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

Jochipapanete: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Contamana, Peru

Jochipapanete is a small Shipibo family-run ayahuasca and plant dieta center 17 km outside Contamana, Loreto, Peru, founded by Maestro Deodomero “Deo” Matios Maynas and Maestra Rosenda Melendez Flores and managed by his daughter Sarela Matios Melendez, offering 11-day retreats with four ceremonies for $1,400, per its website. It publishes antidepressant washout rules and named contraindications. Against that, it has no independent reviews, no named medical staff or emergency plan at a site where serious cases leave by small plane, no published refund policy and contradictory prices across listings.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: KM 17, Carretera Aguas Calientes, outside Contamana, Ucayali Province, Loreto, Peru, per its contact page; Contamana is reached from Pucallpa by small plane or about 18 hours by boat.
• Approach: Shipibo ayahuasca ceremonies with icaros, an emetic purge, vapor and floral baths and integration circles, plus master plant dietas of 15 days to two months, including toé, a highly toxic plant.
• Suitable For: Adults wanting a traditional Shipibo setting who accept remoteness and no medical support. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $1,400 for 11 days with 4 ceremonies; dietas from $1,700 for 15 days to $5,000 for two months, per its dieta page; other listings show $1,200 to $2,020. No refund policy is published.
• Overall Assessment: Shipibo ownership and published screening rules, offset by no medical or evacuation plan at a remote site, toé on the dieta list, no visible company or refund terms and no independent reviews. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

No independent reviews were found: Third Wave and AyaAdvisors show none, and no Google, Tripadvisor or Trustpilot listing was found. The center’s own testimonials page shows seven undated, positive accounts praising its safety, care, family feel and excursions. 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 Jochipapanete and the seven family members and assistants it names.

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

The center’s online footprint is small, which limits this search.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Deodomero Matios Maynas says his father was a Shipibo shaman and gives his experience as both 20 and 28 years; Rosenda Melendez Flores, his sister-in-law, was born in Santa Isabel de Bahuanisho and apprenticed with him, per the team page (unverified). Both say they worked at unnamed centers in Iquitos and Pucallpa. Family assistants Alder Panduro Rodriguez, Geizer Ahuanari Fernandez, Oligar Linares Rodriguez and Santiago Sumaeta Romaina help in ceremonies; Third Wave lists them as medical staff, but none has a stated medical credential. The center says it was built by Shipibo workers in 2021. No company or tax number was found.

Screening and medical support. The center says everyone is screened, antidepressants must be stopped three to six weeks before with a tapering guide, and MAOIs, SSRIs, heart problems, high blood pressure, seizures, pregnancy and psychosis must be disclosed or discussed, per its preparation page. No medical staff or emergency protocol is published. Contamana’s health services have limited capacity, and in 2013 patients were evacuated at night to Pucallpa on an unlit airstrip lit by mototaxi headlights, per América TV. Toé, offered for dietas, is highly toxic, and no handling protocol is published.

Resale through Travel and Healing. A Cusco agency we list, Travel and Healing, sells a seven-day Contamana retreat with “Maestro Deodemero and family” for April 2027, per Retreat Guru. Our profile of that agency covers its own record, which does not involve Jochipapanete.

Contradictions. Prices run from $1,200 to $2,020, lengths from 7 to 11 days and group sizes from 12 to 20 across its website, Third Wave and resellers, which also disagree on whether transfers from Pucallpa are included. A 2022 pre-opening page asking for a $1,000 deposit by PayPal is still online.

Status. Operating, with 2026 retreats through October, blog posts through April 2026 and reseller dates in April 2027; no 2027 dates are on its own site.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is legal in Peru, where its traditional use was declared national cultural heritage in 2008, and there is no licensing regime for retreat centers, per ICEERS.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

The published washout and contraindication guidance is a good start, but there is no one on site qualified to apply it and evacuation is slow. 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 of vine and chacruna with “no other admixture plants”, per its medicine page. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Lowland rainforest outside Contamana, with a Shipibo-painted maloka and nearby thermal waters.
• Rooms: Simple tambos with mosquito nets, solar power, Starlink Wi-Fi, cold showers and mostly compost toilets, per its facilities page.
• Style: A Shipibo family center with light wellness extras such as yoga and breathwork.

Practical guidance: Guests fly to Pucallpa and then by small plane to Contamana; whether transfers are included varies by listing.

Should You Book?

Only after getting answers in writing: the refund policy, who is trained in first aid, how a guest is evacuated to Pucallpa at night and whether toé is ever given. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Jochipapanete takes its name from the Shipibo word for a master plant, the sapote renaco. It opened around 2022 and runs a paid volunteer program for past dieta guests. 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 carry insurance that covers air 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

Retreats and dietas are described on its website. 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.