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

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

Biri Benxo is a small ayahuasca and master-plant center on the Iquitos-Nauta highway near Iquitos, led by two Shipibo brothers, Maestro Daniel Lopez and Maestro Guillermo Lopez, who grew up in San Francisco de Yarinacocha near Pucallpa. Its name combines Shipibo words for “great brightness” and “healing and recuperation.” It offers healing ceremonies and dietas for groups of two to six in a ceremony room built around a palo perfume tree, with meals and free airport pickup included. Its only online presence is a Retreat Guru listing, which shows no prices, no upcoming retreats and no reviews, contradicts itself on location, and ticks luxury amenities such as a pool, spa and gym that its own description never mentions. No owner, legal entity, medical screening, contraindications, medical staff or emergency plan is published. We found no incidents, but also no dated evidence that it is still operating.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: The Retreat Guru page gives “22 Carr. Iquitos-Nauta, Caserío Nueva Esperanza km 5, interior parcela no. 35,” about 0.5 km from the village of Nueva Esperanza, but also says the center is “about 1.5 hours south of Iquitos airport,” which does not fit a site near the start of the highway. A rural settlement named Nueva Esperanza exists in San Juan Bautista district. No GPS location is published.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies and traditional Shipibo master-plant dietas led by the two maestros, with “preparation in shamanism” for those who want to learn.
• Suitable For: Travelers seeking a very small, traditional Shipibo setting who are prepared to confirm the location, prices, screening and emergency arrangements directly before booking. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: No prices are published anywhere. Meals, a mattress in the ceremony room, and pickup and return from Iquitos airport or city center are included, according to Retreat Guru. No deposit or refund policy is published.
• Overall Assessment: Shipibo maestros, very small groups and included transfers, offset by total opacity (no website, owner, entity, prices, reviews or safety information), contradictory location details, an implausible amenity list and no evidence of current activity. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. There are no reviews on any platform. Our earlier profile said Retreat Guru mentioned “verified reviews” that were not visible; the page shows “No reviews available.”

The negative feedback. None found, because no reviews exist.

Who is writing the reviews. No one. The two maestros’ Retreat Guru profiles use nearly identical wording. 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 Biri Benxo, Maestro Daniel Lopez and Maestro Guillermo Lopez.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found involving this center. In June 2025 a US tourist died after a ceremony at a different lodge, La Casa de Guillermo, in the Alto Nanay district about five hours by river from Iquitos, and Maynas prosecutors opened an investigation, as El Comercio reported. No source names a Guillermo Lopez, and nothing links that case to Biri Benxo.
• 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, and its March 2026 update reported none. With no reviews and almost no online footprint, the absence of reports says little.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Is it operating? The Retreat Guru page lists no upcoming retreats, and we found no website, social media account, review or dated post for the center.

The same maestros elsewhere? Two Retreat Guru teachers listed with Taita Inti, a mobile operation based in Tarapoto, are named Guillermo López Rodriguez and Daniel López Rodriguez, Shipibo brothers from Pucallpa. Guillermo says he trained under “Maestro Manuel Vásquez” for 16 years, and Daniel says the brothers gave ceremonies to the Avatar film crew and James Cameron. They may be the same men, but nothing confirms it, and the Avatar claim has no independent source.

Listing data. Retreat Guru ticks air conditioning, a pool, spa, sauna, hot tub, gym, café and bicycle rental for a two-to-six-person dieta center whose description never mentions them; the same checklist appears on the Taita Inti page, which says it has no physical center.

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 formally regulated, according to ICEERS; most of the roughly 150 centers around Iquitos operate as unregistered businesses, as Chacruna reported.

Not Be Here Now with Neten. Despite the shared word “Biri,” we found no link to Be Here Now with Neten in Costa Rica.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Retreat Guru does publish healer biographies, an address and free airport and city pickup and return, so logistics and facilitator details are not entirely missing. The “luxurious retreat with top amenities” description has no support beyond the checklist. We found no source for the palo perfume tree’s sweet odor or the “verified reviews” wording; those details remain unverified.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff, integration support or emergency protocol appears on any listing. Hospitals in Iquitos, such as the Hospital Regional de Loreto, are roughly 15 minutes to 1.5 hours away depending on which location claim is right. 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

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. Unspecified Shipibo master plants are used in dietas, and palo perfume is described as a medicine. Kambo, rapé, bufo and San Pedro are not mentioned.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A rural parcel off the Iquitos-Nauta highway in a “quiet area not far from Iquitos,” with a large ceremony room built around a palo perfume tree.
• Rooms: Not described; each participant has a mattress in the ceremony room.
• Style: Traditional Shipibo ceremonies and dietas for groups of two to six.

Practical guidance: Fly into Iquitos from Lima; pickup from the airport or city center is included. Meals follow the ayahuasca diet, vegetarian or with fish or chicken, three times a day except on ceremony days, when only breakfast and lunch are served.

Should You Book?

Only after confirming that it operates. Ask for the exact location, the price and refund terms, how medications and health conditions are screened, and what happens in a medical emergency, and get the answers in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Maestro Daniel Lopez and Maestro Guillermo Lopez are described as brothers raised in the Shipibo village of San Francisco, Yarinacocha, who trained with elders and later moved to Iquitos, according to their Retreat Guru profiles. No owner, manager or founding date is named. 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

No retreat dates are published; contact is through Retreat Guru. Before paying, confirm that the center operates, the location, the price 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.