Frequently Asked Question
I have never been to the mountains. Will the altitude be a problem?
It depends on your age and your physical condition. Generally speaking, our guests feel comfortable here and adjust to the altitude within the first few days. To most people, it's not even an issue. But there were a few, who had a harder time adjusting. In case of an emergency, which has only happened twice in 14 years, to a woman who was 67 years old, and to a man in his 50th, both had to be taken to a local clinic to breathe oxygen on the day of arrival. In the case of the woman, this was a real emergency, and her oxygen level dropped to the mid-80s when I took her to the hospital to get oxygen. She was the only case when we had to terminate our guest's stay due to altitude sickness and request her to leave the mountains immediately to the lower altitude. She flew to Lima on the third day. The other man mentioned above, in my view, had an anxiety attack while feeling a slight shortness of breath. Nevertheless, I took him to a local hospital, where after 20 minutes of oxygen mask, he was released and began his healing journey the next day. He didn't have any issues after. After a few days in the mountains, most people begin to feel at ease and enjoy the clean mountain air.
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We also have had one guest in his 60ths who suffered from chronic asthma all his life, using steroids a few times daily, and he did incredibly well here. I share his interesting healing story in some of my books.
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We live at 10,000 feet above sea level (3 km) but we are lower than Cusco. When you arrive in Cusco, our driver meets you at the airport and brings you to us within an hour, so your acclimatization starts at a lower altitude and for 99% of our guests goes smoothly and without any problems. Upon arrival, we teach you how to make a proper coca tea to help you to adjust. Coca is an amazing medicine little known about. We also use other herbs that boost your oxygen intake in a matter of minutes. If you are reasonably healthy, and not overweight, you shouldn't have any problem with the altitude.
I have never done psychedelics or any plant medicine.
That is fine. You don't have to have previous experience with any psychoactive substances or plants to benefit from the healing work we do with Huachuma. In this case, the medicine that will be given to you will be lighter and the amount smaller. You will be gently guided through fears towards confidence and trust. After the first ceremony, your fears will begin to dissipate like a fog and eventually disappear as you move deeper into the medicine journey. You will be guided each step of the way. I control your experience with the medicine I serve you and we always talked about it before. Usually, as I build people's strength, I let them decide how deep they want to go. We take it easy but we take it!
How the ceremonies are conducted?
We take the medicine in the morning at our place at 10:00 am and go out for a day to connect to Nature. We spend the day in silence and contemplation, sitting apart from one another. It's a time for you to sit with yourself in silence and look inside to better understand and heal yourself with clarity and connection. Silence is the door to understanding. Then, we have a gentle walk and come home at around 5:00 pm. We close the ceremony around 6:00 pm. After that, our guests simply relax at the main house, eat dinner, and have a sharing circle by a fireplace, which is an immediate form of integration. Joining a sharing circle is optional. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. You can just sit in the garden, listen to crickets and stargaze, or go to your room and rest. It’s recommended you join since it helps you to process the experience and get to know one another, but it’s not an obligation. At Huachuma Wasi nothing is obligatory except respecting the house rules. You feel the medicine until you go to bed, but after the closing of the ceremony, it is much calmer.
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All our ceremonies are conducted in the same place by the river, where we feel deeply connected to Mother Nature. The sound of water is our music, and it's the best conduit for inner peace and healing. It's our magical place protected by the mountains. Here is a one-minute video of our river.
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What are the House Rules?
Not too many but a few that you have to respect.
The First rule: You are not allowed to drink alcohol or use any substances, legal or illegal during your stay with us, including cannabis. At Huachuma Wasi we use Huachuma, Ayahuasca, Bobinsana, Sananga, Rapeh, Coca, Cacaco and Mapacho. That's it. These are the teacher-healer and ally plants we are working with. If this is not enough for you, we might not be the right place for you.
The Second rule: You must respect others and treat them as you would like to be treated. You don't have to like others or become friends with everyone, this is a natural process that either happens or not. But you have to be respectful and maintain the sense of safety, trust, and openness that is present in our place.
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If you violate either of these rules, your participation in our retreats will be terminated immediately without a refund.
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Are these medicines safe to consume?
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Huachuma is very safe and is not known for any contraindications. But you do have to be careful with Ayahuasca and if you choose to disregard the preparation requirements for Ayahuascsa, you can have serious problems. Please visit our Ayahuasca page for details.
How long should I come for?
Generally speaking, the more time you spend with the medicine, the deeper you can see inside and better understand yourself. Huachuma can help you pill off the layers of fear, confusion, and lies that you have been telling yourself all alone. Huachuma is the truth serum. It makes you see yourself as you are and the world as it is, without a mask.
Some guests stay for many months, others only for weeks. Commit for as long as you want and follow it through. You will be rewarded with clarity, joy, and a strong sense of connection. Often happens, when our guests decide to extend their stay, in which case we just talk about it and make it happen. You can stay legally in Peru for up to six months a year. If you are a remote worker and do your job online, you can do it from here on the days between ceremonies. Our ceremonies are conducted every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
All other days are free for you to do whatever you want. We have a good Wi-Fi connection for all of your video calls and otherwise online work. You will be given your key so you can go out and come in whenever you want. We do not believe in isolation. Free days are yours to explore the local culture.
What is the best time of the year to visit?
Anytime. We are open all year round except February, which is the rainiest month of the year. Besides, it's our summer vacation for kids, which I prefer to spend together with my undivided attention. The rainy season starts in December (sometimes earlier in November), and goes through March. During this time we use rain ponchos and umbrellas, and stay the same amount of time outside. It's our summer. A bit different energy, nevertheless, not less effective in terms of healing.
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Usually, we are closed for six weeks from mid-January and are back in Nature from the beginning of March.
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The weather from April through late October is the best. Blue sky and sunny. We use the river for spiritual cleansing, which is something you cannot do during the rainy season. The river is not safe to go in during the rainy months. During this time, the connection to it is more aesthetic than physical. Still works though. But, of course, there is a lot more joy during the sunny months. Huachuma and Sun are good friends! They work together very well!
How should I prepare myself before coming?
The preparation for Huachuma is mental. Just think about your intention, questions, and problems you are trying to answer and solve. Huachuma does not requier a diet. You eat whatever you want. If you come with a partner or a spouse, intimacy between you is totally fine. For Ayahuasca is a different story. Please visit the Ayahuasca page for details.
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Even though we do not put any restraints on our eating habits, we respect your choices, in case you practice vegetarianism or veganism. It's your life, your body and you decide what to put in it. However, at the same time, you should respect others who make a different choice and prefer a different diet. Remember: you are coming here for healing and understanding of yourself, not for arguing about diets.
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As a part of preparation, I recommend reading all of my books before coming, or at least whatever you can. This will give you a good idea about me as a person, my beliefs, and my worldview. If you resonate with my words, most likely you will resonate with me and my medicine, because my words, my medicine, and I are ONE. Also, through reading, we establish a certain connection through space that can be deepened in person.
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I'm drawn to Huachuma but I'm also curious about Ayahuasca.
You come here for Huachuma and if during the course of our work, there will be a need or a strong calling to meet Ayahuasca, and the energy will feel right in the group, we can arrange that. We need at least three people to do it. First I have to see you in the medicine and make sure that you are mentally fit for Ayahuasca. Ayahuasca is not for everyone. We can talk about it in person as we move through the Huachuma Wonderland. Usually, we do Ayahuasca once or twice a month, generally speaking.
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What should I expect in terms of healing?
Expect nothing, accept everything. This is your mantra. Expectations can become a barrier to your experience. Instead, come as empty as you can, become a blank list of paper, and allow the medicine to make the drawing for you. This image will be more beautiful than the one you try to create with your mind. That said, you do need to form an intention for this work, which serves you as a guide. However, don't get too focused on it and leave room for the medicine to show you whatever it thinks you need to see and understand.
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Can Huachuma help with alcohol and drug addictions?
Yes, Huachuma can help but it is up to you to maintain a new lifestyle after the shift. Huachuma can show you the way but it is up to you to walk it. Although it is different for different people, our experience shows that at least a month is needed to stay with us to work on drug and alcohol addictions. Longer is better. It takes some time to reset your mindset and behavior patterns.
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It's important to understand that you are responsible for your healing and its maintenance after the healing work you do in Peru. If you relapse back into your old habits, the blame is on you. The medicine provides you with an opportunity and a fresh start. What you choose to do with it it's entirely up to you.
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How do I get to Huachuma Wasi?
You have to fly to Lima, and then take a short, one-hour-long domestic flight to Cusco. We will organize your airport pickup for $30. Our driver will bring you safely home. We live in the Sacred Valley, one one-hour drive from Cusco.
Upon your return, we organize your ride to Cusco airport in the same way and at the same cost.
Do not exchange dollars at the airport. The rate there is not favorable. Our driver will help you do it at the proper exchange on your way out of Cusco.
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How far is Machu Picchu from Huachuma Wasi?
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Machu Picchu is a day trip from Huachuma Wasi. Usually, our guests, who like to visit the 7th Wonder of the World, an ancient archeological site that was declared a Cultural and Natural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, leave in the morning and return home the same night. It takes an hour by car to reach Ollantaytambo train station from Huachuma Wasi, and then another hour and a half to reach Aquas Calientes, the town, where you take a half an hour bus up to the site.
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Sacred Valley is full of ancient architecture and sightseeing, and Machu Picchu is one of the things people like to do in their free days.
We are working with a tour agency and are happy to help you organize all your touristic activities at no cost, courtesy of Huachuma Wasi. You only pay the tour agency whatever is their cost.
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What is included and what is not included in the price
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Included: When you make a payment for your stay at Huachuma Wasi, you are paying for lodging and three Huachuma Ceremonies a week. We provide you with towels to use during your stay, toilet paper, and hand soap. Firewood for the sharing circles is also included.
Not included: Food is not included. Usually, our guests buy fresh from the local market and make meals at home. Our place is fully equipped. Or, if cooking is not something you would like to be doing, we can order good food from restaurants in town and have it delivered to you. This is how people do it after the ceremonies.
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The laundry service is NOT included. If you wish to do laundry, you have to give us your clothes before 9:00 am Monday through Friday and get them back clean and dry by 9:00 am the next morning. The cost is six soles per kilo (two pounds). We do not provide hair shampoo or hair dryers.
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Cusco airport pickup and transfer to the airport are NOT included. You have to pay $30 each way. We will arrange it for you upon your arrival and on your way home.
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Any of your tourist activities are NOT included in the price.
For details about the cost of the Huachuma retreat, please fill out the retreat form which is a required part of the screening process and I will get back to you within 24 hours.
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Generally speaking, if you are reasonably healthy both physically and mentally, you have nothing to worry about. You will be taken care of and guided through your marvelous healing journey that will be remembered for the rest of your life.
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What we do here is legal and is a part of the ancient Peruvian shamanic culture. We are a registered retreat center.
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What is your policy on sex and romantic relationship during the stay at Huachuma Wasi?
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Huachuma Wasi is a sanctuary where we wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to spiritual healing. This is not just a mission; it's our purpose. People from all walks of life come here, seeking to resolve the various challenges they face in their personal journeys.
Respecting the house rules is crucial to our mission of providing a safe environment for healing at Huachuma Wasi. Each person is allocated a private space, a sanctuary for personal reflection and processing of their experiences with the medicine. The communal space in the main house is designed for post-ceremony interactions and activities on non-ceremony days.
Spiritual healing is a delicate process that requires our full attention. It's important to remember that romantic involvement, while a natural part of life, can often disrupt this process. Therefore, we encourage our visitors to direct their sexual energy towards spiritual matters, not to embrace it at the lower chakras. This is not a judgment but guidance to ensure the depth and effectiveness of their spiritual work.
We have had several problems with this issue in the past, which led us to the conclusion that everyone should practice sexual and romantic abstinence during their stay in our place.
While we promote openness and free expression of feelings, physical closeness between individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation, is not encouraged during the stay. However, we do make an exception for married couples, understanding the unique dynamics of their relationship.
This is especially true if two people, men or women, have already experienced difficulties in their relationship, which can be dramatized by their experience with sacred plants.
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What is your policy on refunds?
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We don’t refund once we accept the payment but we can keep it valid and applicable for a later date in case there is a change in your travel or in case of travel restrictions and new lockdowns due to the next pandemic. In this case, you just have the credit with us to be used whenever travel becomes possible again.
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What is the voltage used in Peru?
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Please read the following article that explains this subject. We do provide adapters if needed.
Electricity in Peru: Outlets and Voltage
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Should I read your books before I have the experience or better later upon returning home?
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Some people say that they prefer to have the experience first and read about it later. Others like to read all they can first and then have the experience. It's a personal choice. Reading my books before your arrival will provide you with a sense of familiarity and trust, and might answer many questions you might have while allowing you more time for pure connection and contemplation.
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Is Peru safe to travel?
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Generally speaking yes, Peru is a tourist country and traveling is safe. Especially where we live in the Sacred Valley is completely safe. Of course, like in every country, there are places better be avoided but this is mostly in Lima, which you don't even visit on your way to Cusco. Most likely you stay at the airport waiting for the connecting flight, or if the layover is long, there are hotels around the airport that provide a shuttle.
You are welcome to contact me with any questions if you still have any.
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“I know you're tired but come, this is the way.”
― Jalalu'l-din Rumi
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