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

Shamanic Space: An In-Depth Review for an Ayahuasca and San Pedro Tour of Peru

Shamanic Space is a London-based shamanic practice founded by psychotherapist Michele Costa Lukis, with her daughter Anna Fellowes Lukis and Peruvian curandero and archaeologist Dr Rubén Orellana, that runs a 17-day tour of Peru with two ayahuasca ceremonies at a jungle lodge near Iquitos, led by a sixth-generation ayahuasquero named only as “Don M”, and three San Pedro ceremonies in the Andes and on the north coast, per its tour page. It also runs San Pedro and psilocybin retreats in Portugal and the Netherlands, without ayahuasca. It has run Peru tours since at least 2019 with consistent leadership. Against that, the lodge and its ayahuasquero are not identified, no medical staff, emergency plan, legal entity or refund terms are published, its screening excludes only bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, it calls its European retreats “legal” when supplying those medicines is a crime, and it has no independent reviews.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: An unnamed jungle lodge reached by boat near Iquitos, Loreto, Peru, as part of a tour through Lima, Cusco, the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and the north coast; the company is based in Brockley, London.
• Approach: Two ayahuasca ceremonies with a local ayahuasquero and three San Pedro ceremonies with Orellana, plus water and sound ceremonies, mesa teaching and integration circles.
• Suitable For: Travelers wanting a guided cultural tour with a small amount of ceremony who arrange their own medical screening. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: $6,000 shared or $6,850 single for 18 November to 4 December 2026, with hotels, listed meals, internal transport and site entry included. No deposit or refund terms are published.
• Overall Assessment: Experienced, named tour leaders and an optional ceremony format, offset by an unidentified ayahuasca provider, thin medical screening and no published safeguards or refund terms. Directory evaluation: C.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Its Retreat Guru page shows no reviews. Its own site has about 60 positive testimonials from 2011 to 2026 praising organization, Orellana’s guiding and the singing in ceremony; some describe the work as intense. No Tripadvisor, Google or Trustpilot listing was found, 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 Shamanic Space, Michele Costa Lukis, Rubén Orellana and Leandro D’Andrea.

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

The ayahuasquero is known only as Don M and was not searched, 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. Costa Lukis, Fellowes Lukis and Orellana are described on its team page; Orellana’s claimed credentials, including heading archaeology at Machu Picchu, are self-reported and stated inconsistently. He is quoted as a Peruvian archaeologist and healer in an essay in The Conversation. No company registration is shown.

Screening and medical support. Guests answer “a few personal questions” about medical history, and its FAQ advises against plant medicines only for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, with no mention of antidepressants, MAOIs or heart conditions. No medical staff or emergency plan is published; its ayahuasca page claims a clinic 8 minutes by boat, which cannot be checked because the lodge is unnamed. Guests may attend ceremonies without drinking.

Status. Operating, with a Peru tour starting 18 November 2026.

Legal context. Peru declared traditional ayahuasca knowledge and use national cultural heritage in 2008, per Andina, and has no licensing regime for retreats, per ICEERS. Its Portugal retreats are marketed as legal, but Portugal’s decriminalization covers personal use only, not supply, according to ICEERS.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Its screening does not cover antidepressants; ask for written medication rules before booking. 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 by the lodge’s ayahuasquero, Don M; San Pedro brewed by Orellana. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: A boat-access jungle lodge with a wooden maloca on the Amazon, within a tour of the Andes and Peru’s north coast.
• Rooms: Peruvian-owned hotels and lodges along the route.
• Style: A guided cultural and archaeological tour for groups of 12 to 14 with traditional ceremonies.

Practical guidance: International flights are not included; domestic flights and transport within Peru are.

Should You Book?

Possibly, as a cultural tour. Ask in writing for the lodge’s name, Don M’s full name, the medication and contraindication rules, who on the tour is trained in first aid, the evacuation plan from the lodge, and the deposit and refund terms. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Shamanic Space presents itself as a London practice bringing guests to Peru’s sacred sites and healers for more than 20 years. 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

Tours are listed on 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.