Atmosphere

Features

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

Don Mateo (Shamanic Center Ayahuasca): An In-Depth Review for Shipibo Ayahuasca near Pucallpa, Peru

Don Mateo’s center, listed on BookRetreats as Shamanic Center Ayahuasca, is the family chacra and maloca of Shipibo onanya Mateo Arévalo Maynas in San Francisco de Yarinacocha, about an hour by boat from Pucallpa, Peru, where he and a co-healer listed as Maestra Adela hold ayahuasca ceremonies and dietas, per its BookRetreats page and an interview in Kahpi. He has practiced for about four decades and leads in a Shipibo healers’ association. Against that, the center publishes no prices, screening, medical staff or emergency plan, has no reviews, and is sold mainly through a third-party organizer with contradictory listings.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: The Shipibo community of San Francisco on Yarinacocha lake, Yarinacocha District, Ucayali, Peru, about an hour by boat from Pucallpa.
• Approach: Traditional Shipibo ayahuasca ceremonies and master plant dietas with purges and flower baths; Don Mateo says he opposes mixing ayahuasca with San Pedro, kambo or rapé.
• Suitable For: Travelers wanting a traditional Shipibo setting who can arrange their own translation and support. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: The center publishes no prices. Medicina Trascendental sells a ten-day trip with eight ceremonies, four of them with Don Mateo, for $3,500, per its Retreat Guru program.
• Overall Assessment: A long-practicing, community-recognized Shipibo healer, offset by no published safety information, no reviews and reliance on resellers. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The center has no reviews on AyaAdvisors, BookRetreats or Retreat Guru. A German shamanism directory from about 2016 described strong but costly ceremonies, harsh conditions and a brew weakened for tourist groups (unverified). No reviews of 3 stars or lower were found on review platforms. 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 Mateo Arévalo Maynas, Don Mateo, Shamanic Center Ayahuasca and San Francisco de Yarinacocha.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found. In the 2020 interview Don Mateo recounted that one of two foreign apprentices who competed to drink large amounts of ayahuasca “went crazy” (undated, unverified).
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

The co-healer’s full name is not published, so this absence offers limited assurance.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Mateo Arévalo Maynas, Shipibo name Isayu, told Kahpi he had worked with ayahuasca for 39 years by 2019 and is a leader of ASOMASHK, the Shipibo-Konibo healers’ association formed after the 2018 Declaration of Yarinacocha. Its BookRetreats teacher profile claims more than 45 years. His co-healer appears as “Adele” or “Adela” with no surname, and a German directory names his wife as Aurelia (unverified). No company or RUC tax number appears.

Screening and medical support. In the interview he says he asks for medical reports in psychiatric, physical or cancer cases, consults doctors and turns away people who seem unstable, but no contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published. Hospitals are in Yarinacocha and Pucallpa, an hour or more away.

Listings. A BookRetreats retreat has been delisted, and the reseller’s program calls itself both a one-day and a ten-day retreat and lists flights that it also excludes.

Status. Probably operating; the reseller’s program had open dates in November 2026, and a group trip ran in early 2025.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is legal in Peru, its traditional use is national heritage, and there is no licensing regime for retreats, per ICEERS.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Ask for any screening in writing, since Don Mateo describes his own process but publishes no criteria. 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 prepared by Don Mateo. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Hot lowland rainforest and open farmland by Yarinacocha lake.
• Rooms: Simple private and shared rooms, per the reseller.
• Style: Traditional Shipibo ceremonies in Spanish and Shipibo.

Practical guidance: Fly to Pucallpa (PCL); the community is reached by road and boat, and an interpreter may be needed.

Should You Book?

Possibly, for an experienced traveler. Ask in writing for the price paid to the center, who translates, the screening questions and contraindication list, who on site is trained in first aid, the emergency plan, and, if booking through a reseller, how much of your payment reaches the healers. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Don Mateo presents himself as a Shipibo healer born into a lineage of healers who requires long, disciplined dietas. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing, plan any change with your own doctor, and buy insurance that covers evacuation. 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

The center is listed on BookRetreats. 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.