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Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (October 2026). They will be updated if Ayahuasca Satsangha or The Way Inn submits its own information.

Ayahuasca Satsangha (The Way Inn): An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Huaraz, Peru

Ayahuasca Satsangha is an old name for ayahuasca retreats at The Way Inn, a mountain lodge on the road from Huaraz to Pitec, in the Cordillera Blanca foothills of Peru’s Áncash region, at about 3,700 meters. Its only trace under this name is an unclaimed AyaAdvisors listing with a single review from January 2014, which names The Way Inn’s staff; we also list the lodge as The Way Inn. The lodge’s English owner and head shaman, Alex Good, built it as an adventure lodge in 2002 and turned it into a shamanic center around 2010, after a role he describes in founding the Temple of the Way of Light. Its 10- and 12-day retreats offered five ayahuasca ceremonies, a tree-bark dieta, tobacco purges and San Pedro, with private rooms, wood stoves and organic food, and reviews were warm (Tripadvisor 4.5 from 84). An undated note at the end of a 2015 Psychedelic Times interview with Good tells anyone abused “physically or emotionally” by him to seek professional help; we found no account behind it. No medical staff are named, the newest dated activity is from 2019, and no current prices are published.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: The Way Inn, Carretera Huaraz-Pitec km 22, Huaraz province, Áncash, at about 3,700 meters, reached by a dirt track of about 25 km and roughly 50 minutes from Huaraz, according to Tripadvisor and an independent 2012 travel blog. In 2019 Good also ran a retreat near Lisbon, Portugal.
• Approach: A Western-led fusion of Amazonian and Andean shamanism with Buddhist and Vedic practice: an opening Pachamama ceremony, five ayahuasca ceremonies, two tobacco purges, a six-day tree-bark dieta, a San Pedro walk to the Cojup valley, coca sharing circles, energy healing, yoga and Qi Gong.
• Suitable For: Fit, medically healthy adults comfortable at high altitude who want a small, comfortable mountain setting, and who can confirm that retreats are running and who leads them.
• Costs: No current price list is published; the operator says its “prices reflect higher standards of comfort, training, service.” It asks half the “medicine cost” as a deposit and says “Refunds are made under some, but not all circumstances,” according to its FAQ. In 2014 a guest paid a $600 deposit plus a donation of their choosing. The £1,650 to £1,850 in our earlier profile remains unverified.
• Overall Assessment: A comfortable lodge, small groups and long-running positive reviews, offset by an unexplained public advisory about abuse by the founder, no named medical staff or emergency plan at high altitude, Western facilitators where a Peruvian shaman is advertised, contradictory listings and no evidence of retreats in Peru since 2019. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers describe a stunning mountain setting, comfortable rooms with wood stoves, food from the organic garden, small groups and individual attention, and Good’s detailed explanations and personal feedback in English; several say they felt safe. The 2014 Satsangha review praised the small group and feeling safe. Our earlier profile added that women guests in particular felt safe; that remains unverified.

The negative feedback. A 2009 two-star review complained of high prices, an overpriced dinner and a manager who treated guests as if they were in his home. A July 2015 AyaAdvisors reviewer said there was no Peruvian shaman, the retreat was run by Westerners, the center was moving toward luxury and marketing, and guests were charged for the last night. A 2017 reviewer found the price high compared with jungle retreats. Our earlier profile also reported complaints about wood fires lit with lighter fluid in enclosed spaces, rooms smaller than advertised, bungalows less isolated than described and a confirmed reservation cancelled at the last minute; those remain unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. Several Tripadvisor reviews were collected through the lodge’s own invitation tool, a 2019 review of a retreat in Portugal sits on the Peru listings, and one Tripadvisor review appears to describe a different “Way Inn” in Israel. 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 Ayahuasca Satsangha, The Way Inn, Alex Good and the facilitators named in reviews.

• Abuse advisory: The second part of a 2015 Psychedelic Times interview with Alex Good ends with an undated, unexplained note telling anyone involved with “self appointed Shaman Alex Good” who was abused “physically or emotionally” to contact a mental health professional or trauma specialist. We found no allegation, victim account, police report or lawsuit behind it. Unverified.
• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: No complaints found.
• Legal action: No police action or lawsuits found.

Our earlier profile found no deaths, sexual misconduct, theft or legal issues; that still holds, but it did not mention the Psychedelic Times advisory.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident at The Way Inn, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Who leads the ceremonies. Listings advertise a “multi-generation Peruvian shaman,” and early reviews name a shaman called Arnaldo from Iquitos, but a 2015 reviewer said no Peruvian shaman was present, and Good told Psychedelic Times he uses non-native shamans as facilitators. His FAQ claims the “Julio Jerena lineage, as practiced at Blue Morpho,” likely a misspelling of the late Julio Llerena, and the lineage of “Manuel Buenaventura Oroche”; neither claim is independently confirmed.

Is it operating? The website’s newest dated content is from 2017, the newest reviews are from September 2019, and one of those describes a retreat near Lisbon rather than in Peru. We found no retreat dates since.

Altitude. At about 3,700 meters, altitude sickness is a real risk on top of ayahuasca’s purging, and the lodge is about 50 minutes by dirt road from Huaraz’s hospitals.

Peru’s legal picture. Ayahuasca and San Pedro are legal in Peru, and retreat centers are not licensed or regulated, according to ICEERS.

Corrections to our earlier profile. The Way Inn began in 2002 as an adventure lodge, not as a bridge between shamanism and Western consciousness work; Good claims those teachers’ lineages rather than personal study with them; and the donation model applied in 2014, while the current FAQ asks for a deposit of half the medicine cost. We found no source for dorm beds, brew “prepared by jungle colleagues,” daily “satsangs,” a 12-day detox, a pre-registration form covering the past year’s medications, screening that excludes borderline, bipolar, psychotic and schizophrenic guests case by case, or a waiver stating that guests attend “at their own risk”; those details remain unverified.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

The FAQ asks guests to avoid pork, alcohol, street drugs and pharmaceuticals for a month (two weeks is acceptable) and says antidepressants “cannot be taken for two months beforehand,” warning that not preparing “can be life threatening as SSRI’s take time to leave the system.” Women are asked to skip ceremonies on the first two days of menstruation. No doctor, nurse or emergency protocol is named; listings mention an unnamed “resident transpersonal psychologist” and nutritionist. 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. Integration support is offered for life by phone or Skype. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

The FAQ describes a brew of the cielo ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) and chacruna, which supplies the DMT, as Erowid explains, with chiric sanango and bobinsana added and “never” toé. The same tree barks are used in a six-day dieta, which Retreat Guru notes “is NOT a full Shamanic Dieta.” San Pedro, a mescaline-containing cactus, and a five-plant tobacco blend are also served.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A lodge in the Cordillera Blanca foothills with a trout pond, gardens and hikes to Laguna Churup and Laguna Llaca; the lodge closes to other guests during retreats.
• Rooms: Nine private en suite rooms with fireplaces or wood-burning stoves, hot showers and spring water; one 2014 reviewer warned about a “cave room” with spiders.
• Style: A Western-led blend of shamanic ceremony, Ayurveda, yoga and Qi Gong for groups of up to 12 (14 on Retreat Guru).

Practical guidance: Travel from Lima to Huaraz by bus or flight; taxi drivers meet guests in Huaraz. Allow several days to acclimatize before the first ceremony.

Should You Book?

Only after confirming that retreats are running. Ask who will lead each ceremony and with what training, what medical cover and emergency plan exist at this altitude, what the price and refund terms are, and ask the operator about the Psychedelic Times advisory. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Alex Good, described as an Englishman, traveled from 1997 to 2001, bought the land near Huaraz in 2002, first drank ayahuasca at the lodge in 2005, and says he helped establish the Temple of the Way of Light in late 2007 before selling his share by 2010, as he told Psychedelic Times. He describes training in Buddhist, Vedic, Amazonian and Andean traditions and claims ten years of professional practice. Reviews name facilitators by first name only. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Discuss altitude, heart health and medications with your doctor, and arrive in Huaraz early. After you return: 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 retreat dates are published. Before paying anything, confirm that retreats are running, who leads them and the refund terms in writing. 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.