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Refugio Altiplano Ayahuasca Retreats
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We are a natural medicine healing center located in the heart of the Amazon rainforest.
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Property amenities
Free breakfast
Breakfast available
Complimentary tea
Boating
Fishing
Airport transportation
Sun deck
Laundry service
Outdoor dining area
Room features
Private balcony
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Good to know
HOTEL STYLE
Hidden Gem
Great View
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
Calle Pevas, 113 – C Iquitos, Nauta Peru
Name/address in local language
Getting there
C.F. Secada Airport
8.5 km•
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51 Restaurants
within 0.5 kilometers
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Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
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Detailed Reviews
I took the 12 days Ayahuasca retreat at Refugio Altiplano. The centre is a place to go to rest, have time for oneself, have healthy food, connect to nature and the sounds of the jungle. The retreat is designed for you to do personal and spiritual work. The bungalows or houses are very clean, safe, beautiful around nature with plenty space for you. Each ceremony is an unique experience, the maestros are trustful, caring, respectful and very knowledgeable about the plants medicine. I am so grateful for having chosen Refugio Altiplano for my process of emotional healing. And for having the Refugio Altiplano team that took care of my needs such as food, laundry, safety, trust. They do everything with attention and love. The days off when there is no ceremony you can go for a jungle walk, spotting pink dolphins or even fishing. I love this healing centre and I am sure that they will take care of you and support you in your goals for the healing process you are taken. Definitely after my Ayahuasca retreat there is a before and after line to my life journey. I am happy to know I now have a place in the Peruvian jungle to rest, heal and keep learning from the Ayahuasca Medicine.
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Date of stay: April 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
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Room Tip: Take a torch with you, it’s very useful for the night walk you need to do to your bungalow after...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I stayed for only 7 days. This meant 4 ceremonies. I came in with the mindset of trusting that Mother Ayahuasca would show me what I need to see in those ceremonies. Spoiler: This was the correct mindset.
The trip there was straight forward, picked up and dropped off to the boat, then a lovely ride down the amazon river, which in itself was quite the ride, with terrific views.
I met the other members briefly. We got a tour of the amazing place we'd stay at.
I absolutely loved my hut. Waking up every morning to a fresh bowl of fruit and tea...delivered to eat and drink at your pleasure. A lovely bathroom with all the necessities.
The ceremonies and everything leading up to them felt very grand, and quite the process...of magic.
My first ceremony was uneventful. My second was profound with vivid visions of the past and future. My third was my own hell. My Fourth completed it with absolutely everything I could've hoped for and more.
The Shaman, Don Jose, was so powerful and amazing in every way. The translator was spot on, and quite knowledgeable about ayahuasca himself. The staff were extremely friendly. Our shacks were cleaned daily. The food was great. The accommodations were very authentic, and exactly what I hoped for... a very jungle experience.
The other members were what made the experience that much more colorful as we were all very like minded and shared indepth subjects over every meal, adventured together through the jungle, went on boat rides, and swam in the river.
Thank you so much for this. I hope to bring more people here - and spend more time here one day, when needed.
The trip there was straight forward, picked up and dropped off to the boat, then a lovely ride down the amazon river, which in itself was quite the ride, with terrific views.
I met the other members briefly. We got a tour of the amazing place we'd stay at.
I absolutely loved my hut. Waking up every morning to a fresh bowl of fruit and tea...delivered to eat and drink at your pleasure. A lovely bathroom with all the necessities.
The ceremonies and everything leading up to them felt very grand, and quite the process...of magic.
My first ceremony was uneventful. My second was profound with vivid visions of the past and future. My third was my own hell. My Fourth completed it with absolutely everything I could've hoped for and more.
The Shaman, Don Jose, was so powerful and amazing in every way. The translator was spot on, and quite knowledgeable about ayahuasca himself. The staff were extremely friendly. Our shacks were cleaned daily. The food was great. The accommodations were very authentic, and exactly what I hoped for... a very jungle experience.
The other members were what made the experience that much more colorful as we were all very like minded and shared indepth subjects over every meal, adventured together through the jungle, went on boat rides, and swam in the river.
Thank you so much for this. I hope to bring more people here - and spend more time here one day, when needed.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
When I arrived there, I had a broken heart from my past. This place slowly put it back together. I will never forget this place. The place is great and the staff are some good people. I highly recommend this place for anyone that needs to heal. I will miss the people there.
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Travelled solo
Value
Rooms
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Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My wife and I spent eleven nights at Refugio Altiplano for an Ayahuasca retreat sharing a single hut. We attended seven Ayahuasca ceremonies. The accomodation was quite large, basic old but clean with an urgent need for a good refresh. Old nets with holes here and there serving as windows didn't always prevent insects and rats roaming around our living space. Sitting on the terrace at night was impossible due to the constant invasion of bilions of mosquitoes from jungle draining our blood. This was really hard to put up with on daily basis even with the provided incense supposed to keep them away. The staff was friendly, the food was nice but very repetitive and we soon got fed up of it. The ceremonies were short, one take of medecine per session. The effects were on the light side to be honest. One night both of us almost didn't feel anything at all and the last night I drank a full cup but the physical discomfort was so pronounced that it wasn't possible for me to appreciate the spiritual or the healing aspects. I have done Ayahuasca before where two to three half cups of medecine were taken over a periond of nine hours to make the body load much easier to handle. At Altiplano the ceremonies lasted two and a half hours almost spot on. I have to mention that there is only three hours of electricity a day (from 6PM-9PM) just enough time to charge cameras and cellphones. There is no wifi at the retreat. The weather can be very hot and humid during the day and therefore hard to sleep and to recover from the ceremonies. We had an option to continue another seven sessions for a discounted price but over all we didn't feel like staying in mosquito land any longer. Since the ceremonies were light and the price very high for what we got I find it hard to really recommend. Not to mention the cost of our travel over to Peru from Europe. Out of the hundreds of Ayahuasca retreats located around Iquitos I guess there must be other ones with good Shamans too, more intense ceremonies and higher standard of accommodation all this for the same price or even less than what we paid. It was just average in our opinion. Finally we travelled around Peru with the cash and the time we were saving for the second part and my wife and I don't regret our choice.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Refugioaltiplano123, Owner at Refugio Altiplano Ayahuasca Retreats
Responded 18 Jan 2020
Thank you for your review. In response to the effects of the medicine. Every guest is allowed to have as many cups of medicine as they wish. For over 25 years we have had thousands of very satisfied guests who often return many times to our retreat center. The ceremonies you refer to are the western adaptation of ceremony. These ceremonies can last 8 -10 hours and each guest will have multiple cups of medicine. We offer authentic Shipibo ceremonies ,like at all centers in Peru these ceremonies last 3 to 4 hours and most guests have 1 cup of medicine. Yes the Rainforest is hot and humid and full of mosquitoes. This is nothing we can do to Change the law of the jungle. We do turn off our electricity at night to provide the quietest environment for our guests and conserve energy. We have no WiFi and do not plan on ever offering this for our guests. We find unplugging from the internet for 12 days is one of the most healing parts of our center. As far as the mention of rats in the houses. There are no rats in these parts of the Amazon ,many guests think the small creatures called Agouti are in fact rats. They are harmless and actually very cute when you look at them directly. I hope you did receive some positive healing from your stay at our center. As discussed and agreed upon in our previous conversations we choose to work very gently with you and your wife to address her health issues with extreme safety and caution. The well-being of our guests is of the most importance to us at Refugio Altiplano.We specialize in working with each guest on a very personal and therapeutic level. Some centers do offer a experience that focuses more on extremely intense ceremonies and consuming larger amounts of medicine. Our primary focus is on physical spiritual and emotional healing. I hope this can provide more clarity for yourself and others who find any concern with your review. We wish you both the very best on your continued healing journey. Sincerely, Kelly Green . Refugio Altiplano Owner
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My wife and I were planning our honeymoon to Peru and I really wanted an authentic ayahuasca experience to be part of it. We're both very spiritual people and I am a hypnotherapist who focuses on people's spiritual development, so I felt that I could learn from ayahuasca. After a lot of research Refugio Altiplano seemed like a perfect fit.
After a little confusion we were met by a Refugio representative at the airport who took us first to their offices, to take care of paying them, then to the market to purchase rubber boots (which turned out to be difficult because my size 13 feet). Then it was to the dock to board a powerboat for a ~90 minute trip to the Refugio.
We were assigned to casa de Roy. It was very big (for 2 people) and was, as I expected, a bit spartan. We had two working light bulbs, one upstairs and one in the bathroom and a working electrical outlet upstairs as well. The beds were very comfortable, which was a pleasant surprise. I had two major complaints about the house: First is the very leaky roof which required us to keep our belongings in just a couple strategic locations to keep dry. Second was that the toilet (which I was very thankful we had) required us to fill the tank with water by hand. This seemed to be a maintenance issue and not a design issue. I should also note that we went in early May just at the end of the rainy season, we did see the staff repairing other roofs so I assume casa de Roy was on the list and just hadn't been completed yet.
The staff were all very friendly. The food was good, though the five other guests who had all been there several days prior to our arrival stated that they found the food to be very repetitive. The heat and rain left us constantly wet and dirty so we went through clothes much faster than expected. The staff will do your laundry for you, however they wash in the river and dry in the sun, so we found that 3 days wasn't enough time to both wash and dry our clothes and we ended up leaving with a bag of wet clothes. If I ever go back I'll be bringing a lot more clothes. There is a person, fluent in English, who acts as liaison between the guests and staff. They rotate, one week at the Refugio then one week back at the office. During our stay the young lady acting as liaison was dedicating a significant portion of her time to one-on-one "customer service" with a handsome young Brazilian guest. We found this to be a little frustrating at times.
We found boredom to be a real issue during our stay. On days without ceremony they plan little excursions which for us, and the folks there prior to us, amounted to trips to nearby villages for fresh coconuts or to use the Internet. Even so that was just a couple hours out of the entire day. For all the guests during our stay the day was whittled away napping and reading in the hammocks at the main building...which is nice, but gets old after a couple days.
The final thing I'll mention before I discuss the ceremonies is the music. The only quite is between ~3:00am and ~10:00am. The rest of the day and night is filled with the sound of Scott's music carrying over the entire area coming from his massive labyrinthine house. I actually tried to do some recording of the jungle sounds and rain sounds to use in my hypnotherapy CDs, but the constant music made them useless.
Now, the ceremony. I was initially very disappointed that we could only fit in two ceremonies because of our schedule, but after the second I didn't feel like I could get much more from it...at least not now. Scott was not there for our first ceremony and they ceremony was very cryptic to us. No instruction was given. We had no idea what to do or what anything meant. We were both given 1/4 of a cup (their cup, not the unit if measure) of ayahuasca. My wife experience no noticeable effect while I had a couple "things" which may have been attributed to the ayahuasca but it was so minor that it was easy to dismiss. The ceremony lasted at least two hours, maybe more as it was hard to tell time lying there in the pitch black darkness, and after 90 minutes or so I just dozed off.
We talked to Scott before our second ceremony and he significantly increased the dose for my second ceremony to just shy of a full cup, and increased my wife's only a little. She still experienced nothing. Scott finished up the ceremony after just an hour (said something about trying to streamline the process) and left the ceremony house. At this point I had not experienced anything and decided that the ayahuasca just wasn't doing it for me, so I was about to get up when I started vomiting...this lasted about a minute. When it passed I got up and sat next to my wife who was putting her boots back on. That's when it really started hitting me. After sitting there trying to get my head on straight I realized that wasn't going to pass anytime soon and went back to my mat. I started getting visions which at first I could easily direct, but as time went on they became more and more random and nonsensical while it took more and more concentration to remain lucid. Eventually I just relaxed into the visions. I do feel that I learned some "stuff" but honestly the visions were no more powerful, and much less coherent than what I experience during deep meditation (without chemical aids). I spoke to all the guests about their experiences and even those who had done 5 and 6 ceremonies had very little of substance to report. They all said it was life changing, but couldn't tell me how or why.
So I don't know. It was a good experience and I'm very happy that I did it, but I don't know if I'd go back and if a friend was looking to go I'm not sure I'd encourage them. Obviously others get a lot out of it, so I'm very willing to accept that either I didn't give it enough time (i.e. more ceremonies) or it just wasn't what I needed in my life right now.
After a little confusion we were met by a Refugio representative at the airport who took us first to their offices, to take care of paying them, then to the market to purchase rubber boots (which turned out to be difficult because my size 13 feet). Then it was to the dock to board a powerboat for a ~90 minute trip to the Refugio.
We were assigned to casa de Roy. It was very big (for 2 people) and was, as I expected, a bit spartan. We had two working light bulbs, one upstairs and one in the bathroom and a working electrical outlet upstairs as well. The beds were very comfortable, which was a pleasant surprise. I had two major complaints about the house: First is the very leaky roof which required us to keep our belongings in just a couple strategic locations to keep dry. Second was that the toilet (which I was very thankful we had) required us to fill the tank with water by hand. This seemed to be a maintenance issue and not a design issue. I should also note that we went in early May just at the end of the rainy season, we did see the staff repairing other roofs so I assume casa de Roy was on the list and just hadn't been completed yet.
The staff were all very friendly. The food was good, though the five other guests who had all been there several days prior to our arrival stated that they found the food to be very repetitive. The heat and rain left us constantly wet and dirty so we went through clothes much faster than expected. The staff will do your laundry for you, however they wash in the river and dry in the sun, so we found that 3 days wasn't enough time to both wash and dry our clothes and we ended up leaving with a bag of wet clothes. If I ever go back I'll be bringing a lot more clothes. There is a person, fluent in English, who acts as liaison between the guests and staff. They rotate, one week at the Refugio then one week back at the office. During our stay the young lady acting as liaison was dedicating a significant portion of her time to one-on-one "customer service" with a handsome young Brazilian guest. We found this to be a little frustrating at times.
We found boredom to be a real issue during our stay. On days without ceremony they plan little excursions which for us, and the folks there prior to us, amounted to trips to nearby villages for fresh coconuts or to use the Internet. Even so that was just a couple hours out of the entire day. For all the guests during our stay the day was whittled away napping and reading in the hammocks at the main building...which is nice, but gets old after a couple days.
The final thing I'll mention before I discuss the ceremonies is the music. The only quite is between ~3:00am and ~10:00am. The rest of the day and night is filled with the sound of Scott's music carrying over the entire area coming from his massive labyrinthine house. I actually tried to do some recording of the jungle sounds and rain sounds to use in my hypnotherapy CDs, but the constant music made them useless.
Now, the ceremony. I was initially very disappointed that we could only fit in two ceremonies because of our schedule, but after the second I didn't feel like I could get much more from it...at least not now. Scott was not there for our first ceremony and they ceremony was very cryptic to us. No instruction was given. We had no idea what to do or what anything meant. We were both given 1/4 of a cup (their cup, not the unit if measure) of ayahuasca. My wife experience no noticeable effect while I had a couple "things" which may have been attributed to the ayahuasca but it was so minor that it was easy to dismiss. The ceremony lasted at least two hours, maybe more as it was hard to tell time lying there in the pitch black darkness, and after 90 minutes or so I just dozed off.
We talked to Scott before our second ceremony and he significantly increased the dose for my second ceremony to just shy of a full cup, and increased my wife's only a little. She still experienced nothing. Scott finished up the ceremony after just an hour (said something about trying to streamline the process) and left the ceremony house. At this point I had not experienced anything and decided that the ayahuasca just wasn't doing it for me, so I was about to get up when I started vomiting...this lasted about a minute. When it passed I got up and sat next to my wife who was putting her boots back on. That's when it really started hitting me. After sitting there trying to get my head on straight I realized that wasn't going to pass anytime soon and went back to my mat. I started getting visions which at first I could easily direct, but as time went on they became more and more random and nonsensical while it took more and more concentration to remain lucid. Eventually I just relaxed into the visions. I do feel that I learned some "stuff" but honestly the visions were no more powerful, and much less coherent than what I experience during deep meditation (without chemical aids). I spoke to all the guests about their experiences and even those who had done 5 and 6 ceremonies had very little of substance to report. They all said it was life changing, but couldn't tell me how or why.
So I don't know. It was a good experience and I'm very happy that I did it, but I don't know if I'd go back and if a friend was looking to go I'm not sure I'd encourage them. Obviously others get a lot out of it, so I'm very willing to accept that either I didn't give it enough time (i.e. more ceremonies) or it just wasn't what I needed in my life right now.
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Date of stay: May 2013Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
My experience left much to be desired. The "medicine" didn't really do a lot for me. I drank 4 times and only felt anything from it the 3rd time, after having 2.5 cups... Which they'd recommended against.
The shaman said there was a blockage and that it had lifted after the 3rd ceremony and the 4th time would work very well.
The 4th time I didn't feel anything but sick for 4 hours. 2 of the others in our group felt nothing the 3rd time but were eager to blame themselves. Even the interpreter, Mel, who I absolutely loved said this was a very mild batch.
The food is very good and the accommodations weren't bad but the beds were always damp due to the humidity and they hang dry all the linens because they don't have a dryer.
Some people love this shaman but I noticed that he doesn't learn people's names and mostly just repeats the same "nothing is a big problem" and "this is how we do our work" lines over and over.
I really didn't feel that the experience was a good value for the money.
The shaman said there was a blockage and that it had lifted after the 3rd ceremony and the 4th time would work very well.
The 4th time I didn't feel anything but sick for 4 hours. 2 of the others in our group felt nothing the 3rd time but were eager to blame themselves. Even the interpreter, Mel, who I absolutely loved said this was a very mild batch.
The food is very good and the accommodations weren't bad but the beds were always damp due to the humidity and they hang dry all the linens because they don't have a dryer.
Some people love this shaman but I noticed that he doesn't learn people's names and mostly just repeats the same "nothing is a big problem" and "this is how we do our work" lines over and over.
I really didn't feel that the experience was a good value for the money.
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Date of stay: March 2016Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are not enough words to describe my husband and I’s experience. We went to Refugio as our last hope, out of a sense of pure desperation, both burdened with a host of physical and mental disorders, stunted emotionally by the weight of life itself. Among them, severe treatment resistance PTSD, depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, asthma, IBS, debilitating insomnia (complete with hallucinations when no substance worked), alcoholism, nicotine addiction, bipolar disorder, ADD, obesity, I’m sure I could go on. As a registered nurse, I had taken myself and my husband to every specialty you can imagine. Bottles upon bottles of expensive prescription medication literally filled a drawer in our home, each causing it’s own set of side effects-potential for addiction, nausea, constipation, mood disorders, lack of sex drive, weight gain, etc. We were sick and tired of being sick and tired. So terrifed to go to a “third world country”, but more terrified to continue to “live” that way, we jumped.
I could go on and on about the beauty Mother Ayahuasca showed us, the pure spirits and love given to us by our new family at Refugio, but I suspect I’ll be writing a long article or a book, I am literally that filled up with joy! We arrived at Refugio each praying secretly, unbeknownst to the other, that if only one of us could be healed, it would be the other. We got not only healing though, each of us, but a profound spiritual experience as well. If I told you that you could meet God in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, could you not make that journey?
We did a LOT of research before we went to the Amazon, before we choose Refugio. I can not speak from personal experience of other retreats, but I can relate the musings of one of our fellow travelers, who had done Ayahuasca in several other places in North and South America. “This is the place. The other places are sometimes gimmicky, too luxurious, or simply don’t have the heart Refugio has.” He was on his 17th ceremony, and had cancelled plans at another retreat to return to Refugio. I will not bad mouth places that I haven’t been to, but I can tell you, I’m pretty much a city girl. I was 213 pounds, a former hairstylist, and very self conscious about my appearance. I’ve never gone that long without a bag of make up and a blow dryer in my adult life! It didn’t matter, it was freeing!
The Refugio Altiplano has the distinction of having not only an experienced shaman, but an experienced healer. They are a powerhouse duo, native Peruvians (not that expats can’t be good Shamans, I can’t speak on that). The level of healing we received, and the spirit in which we received it, could be no better.
I could go on and on, but I’ll leave you with this-we are still experiencing insights and revelations, and though my husband still has some of his worries, we are drug and substance free! We sleep like normal people, we each lost at least 13 pounds in 11 days (while eating delicious meals 3-4 times daily), and we have HOPE. We will return to Refugio as soon as possible!
God Bless!
PS (Aya Advisor's website would not let me upload a review, it is likely for this reason that there aren't any Refugio reviews on that website. This is not the first time Refugio travelers have had that issue...)
I could go on and on about the beauty Mother Ayahuasca showed us, the pure spirits and love given to us by our new family at Refugio, but I suspect I’ll be writing a long article or a book, I am literally that filled up with joy! We arrived at Refugio each praying secretly, unbeknownst to the other, that if only one of us could be healed, it would be the other. We got not only healing though, each of us, but a profound spiritual experience as well. If I told you that you could meet God in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, could you not make that journey?
We did a LOT of research before we went to the Amazon, before we choose Refugio. I can not speak from personal experience of other retreats, but I can relate the musings of one of our fellow travelers, who had done Ayahuasca in several other places in North and South America. “This is the place. The other places are sometimes gimmicky, too luxurious, or simply don’t have the heart Refugio has.” He was on his 17th ceremony, and had cancelled plans at another retreat to return to Refugio. I will not bad mouth places that I haven’t been to, but I can tell you, I’m pretty much a city girl. I was 213 pounds, a former hairstylist, and very self conscious about my appearance. I’ve never gone that long without a bag of make up and a blow dryer in my adult life! It didn’t matter, it was freeing!
The Refugio Altiplano has the distinction of having not only an experienced shaman, but an experienced healer. They are a powerhouse duo, native Peruvians (not that expats can’t be good Shamans, I can’t speak on that). The level of healing we received, and the spirit in which we received it, could be no better.
I could go on and on, but I’ll leave you with this-we are still experiencing insights and revelations, and though my husband still has some of his worries, we are drug and substance free! We sleep like normal people, we each lost at least 13 pounds in 11 days (while eating delicious meals 3-4 times daily), and we have HOPE. We will return to Refugio as soon as possible!
God Bless!
PS (Aya Advisor's website would not let me upload a review, it is likely for this reason that there aren't any Refugio reviews on that website. This is not the first time Refugio travelers have had that issue...)
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Date of stay: November 2014Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
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Service
Room Tip: The lodging is assigned, but you can request the treehouse if you don't mind being without...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I traveled to Refugio, to have an opportunity to immerse myself in the amazon rainforest. I somewhat achieved my goal. I am thankful to Scott for devoting his time and money to protect part of this God-given treasure. He bought a chunk of land in the rainforest off-limits to the logging industry and the palm oil enterprises. As you probably know, the Peruvian amazon is being destroyed at a fast pace by this two industries.
Having said that, I also want to give you an honest appraisal of what to expect in this Eco-Lodge.
I stayed between Nov 13 to 17 2013 at the Casa de Roy. My cabin accommodation was not swept and the bathroom was dirty. I complained to the girls, but it took more than a day to get someone to come by my house and do some cleaning. The other thing is the music coming from Scotts house anytime day or night. It is hard to meditate or immerse yourself in the sounds of the forest because of the music. It doesn´t matter where you stay, you will still be able to hear it. But worst than Scott´s music is the really loud music from Saturday nights. It seems that there is some dancing going on in the nearby town of Tamshiyacu. Town is 1 hour away by boat, but the noise travels quite easily through the forest.
Also try to buy a cockroach spray in Iquitos before arriving or tell Scott that you expect your cabin to be fumigated before arrival. In my case, I had to fumigate Casa de Roy with Baygon spray. Cockroaches appeared right after midnight!
As for the Ayahuasca, I think it was ok. I only had time to do two ceremonies, and as a beginner you can guess that I purged a lot. Felt sick, but I believe it is part of the symptoms as the ayahuasca cleans your stomach, liver, kidneys and intestines. It is a very powerful medicine.
Having said that, I also want to give you an honest appraisal of what to expect in this Eco-Lodge.
I stayed between Nov 13 to 17 2013 at the Casa de Roy. My cabin accommodation was not swept and the bathroom was dirty. I complained to the girls, but it took more than a day to get someone to come by my house and do some cleaning. The other thing is the music coming from Scotts house anytime day or night. It is hard to meditate or immerse yourself in the sounds of the forest because of the music. It doesn´t matter where you stay, you will still be able to hear it. But worst than Scott´s music is the really loud music from Saturday nights. It seems that there is some dancing going on in the nearby town of Tamshiyacu. Town is 1 hour away by boat, but the noise travels quite easily through the forest.
Also try to buy a cockroach spray in Iquitos before arriving or tell Scott that you expect your cabin to be fumigated before arrival. In my case, I had to fumigate Casa de Roy with Baygon spray. Cockroaches appeared right after midnight!
As for the Ayahuasca, I think it was ok. I only had time to do two ceremonies, and as a beginner you can guess that I purged a lot. Felt sick, but I believe it is part of the symptoms as the ayahuasca cleans your stomach, liver, kidneys and intestines. It is a very powerful medicine.
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Date of stay: November 2013Trip type: Travelled solo
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Room Tip: Best accommodations are Casa Nueva 2, Casa Nueva 3, Casa Nueva 4 and Casa de Patrick. This are...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We(my wife and I) spent two weeks at the Refugio in Nov. 2012 and it was all that we could ask for and more. Scott is undoubtedly the finest Shaman we have had the privilege to witness. His passion for his life's work is apparent the moment you meet him and his knowledge of medicinal plants is second to none.
The staff provides a comfortable, clean environment for the visitors and the food is always fresh and nutritious. To Bruce, Jose and the rest of the staff, thank you for making our stay so amazing.
This is a trip one makes when it's time to shed years of stress, pain, emotional baggage and western life in general.
The staff provides a comfortable, clean environment for the visitors and the food is always fresh and nutritious. To Bruce, Jose and the rest of the staff, thank you for making our stay so amazing.
This is a trip one makes when it's time to shed years of stress, pain, emotional baggage and western life in general.
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Date of stay: January 2013Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Room Tip: Call ahead and try to reserve a tree house........40 ft above the jungle!!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you are considering visiting Peru to experience Ayahuasca I have to highly recommend Refugio Altiplano. Having visited other centers I have to say that this one hands down tops them. The food is absolutely excellent with fresh fruit and tea delivered to your door every morning and three perfectly balanced (2 on ceremony nights) nutritious meals always including vegetables, chicken fish or eggs, white rice and lentils, and bread as well as a variety of juices. You have the option to add small amounts of salt and sugar for flavor, or not if you want to go official ayahuasca diet.
Accommodations are very comfortable with huge houses and comfortable beds with linen changed out every other day. Houses include running water for shower and sink with electricity in the evenings from 6:30 to 11:00pm as well as an outlet to charge your devices. (Bring an extension cord for multiple devices) Be aware there is no internet service at the center, but for true self exploration and improvement I really believe you need to learn to struggle without it for your stay and focus on yourself. I know, sounded like a drawback to me at first too but its not, suck it up.
There were two shamans there during my stay, Jose and Fransisco who lead and alternate in singing icaros and I believe a third is returning soon. Both are talented although I have to say the things fransisco can do with his voice are mindblowing. Jose will lead you on a tour of the botanical garden containing hundreds of plants each with a unique medical use. Very strong traditional ayahuasca medicine containing only aya and chacruna.
Despite all of this, the thing that stands out the most about this place is the personal nature of the
management. Julian and his wife Angela truly take the time to get to know you and your intentions for being there and are ALWAYS willing to talk. I felt like I had a personal counselor/cognitive therapist in Julian who worked with me to help sort out addiction/depression/anxiety issues. He has a background in human resources and has a great intuition about how to read people and tell them exactly what they need to hear. Also very knowledgeable about the medicine and the spirit world.
Be sure to bring proper footwear for walking through mud, mosquito spray, and a swimsuit for cooling off in the river.
Joe Baron
Quit procrastinating and shoot them an email to begin your journey!
Refugioaltiplano123@gmail.com
www.Refugioaltiplano.net
Accommodations are very comfortable with huge houses and comfortable beds with linen changed out every other day. Houses include running water for shower and sink with electricity in the evenings from 6:30 to 11:00pm as well as an outlet to charge your devices. (Bring an extension cord for multiple devices) Be aware there is no internet service at the center, but for true self exploration and improvement I really believe you need to learn to struggle without it for your stay and focus on yourself. I know, sounded like a drawback to me at first too but its not, suck it up.
There were two shamans there during my stay, Jose and Fransisco who lead and alternate in singing icaros and I believe a third is returning soon. Both are talented although I have to say the things fransisco can do with his voice are mindblowing. Jose will lead you on a tour of the botanical garden containing hundreds of plants each with a unique medical use. Very strong traditional ayahuasca medicine containing only aya and chacruna.
Despite all of this, the thing that stands out the most about this place is the personal nature of the
management. Julian and his wife Angela truly take the time to get to know you and your intentions for being there and are ALWAYS willing to talk. I felt like I had a personal counselor/cognitive therapist in Julian who worked with me to help sort out addiction/depression/anxiety issues. He has a background in human resources and has a great intuition about how to read people and tell them exactly what they need to hear. Also very knowledgeable about the medicine and the spirit world.
Be sure to bring proper footwear for walking through mud, mosquito spray, and a swimsuit for cooling off in the river.
Joe Baron
Quit procrastinating and shoot them an email to begin your journey!
Refugioaltiplano123@gmail.com
www.Refugioaltiplano.net
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Date of stay: December 2014
Value
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Location
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear Tanya and Paul:
First of all, we would like to apologize for not responding sooner. If you still want to visit us, please, visit our webpage and send us an email, we will answer you inmediately. Kind regards.
Rahc
"Take a torch with you, it’s very useful for the night walk you need to do to your bungalow after your ceremony."Read full review
"I don’t consider it a hotel. Is a retreat center. The rooms which are small little houses are provided to us."Read full review
"The huts are very rustic local construction with high conical palm roof and open walls. A blend of Western and native accommodations."Read full review
"Very clean room with mosquito nets. You can leave valuable things and go out they wont disappear. Very friendly and trustworthy staffs. "Read full review
ALSO KNOWN AS
refugio altiplano hotel iquitos
LOCATION
PeruLoreto RegionNauta
NUMBER OF ROOMS
24
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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Claim Your ListingREFUGIO ALTIPLANO AYAHUASCA RETREATS - 2024 Reviews (Nauta, Peru) - Photos of Cottage - Tripadvisor
Frequently Asked Questions about Refugio Altiplano Ayahuasca Retreats
Which popular attractions are close to Refugio Altiplano Ayahuasca Retreats?
Nearby attractions include La Isla De Los Monos (0.3 km), Museum of Indigenous Amazonian Cultures (0.5 km), and Museum of Historic Boats (0.2 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Refugio Altiplano Ayahuasca Retreats?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free breakfast, airport transportation, and laundry service.
What food & drink options are available at Refugio Altiplano Ayahuasca Retreats?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, complimentary tea, and an outdoor dining area during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to Refugio Altiplano Ayahuasca Retreats?
Conveniently located restaurants include Amazolandia Plaza Pizzas Restaurant, La Casa de Fierro Restaurante, and Dawn On The Amazon Café.
Does Refugio Altiplano Ayahuasca Retreats have airport transportation?
Yes, Refugio Altiplano Ayahuasca Retreats offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Refugio Altiplano Ayahuasca Retreats?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English and Spanish.