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

Ayahuasca Temple: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Iquitos, Peru

Ayahuasca Temple is a small center at km 15.5 of the Iquitos-Nauta highway, about 15 minutes from Iquitos airport by shuttle and a 20-minute guided walk into the forest, which says it is owned by an Indigenous family. Its healers are listed as Jaurimán García Torres, described as a “highly-trained Shipibo Master Shaman,” and Davis Harold García, with a family member named Oswaldo as the contact. It sells a four-day program with two ayahuasca ceremonies for $400, an eight-day program with three ceremonies for $900 and a flexible-length retreat for $1,200, each with kambo, rapé and plant baths. Its only reviews are two five-star AyaAdvisors reviews posted on the same day in August 2023. No medical screening, contraindications, medical staff, emergency plan, refund policy or legal entity is published, and one of its programs carries the same title as the flagship retreat of the better-known Temple of the Way of Light, a separate center. We found no incidents.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: “Highway Iquitos Nauta km 15.5,” Iquitos, Loreto, reached by a “15 min. private shuttle from the airport and 20 min. guided walk,” according to its Retreat Guru page. No community or GPS is published.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies with icaros, morning kambo on an empty stomach, a rapé ceremony, medicinal plant baths and flower baths, with optional jungle tours with an Indigenous guide.
• Suitable For: Travelers in Iquitos who want a very small, family-run program close to the city and will ask for screening and emergency details in writing.
• Costs: $400 for four days with two ayahuasca ceremonies and kambo, $900 for eight days with three ceremonies and kambo, and $1,200 for a flexible stay, according to its program pages; AyaAdvisors lists “$100 – $2,999.” The $750 on our earlier listing has no source. No deposit or refund policy is published.
• Overall Assessment: An affordable, intimate family setting close to Iquitos, offset by kambo with no published screening, no medical staff or emergency plan, only two same-day reviews, inconsistent prices, credentials and amenities across listings, a borrowed program title, and no refund terms or legal entity. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. The two 2023 reviewers describe deep conversations with the shamans, feeling very safe, a week of preparation, comfortable beds, running water, healthy food and a personal experience “without much commercial distraction,” with thanks to “Oswaldo and the whole family.” Our earlier profile said a 2023 Quora post praised “Maestro Juan’s” icaros, that a retreat platform praised supportive staff in 2022, and that a 2024 Tripadvisor review praised the jungle setting; no facilitator named Juan appears in any source, and those reviews remain unverified.

The negative feedback. No complaints are visible.

Who is writing the reviews. The only two reviews were posted on the same day. The Retreat Guru page ticks amenities such as a spa, sauna, pool, hot tub, gym and air conditioning that do not fit the family’s own description of jungle tambos reached on foot. 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 Temple, Oswaldo, Jaurimán García Torres and Davis Harold García.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found involving this center. In January 2024 a man died after a session with a local healer at km 14 of the same highway, about 1.5 km away, as Panamericana reported; no center was named, and nothing links it to Ayahuasca Temple.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: No complaints found.
• Legal action: No police action or lawsuits found.

Our earlier profile also found no theft, sexual misconduct or crime. With so few reviews, the absence of reports says little.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Not the Temple of the Way of Light. This center’s eight-day program is titled “Living In Alignment: Ayahuasca Healing Retreat,” the exact name of the flagship program of the Temple of the Way of Light, a larger and unrelated center. Check which one you are booking.

Inconsistent credentials. Jaurimán García Torres is described as having “over 20 years” of experience on an older Retreat Guru teacher page, created under a different center, and “over 60 years” on this center’s program page. The program page promises “four Shaman healers” but names two.

Kambo without screening. Kambo is given in the morning on the same programs as ayahuasca, with no published screening or contraindications for either.

Peru’s legal picture. Ayahuasca is legal in Peru, where traditional Indigenous use was declared national cultural heritage in 2008, and retreat centers are not licensed or regulated, according to ICEERS.

Corrections to our earlier profile. The center has a website, ayahuasca-temple.org, and a live booking site. Its healers are Jaurimán García Torres and Davis Harold García, not “Maestro Juan.” The site is near the highway, 15 minutes from the airport, rather than deep “in the middle of the rainforest.” We found no source for a group size of up to 10, a “trauma-informed” approach or a focus on private groups; those details remain unverified.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol appears on any of the center’s listings. Hospitals in Iquitos are roughly 30 to 45 minutes away by walk and road. 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. The center promises “integration guidance” but does not describe it. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

The center does not publish its recipe. Shipibo ayahuasca usually combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with chacruna leaves, which supply the DMT, as Erowid explains. Kambo, rapé (“nunu”), medicinal plant baths and flower baths are part of the programs, and an older teacher page says Jaurimán also leads San Pedro ceremonies.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Forest off the Iquitos-Nauta highway, 20 minutes on foot from the road.
• Rooms: Tambos with private bathrooms and showers, king-size beds with mosquito nets and private hammock terraces, according to the center’s AyaAdvisors listing.
• Style: A family-run program with Shipibo-style ceremonies for very small groups; a 2023 reviewer was one of two guests.

Practical guidance: Fly into Iquitos; the center says it provides a private shuttle from the airport. Meals are healthy and vegan, three times a day.

Should You Book?

Only with care. Before paying, ask who will lead the ceremonies and how many healers will be present, how health conditions and medications are screened before ayahuasca and kambo, what happens in an emergency, and what the refund terms are. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The center describes itself as owned by an Indigenous family. Jaurimán García Torres is presented as a member of the native community and a Shipibo master shaman of an “unbroken lineage” who also administers kambo; Davis Harold García is described as born in a rural Amazon village to grandparents who were respected healers. Oswaldo is the listed contact, and a second contact named Anna has a German phone number. 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: 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

Programs are listed with open dates through Retreat Guru and the center’s own booking site. Before paying, confirm the healers, the price, the refund terms and the emergency arrangements 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.