Atmosphere

Features

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

Pachatusan Camino Sagrado: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca and San Pedro Retreats in Manu and Ausangate, Peru

Pachatusan Camino Sagrado is a Cusco-based operation led by self-described Quechua-Amazonian curandero William Huaman Taype that sells a 15-day retreat with four ayahuasca ceremonies, led by an unnamed Wachiperi shaman near Pillcopata in the Manu area, and three San Pedro ceremonies, for up to 14 guests at €3,600, plus a seven-day San Pedro retreat near Ausangate, per its Retreat Guru page. It has run since at least 2018, and Tripadvisor shows 5.0 from 17 reviews. Against that, the ayahuasca shaman is not named, no screening, contraindications, medical staff or emergency plan are published for venues four to five hours from Cusco, no legal entity appears, and recent reviews describe retreats in Spain rather than Peru.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Pillcopata, beside Manu National Park, about five hours by road from Cusco, for ayahuasca; Pajchanta in the Ausangate area, about four hours from Cusco, for San Pedro. Earlier retreats were based near Tipón.
• Approach: Andean and Amazonian ceremony with ayahuasca, San Pedro (Wachuma), rapé, a purge, a short master plant dieta, coca-leaf readings and Pachamama offerings.
• Suitable For: Fit travelers wanting a long, traditional-style program in remote settings who can screen themselves. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: €3,600 for 15 days, per its 15-day program page, or €1,800 for the seven-day San Pedro retreat, with dates chosen at booking. The deposit is refundable until a day before and full payment until 14 days before; the price excludes plant medicine, and airport transfers are not included.
• Overall Assessment: A long-running Andean curandero with remote, nature-focused programs, offset by an unnamed ayahuasca shaman, no published medical safeguards, no legal entity and skewed reviews. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Tripadvisor shows 5.0 from 17 reviews from 2019 to April 2026; the visible ones praise William’s care, honesty and knowledge. They arrive in clusters in December 2020 and April 2026, and the April 2026 reviews describe a retreat in Tenerife, Spain. Retreat Guru shows 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 Pachatusan Camino Sagrado and William Huaman Taype under name variants.

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

The ayahuasca shaman is not named, so this absence offers limited assurance for the ayahuasca ceremonies.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. William Huaman Taype describes himself as a curandero in the Quechua-Amazonian tradition taught by his grandmother and a Misa elder, with knowledge of 247 medicinal plants and ceremonies in more than ten countries, per his teacher profile (unverified). Ayahuasca is led by an “indigenous Amazonian Wachiperi shaman” who is not named. No company or tax number appears, and the main website domain has expired.

Not the same as El Camino Sagrado. This center shares no people, venue or domain with El Camino Sagrado, a former venue in Lamay; only the phrase “Camino Sagrado” overlaps.

Screening and medical support. No medical questionnaire, contraindication list, medical staff or emergency protocol is published. Both venues are four to five hours from Cusco’s hospitals, and the San Pedro ceremonies and hikes take place at high altitude without published guidance. A 2026 reviewer says they stopped a prescription medication after the retreat.

Listings. Amenity tags show a pool, spa and sauna the text never describes, the dieta is listed as two days but scheduled across more, and William’s profile says he takes his plants to Europe.

Status. The Retreat Guru listing is live with flexible dates; the latest reviews of retreats in Peru date from December 2020.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is legal in Peru, its traditional use is national heritage, and Peru’s treaty reservation covers ayahuasca and San Pedro, per ICEERS.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

With no published screening at remote venues, 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 unnamed Wachiperi shaman; 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: Warm forest at the edge of Manu, or cold high Andes near Ausangate.
• Rooms: Simple, functional lodge rooms with a meditation cave.
• Style: Andean ritual led by a Quechua curandero, with Amazonian ayahuasca ceremonies.

Practical guidance: Fly to Cusco (CUZ), allow time to acclimatize, and meet the group in central Cusco; airport transfers are not included.

Should You Book?

Only with caution. Ask in writing for the ayahuasca shaman’s name and training, the screening questions and contraindication list, who on site is trained in first aid, the emergency plan and evacuation time, the cost of the medicine, and the legal entity you are paying. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Pachatusan presents itself as a sacred path rooted in Andean cosmovision, named after the Apu Pachatusan mountain near Cusco. 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 buy insurance that covers 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

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.