Where is the Medicine House of the Selva de San Alejandro?

The medicine house is 90 minutes by boat from the town of San Alejandro, which is 90 minutes by car from the city of Pucallpa in Peru. Pucallpa is located within the Amazon jungle and the best way to get there is to fly from Lima, the capital of Peru, which takes about 60 minutes.

​

 

When should I get to Pucallpa? / Can I arrive the same day as the retirement or diet?

We recommend you arrive in Pucallpa at least 1 day before the start of the retreat or diet and spend 1 night in a hotel in the city if you must arrive in Pucallpa the day the retreat begins, make sure your flight arrives in Pucallpa before from 11 in the morning.

 

Do you provide transportation from the Pucallpa airport when we arrive?

Yes, transportation arrives at the airport from the morning the withdrawal or diet begins, generally we will arrange for you to pick it up. Otherwise, ask your hotel to organize a pick-up if you wish. However, it is not important to have a van, there are always several taxis and taxis waiting at the airport. Do not pay more than 10 soles on a taxi or more than 25 soles in a taxi and make sure you have a change in Peruvian Soles because most taxis do not accept dollars.

​

Can I fly from Pucallpa on the same day that retirement ends?

 Yes. Our retreats end on a Sunday, and we leave the medicine house at about 2:00 pm and arrive at the city at 5:00 pm so that we can fly from Pucallpa at night if necessary, but we recommend booking your flight after the 20 hours. However, most people who come to our retreats choose to spend at least one extra night in Pucallpa to relax after retirement or dieting.

 

I go alone, is it safe?

On average, approximately 90% of the people in our groups come alone, so do not worry about coming alone, you will be in good company. In addition, the town and the jungle area of ​​San Alejandro is one of the safest in all of Peru and the city of Pucallpa has the lowest crime rate nationwide. Peru is a stable and predominantly safe country to travel to.

 

Do you use additives in your ayahuasca?

No, we only use Ayahuasca Cielo for ceremonies, retreats, and diets, which is a combination of the liana of ayahuasca cielo and chacruna.

​

​

Should I carry a sleeping bag?

It is not necessary, we will provide you a bed to sleep with sheets. We also provide you with a list of the things you should bring to your retreat or diet, which are mostly just clothing and some necessary items, such as a flashlight.

 

What is the size of the groups?

There will be no more than 10 people in each group and there will always be 1 facilitator working with the group.

 

 Can I stay in the medicine house after retirement or diet?

This depends if you want to book another retreat, start a new diet or volunteer (for more information about volunteering, contact our phone number in the contact section).

 

Is the San Alejandro medicine house safe for women?

If it is a safe place for women, half of the working staff are women. We have never had a woman on our retreats or diets express that they do not feel safe.

 

 

How to paid?

You are required to pay your reservation in advance to confirm your place.

You can pay with a credit card visa, master card, and some debit cards online by Paypal. Through our website, you can make your reservation secure (see Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy).

 

What currency is used to pay the cost of the retreat?

US Dollars, (however, always check this page for the most recent price in case you are reading an outdated version of this 2023 document).

 

Where does the water from the medicine house come from?

We provide filtered water, but bring bottles of water if you like.

 

What kind of luggage should I bring with me?

We recommend that you bring a backpack or two, for the mud that occurs with the rain of the jungle, we do not have access to carry large suitcases of luggage from the boat to the medicine house of San Alejandro.

 

Can I smoke Marijuana during / just before / after the retreat?

For some reason, marijuana and ayahuasca do not get along very well. Sometimes, marijuana smokers have a hard time having a strong ayahuasca experience. We highly recommend that you do not smoke marijuana as long as possible.

 

Should I stop taking the contraceptive pill during the retreat?

There is no danger when taking contraceptive pills while drinking ayahuasca.

 

Can I have sex right before / during the retreat?

During the retreat, we have a no-sex rule that we expect our participants to honor. How long you stop having sex before retirement depends on you, but we encourage you to stop having sex for at least 3 days before the withdrawal or diet begins.

​

 

Can you help me book my hotel?

No, we're sorry, we have enough things to take care of without getting involved in hotel reservations. There are several hotels and hostels in Pucallpa that you can easily book online using www.booking.com or www.hostelsworld.com

 

How is the accommodation in the medicine house?

There are 10 sleeping spaces in the house medicine shared use by bunk beds with pillow and sheets.

 

What's the weather like?

The climate in the jungle around Pucallpa and San Alejandro is hot above 25 C / 77 F average throughout the year. There is no definite dry season and a rainy season like the one found in the mountains of Peru. Sometimes there are weeks when there is hardly any rain and other weeks can have a lot of heavy rain. However, an average week in Pucallpa will be mostly dry and sunny with some heavy rains scattered throughout the week. One thing is pretty guaranteed is that whatever the amount of rain, the temperature will be hot and humid almost all the time.

​

I do not speak Spanish, is that a problem?

The retreats or diets are carried out in Spanish and English, so do not worry if you do not speak a word of Spanish.

We have a facilitator who speaks English. There will always be at least one facilitator who is fluent in English to help translate if necessary.

 

Should I take anti-malarial drugs?

Although generally not considered dangerous, mixing ayahuasca with anti-malarial drugs can often have adverse effects on your experience and is generally not recommended. The San Alejandro forest is located in an area of ​​the jungle where malaria is considered low risk and the vast majority of people who come to our retreats do not take this medicine, neither the staff nor the facilitators.

 

Do I need a vaccine?

There are no mandatory vaccines to visit Peru. But the most recommended vaccines are Yellow Fever, Hepatitis A and Typhoid.

 

How long before retreat should the ayahuasca diet start and how important is it?

We recommend a vegetarian diet of 3 days before starting the retreat, we also recommend not eating or bringing chocolates during your stay, there are people who especially if they come from stressful and contaminated environments, and if they do not consume a diet really healthy will not normally have a high level of sensitivity to ayahuasca and, as a result, the first or ceremonies will be more to purge and cleanse.

 

Is there electricity in the medicine house?

We are not connected to the network, but we have an electricity generator that is usually turned on for a couple of hours each night before the ceremony begins. Therefore, it is possible to charge things like phones and cameras throughout the week.

 

Can I bring my laptop and my mobile phone? Do I need a different connector/converter?

We recommend that you do not bring laptops because it is known that humidity in the jungle causes problems with electronics, however, phones and cameras are generally fine. Peru uses the same type of plug as North America, however, it has a higher voltage, so make sure your electrical devices work well with up to 220 volts.

 

Do you have internet or wifi?

We do not provide internet or wifi.

 

Can I check the email or receive phone calls or text messages at the medicine house?

There is an intermittent telephone signal, so if you have an international roaming service with your cell phone, then you can send and receive text messages or make calls, and possibly also have access to the Internet. However, just do it so that loved ones know you are well. Distractions in any way will not help you while working with the medicine.

 

Is it a good idea to come to your retreats with a partner?

This really depends on the type of relationship you have. If you have been together for a long time, have a strong relationship and have already solved most of your problems together, going to the retreat together could be a good thing and could even help deepen your relationship further. However, if your relationship is volatile anyway, we do not recommend that we join. A couple who came to one of our retreats last year apparently used the retreat as a kind of couples therapy and often had nighttime screaming fights that certainly did not have a positive effect on the energy of the group. This is not something we would always like to repeat and, in the future, if couples begin to argue excessively, they will be politely asked to shut up or leave.

 

Can I bring a musical instrument?

Yes