Atmosphere

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

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

Lupuna Ayahuasca Healing Center is a small ayahuasca center on 44 hectares about 30 minutes by boat from Iquitos, Peru, hosted by Kat and Kev Townes with Peruvian maestros including Jauriman García Torres, offering 5 to 24-day retreats with ayahuasca, kambo and Sanango dietas from $920, according to its Retreat Guru page and AyaAdvisors listing, where 29 reviews average 5.0. Against that, all 29 reviews are five-star and were posted within a few months, it publishes no screening, medical staff or emergency plan while marketing cures such as “Cocaine Addiction gone in 3 days”, its staff lists contradict each other, and nothing is dated after November 2020.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: A private property near a small village about 30 minutes by boat from Iquitos, Loreto, Peru, per its website; the river and village are not named.
• Approach: Ayahuasca ceremonies led by two maestros, with kambo, San Pedro and Chiric Sanango or Uchu Sanango dietas, in retreats of 5 to 24 days for up to 10 guests.
• Suitable For: Adults who can confirm the center still operates and how it screens guests. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $920 for 5 days, $1,460 for 8 days and $2,190 for 11 days, per AyaAdvisors (undated); no deposit or refund terms were found.
• Overall Assessment: Private cabins and warm reviews, offset by a review pool that looks solicited, curative marketing, no published safety information and no activity since 2020. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Retreat Guru shows 5.00 from 16 reviews and AyaAdvisors 5.0 from 13, all five-star and dated December 2019 to November 2020. Guests praise private cabins with bathrooms, small groups, warm hosts, integration talks and extra help for a blind guest. The same reviews appear on both platforms, and 12 of the 13 AyaAdvisors reviews were posted between December 2019 and February 2020, some describing stays months earlier, which suggests a review drive at launch (unverified). No reviews of 3 stars or lower exist. 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 Lupuna, Katerina and Kevin Townes, Jauriman García Torres, Nilton Torres Bardales and Julio Siri.

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

A US tourist died after a ceremony at a different lodge in Loreto in June 2025, per La República; it is not linked to this center.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Screening and medical support. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published, although kambo is part of every program. Katerina Townes lists QHHT and Quantum Touch, which are not medical credentials. Iquitos hospitals are 45 to 60 minutes away by the center’s own account.

Health claims. The listings say ayahuasca treats depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction and physical disease, and its video titles promise that cocaine addiction is “gone in 3 days” and that PTSD, anxiety and depression are “gone”, per Vimeo. None of this is supported by evidence.

Who runs it. Its website names the company Centro Ayahuasca Lupuna SCRL, with an office in Iquitos. Reviews call Kat, from Czechia, and Kev, from Australia, “the hosts”. Retreat Guru names maestros Nilton Torres Bardales and Jauriman García Torres, while the website names Julio Siri and Jauriman; no lineage is given.

Status. The website contact page and the Retreat Guru page remain online with no dates; the latest review is from November 2020. No closure notice or rebrand was found.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is legal in Peru, but no law licenses retreat centers, per ICEERS, and the US Embassy warned in 2025 that centers are unregulated, per Panamericana.

Corrections to our earlier profile. Our earlier page said the center was potentially closed and being monitored for rebranding; no closure notice or rebrand was found, and nothing is dated after November 2020. The Iquitos location is confirmed. The 1250 price had no source; the 5-day retreat cost $920. Our earlier grade was C; the grade is now C-.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

No contraindications are published, and kambo is offered alongside ayahuasca. 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 brewed on site by Jauriman García Torres, of undisclosed recipe, plus kambo, San Pedro and Sanango plants. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Rainforest near Iquitos, reached by mototaxi, boat and a short walk.
• Rooms: Private wooden cabins with toilets and showers, joined by walkways to a large maloka.
• Style: Mestizo maestros with Western hosts, ceremonies, kambo and plant dietas.

Practical guidance: There is no airport pickup; guests are collected from a hotel on the Plaza de Armas in Iquitos.

Should You Book?

Only after the hosts confirm the center operates and send their screening, kambo safety and emergency plan in writing. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Reviews describe stays from 2019 to 2020; no founding date is published. 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

No current dates are listed. 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.