Pisatahua

Riberalta, Bolivia

Added on November 8, 2024

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💬 Guests Say

Transformative Healing: Guests call it “life-changing,” with one on Tripadvisor saying the 10-day retreat brought profound insights into life, death, and spirituality, leaving them humbled.
Supportive Environment: Many praise Erik and Sasha, per ayaadvisors.org, noting their care, Wara’s shamanic wisdom, and the staff’s warmth made them feel safe and supported throughout.
Jungle Immersion: Attendees highlight the setting, with retreat.guru describing the Aquicuana Reserve’s lake, wildlife, and cabins as a “magical” space for healing, though bugs and weather were challenges.

🚩 Incident Report

After a thorough investigation across multiple platforms—including Reddit (r/Ayahuasca, r/Psychonaut), Quora, Facebook groups (“Psychedelic Healing,” “Ayahuasca Experiences”), news outlets, retreat forums, ICEERS reports, and official records—no verified incidents of theft, sexual misconduct, or crime directly linked to Pisatahua were identified.

Theft: No guest reports or public posts on forums, social media, ICEERS data, or news sources mention stolen valuables or items at Pisatahua.
Sexual Misconduct: There are no documented allegations, complaints, or legal actions against Pisatahua’s staff or facilitators in online discussions, news archives, or ICEERS resources.
Crime: No evidence of police reports, arrests, or violent incidents associated with Pisatahua surfaced in Google News, Bolivian media, retreat forums, or ICEERS findings.

Pisatahua maintains a clean online reputation with no reported incidents of this nature, supported by overwhelmingly positive testimonials on Tripadvisor (5/5 rating, 26 reviews), retreat.guru (5/5 rating). While general risks (e.g., oversight issues) are discussed in the wider ayahuasca community, including ICEERS safety research, nothing specific to Pisatahua appears in public records or discussions.

🔍 Critical Notes

Pisatahua’s $1,500-$2,500, 10-day ayahuasca retreat in Bolivia offers a deeply immersive experience, praised on Tripadvisor for its transformative healing, supportive staff, and biodiverse Aquicuana Reserve setting, with a strong sustainability ethos. The small-group focus and shaman Wara’s guidance are highlights, but dated reviews and no 2025 dates on their site raise concerns about current operations. Ayahuasca’s legal status in Bolivia is ambiguous despite cultural use, suggesting caution—verify retreat availability, facilitator involvement, and safety protocols directly before booking.

Pisatahua was carefully designed to maximize the comfort of our guests, while minimizing the impact on the environment. All cabins were built with sustainable materials, sourced from secondary forest in the rainforest. Every effort was made to minimize the removal of any vegetation and energy-efficient technologies were used. To learn more about our sustainable way of living, please see our Sustainability page .

The cabins

All cabins have been designed using local building techniques to meet the needs of our guests. Great care has been taken to ensure their comfort, cleanliness and safety. They are separate from neighbouring cabins and are very spacious (30m2/323 sq ft). They are fully furnished and have running water, private toilets, sinks and showers. They have high ceilings and are raised one metre from the jungle ground.

Each cabin has 2 double beds or 1 super king bed, bookshelves, candles, bedside tables, an indoor hammock, a desk, chairs and fresh drinking water. We also provide clean sheets, towels and can offer a laundry service if required.

All cabins are located facing the lake, with large windows to optimize ventilation. In addition, they all have spectacular views of the lake in the Aquicuana reserve.

The Maloca

The Maloca is a large circular wooden building with a domed palm roof. It is a completely open space with 360 degrees of windows. The Maloca is the largest structure and the ceremonial center of our ecolodge. All Ayahuasca ceremonies are held in the Maloca and it is also a space for meditation and yoga practice. Guests have the possibility to use this space as they wish, always in a respectful manner.

The Maloca is equipped with mattresses, pillows, blankets, buckets, yoga mats and hand towels for ceremonial use. In addition, it has a large altar with numerous spiritual energy elements. Our shared bathrooms are located 10 meters from the Maloca, and are connected through an elevated walkway allowing easy and safe access during the ceremony.

Activities

During the retreat, we provide a space for calm. We encourage guests to go at their own pace. For many, time spent in a hammock overlooking Lake Aquicuana is effective medicine.

Guests may also choose to explore the Reserve and participate in other activities including mind-body practices offered by our volunteers. Some activities are already scheduled, while others can be arranged upon request. Spaces are limited so we can accommodate your preferences.

Yoga and Meditation

Pisatahua provides yoga and guided meditation workshops to all guests regardless of experience, fitness level, or age. Our instructors vary and so do their practices; still, we generally emphasize gentle yoga, focusing more on stretching and deep breathing.

The union that is achieved through mind-body breathing through yoga and meditation is incredibly useful during ayahuasca ceremonies. Both techniques are excellent for relaxing the body, calming the mind and opening the heart. Guests are welcome to use the yoga mats whenever they like.

Walks in the jungle

Always minimizing our ecological impact, we have created trails to access key points of our 80-hectare property. We invite guests to explore them at their leisure. These trails will lead you through the forest to giant mapajo and oje trees, natural water sources and fruit forests.

We also work on a trail through the primary rainforest on the other side of Lake Aquicuana. It is a very biodiverse area with lots of wildlife. Monkeys, snakes, wild boars, tapirs, deer and even jaguars have been seen.

Canoeing and bird watching

We also encourage guests to explore the shores of Lake Aquicuana in one of our canoes. We prefer to take guests out early in the morning, when the sun is still weak and the birds are active. This immersion in the jungle will give you the opportunity to observe animals and birds such as parrots, toucans, monkeys, and caimans. Boat rides typically last approximately 30 minutes to 2 hours.

For those interested in helping us catch dinner, we have some fishing rods available. The most popular fish seen during fishing are the pacu (Colossoma macropomum) and the dorado (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii).

Complementary healing practices

Depending on the skills of our staff, we can provide additional instruction in alternative/complementary healing modalities such as holotropic breathwork, Reiki, massage, or Tai Chi. These practices are very skillful complements to working with medicinal plants.

Prospective guests should contact us in advance if they are interested in knowing exactly which practices we will focus on during the retreat. Participants are welcome to use the mats at any time to practice their personal sessions.

Reforestation and support for NGOs

We encourage guests to help us with reforestation and community development work. All retreat participants receive small fruit trees, chacruna or ayahuasca vines to plant during their stay with us.

They can also learn more about our non-profit projects in the surrounding communities. Sometimes participants extend their stay to volunteer and support development and conservation work.