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

Kuraka Travel: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Ceremonies and Retreats from Cusco, Peru

Kuraka Travel is a Cusco trekking and tour agency, operating as Kuraka Travel Experience S.A.C., that sells ayahuasca ceremonies led by Andean facilitators using spiritual names, including a $380 ceremony package and a seven-day “High Inka Jungle Retreat” with two ayahuasca ceremonies at Mandor Lodge on the route to Machu Picchu for $2,250, per its Retreat Guru page. Tripadvisor shows 5.0 from 119 reviews, and groups are capped at ten. Against that, its facilitators publish no legal names or ayahuasca training, no screening, contraindications, medical staff or emergency plan are published, and its listings contradict themselves on length, location and amenities.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: An office in Cusco; the seven-day retreat uses Mandor Lodge in the high jungle near Aguas Calientes, and a 2025 guest describes ceremonies in caves near Cusco.
• Approach: Andean-framed ayahuasca ceremonies with cacao, tobacco, Pachamama offerings and “ancestral psychotherapy”, sold alongside treks and a Machu Picchu visit; a guest also describes a San Pedro (Wachuma) ceremony.
• Suitable For: Travelers who want ceremony bundled with a Machu Picchu trip and can screen themselves. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $380 for the ceremony package, excluding food, and $2,250 for seven days including transport, lodge, train and Machu Picchu tickets, per its seven-day program page. The deposit is refundable until a day before and full payment until 30 days before.
• Overall Assessment: A registered agency with strong tour reviews and small groups, offset by anonymous facilitators, no published medical safeguards, ayahuasca sold as a tour add-on and unreliable listings. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Tripadvisor shows 5.0 from 119 reviews, ranked among Cusco’s outdoor activities, so most likely concern treks; the visible ayahuasca reviews from 2025 describe a well-organized, supportive ceremony with patient guides. Retreat Guru and WeTravel show no reviews, and no reviews of 3 stars or lower were found. 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 Kuraka Travel, Kuraka Travel Experience S.A.C. and each named facilitator.

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

The facilitators publish only spiritual names, 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. The company name appears on WeTravel, but no tax number (RUC) is published. Facilitators are listed as Illareq Yaya, described as a natural-medicine practitioner from a line of Inka ancestors, per his teacher profile, Wayna Qhapaq, Willka Pacha and Qory Qente (all unverified). All are framed as Andean practitioners, and none names an ayahuasca teacher.

Screening and medical support. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published. The seven-day site is in the high jungle about four hours from Cusco, near Aguas Calientes, which has no road link to Cusco hospitals.

Listings. The ceremony package is called “1 day” but runs three sessions, the seven-day page is described elsewhere as a one-day retreat, and amenity tags show a pool, spa and sauna for an “outdoor” program with a “basic lodge”. Listings also claim ayahuasca “heals”.

Status. Retreat Guru programs are open for booking without fixed dates; the last dated retreat there was in December 2024, and the latest dated review is from November 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

With no published screening and remote sites, guests must screen themselves. 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 served by the facilitators; its source is not published. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Andean highlands around Cusco and cloud forest near Machu Picchu.
• Rooms: Shared rooms in a basic lodge, camping, and one hotel night in Aguas Calientes.
• Style: Andean ritual and tourism combined, led by Quechua-named practitioners.

Practical guidance: Fly to Cusco (CUZ), arrive early to acclimatize to the altitude, and confirm in writing where your ceremonies will take place.

Should You Book?

Only with caution. Ask in writing for the facilitators’ legal names and ayahuasca training, the screening questions and contraindication list, who on site is trained in first aid, the emergency plan and nearest hospital, the exact ceremony location, and the company’s tax number. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Kuraka Travel presents itself as an agency founded by Andean “solar priests” that combines treks with ceremony. 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 avoid strenuous treks right before a ceremony. 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

Programs are listed on Retreat Guru. 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.