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

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

Rebirth Healing Center is a small ayahuasca retreat in the village of Santa María del Ojeal near Iquitos, Peru, reached by road and boat up Sinchicuy Creek, founded in 2022 by Chris Haynes, that sells a seven-day retreat with three ceremonies led by indigenous shamans for $875 and a ten-day retreat with four ceremonies for $1,000, per its website. It publishes a detailed medication washout list, says intake forms are reviewed with medical advisors, and caps groups at six. Against that, its shamans are not named, it has no independent reviews or visible legal entity, no medical staff or emergency plan is published, and the balance is paid in cash on arrival.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Santa María del Ojeal, near Iquitos, Loreto, Peru, about two hours from the city by the center’s own estimate; guests meet at an Iquitos hotel lobby and travel together, finishing by boat.
• Approach: Three or four ayahuasca ceremonies with indigenous shamans, optional master plant dietas excluding tobacco and toé, optional kambo, hatha yoga three days a week, sound healing, jungle excursions, an integration talk and one follow-up call.
• Suitable For: Budget travelers wanting a very small group near Iquitos who will verify the shamans themselves. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $875 for seven days and $1,000 for ten days, including lodging, dieta meals, yoga and the group transfer from Iquitos; kambo costs $50 extra, per its FAQ. A deposit is paid online and the balance in cash US dollars on arrival; no refund terms are published.
• Overall Assessment: Small groups, low prices and a strong published medication policy, offset by unnamed shamans, no independent track record, no published medical staff or emergency plan and cash payment on site. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Its website quotes seven five-star Google reviews praising caring staff and personal attention from the shaman. AyaAdvisors lists the center with no reviews, and no listing was found on Retreat Guru, BookRetreats or Tripadvisor; 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 Rebirth Healing Center, Chris Haynes and Santa María del Ojeal.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found involving Rebirth. In June 2025 Peruvian media reported that a US tourist died shortly after drinking ayahuasca at a different lodge in the same village, named in reports as La Casa de Guillermo, and prosecutors opened an investigation, per La República. No source links that lodge or its shaman to Rebirth.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: None found.
• Legal action: None found.

The shamans are not named and the founder’s name is common, 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. Chris Haynes says he founded Rebirth in 2022 after his own healing journey, and Greg Forret, a yoga teacher, facilitator and group leader, says he has lived in the jungle since 2018 and spent two and a half years as primary facilitator at another, unnamed retreat center, per its staff page (unverified). Ceremonies are held by “indigenous shaman facilitators” who are not named. No company or RUC tax number appears.

Screening and medical support. Its intake page says applications are reviewed with medical advisors, who are not named, and sets minimum washout times, including four weeks for most SSRIs and SNRIs, six for fluoxetine and two for MAOIs, with lithium and antipsychotics assessed case by case. No on-site medical staff or emergency protocol is published, and hospitals are in Iquitos, a road and boat journey away.

Listings. The website caps groups at six, while its AyaAdvisors entry says ten, and the two give different inclusions and prices.

Status. Operating; the website was live in November 2026 with every week open for inquiry.

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

The published washout list is more detailed than most; ask who the medical advisors are and how a decision is made. 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 indigenous shamans; 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: Hot lowland rainforest on Sinchicuy Creek, a tributary of the Amazon.
• Rooms: Thatched huts linked by a covered walkway.
• Style: Indigenous ceremonies with yoga and sound healing.

Practical guidance: Fly to Iquitos (IQT) the day before; the group meets at a central hotel lobby on the first morning.

Should You Book?

Possibly, for a small, low-cost retreat. Ask in writing for the shamans’ names, lineage and years of practice, who the medical advisors are, who on site is trained in first aid, the emergency plan and evacuation time to Iquitos, the refund terms, and the legal entity you are paying. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Rebirth presents itself as an intimate, trauma-aware sanctuary that is “not corporate” and “not high-volume”. 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, ask a travel clinic about malaria medication, and buy insurance that covers evacuation. After you return: Use the follow-up call and 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 are booked through 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.