Since opening in 2010, the Hummingbird has never had a medical incident related to drinking ayahuasca.
The Hummingbird Healing Center is a family-run ayahuasca retreat center in the jungle at Varillal, 14 km outside Iquitos, Peru. We have run retreats here since 2010. Ceremonies are led by Don Manain Amacifen, a fourth-generation curandero of the mestizo Amazonian tradition, with our founder Jim Davis as lead facilitator.
We offer 7-, 9- and 12-day retreats ($2,000–$2,800) and three- to four-week Immersions ($3,800–$4,800), with no more than ten guests in a group. Everyone applies first, and Jim screens each applicant himself before a place is confirmed. The group meets in Iquitos at 10:00 am on the first day. Ceremonies are held in the evening in our maloca, and the days in between are kept quiet, with plant baths, an integration circle the morning after each ceremony, and time to rest.
More about our Ayahuasca Retreats →
Ayahuasca is a powerful plant medicine and teacher, and what it brings up may be physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. A fascinating aspect of this medicine is everyone has a unique experience and is taken through an individualized process of healing. There is incredible variety of experience, and it is best to set aside all expectations. Your process will almost certainly be different than what you have read. Ayahuasca Ceremony Details →
While a large number of issues may be addressed with ayahuasca and other medicine plants, it is not a cure all or magic bullet. Understanding the possibilities of what you may experience in an ayahuasca retreat allows one to relax into their journey. Ayahuasca Healing Details →
Drawing on our experience facilitating ayahuasca ceremonies and retreats, we have written an in-depth article exploring the common patterns of experience, the importance of commitment and surrender, and what participants can realistically expect. Read What It's Really Like Working With Ayahuasca →
On a ceremony day, breakfast is at 8:00 and the group integration meeting is at 9:30, where everyone can talk through the night before with Jim. Lunch is at noon. In the late afternoon there is a cleansing plant bath or vapor bath, then a guided meditation at 6:00, and the ceremony begins in the maloca at 7:00 pm. We do not serve dinner on ceremony nights.
Days without ceremony are slower. They include talks on the subconscious mind and changing belief systems, energetic healing with Manain in the maloca, a mud bath on the longer retreats when the weather allows, and plenty of unscheduled time in the hammocks or on the jungle paths.
Ceremonies are led by our curandero, Don Manain Amacifen, who has over 45 years of experience and, in total, more than eight years with us. Jim, the owner and lead facilitator, works alongside him.
Jim and his wife Gina, who was born and raised in Iquitos, live on the property with their family. Jim has personally facilitated more than 380 ayahuasca retreats and over 1,400 ceremonies since the center opened, and he leads the group integration meetings.
Manain is a curandero of the mestizo Amazonian tradition, the healing lineage of the Peruvian jungle, carried in families rather than institutions.
He is the fourth generation of his family to carry it. Born in Requena, twelve hours from Iquitos by river, he began training at sixteen under his father and worked beside him for fifteen years. After his father died he moved deeper into the jungle to San Herardo, healing there for over twenty years before joining the Hummingbird in 2014.
What that means in ceremony is specific. On the first night he reads the group from the altar. In every ceremony after, he stops in front of each person and sings an icaro meant for them alone.
The Hummingbird differs from most ayahuasca retreat centers in specific ways: every guest is personally screened, groups never exceed ten, many guests stay three to four weeks, the schedule favors stillness over activity, and in more than 1,400 ceremonies since 2010 we have had no medical incident related to drinking ayahuasca.
See the 7-, 9-, and 12-day programs and the 3–4 week Immersion Retreat
Every Hummingbird retreat includes at least one ceremony with huachuma, the visionary cactus of the Andes, and guests who feel a special affinity for it can substitute it for an ayahuasca ceremony. Huachuma is a peer of ayahuasca in its ability to teach and heal, using a gentle touch in its approach. Considered a heart opening medicine, huachuma drops the filters through which we view the world, so we have a direct experience of reality. A truly beautiful medicine; many guests tell us their huachuma day was the high point of their retreat.
Huachuma brings clarity, revealing the mental games we play with ourselves that keep us small, and opens access to universal consciousness, our true spiritual nature. "San Pedro" is Spanish for Saint Peter, a name the cactus was given under Spanish colonial rule. The usual explanation is that, just as Saint Peter holds the keys to heaven, huachuma lets people reach heaven while still on earth.
Ayahuasca carries real risks, and most of our safety work happens before anyone arrives. Jim, the owner of the Hummingbird, personally reads every application and screens every guest. He has done that for over 1,500 guests across 380 retreats and has never delegated it. In that time we have had no medical incident related to drinking ayahuasca.
The most common reason we decline someone is high blood pressure. Our Working With Ayahuasca Safely page lists the full set of conditions that rule out drinking, including the medication interactions (SSRIs, SNRIs, tramadol, stimulants) that make ayahuasca genuinely dangerous rather than merely difficult. There are no exceptions to that list.
For guests coming with depression, anxiety, or trauma, we use validated screening instruments alongside our own questions: the PCL-5, developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, along with the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. We decline anyone scoring above a defined threshold on the PCL-5. Severe, active trauma symptoms need clinical care, and a retreat in the Amazon isn't that.
We want to be direct about what we are and are not. We are not doctors or therapists. Screening here is not medical clearance, and nothing we do replaces your own physician, particularly if you're on medication, since tapering is a decision for your prescriber and no one else. What we bring is responsibility for screening and evaluation since 2010, and a willingness to turn away people we're not confident about.
Onsite, groups never exceed ten guests, small enough for real attention. Sober support staff are present through every ceremony and stay with guests afterward, so no one is left alone while still under the effects. Our curandero, Manain, has over 45 years of experience and has worked with us for more than 8 years. If a guest needs medical attention, the nearest hospital is 45 minutes away. In a real emergency we would call an ambulance and meet it en route to shorten the time to care.
Dosing is conservative by default. Your first cup is a moderate dose meant to introduce you to ayahuasca clearly without overwhelming you. You can always drink a second time if you want to go deeper, and we'll increase your dose on subsequent nights until you reach the intensity you're looking for. No one is ever pushed to drink more than they want.
Many of the people who come to us have carried depression or anxiety for fifteen years or longer. More than 250 have joined our Immersion program, with extended stays of three to four weeks and multiple master plant dietas. This experience of working with people that have a more serious condition for a longer time has informed and shaped how we work with people to ensure their safety and well being.
We are located 14 KM outside of Iquitos, Peru. Our ayahuasca retreat center is situated in a peaceful jungle setting, three kilometers away from the main Iquitos-Nauta road to ensure a quiet, undisturbed environment.
Iquitos is the largest city in the world that cannot be reached by road. You fly in, almost always from Lima, a flight of about one hour and fifty minutes. Arrive the day before your retreat begins so you start rested; most hotels in town offer airport pickup.
The group is collected at 10:00 am on the first morning, at the Las Terrazas restaurant on the Boulevard, a riverfront park a block from the Plaza de Armas.
More about our Location →Traveling to Iquitos →Photo Gallery →
Elin
Aleksa
Mar
$2000 · 3 ayahuasca + 1 huachuma ceremony · 6 nights
Our 9 day retreat is an introduction to the magic of ayahuasca and huachuma, the visionary cactus. Great for those looking for clarity of purpose.
Experience the deep healing and teaching of Peru’s two visionary medicine plants... Step into a safe container for deep healing.
Our 3–4 week immersion retreat is for people who want more time with the medicines, or who have carried a long-standing problem for years.
| Price (USD) | Availability | Reserve | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun, Nov 1, 2026 | 7, 9 or 12 Day Ayahuasca Retreat | $2000, $2400, $2800 | Open | Book Now |
| Sun, Nov 15, 2026 | 7, 9 or 12 Day Ayahuasca Retreat | $2000, $2400, $2800 | Open | Book Now |
| Tue, Dec 1, 2026 | 7, 9 or 12 Day Ayahuasca Retreat | $2000, $2400, $2800 | Open | Book Now |
| Tue, Dec 15, 2026 | 7, 9 or 12 Day Ayahuasca Retreat | $2000, $2400, $2800 | Open | Book Now |
| Fri, Jan 15, 2027 | 7, 9 or 12 Day Ayahuasca Retreat | $2000, $2400, $2800 | Open | Book Now |
Retreats begin on the 1st and 15th of every month, and all 7-, 9- and 12-day guests start together. We encourage Immersion guests to start on the same dates, because the process flows better when they begin with the group; another start date can sometimes be arranged case by case.
Iquitos is hot all year, with highs usually 30–33 °C (89–94 °F). August is the driest and sunniest month, and also the hottest. The rainy season usually begins in early December and is a little cooler under the cloud cover, and most of the rain falls at night.
Most people arrive with the same four questions. We have answered them at length rather than briefly. Here is what the experience is actually like, how to choose a centre, what the real risks are, and what ayahuasca can do to the sense of self.
The 7-day retreat is $2,000, the 9-day $2,400, the 12-day $2,800, and a 3–4 week Immersion $3,800–$4,800. Flights to Iquitos are the one substantial expense you arrange yourself.
What's Included:
We accept a maximum of 10 participants per retreat. This size is ideal for fostering strong group bonding while allowing you to retreat into solitude whenever the call for quiet arises.
Yes. In 2008 Peru's National Institute of Culture declared the traditional knowledge and use of ayahuasca part of the nation's Cultural Heritage. In the United States, DMT is a Schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act, and drinking ayahuasca is not legal outside narrow religious exemptions.
Anyone taking SSRIs, SNRIs, tramadol or stimulants, and anyone with a heart condition, high blood pressure, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, a kidney disorder or a history of psychosis. High blood pressure is the most common reason we decline an applicant. This list is not complete; our safety page has the full list. Screening is not medical clearance, and any change to your medication is a decision for your prescriber.
Only after you are accepted. You apply and go through screening first; once we accept you, a 50% deposit reserves your place, paid by international wire transfer.
We help you decide during the intake conversation. We ask what brings you and where you are in your journey, then give an honest recommendation, and we do not push anyone toward a longer stay. The 12-day retreat is our core program, and the 7- and 9-day retreats are shorter stays within it. The three- and four-week Immersions are for people who want more time, often after carrying depression, anxiety or trauma for many years. Some guests book a flexible return flight so they can extend their stay if they choose.
Yes, and we encourage it when it feels right. Many guests sit in ceremony without drinking on a given night, for all kinds of reasons.
Every guest has a private room in a tambo (jungle cabin). Each tambo has two rooms, so you may have a neighbor. Rooms are simple: a comfortable bed, a desk, shelves and a composting toilet, with a shared shower near the maloca. Starlink Wi-Fi is available in the common area. A generator powers the lights in the mornings and evenings, and there is a charging station for phones and laptops. See our accommodation and meals page for more detail.
Arrive the day before your retreat starts. The group is collected at Las Terrazas restaurant at 10:00 am on the first day, and we leave for Iquitos around 10:00 am on the last day, so book a flight home that departs after 12:00 pm.
Yes. Groups are never larger than ten, Jim screens every applicant himself, your first cup is a moderate dose, and sober support staff are present through every ceremony.
About 45 minutes away, in Iquitos.
Huachuma is a sacred cactus medicine with different properties than ayahuasca. While ayahuasca tends to work on deeper, darker subconscious material, Huachuma brings a gentler, heart-opening energy. Many guests find the two complement each other. We have worked with both medicines together since 2010.
We focus on stillness, not activity. Our approach is more like a meditation retreat than a wellness resort. Rooted in ancient Taoist teachings on contemplative practice, we provide the quiet space necessary for deep self-reflection and lasting change.
No. People come to either Heal or Learn. Whether you are looking to resolve a specific trauma or simply wish to discover the tricks your ego plays based on subconscious beliefs, ayahuasca is a powerful teacher. It is not limited in what it can show you about yourself.
Developing a strong commitment to your own growth is key. Commitment eases surrender, and surrender is where the deepest healing happens. For a deeper look at this process, read our guide on The Importance of Surrender.
Preparing means following the diet and stopping the substances listed on our preparation page, for the length of time given there; fasting is not recommended. The cleaner our bodies and the clearer our minds when we arrive, the sooner ayahuasca can get to the root level of our troubles, the sooner she can begin imparting wisdom and insights that can transform our lives.
The body, mind and spirit all benefit from simple, time-proven practices that promote health, harmony and vitality. These practices are simply clean, healthy living, and one’s life would be better if they were always practiced. An ayahuasca retreat is a significant investment of your resources and energy. Get the most from this investment by arriving well prepared.
Integration begins before you arrive: once your reservation is approved you can join our private Facebook group for guests, which has a pinned reading list, and every morning after ceremony there is an integration circle. After a period of attention, intention and focus, new behaviors become a natural part of how we show up in life. Taking conscious and focused action to anchor new ways of being into our lives accelerates the integration process.
After you go home, you remain a member of the guests-only Facebook group, our integration page lists the workbooks, courses and guides we recommend, and our articles go into integration in more depth. We do not offer one-to-one support after the retreat. We are a small, family-run center, and integration is a field of its own with many professionals who focus on it, so we point you to them and to good resources. The real work happens in daily life, as insights from ceremony are practiced until they become habit.
Every stay starts with a conversation. Tell us what brings you to ayahuasca, and we will tell you honestly whether the Hummingbird is a good fit and which retreat length we would suggest.
We do not want lack of money to be the reason a person does not attend. If we agree the Hummingbird is the right place for you, we will do our best to work something out.
