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

Epicenter Ayahuasca: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Pahoyan, Peru

Epicenter Ayahuasca is a small, family-run ayahuasca and master plant dieta center just outside Pahoyan (officially Paoyhan), a Shipibo community on the Ucayali River three to four hours by speedboat from Pucallpa. Its Retreat Guru listing says it was founded in 2022 by Maestra Olinda, Maestro Esteban and a partner named Urban, with Maestro Robert as a third healer. Dietas of 10, 20 and 30 days cost $1,400 to $3,400 for up to six guests, with four to nine ayahuasca ceremonies, teacher plant ceremonies, plant saunas and flower baths. Against that, it has no reviews on any platform, no medical screening, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency plan is published, the nearest hospital is hours away by boat, no legal entity was found, and the Epicenter listings show no dated retreats. A healer of the same name appears under other brands. We found no incidents.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A riverside site about a 20-minute walk or 5-minute boat ride from Pahoyan, according to Retreat Guru. Paoyhan lies in Padre Márquez district, Loreto, according to Wikipedia, though listings describe it as near Pucallpa. No GPS is published.
• Approach: Shipibo ayahuasca ceremonies and master plant dietas led by a family of healers, with mapacho (tobacco) ceremonies, plant saunas and flower baths.
• Suitable For: Experienced, self-reliant adults wanting a long traditional dieta in a remote village setting who accept that no medical staff are named and no reviews exist. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $1,400 for 10 days, $2,400 for 20 days and $3,400 for 30 days, according to its booking pages. Deposits are refundable until a day before and full payments until 30 days before. Flights to Pucallpa and a hotel night there are extra.
• Overall Assessment: Traditional Shipibo healers, small groups and published prices, offset by no reviews, no screening, medical staff or emergency plan, hours of river travel to a hospital, sloppy listings, an unclear legal entity and a brand that may have been replaced. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. No guest reviews were found on any platform under the Epicenter name or its related brands.

The negative feedback. None found.

Who is writing the reviews. No one, as far as we found. Every page about the center is the operator’s own text, including a Google Sites page and a sponsored-looking author page under the Kene Nete name. Retreat Guru shows a pool, spa, hot tub and air conditioning for tambos with river-water bathrooms; these look like template tags. 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 Epicenter Ayahuasca, its related brand names, Paoyhan, and healers Olinda, Esteban and Robert.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: No complaints found.
• Legal action: No police action, raids or lawsuits found. A US tourist died after a ceremony at an unrelated lodge in Loreto’s Alto Nanay district in June 2025, as SWI swissinfo reported.

Our earlier profile also found no theft, sexual misconduct or crime as of March 2026. Without surnames for most of the team, name searches are limited.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

One healer, several brands. Other Retreat Guru listings in Pahoyan use the names Aya Nete and mamaOlinda, and a Kene Nete website describes a Shipibo family retreat there. A Maestra Olinda, also 59 and from Pahoyan, appears as “Olinda Nete Ave” on an Aya Healing Retreats page in Iquitos. Only the Aya Nete listing shows dated programs in 2026 and 2027, at $1,250 for ten days, led by a Maestra Olinda with her daughter Gladys and a healer named Jilmer; Esteban, Robert and Urban are not listed there. Whether these are the same people, and whether Epicenter still operates, is unverified.

Sloppy listings. The 30-day program says “20 Nights” and repeats the 20-day ceremony counts, and the 10-day program appears twice. Every guest is promised a “private bungalow,” but two of the five tambos are shared.

Who runs it. Urban, the only non-Shipibo founder, is the listed booking contact, with a Swedish phone number and Swedish among the listed languages. No surname, company name or Peruvian tax number (RUC) was found.

Peru’s legal picture. Ayahuasca is legal in Peru and traditional Shipibo use is protected as national heritage, but retreat centers have no licensing regime, according to ICEERS. In March 2025 the US Embassy warned that centers are unregulated and that tourists have reported deaths and sexual assaults, as Panamericana reported.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Prices are published, from $1,400 to $3,400. Rooms are simple tambos with river-water showers, not a “luxurious” retreat with top amenities. The last leg is a 20-minute walk or 5-minute boat ride, not 15 minutes by boat. Contact details and languages are listed. We found no source for an April 2021 opening, the founders’ 15 years at westernized retreats, meeting Urban in 2020, Urban’s age, Swedish birth or coaching background, “centuries” of tradition, three shamans at every ceremony, guests living among the ceremony plants, bird migrations on the route, 14 ayahuasca and 9 teacher plant ceremonies in a month, or the link between the Epicenter and Kene Nete websites; those remain unverified.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff, integration program or emergency protocol is described on any Epicenter page; bookings begin with a discovery call. The nearest hospital is in Pucallpa, three to five hours away by boat using the listings’ own travel times, and no health post in Paoyhan was confirmed. 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 describes traditional Shipibo ayahuasca and unnamed teacher plants in dieta format; Olinda’s biography lists dietas including noya rao, chiric sanango, bobinsana and ajo sacha. No recipe is published. Ayahuasca usually combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with chacruna leaves, which supply the DMT, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Lowland Amazon rainforest on the Ucayali River, beside a Shipibo village, with the family’s house, a ceremony building and a kitchen house on site.
• Rooms: Five tambos with a bed and hammock, two of them shared; most have a private toilet and shower using river water.
• Style: A traditional family-run dieta for up to six guests, with plant walks, a fishing trip and a village visit.

Practical guidance: Fly from Lima to Pucallpa and stay at least one night at your own cost; the center collects guests from their hotel at 7 a.m. for the boat ride. Dieta food is served without salt, sugar or spices, with occasional fish or chicken.

Should You Book?

Only with care and only for experienced travelers. Ask whether Epicenter still operates under that name, who will lead your dieta, which medications and conditions exclude you, what happens in a medical emergency hours from a hospital, and which company takes your payment, and get the answers in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The center says Maestra Olinda, 59, learned from her mother, the community’s curandera, from age 16; Maestro Esteban, 62, was initiated at 17 by his grandfather; and Maestro Robert, 35, was born in Pahoyan and began practicing at 12. 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 prepare for basic conditions with no medical support nearby. 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

Dietas are listed on Retreat Guru with open dates. Before paying, confirm who is operating, the 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.