I am a US citizen living in Peru.

I will be going to Pucallpa soon, and want to try ayahuasca there. So I am looking forward to being able to use this forum to ask some of the participants for recommendations in Pucallpa.

I am on a tight budget, so for many reasons, travelling to Iquitos is out of the question.

Thanks for your time and attention.

Hi,

Having visited Pucallpa and done some homework i can reccomend 2 options. One is that you try Don Marcial, who lives just off the main road, 11km before Pucallpa. Another option is that from Pucallpa, you take a combitaxi to the suburb of Yarinacocha, and get a motorized canoe, ( less than $1) i think, to the village of San Francisco. There are many options there, and you can pick and choose retreats for weeks or months. If you wanna do a 1 week stay, then it's best to work out some deal like a cost for sleeping, food and ayahuasca, and see if the curandero is happy with that. Generally they try to charge 100 soles for 1 night of: food, ceremony and sleeping, or 50 soles just for a ceremony alone, but you can get a weeks stay with food and 3-4 ayahuasca ceremonies for a good price if your bargaining skills are good. However it's basic accomodation, and also food.

Don marcial has his own website, but seems 'less' bargainable, although many speak very highly of him.

There are cheap buses to Pucallpa from Lima, and flights are good at the moment with star peru, etc.

Hey,

I've been to San Fransisco, and if i ever go back to Peru, it won't be there: i felt it had a "Puccalpa suburb Ayahuasca tourist town" vibes, let's not even speak of their local radio blasting from early morning on from the phonepoled loudspeakers... uughh

Had some ceremonies with Don Mateo Arevalo, which i would recommend to avoid, he felt a tad "slimy", and managed to fall asleep after dosing some friends, leaving them vulnerable and unprotected, in a place which from his own mouth, is loaded with "brujos".

Can't speak of Don Martial, but have read good things about him.

Good luck!

Haha, i also went to Don Mateo, and felt the same, if it was the same one in San Francisco to the right of the jetty 1 1/2 blocks down on the right, opposite the lake.

I wouldn't specifically reccomend him although i had 2 good ceremonies. That's why i reccomended Don Marcial. Another reccomendation is Elisa.

San Francisco is a touristy place, but can be cheaper than Iquitos, since Iquitos is Aya centre number 1.

Hi christian and Rooftop,

Thanks for the advice.

I will definitely check out Don Marcial and Elisa when I am there.

From what you heard, is the ayahuasca in San Francisco strong, or is it weak? My main interest is to find ayahuasca that is potent. I actually tried ayahuasca before, with a shibipo shaman in the Chanchamayo region of Peru (which is far away from pucallpa) and the brew was very weak. It made me vomit but I barely felt any effects afterward.

Hi Jonnexus,

To play devils advocate here, and provide no help whatsoever to your OP, have you considered working with the medicine alone? If potency is what you're after then why not learn the recipe and tailor it to your exact needs -- instead of trusting some 'shamen' profiting from this surge in Ayahuasca tourism? Is this something you've considered? Since you're already in Peru you should have no trouble finding source material.

Apologies I can't provide help. Years ago I considered doing this same thing yet am glad to have found the way myself without the craziness in between. It truly worries me what's going on down there... to the people and the environment.

All the best.

The first drink was moderate, the second was chakruna strong, and the remaining 2 were rather weak, but i could have drunk as much as i needed. That was with don mateo. However Don Marcial reputedly has very good ayahuasca. If you like yours strong, sometimes it's best you make it yourself, unless you ask the curandero to make it strong, or 'buy' a strongly made one.



A1pha, i understand how you feel, but paying $120 for 1 week paid accomodation, food , and 4 ayahuasca ceremonies isn't a rip off is it?
It's paying for a service with a shaman who does this for his living. Although don mateo was perhaps a bit of a businessman, he was a powerful man and knew his trade. The ceremony in the malokka was awesome, and the company was great. Although the aya wasn't always great, i had 2 good ceremonies, and the 1'st was amazing, and i think everyone should do one when they are ready, because it's a highlight to any trip to Peru. I felt safe and in good hands, and apart from the aya being 'variable' had no other complaints. The aya can be solved by brewing your own, or buying some ready made from a vendor near the market if one wishes, etc....

A1pha. I have to disagree with your comments. For someone who has never set foot in Peru, Pucallpa, or sanfransisco implying all shamans here are taking advantage and offering poor rip off services as well as destroying the land is quite bold.

Christian, myself and many others have been to these places and done many ceremonies, Some good some bad. some are full of shit but others are amazing healers who care about there work.
If you think that the popular aya tourism is the biggest destructive force for the now hard to find chacruna bushes I would beg to differ. living room drinkers world wide consume far more resources than you think.
Not to mention its apples an oranges and I can speak fro experience. traditional ceremonies offer things that cant be replicated at home. One may not be better than the other its all personal opinion.

Second...as Christian said they arent all that expensive if you don't go to some fancy place offering floral baths and pilotes including private sweets with hot showers. I paid 300 soles a week for 2 months with food and lodging and unlimited ceremonies. That is about 140 dollars us.

Ayahuasca isn't all that cheap here because of the chacruna. Many centers don't have the man power to take the days trek into the forest to find the decreasing slow growing charcruna bushes so must buy it from those who can. On line vendors have been a huge participant in this problem so anyone thinking your doing no harm because your at home is mistaken.

I agree that san fran isnt perfect. BUT...its what you make of it. I had a life changing experience there in the months I stayed and others can too. Don marcial...a great shaman but guess what... his maloka is right in the center of a busy street in the city and the sound of traffic is quite distracting. That was why Eric left after just one week. Everything in life has it good and bad.

Mateo..... O man this guy is a piece of work I agree. He is the real deal but utterly lazy and seems burnt out, BUT the other 2 shamans there worked their asses off for us every night we drank. I could care less about Don Mateo and his snoring during the few ceremonies he decided to "bless us" with his lazy presence.

And yes the aya there is not consistent which is why Eric and myself began brewing our own which is very much allowed. However I have heard the exact same complaint from dozens and dozens of people from Iquitos to Cusco. Hate to say it but we are much better at making ayahuasca they maybe the locals.

To the OP. Its not easy to find a good place. Ill agree that many shamans are full of it but not all. seek and you will find but you may have to try a couple centers to find one that works for you.

In case anyone wants to know..Emilio, my favorite shaman fro the Pucallpa area has left Don Mateo and is now opening a center in Iquitos with Eric. I assure you this is a positive loving envirement and has a powerful caring shamans.

Well said, OM.

Really, it is all an adventure, and something well worth the hassle IMO. Don Mateo did seem lazy and burnt out, but his 2 other shamen certainly made up for it.

Looking forward to hearing of any developments about that centre Eric and Emilio are opening in Iquitos. It should be awesome!

would anyone be able to provide some updated comments/experiences to these areas?

i stayed in pucallpa at Casa de la Madre, which is run by a wonderful australian woman named Cielo. if you are going to stay with her it is best to do it in the wet season, as the area becomes more populated (therefor noisy) in the dry season.

she knows the area quite well, has drunk with hundreds of shamans, and can hook you up with a variety of them. i highly recommend the muraia Benjamin Ochavano.

i've been to san francisco, and while i have no doubt there are good people there, i'd never want to go back. the atmosphere of brujeria, suspicion, jealousy, intrigue, treachery, etc. was so thick you could choke on it. i felt like there were unseen eyes watching me from behind every corner.
i got some very friendly smiles and greetings from some young people, but other locals displayed undisguised contempt for gringos such as myself. (that being said, i certainly understand how the recent influx of aya seekers would irritate these marginalized & poverty-stricken people).

i definitely would not want to just arrive in San Fran and start shaman hunting. there is major potential for getting scammed or worse.

hope that was useful.

I was there only for 1 week, but i disagree with that comment. However there's probably some suspicious Shaman there. After all i was accused of apparently wanting to kill the shaman by his apprentice?

I am going for a retreat at mayantuyacu with Juan Flores Salazar in Pucalppa Peru . any anyone been there ? any comment/advice ?