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

Ayaselva: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Tamshiyacu, Peru

Ayaselva is a small, family-run ayahuasca center near Tamshiyacu, about an hour upriver from Iquitos, Peru, founded by Vanesa, from Iquitos, and her Dutch husband Peter, with ceremonies led by Mestizo curandero Arnaldo. It takes at most six guests, publishes its prices, refund terms, company name and tax number, and screens guests with a detailed health questionnaire, according to its website. Against that, it has no medical staff or written emergency plan, its staff are named by first name only, and its roughly 34 reviews are all five stars, most of them recent.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Carretera Yavari km 2, near Tamshiyacu, Fernando Lores District, Loreto, Peru, per its terms; Tamshiyacu is about 50 km upstream of Iquitos and about an hour by speedboat, per Wikipedia.
• Approach: Mestizo-tradition ayahuasca ceremonies with icaros, sharing circles after each ceremony, flower baths, jungle walks and a lesson on brewing ayahuasca. No other medicines are advertised.
• Suitable For: Adults seeking a very small, family-style retreat who accept limited medical support. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $1,200 for 7 days with 4 ceremonies and $1,800 for 12 days with 7 ceremonies, all-inclusive with a private room and Iquitos pickup, per its pricing page. A 15% deposit is non-refundable but can be used as credit within 12 months.
• Overall Assessment: Transparent prices and screening, a registered company and no incidents found, offset by no on-site medical support in a river-access location and a thin, uniform review record. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Every visible review is five stars: AyaAdvisors shows 5.0 from 3 (July and August 2026), Tripadvisor 5.0 from 1, and Third Wave one review; the website displays a Google rating of 5.0 from 29 (unverified). Guests praise the caring hosts, a gentle and humble curandero, the food, the intimate setting and excursions such as a boat trip and a night walk. Most reviews were posted in July and August 2026, when the center’s directory listings were created, and some AyaAdvisors reviews name the curandero and cook differently from the center’s own staff page (unverified pattern). No reviews of 3 stars or lower were found. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English, Spanish and Dutch-language news for reports involving Ayaselva, its company, its founders and its curandero.

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

The center’s online footprint begins in 2024 and is small, which limits this search. A US tourist died after an ayahuasca ceremony at an unrelated lodge in the Alto Nanay district of Loreto in June 2025, and prosecutors opened an investigation, per Swissinfo; that case does not involve Ayaselva.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. The operator is AYASELVA E.I.R.L., a single-owner Peruvian company, with tax number (RUC) 20612470821 printed on every page of its website; the registry record was not independently confirmed. The team page gives first names only: co-founders Vanesa and Peter, curandero Arnaldo, Vanesa’s brother Jackson and mother Elva, and cook Denisse. Third Wave lists the founders’ surnames as Isuisa and Tulp (unverified). Arnaldo is described as raised in Tamshiyacu and of Mestizo lineage, with no teacher, training or dietas named.

Screening and medical support. Guests complete an online health questionnaire and a video call. The health and safety page excludes SSRIs, MAOIs, antipsychotics, cardiovascular disease, epilepsy, psychosis and pregnancy, and asks for a two-month break from SSRIs and serotonergic drugs, tapered under medical supervision. The same page says the center is “not a medical clinic”, names no medical staff and gives no written emergency protocol. A comparison site reports a health facility about 10 minutes away by mototaxi, per the operator (unverified); higher-level care is in Iquitos, about an hour away by boat.

Inconsistent rules. The health page excludes any cardiovascular disease while the FAQ says severe disease, and the two pages give different abstinence periods for alcohol and drugs.

Review integrity. About 29 of the roughly 34 reviews appear only through the operator’s own Google widget. The center’s Retreat Guru page carries pool, spa and sauna tags that nothing on its own site supports, per its Retreat Guru page. An anonymous comparison site, ayahuascaretreatsinperu.com, names Ayaselva as its single top pick while noting its thin review base and lack of a clinician; the site says it takes no payment from Ayaselva (unverified).

Status. Operating. The pricing page lists retreat dates from November 2026 through December 2027, and Retreat Guru shows four upcoming events. The earliest dated material is from 2024, and the earliest independent guest stay is from August 2025.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is legal in Peru, where its traditional use was declared national cultural heritage in 2008, and the country has no licensing regime for retreat centers, per ICEERS.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

The published contraindication list is thorough, but there is no medical professional on site to apply it. 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 vine and chacruna with “no additional ingredients”, brewed on site by Arnaldo and Jackson, per its website. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Lowland Amazon rainforest about 2 km from Tamshiyacu town, with a maloka.
• Rooms: Private rooms with private bathrooms for up to six guests; Wi-Fi in the main house and laundry, per its Retreat Guru event page.
• Style: A local family running small Mestizo-tradition retreats, with a polished multilingual website.

Practical guidance: Guests are met at Iquitos airport, spend a night in an Iquitos hotel, then travel by boat to Tamshiyacu and by mototaxi to the center, per its FAQ.

Should You Book?

Possibly, if you want a very small group and accept that the nearest hospital is an hour away by boat. Ask in writing who is trained in first aid, which facility handles emergencies and how evacuation works at night, and confirm the curandero’s full name and training. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Vanesa says she first drank ayahuasca at 17, dieted with an unnamed mestizo maestro and worked at other centers in Peru and abroad, none named (unverified). She and Peter run the center with her family. Its journal and directory listings date from 2024, with a large expansion of listings in July 2026. 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

Dates and prices are on its pricing page; bookings are confirmed after a personal call. 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.