Atmosphere

Features

Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (October 2026). They will be updated if Andes Retreat submits its own information.

Andes Retreat: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Urubamba, Peru

Andes Retreat is a Retreat Guru listing for an ayahuasca and holistic retreat in Urubamba, in Peru’s Sacred Valley near Cusco, organized by Maximiliano Echenique, who describes himself as Argentine-born and long settled in the valley. It advertises a seven-day “Ayahuasca-Machu Picchu” package from $5,000 and a six-day holistic retreat with a cacao ceremony, Reiki, ThetaHealing and a Machu Picchu visit from $2,800, at an unnamed eco-lodge with a maloca. Our earlier profile said the center could not be verified to exist; the listing does exist, but almost nothing about it can be checked independently. There are no reviews on any platform, no website or social media accounts, the shamans are described only as a family with no names or lineage, no dates are scheduled, most of the listing’s photos are stock images, and the latest dated trace is from January 2024. No screening, medical staff or emergency plan is described, and the ayahuasca package costs roughly two to three times what nearby Sacred Valley retreats charge. We found no incidents, complaints or evidence of fraud.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Urubamba, in the Sacred Valley of Cusco, according to the Retreat Guru center page, which describes an eco-lodge in a country house with a large garden, a maloca, a dining room and terraces. The lodge is not named, and no address or coordinates are given.
• Approach: The listing describes “cleaning and detoxification rituals with master plants from Peru” led by a family of shamans, plus a separate holistic program of cacao ceremony, meditation, yoga, sound therapy, Reiki, chakra alignment, ThetaHealing, hypnosis and bioenergetic therapy, combined with tours of the valley and Machu Picchu.
• Suitable For: Few travelers. Only someone prepared to verify the organizer, the shamans and the venue directly, in advance, and to pay a premium price, should consider it.
• Costs: “From $5,000” for the seven-day ayahuasca package, and $2,800 for one person in a private room on the six-day holistic retreat, with two different two-person prices ($5,400 and $5,200) and $9,500 for a group of four, according to its holistic retreat page. Comparable Sacred Valley ayahuasca retreats on the same platforms cost about $1,600 to $2,200 for seven to ten days.
• Overall Assessment: A live booking listing with a named organizer, a described venue and published prices, offset by no reviews, website or independent footprint, unnamed shamans, no scheduled dates, mostly stock photos, no published screening, medical staff or emergency plan, and a price far above the local market. Directory evaluation: D-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Here is how Andes Retreat rates across review platforms in October 2026:

The positive picture. No guest reviews exist on any platform we checked.

The negative feedback. None, for the same reason.

Who is writing the reviews. No one. Six of the nine images on the holistic retreat page are stock photographs whose filenames begin “pexels-,” two appear to be images reused from articles about art therapy and Machu Picchu, and only one, a WhatsApp photo dated January 15, 2024, may be original. The center page has no photos of the lodge, maloca, staff or shamans. Its amenity icons claim a pool, spa, sauna and hot tub, and its diet icons list almost every diet, which conflicts with the text describing mostly vegetarian meals. Our own earlier profile used two stock images that did not show this center. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms, Peruvian and English-language news, and legal sources, in Spanish and English, for reports involving Andes Retreat and its organizer.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: No reports found. Our earlier profile warned that the operation “may be non-existent or fraudulent”; we found no evidence of fraud, but also nothing that confirms retreats actually take place.
• Legal action: None found. We found no ayahuasca enforcement in the Sacred Valley in recent years.

With no reviews and almost no online footprint, the absence of reports is weak evidence. If you have experienced or witnessed an incident involving Andes Retreat, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Can it be verified? The only presence we found is the Retreat Guru listing, with a contact form, two flexible-date “package” programs and no scheduled retreats. There is no website, no social media, no registered company we could find, and no independent mention of the organizer, the shamans or the lodge. Image folders date from 2022 and 2023, and the newest dated file is from January 2024. Before sending money, ask for the lodge’s name and address, the shamans’ full names and community, references from past guests, and a video call.

Unnamed shamans. The listing’s second guide entry is titled “Shamans” and describes a family group without names, community or lineage. The organizer’s bio says he works with shamans and guides “unconventional tours,” and gives no medicine training.

A high price. At $5,000 for seven days, the ayahuasca package costs two to three times what other Sacred Valley retreats charge on the same platforms, such as Willkapacha’s seven-day ayahuasca and Machu Picchu program from $1,690 on BookRetreats. The listing does not explain what justifies the difference. The holistic retreat lists two different prices for two people.

The legal position. In 2008 Peru declared the traditional knowledge and uses of ayahuasca part of the nation’s cultural heritage, as Andina reported, and ICEERS describes ayahuasca as legal in Peru, with no licensing system for retreat centers. In January 2025 the US Embassy in Lima warned citizens to avoid ayahuasca and kambo, citing deaths, health complications and crimes at unregulated centers, as DoubleBlind reported; our earlier profile also cited this warning. See our country-by-country legal guide.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Our earlier profile said no verifiable center named Andes Retreat could be found, that its location, approach and costs were unknown, that it had no booking channel, and graded it F because it “cannot be verified to exist.” The Retreat Guru listing gives a location (Urubamba), an organizer, programs, prices, an itinerary and a refund policy, and bookings go through Retreat Guru. What remains true is that none of it is independently confirmed: no reviews, no website and no evidence that retreats run. The earlier profile’s general advice, that legitimate centers screen for heart, psychiatric and medication risks, still applies.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Neither the center page nor the holistic retreat page mentions a medical questionnaire, contraindications, medical staff, integration support or an emergency protocol. Urubamba is a road-connected town in the Sacred Valley, about an hour and a half to two hours from Cusco airport, where the main referral hospitals are. The holistic program combines a cacao ceremony with Reiki, hypnosis and other therapies from practitioners whose training is not given. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes combinations with SSRIs and other serotonergic medications contraindicated, and that ayahuasca is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Erowid warns of extreme, possibly fatal reactions with some prescription drugs. Ask for the screening process, medication exclusions and emergency plan in writing. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a retreat without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

The listing does not describe the brew, its source or who prepares it. Traditional ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. The seven-day ayahuasca package is listed as “Andes Retreat. Ayahuasca-Machu Picchu. ALL INCLUSIVE.”; ask the organizer for its itinerary, ceremony count and terms. The holistic retreat names only a cacao ceremony. Ask exactly what is in each cup and how doses are set.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: The Andean Sacred Valley around Urubamba, at high altitude, cool at night.
• Rooms: Single, double, triple and matrimonial rooms at the unnamed lodge, according to the listing.
• Style: A tour-style package mixing ceremony, alternative therapies and sightseeing, with “normally” vegetarian, organic meals from a “specialist chef.”

Practical guidance: Fly into Cusco (CUZ); the listing says a taxi will take guests from the airport to the hotel. Allow time to acclimatize to the altitude.

Should You Book?

We cannot recommend booking Andes Retreat on the information available. It may be a genuine small operation without an online presence, but there are no reviews, no named shamans, no venue name, no scheduled dates and no safety information, and its ayahuasca package is priced far above the local market. If you are considering it, confirm the organizer’s identity, the venue, the shamans and past guests directly before paying anything, book only through a channel that protects your payment, and read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The organizer, listed as Maximiliano Echenique, describes himself in an undated bio as 35, born in Argentina and living for years in the Sacred Valley, where he guides “unconventional tours” and works with shamans. The shamans are described only as a family. The listing’s center description reads: “Everyone is welcome to a week where you can meet and live a unique experience in the Sacred Valley of Cusco, Peru.” No founding date, legal entity or website is published. We did not independently verify anyone’s credentials.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Verify the operator first. Ask for a health questionnaire, disclose every medication and condition, and talk with your own doctor well before the trip. After you return: No integration support is described, so arrange support from a qualified therapist at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

The only booking channel is the Retreat Guru listing, with flexible “package” dates. The holistic program’s terms read “Deposit fully refundable until 1 day prior to retreat start” and “Full payment refundable until 30 days prior to retreat start.” Before paying, confirm in writing the organizer’s identity, the venue name and address, the shamans’ names, the itinerary and ceremony count, the emergency arrangements and the refund terms. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed October 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.