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

Hummingbird Healing Center: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Iquitos, Peru

Hummingbird Healing Center has run ayahuasca and San Pedro retreats since 2010 at kilometer 14 of the Iquitos to Nauta road, near the village of Varillal. It was founded by Jim Davis, who grew up in Seattle and leads the retreats, with ceremonies by Peruvian curanderos Maestro Manain Miche Amacifen and Don Fernando Laiche. Retreats cost $2,000 for seven days to $4,800 for four weeks. It rates 4.8 from 189 reviews on Tripadvisor, where guests praise warm hosts, clean grounds and strong ceremonies. Against that, it markets to people with long-term depression or PTSD turned away by other centers while publishing no medical staff, contraindication policy or emergency plan; a 2022 listing says its brew is bought from an outside supplier; and no review dated after 2022 appears on any platform.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: “KM 14 Carratera Iquitos-Nauta, Varillal,” according to its Third Wave listing, in the Amazon outside Iquitos.
• Approach: Curandero-led ayahuasca with at least one San Pedro ceremony per retreat, daily plant baths, meditation before ceremonies, daily integration meetings and master-plant dietas on longer stays.
• Suitable For: Adults seeking a long-running, owner-hosted center with dieta options. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions until the center publishes its exclusions and medical cover.
• Costs: $2,000 for 7 days, $2,400 for 9, $2,800 for 12, $3,800 for three weeks and $4,800 for four weeks, according to its Retreat Guru listing. The deposit is “fully refundable until 1 day prior to retreat start.”
• Overall Assessment: A long track record, consistent leadership and strong historic ratings, offset by no named medical staff or emergency plan while recruiting severely depressed guests, an outside brew supplier, an old and partly operator-posted review base, and inconsistent listing details. Directory evaluation: C+.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers describe warm, non-judgmental hosts in Jim and Gina, feeling safe as solo female travelers, clean rooms, good food and laundry, a quiet setting with hammocks, a library and a pond, and powerful icaros.

The negative feedback. Tripadvisor counts two average, three poor and six terrible reviews whose text is not shown. Visible reviews mention no electricity, phone or internet, cold showers, mosquitoes, very hard ceremonies, and one reviewer reporting half doses after the first night; one 2013 review rebuts another guest’s “weak brew” complaint.

Who is writing the reviews. Three of the five Retreat Guru reviews were posted by “Admin” on one day in 2014, and only one is marked verified. No review on any platform is dated after 2022, although retreats are scheduled into 2027. Several reviews describe cures of OCD, addiction or depression, which are personal accounts. 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 Hummingbird Healing Center, Jim Davis, Manain Miche Amacifen and Fernando Laiche.

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

In January 2024, a man died after drinking a brew in a private family session at a home also located at km 14 of the Iquitos to Nauta road, as El Popular reported; the report does not mention Hummingbird or its staff. Our earlier profile reported no safety incidents.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

High-risk intake. The center says it accepts people turned away by other centers for long-term depression or trauma, “after screening,” and claims to have helped more than 180 people with 15 or more years of depression, anxiety or PTSD. No doctor, nurse or emergency protocol is named; one directory mentions only non-drinking “caretakers.”

Brew source. Its 2022 Third Wave listing says the medicine is purchased from Ron Wheelock, a separate Iquitos curandero, rather than made on site.

Listing inconsistencies. Group size is given as 10, 11, 12 or 13 across listings, and Maestro Manain’s experience as 35, 43 or more than 45 years. Retreat Guru tags air conditioning, a pool and a spa, while reviewers describe no electricity and composting toilets.

Who runs it. No Peruvian tax number (RUC) or company name was found.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is legal in Peru, but retreat centers are not regulated, according to ICEERS.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Current prices start at $2,000; $1,800 was the July 2026 seven-day rate. Don Fernando Laiche is also listed as a curandero. We found no source for the co-owner’s full name as given in our earlier profile or for a son and daughter-in-law on staff; reviews name a co-proprietor, Gina. We also found no source for the center calling itself a “healing hospital,” a mestizo rather than Shipibo tradition, a location 2.6 km off the road or 30 to 45 minutes from Iquitos, no medical incidents in 14 years, or a negative review about brew sourcing; those remain unverified. The founding in 2010, km 14 location, more than 1,400 ceremonies, San Pedro, plant baths, healings, integration meetings and dietas are confirmed.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

The booking form asks for medical history, medications and drug use, with separate questions on depression, anxiety and PTSD. No contraindication list is published beyond general advice to avoid medications, drugs and alcohol before arrival, and no hospital or emergency plan is named. 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 brew is bought from an outside supplier, according to the 2022 listing; its recipe is not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains. A 12-day retreat includes six ayahuasca ceremonies and one San Pedro ceremony; guests may choose San Pedro instead of ayahuasca.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Jungle edge off the Iquitos to Nauta road, with a pond, hammocks and a library.
• Rooms: Private rooms or tambos with a bed, desk, hammock and composting toilet.
• Style: Curandero ceremonies with icaros, plant and vapor baths, meditation and talks on changing beliefs; mostly vegetarian diet with fish or chicken every other day.

Practical guidance: Guests fly into Iquitos the day before and book their own hotel; a bus collects them in town at 10 am on day one.

Should You Book?

The center’s longevity is a strength. If you have a history of depression or trauma, ask before booking who is medically responsible, which medications exclude you, how the brew is sourced and dosed, and how emergencies reach Iquitos. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Jim Davis’s bio describes a former Bering Sea fisherman, chemist and software engineer who first drank ayahuasca in 2008, apprenticed with a maestro, completed 11 master-plant dietas and has guided full time for 14 years. Maestro Manain Miche Amacifen is described as a fourth-generation healer from Requena; Don Fernando Laiche is said to have trained under curandero Juan Salas of Pucallpa. 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

Hummingbird books through Retreat Guru, with dates through February 2027. Retreat Guru says full payment is refundable until 30 days before the start. 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.