Atmosphere

Features

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

Chimicuas House: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Ceremonies in Puerto Maldonado, Peru

Chimicuas House is a family-run bed and breakfast in the La Pradera neighborhood of Puerto Maldonado, in Peru’s Madre de Dios region, about four blocks from the bus terminal, that also sells ayahuasca ceremonies and jungle tours. Founded in 2012 by its own account, it is run by owners named in reviews as Rosa and “Maestro Amador,” whom the website calls “Dr. ayahuasquero Amador.” Rooms cost $30 to $66 a night; ayahuasca is sold separately, from $100 for a single night to $680 for a six-day package with three ceremonies, steam baths and a Lake Sandoval trip, with free airport pickup. Guests rate the lodge 4.2 on Tripadvisor, and the four reviews that mention ayahuasca, from 2016 to 2018, are all positive. But ceremonies take place at an undisclosed “ceremony center” reached by road at night, dosing is set by a blood-pressure and “energy” check, no medical questionnaire, medical staff, emergency plan, refund policy or legal entity is published, and no ceremony review is newer than 2018. We found no incidents.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Jr. Atahuallpa block 8 at Jr. Chimicuas, La Pradera, Puerto Maldonado, Tambopata, according to its website, an outlying neighborhood about 4 km from the airport. Ceremonies are held at a separate, unnamed venue.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies led by Amador with icaros and prayers, a pre-ceremony talk and consultation, medicinal-plant steam baths, smoke cures and “blessing baths,” combined with jungle tours.
• Suitable For: Budget travelers who want a simple lodge in town and who will get written details of the ceremony venue, screening and emergency plan first. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $100 for a single night ceremony, $140 for two days, and $210 to $680 for packages of three to six days with one to three ceremonies, according to its ceremony page and package pages; rooms are $30 to $66. No deposit or refund policy is published for ceremonies.
• Overall Assessment: A long-running, warmly reviewed family lodge with low prices and airport pickup, offset by an undisclosed ceremony venue, one-night drop-in ceremonies, no medical screening, staff or emergency plan, no refund terms or legal entity, and no ceremony evidence since 2018. Directory evaluation: D+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Guests praise warm family hosts, large clean rooms with strong air conditioning, good breakfasts, free airport pickup and help with tours. The ayahuasca reviews, all on Tripadvisor, describe a “great shaman,” a special ayahuasca and chacruna ceremony with Amador, and a house where “Mother Ayahuasca is honored.” Our earlier profile cited 2024 testimonials praising the shaman’s ceremony and the friendly staff and big rooms; the only 2024 review found concerns the rooms, so those remain unverified.

The negative feedback. Reviewers mention a location far from the town center on a dirt road, plumbing failures and a hot room (September 2024), a 2016 tour and price dispute that management rebutted, and a 2013 claim that the owner tried to double the price of a boat trip. Our earlier profile cited a 2018 Tripadvisor review alleging misleading accommodations in high season and unexpected charges of S/800; that review was not found and remains unverified.

Who is writing the reviews. Several Tripadvisor reviews were collected through the lodge’s own invitation tool, and nearly all date from 2013 to 2018. Our earlier profile described AyaAdvisors as a site where centers pay to be listed; its Chimicuas listing is unclaimed and charges visitors $5 to contact the center. 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 Chimicuas House, Maestro Amador and Rosa.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found. In January 2025 the US Embassy in Lima warned US citizens against ayahuasca and kambo, citing deaths and serious harm at retreat centers, as DoubleBlind reported.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: No police complaints found; the price disputes above are single, unverified reviews.
• Legal action: No police action, regulatory action or lawsuits found.

Our earlier profile also found no theft, sexual misconduct or crime, and its August 2025 update reported none. The owners’ surnames are not public, which limits any search.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Where ceremonies happen. Package pages describe a 7 pm pickup to an unnamed “centro de ceremonias” reached by road, returning around 5 am; an older AyaAdvisors description mentions a “downtown ceremony,” and a 2018 guest met the shaman at the house. The venue, its distance and its facilities are not disclosed. Our earlier profile said ceremonies take place near the Tambopata National Reserve; only the tours go there.

Drop-in ceremonies. The $100 single-night ceremony includes no lodging or preparation period, so a guest can arrive and drink the same day.

Who runs it. The website names only “Dr. ayahuasquero Amador,” also called a “Doctor Naturista,” with no surname, lineage or credentials. A 2014 review named the owners as Amado, his wife and their son. No company or tax registration (RUC) was found.

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 lodge is in La Pradera, not downtown, and has operated since 2012, not 2016. Ceremonies are priced separately from rooms, from $100, not $50 to $75 a night including ceremonies. It has had a website, chimicuashouse.com, since about 2023, and lists English, Spanish and Portuguese among its languages. We found no source for small groups, Amador and Rosa founding the center, a two-week MAOI-compatible diet or a list of items to bring; those details remain unverified.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

The booking form asks no health questions. Before a ceremony, the shaman gives a talk on “prevention and symptoms,” invites guests to mention health problems and checks blood pressure or “energy” to set the dose. A blog post on the site warns that ayahuasca can interact dangerously with some drugs and advises people on antidepressants or psychiatric medication to avoid it, but no contraindication screening, medical staff, integration beyond a morning-after talk or emergency protocol is published. Hospital Santa Rosa and an EsSalud hospital are in Puerto Maldonado. 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. Our earlier profile said about 55% of ayahuasca participants face transient challenges such as anxiety; that figure has no source and remains unverified. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

The center describes “natural ayahuasca” without a recipe; a 2016 guest mentions ayahuasca and chacruna. Amazonian ayahuasca usually combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with chacruna leaves, which supply the DMT, as Erowid explains. Steam baths, smoke cures and plant baths are offered; no kambo, bufo or San Pedro is advertised.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A town B&B with a garden, terrace and hammocks in an outlying neighborhood of Puerto Maldonado, with jungle tours to Lake Sandoval and Tambopata sold separately.
• Rooms: 15 rooms with private bathrooms, air conditioning, cable TV and Wi-Fi; reviews range from “cheap little gem” to basic with plumbing problems.
• Style: A local family lodge with a resident ayahuasquero, selling ceremonies alongside tours.

Practical guidance: Fly into Puerto Maldonado; airport and bus-terminal pickup are free. Breakfast is included with rooms, and packages include meals based on a dieta.

Should You Book?

Only with care. Before paying, ask where the ceremony venue is and how far it is from a hospital, who on site has first-aid training, how medications and health conditions are screened, how many people attend, and the refund terms, and get the answers in writing. Avoid drinking on the day you arrive. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The website says Chimicuas House was created on July 15, 2012, as a “100% Peruvian company.” Reviews describe Amador and Rosa as the owners and hosts, and a 2016 review names a manager. 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

Ceremonies and rooms are booked through the contact form on its website; rooms are also sold on booking platforms. Before paying, confirm the venue, screening, emergency plan and 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.