Mai Niti Ayahuasca and plant medicine Retreat Center

Our retreat center is located in San Francisco, a Shipibo community north of Pucallpa, Peru.

WARNING! If you’re looking for an ensuite bathroom, warm water, a toilet that has a flush and no insects, you are likely best off looking at another center. Mai Niti is NOT a 5 star (or 4!) luxury resort! However, most guests get used to the rustic rooms and jungle lifestyle quickly, and come to appreciate the simplicity of the center and living here. Edit: We now have flushing toilets! (no change with the insects and all the rest though ;D)

Staying here is an opportunity to experience life in a Shipibo Community. You’ll live in harmony with the earth as the Shipibo do – consuming a healthy but scrumptious vegetarian (mainly) diet and living in basic wooden cabins / dorms, hand built on a small clearing of this Amazon Jungle village.

Guests are free to explore the centre whenever they please, and will have 24/7 access to the community house and Maloka.

The Maloka

The maloka is where we hold ayahuasca ceremonies, one-on-one chats with the maestros, and also a space where you’ll find peace and quiet to practice yoga, meditation, art, writing, exercise, and whatever else.

Community House

The community house is where guests and volunteers can chill in their spare time. There are hammocks and couches for relaxing and a table for eating. The lounge for guests is open 24 hours a day. Here, there’s access to wifi, comfortable seating, hammocks, and charging ports. You’re welcome to use the lounge to relax alone or to socialize with other guests (and soon-to-be friends!).

The Kitchen

We’ll cook for you, but should you decide to bring your own food, there’s plenty of space for you to store and cook it.

Accommodations

We have private rooms and private tambos available for those who need to be in solitude while undergoing a strong plant dieta.

Some of the buildings at the center are open, which means that you may be sharing space with the occasional insect! Not to worry, though—your bed comes equipped with a mosquito net to ensure you’re the only one in there, and most bugs are kept out by the netted windows and entrances. Sheets, a pillow, a blanket, and a mosquito net are all included; please get in touch in advance if you require a towel.

Private tambos are available for guests who need the space to undergo an intensive plant dieta. This room has a single bed—but most have a bigger bed!

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be cooked and served by the center’s wonderful Peruvian cook. Since we’re working traditionally with Ayahuasca and other plant medicines, there are many food limitations, so we won’t be able to prepare anything like what you’re used to! We do our best to ensure that everyone loves their food, though, or enjoys it as much as possible, considering the limitations (no oil, no salt (usually), no spices, and many foods that we can’t eat in order to ensure that you get the most out of working with the various medicines). Those with special dietary requirements are welcome—just let us know in advance what you can and can’t eat.

Volunteering at our Ayahuasca Center

If you speak fluent Spanish and English and have a keen interest in plant medicine and helping people, we’d love to hear from you.
Please send an email to [email protected].

Living in the Native Community of San Francisco

You can stay with us as much as you want; we are happy to share our culture and lifestyle with you!

We are located in San Francisco, a Shipibo village one hour north of Pucallpa. When you arrive by plane, we’ll arrange for one of our trusted taxi drivers to come and collect you and bring you straight to the retreat center (about 45 mins – 1 hour from the local Pucallpa airport).

As the center is based in a native community, there are sometimes noises from the local people: music at times, the local fruit seller riding by letting us all know what he has, and the occasional tuk-tuk in the distance. There is not always complete silence, but most of the time it’s peaceful at the center.

Those looking for complete silence, a jungle environment, or luxury are best off looking for another center; those who are looking for deep healing with highly experienced shamans who aren’t bothered (or are even interested to) live in a native Shipibo village should.

We often visit the Chakra (a farm/jungle) where we’re fully surrounded by nature and no people are around. Some guests also opt to complete their dietas there in silence, especially those undergoing deeper processes. Even here, there’s occasional noise, but only very faintly and far less frequently.