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

Aya Icaro Retreat: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Ollantaytambo, Peru

Aya Icaro was the name used in 2023 and 2024 for “The Jungle Meets the Andes” ayahuasca and San Pedro retreats in Ollantaytambo, in Peru’s Sacred Valley, led by the Shipibo Inuma family, Maestro Leonardo, Maestra Lucila and Mishako, and booked through Mai Niti Healing Center’s account, according to its program page. A 10-day retreat in May 2024 cost $2,800 to $3,300. Against that, the brand has no website or social accounts, no screening, contraindications, medical staff or emergency plan were published, plant medicines were billed by an unnamed third party and explained only on a call, it claimed to be “100% legal” without support, and nothing is dated after June 2024.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: An unnamed venue with a river in Ollantaytambo, Cusco region, Peru; the family’s home center, Mai Niti, is on Isla San Francisco near Pucallpa.
• Approach: Shipibo ayahuasca ceremonies with icaros and San Pedro (wachuma), energy work and a stated option not to drink psychoactive medicines, per its AyaAdvisors listing.
• Suitable For: No one under this name, which shows no activity since 2024; travelers interested in the same healers should review our Mai Niti profile. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $2,800 for a shared room, $3,050 for a private room in a pair and $3,300 for a private room with bath for 10 days in May 2024, covering lodging and food; plant medicines were paid to a third party, and no deposit or refund terms were stated.
• Overall Assessment: Named Shipibo healers with a long-running home center, offset by a dormant brand with no website, no published safety information and medicine payments kept off the invoice. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

No reviews of Aya Icaro exist on any platform. The family’s home center, Mai Niti, rates 4.89 from 62 reviews on its Retreat Guru page, and the separate Cusco operator Ikaro rates 4.9 from 34 on Tripadvisor. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English and Spanish-language news for reports involving Aya Icaro, Maestro Leonardo Inuma, Maestra Lucila Inuma, Mishako and Mai Niti.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

A US tourist died after a ceremony at a different lodge in Loreto in June 2025, per Swissinfo; it is not linked to this family.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Screening and medical support. The Aya Icaro pages give no screening, contraindications, medical staff, emergency protocol or hospital information. Its listing claimed the retreats were “100% legal in Peru” without support.

Who runs it. The “Aya Icaro team” used a Gmail contact and Mai Niti’s booking account, and no legal entity was found. Maestro Leonardo’s profiles disagree on whether his father or grandfather trained him and when he began, per his Retreat Guru profile and Mai Niti profile.

Status. The last dated programs ran in May and June 2024, per Maestra Lucila’s teacher page; no later activity, closure notice or rebrand was found. The family continues at Mai Niti, which lists dates into December 2026; see our Mai Niti profile.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is legal in Peru, where traditional use was declared national cultural heritage in 2008, per Andina, but no law licenses retreat centers.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Our earlier page said Aya Icaro was potentially closed and pointed readers to Ikaro Ayahuasca Retreat; no source links the two, and Ikaro is a separate Cusco operator with different staff whose reviews began in 2023. Aya Icaro shows no activity after June 2024, but closure is not confirmed. Our Isla San Francisco location is Mai Niti’s address; Aya Icaro’s retreats ran in Ollantaytambo. The $1,800 price had no source; the 2024 retreat cost $2,800 and up. Our earlier grade was C and remains C.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No contraindications are published. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes it dangerous with SSRIs and other serotonergic drugs and that it is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

Ayahuasca of undisclosed recipe and San Pedro, supplied by an unnamed third party. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: The Andean Sacred Valley at Ollantaytambo, with a river on site.
• Rooms: Shared rooms for up to three of the same sex and private rooms with bathrooms.
• Style: Amazonian Shipibo healers working in the Andes, combining ayahuasca with San Pedro.

Practical guidance: Fly to Cusco and travel to Ollantaytambo; transfers were not stated.

Should You Book?

Not under this name; for the same family, read our Mai Niti profile and confirm screening, medical support and the medicine payment terms in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Aya Icaro appeared on directories in 2023 and held dated programs only in 2024. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing and plan any change with your own doctor. After you return: No integration program was described; 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

No current dates are listed under this name. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed November 2026.

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