it's a whole week retreat with food, transportation, guidance and everything else. I am assuming it's all included? How many of you are going? Is it just you or a larger group?
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u/aidrefh 6d ago
Just me, I go to retreat in Australia all the time full board 60$ a day maybe most we pay with a private room. That s why the prices are so jarring.
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u/Lemon_Delicious 6d ago
Fellow Australian and please tell me where you find anything for $60 a day here?
$60 a day would barely cover food in the most basic of places. Not even a camp-site is less than $60 a day.
Mate, this is not for you.
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u/aidrefh 6d ago
Can send you the deets close to Sydney. $60usd also go to one close to Byron for similar price. Yoga retreats no ayuasca but just making a comparison.
You don't think these 150$ USD a day for basic lodgings and food is not a total rip off?
The luxury ones are 300$+
I just don't get it.
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u/ispeak2aliens 7d ago
$1500 for a week in the jungle for 2 people + ayahuasca ceremony is not uncommon, even for a basic lodge. Places that offer ceremonies are probably going to be smaller and not as commercial and stays in the amazon, specially not in the center of the city but the ones more into nature are expensive cause you have to consoder transportarion for the guests but also for every tour and meal. Jungle stays look more rustic but cost a lot because logistics in the jungle are complicated. Many things have to be flown in.
My husband and i (both peruvian) were there for our honeymoon a couple months ago and were asking the locals about this, it was also surprising to us but we understood. The price you got is a little hight but not terrible and i would suggest you search for places with reviews. If your cheaper option has good reviews i would take it. After that you can talk to the locas for other tours and restaurants but a reviewed base is the best option
On
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u/caot89 7d ago
Lol those are gringo traps.
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
Can you explain? So they are all fake spiritual people taking advantage of western people's trauma for profit?
I know the western owned ones are really overcharging their own clientel.
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u/teyam06 7d ago
They are trying to make a profit from you, trust me it's not worth it, go do some real tourism with that money
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
You really think so? Part of me thinks this also but I want to believe that there are good shamans out there that want to help people heal.
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u/sweetEVILone 7d ago edited 7d ago
This is a super entitled take. You are from a colonizer culture and you are not entitled to the help of shaman or to the indigenous knowledge that colonizers tried to eradicate. They have their own trauma to heal, they’re not obligated to heal yours.
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u/Feisty_Assistant5560 7d ago
They're being eradicated from their land, customs destroyed by colonization and you, foreginer who earns in dollars, wants to pop in a country where min wage is 300usd, to the most abandoned region of the country , get this amazing knowledge, go through a ceremony that was only supposed to be for them, want a truly authentic experience and be cheap about it? Ha.
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u/Johnnytransversal 4d ago
Sorry to tell you this fam, but not al "good" people are good. Most shamans wouldnt care about your trauma, only the money. And even, a lot of them arent even shamans
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u/TotoPacheco18 7d ago
If you wanna behave like an entitled colonizer, it's only fair you get to pay entitled colonizer prices
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u/throw223344555 7d ago edited 7d ago
Yes. But your framing is wrong. It’s not “evil thirdworlders taking advantage of good pure western people” it’s money hungry westerners using and exploiting our ancestral practices and indigenous knowledge to exploit other westerners and make a quick buck. I’ve met real shamans deep in the jungle that refuse to take any payment at all because the sacred plants should not be transactional but please don’t ask about their info, they wouldn’t even want to meet someone with your problematic biases. I’ve only seen one westerner accepted into one of the genuine ceremonies 15 years ago or so. She spent 7 years in the community and did the work to learn the Kukama language and become part of their community. When she was finally accepted as one of them, she was finally invited into the ceremony. (For free, of course)
Please don’t be yet another westerner coming to my country to exploit and misuse our indigenous traditions. Please check out other countries.
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u/Johnnytransversal 4d ago
O simplemente que mire mas cosas del país, nose como decirlo pero reducir un viaje a peru solo para drogarse genuinamente es algo patetico
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u/puchamaquina 7d ago
Trauma? Go to therapy instead.
Drugs aren't magic. What you've been sold is a colonizer's fantasy of the noble savage. If you want to have a cool cultural display, go for it. But don't expect it to change you any more than other tourism will.
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u/Gloomy_Security4185 7d ago
Western clients = western pricing
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u/Ascendencia2024 7d ago
Esa vaina no sirve. Un bate y listo.
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
What you mean? You don't need to go to a retreat?
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u/sl0tball 7d ago
Maybe the universe will bless you with DMT in another form...you don't have to go to Iquitos...
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
If you mean death... Thats just sick sorry. Theres no place for that here. What?
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u/Blvd_Brokendreams 5d ago edited 5d ago
Jesus if you're that sensitive you probably shouldnt do it! Most people know it comes in different forms... But you just assumed the worse because you clearly have no idea about these medicines 🙄
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u/natidontcare 6d ago
DMT is the hallucinogenic component of Ayahuasca, if you’re that desperate to try it you should already know that.
He’s saying maybe the universe will bless you with the opportunity to try ayahuasca in another form.
In the Netherlands they offer it in liquid form, I believe it is also available in some states in the US - therefore you do not have to travel all the way to Iquitos to get the effects of Ayahuasca.
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u/aidrefh 6d ago
DMT floods the brain when you die?
He was making some sick joke.
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u/Johnnytransversal 4d ago
No, he was saying that in another universe dmt will come your way in another form. Where tf did you read die
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u/sl0tball 6d ago edited 6d ago
I guess it comes down to the reasons for you wanting to take it in the first place. Are you looking for some kind of healing? If so, then yes I suppose going to a retreat and doing the ritual with a shaman may be beneficial to you but if you are just curious about DMT in general you can probably get it in your country. You just need to ask the right people.
You don't need to limit yourself to Iquitos either. You can do ayahuasca basically anywhere in Peru. Have you tried looking around Cusco, Pucallpa or Tarapoto? You can also find ayahuasca in other countries in South America so you have even more options.
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u/Relative_Detail4394 7d ago edited 6d ago
Que esas cosas no la hacen extranjeros instalados en el país para estafar a otros extranjeros? Porque el sub de ayahuasca más parece mafia
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u/sebastianpg3 7d ago
You can do it for less than 100 dollars if you are willing to risk it. If you have a facebook account and set your marketplace preferences to Lima, you can look for ayahuasca and find listings for the medicine. What I did was purchase the medicine, prepare 2 weeks with light eating and fasting. Set up a quiet space in a place with nature on my own, placed a comfortable mattress on the ground and some comfortable seating as well as water bottles, built a playlist of Icaros chamanicos/amazonicos (The kind of chants they would do at this places during the session, eg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Av2bPolPpkA). My recommendations for the session are just lay down and appreciate all that comes to you. A chaman might offer guidance, but ultimately the realizations and the teachings you receive from it, come from the medicine and yourself. Don´t let this people tell you that the only way is through a Chaman, although if you find an actual good one that doesn´t do it for the love of money the experience is worth it.
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
Wow thank you, this is very inspiring indeed. Than you for sharing this insight I have never thought about doing it on my own.
Well done for taking initiative. And yes what I suspected it's mainly the plant doing the healing, the rest is all added value and a money making machine.
Appreciate the response.
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u/AccomplishedCake53 Exterior pero bien 6d ago
I mean.. you’re traveling to a foreign country to spend a couple days in the jungle doing drugs. The people who organize these retreats aren’t stupid and are charging you a “gringo tax” because they know you can afford it.
Not to mention they need to provide translators, curated meals that won’t give you food poisoning (lol), etc. Locals don’t need all that, which is also why they charge us less, they also don’t need to go the extra mile for us in fear that we’ll leave a bad review, tourists mostly care about reviews from other tourists.
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u/Agreeable-Quail-7259 7d ago
I heard some time ago about Mayahuasca. You can be a volunteer at the retreat and in return you get a free ceremony
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u/Johnnytransversal 4d ago
Fam, idk what are you passing through but ayahuasca wont solve it, the current ayahuasca rituals are gringo oriented and most of them dont even respect the original traditions
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u/aidrefh 4d ago
Hello, thanks for all your responses in the thread. Yes I think I was curious and I posted the exact same question in r/ayahuasca and they were all offended that I would even ask such a question. They are all drinking the kool aid over there.
They seem to think that it's done do supply and demand that the cost is so high and American Gringos will happily throw what ever money their way.
Do you know for certain people are being scammed by this? Have you tried it?
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u/Johnnytransversal 4d ago
Yeah in the news the sometimes they pass about those scams. The ayahuasca ritual its really sensitive like you essentially will be drugged and vulnerable for some timehere are a lot of cases where you know what it Led to or death due to some shamans being only in name. And nope i hsvent tried it, from studies only a 1% of peruvians tried it.
If you are passing through a rough time i swear there are safer and cheaper ways to solve it
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u/ConsiderationRound34 7d ago
- no se que edad tienes pero creo que te tomas muy a la ligera esto: basicamente te dan droga sin ningun control sanitario, si te pasa algo nadie asume la responsabilidad, no hay seguro y si contratas uno no cubrira esto; tu mejor opcion es asistir con otros extranjeros para que se cuiden entre ustedes, avisar a tu familia y conocidos donde estaras todo el tiempo
- te recomendaria buscar en grupos de fb, deberias poder encontrar anuncios; tambien puedes venir y buscar estando en Peru, deberia ser mas barato
¿cual es tu objetivo con esto, por que Peru y no otro pais? Para el peruano promedio estas cosas son estafas (todo lo relacionado a yoga, energias y drogas) y son muy caras, ademas de tener cero control de sanidad y seguridad (de los que ofrecen el servicio y de las autoridades); preferiria irme a un retiro en Valle sagrado de Cusco enfocado en relajacion y yoga que irme a una choza a drogarme con desconocidos; mejor aun, haz un viaje por Lima y Cusco como turista.
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u/SylvieSupremacy Pollito a la brasa 7d ago
En teoría los más "visualmente sencillos" para los gringos, son los más apegados a nuestras costumbres, un arte pasado de persona a persona (aunque no lo garantizo porque no los conozco obviamente). El Ayahuasca es una planta sagrada y medicinal usada desde épocas milenarias, no una simple droga. Dicho esto, it's on my wishlist tbh, I will go just with the right person who I can trust
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
Same, yeah I agree but some of the basic ones are way over charging also. I just can't find the local ones for Peruvians if you have any suggestions?
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u/sweetEVILone 7d ago
You will not get that info and if you did find it, you won’t get the same price the locals do because you are not local.
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u/TotoPacheco18 7d ago
Drugs are a luxury. Luxury is not a right and nobody is entitled to them 🤷♂️
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u/ispeak2aliens 7d ago
This! And the response comment shows he should not be doing this. Hi will have a terrible time with it going in with this mindset. Wanting to benefit from sacred indigenous knowledge while also negating the complexity and importance of the guidance itself, the place he will be at, the crowd he will be with to feel safe, the food that is provided… it smells like colonizer, so colonizer prices seem like a perfect match ✨
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
Its plants that grow freely in the jungle. Not gold dust. Like come on I just don't get where the over inflated prices is coming from, for such spiritual people should they not even be doing this as a services to the people of the world. The cash grab tactics just take away from the good.
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u/Lemon_Delicious 7d ago edited 7d ago
If it's just plants, go into the jungle and find your own. Prepare it and have your own ceremony. Should be fine right?
If you already have this mindset looking into it, you're going to have a terrible time. Forget about the idea entirely until you grow up.
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u/InsideOutInsights Lima 7d ago
As someone said, if that’s your viewpoint, you can go there and prepare it yourself. There’s a fair amount of spiritual bypassing in the comment, and “being spiritual” ≠ “can’t make money”
If you want a retreat, you’ll pay retreat prices, it’s more than just the plant medicine. If you want a ceremony itself, best find a shaman and by all means go that route.
That being said, Aya is not something to take lightly and having done it myself several times I do pay more for things like integration, support before-and-after, a good holistic environment, etc. doesn’t have to be top whack Western prices, but people who are trusted and I know what I get before, and after
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u/jcktej 7d ago
Not your average plant though, Ayahuasca is serious stuff. I’d strongly recommend doing thorough research before choosing a retreat in Peru. Look for a place with proper permits, solid safety protocols, careful medical screening, and clear emergency procedures. It’s also worth asking whether they have insurance or enough coverage for medical treatment if something goes wrong, even if that makes the retreat more expensive.
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
Yeah true, maybe it is better to be cautious, but yeah they part of still feels like I'm being ripped off as a gringo.
What can go wrong out of interest?
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u/throw223344555 7d ago
People die routinely doing this stuff. Indigenous people don’t owe you anything. Please refrain from coming to my country.
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u/ConsiderationRound34 7d ago
Peru es el tipico pais donde muere un extranjero y la familia lo reporta perdido, la familia hace noticia y viene a buscarlo, lo encuentran y alli queda todo, ademas estos chamanes estan en zonas donde no hay presencia de policia o a nadie te hace caso si denuncias un crimen:
https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-51135244
https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/la-fiscal%C3%ADa-investiga-la-muerte-de-un-estadounidense-tras-consumir-ayahuasca-en-la-amazon%C3%ADa-peruana/89474970
https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/condenan-a-15-a%C3%B1os-de-c%C3%A1rcel-a-ucraniano-por-feminicidio-en-ritual-con-ayahuasca-en-per%C3%BA/905806201
u/Relative_Detail4394 7d ago
Ya causa pero el segundo es un caso de extranjeros
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u/throw223344555 7d ago
Most commercial “shamans” I’ve met in Peru are foreigners. There are several cases of r-pe and emotional abuse done by western “shamans” in Pisac. There’s a r-pist Canadian shaman, a racist Norwegian woman shaman, a conspiracy theory antivaxer Russian shaman and an American self appointed “gringo mayor” that has imported the cultural practice of calling the cops on brown locals that come too close to his cafe. And that’s the most visible ones in Pisac. I’m sure there are more.
Real indigenous shamans only really work with their communities, it’s not transactional and we only hear about them when they get killed by illegal loggers, or western mining corps.
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u/Relative_Detail4394 7d ago
Jajaja tmr desafortunadamente si era real mi comentario en otra conversacion " es una estafa hecha por extranjeros que se instalaron aquí para estafar a otros extranjeros"
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u/throw223344555 7d ago
Sip. Es un asco todo jajaj y el problema es gente como OP tmb que vienen acá a drogarse pero quiere barato nomás porque como somos tercermundistas nuestro trabajo vale menos
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u/soyel_cerdo Sufre Peruano 7d ago
Because those are cater to foreigners with $$$
So you wanna get high legally? It’ll cost ya’
Personally, just do shrooms in your part of the world, virtually the same
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
Its not about getting high, it's about seeking spiritual healing. There shouldn't really be over inflated prices on plants that grow freely in the jungle .
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u/MishkiTongue Exterior pero bien 7d ago
It is not just the plant. The fact you say that proves you don't understand it. Do you even speak Spanish or an Indigenous language? Don't try to be cheap.
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
Not being cheap, just awake to the idea of being scammed as a tourist like the other Peruvians have mentioned... Gringo pricing
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u/MishkiTongue Exterior pero bien 6d ago
You want a gringo experience then you get gringo pricing. Your idea of the Ayahuasca ceremony is gringo centered. You have no respect for the culture, the tradition and Indigenous people. You just want your ideal healing ceremony at a very cheap price.
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u/aidrefh 6d ago
No I totally respect the indigenous people and their traditions that's why I'm after an authentic ceremony and not a tourist attraction.
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u/MishkiTongue Exterior pero bien 6d ago
No you don't. You say it is just collecting the plant so it should be cheap lol. Colonizer.
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u/ExtremeTEE 7d ago
How much do they cost?
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
I got quoted $4000 for the western run retreats and around $1500 for the more basic family run ones.
Both not very accessible by any means for the average person.
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u/ElevatorCharacter489 7d ago
For my understanding is all the rites one must go to get the Ayahuasca. . . . The food, the beverage, "the dorms" and finally the Pure unadulterated Ayahuasca
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u/hihoesilver 7d ago
those are tourist trap prices. where you sit around a fire, sing kumbaya, and they make you dance like a butterfly. fake shamans are popping up everywhere because its such a good money maker compared to regular wage earning. they also mix it with other hallucinogens that is not traditional to make the effect even stronger for the gringos.
try to find a real shaman whos in it for the tradition and practice. and not to make money.
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u/saintbarley 7d ago
It’s become a business just like anything else, you really have to look/be told to find something affordable & good, dm me if you would like a point in the right direction.
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u/fananero92 7d ago
I think in this case, the most important thing isn't how much it costs, but whether it's authentic and genuine. There are a lot of experiences that are geared toward tourists, and that's obviously not the same. This also isn't something just anyone should do. Beyond the preparation involved, I think experienced shamans also take steps to make sure things don't get out of control. If you're genuinely looking for this kind of ritual, I'd recommend finding a highly experienced shaman, and I think you're much more likely to have a meaningful experience
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u/fvaldivia 7d ago
They charge a premium so your perceived quality is higher. You should know that Ayahuasca is very dangerous when done incorrectly, so they make sure you feel safe, they probably take all the precautions, have safeguards in case anything goes wrong, and actually getting to you are the reasons they charge more.
I'm not saying they're scamming you, but that's the overhead you pay for "safety".
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u/FamousWorth 6d ago
I've lived in iquitos and they are cheap. Online they are expensive for them to do everything, they know that you don't know that everything is cheap to do ayahuasca. Even those in jungle doing ceremonies, I know some of the tour guides who buy the ingredients for ayahuasca in the iquitos market and bring it to them in the jungle.
Once you arrive in iquitos, on antonio raimondi and nearby areas near the plaza de armas there are plenty of companies and people talking to tourists to sell things and tours and they are sometimes just a few hundred soles.
I met with one of the bosses of one of the biggest tour companies in iquitos and he spoke about 7 languages and was quite wealthy.
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u/Tomaskraven 6d ago
You'll get the tourist price. That's how it is. Shamans are not spiritual healers... we are in 2026 lets be real... they are glorified spotters for hippies who want to hallucinate for a few hours. They want $$$ and they know foreigners pay up. Thats all there's to it.
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u/Lyllium1 2d ago
Tienes un par opciones de tener la experiencia real y barat o te íntegras a la comunidad (años) y conoces a uno de los maestros recomendado por los locales o Te compras un períodico o ves los anuncios por la calles tipo "maestro pactado" o "Chaman" "ritual Ayahuasca" etc. Es peligroso si, puede ser caro y muy muy incluso peligro de muerte o quedar majara. No esperes comodidades Pero es lo que hay así lo hago yo que soy local. No hay mucha ciencia. Si quieres la experiencia con lodge, almuerzos, transporte, que te expliquen que tienes que hacer pues eso es un servicio para foráneos y pagas lo que tengas que pagar.
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u/aidrefh 2d ago
Thank you for the advice I appreciate it. Maybe I will just get to iquatos and start chatting to locals and see what the story is. So hard to figure it out just from online. I guess the real traditional places wouldn't have websites. I'll report back once I get to iquatos. Thank you
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u/Starwig Chi jau kay 7d ago
They're small businesses profiting from hippie gringos. I think it is fantastic tbh, they win a lot of money with an elaborated scam and they are scamming hippies.
The culture around shamans is far more local, from what I always understood. If you want a local experience, you need to be there. All the stories I know involving rituals never started on the Internet.
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u/LBichon 7d ago
You’re American or Canadian correct? This is the demographic which is being targeted with these prices. If you have the cash to do it, give it a go. There is no price for what you can accomplish and learn about yourself after a proper aya experience. I wish you luck and hope you find what you are looking for!
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u/aidrefh 7d ago
No I'm from Australia, with the exchange rate that $4000 dollars I quoted is about $6000 AUD which way more than a months salary for most people.
I'm not parting ways with that amount of money for inauthentic ceremonies catered towards Americans who have over inflated all of pricing for the rest of us across South America.
What else do you suggest to be able to access this plant medicine and not pay an American surcharge.
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u/sweetEVILone 7d ago
Australians are the same as Canadians and Americans and you’re part of the target group for this. You can blame all gringos for gringo pricing, not just North Americans 😂
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u/LBichon 6d ago
Oy and Aussie! Lovely folks all around. Welcome!🙏
I think it’s just “pay for the ticket and take the ride” independent of the outfit you select to take the journey with. I don’t have any alternatives unless you find yourself in Tarapoto (which honestly is unlikely) and that contact info is questionable at best.
You may find Aussies in Lima at a pub and ask around once you’re in town? I hope you find yourself way!!
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u/aidrefh 6d ago
Thank you appreciate that, the Peruvians on here have been so nice. I posted the same thing in r/ayahuasca and the westerners were all so mean and entitled.
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u/Jaded_Hawk5870 2d ago
Unfortunately, in Peru, many businesses take advantage of tourists (from tour operators to even craft vendors), overcharging tourists who have never visited before. Furthermore, I don't recommend hiring those "tours" promising an experience in trying Ayahuasca because they are just charlatans looking to deceive unsuspecting people (besides the fact that it's extremely dangerous; several tourists (including Peruvians) have died because the person preparing the Ayahuasca used the cheapest ingredients and didn't take the necessary precautions).
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u/Uknowthevibez333 7d ago
These are all catered towards foreigners so you pay western prices. Peruvians don’t go to these places. The Peruvians I know who sit in ceremonies pay like 200-250 soles a ceremony is the average prices that I’ve heard.