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

Yosi Ocha (Onikano): An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats near Iquitos, Peru

Yosi Ocha, renamed Onikano in 2024, is a Shipibo family-run ayahuasca center in the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve, about 22 kilometers from Iquitos, Peru, owned and led by Maestro Heberto García (Niwen Koshi), according to its website. One week costs €1,320 and two weeks with eight ayahuasca and two San Pedro ceremonies €2,490, and it rates 5.0 from 98 Tripadvisor reviews. Against that, no medical staff or emergency protocol is published, intake forms are reviewed by the Maestro and team rather than a clinician, no legal entity was found, and a 2025 guest alleges that newcomers got the same doses as experienced guests and that the Maestro missed most ceremonies.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: The Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve, southwest of Iquitos, Loreto, Peru, a 45-minute to 1.5-hour drive from Iquitos airport, per its FAQ.
• Approach: Individually guided Shipibo ayahuasca ceremonies with icaros, San Pedro, rapé, sananga, plant and mud baths, master trees and master plant dietas, plus shamanic training of up to 13 weeks, per its 2-week program.
• Suitable For: Adults seeking a traditional Shipibo setting who are comfortable without on-site medical staff, after confirming dosing and supervision in writing. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: €1,320 for one week, €2,490 for two, €3,650 for three, €4,725 for four and €5,950 for five weeks, with training from €5,950 to €15,300, per its retreat options. A 30% deposit is due on approval and the balance 30 days before arrival; airport transfers, a private bungalow and meals are included.
• Overall Assessment: A long-running, highly rated family center with detailed intake and medication rules, offset by no medical staff, no legal entity and one detailed complaint about dosing and supervision. Directory evaluation: B-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

The positive picture. Reviewers praise a Shipibo family atmosphere, the Maestro’s individual attention and icaros, plant baths, master trees and the lake, supportive translators, safety for solo travelers and good value, and many return.

The negative feedback. A February 2025 two-star Tripadvisor reviewer says newcomers received the same or larger doses as experienced guests, that guests later chose their own doses, that the Maestro was absent from most ceremonies, that everyone got the same plant diet, and that the main booking contact worked remotely abroad without saying so (unverified); no management reply is visible, and a Reddit thread title from about the same time makes the same complaint. Milder notes inside positive reviews mention bungalows without electricity or hot water, simple food, mosquitoes in December and an out-of-date schedule.

Who is writing the reviews. Both platforms show almost only 5-star or very low ratings, several AyaAdvisors reviews were posted within days of each other, translators are volunteer former guests, and some 5-star reviews preemptively dismiss critics. 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 Yosi Ocha, Onikano, Heberto García (Niwen Koshi) and the institute named in its earlier branding.

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

A US tourist died in June 2025 after a ritual at La Casa de Guillermo in the Alto Nanay district, a different center, per Correo; no source links it to Onikano, despite the founder’s grandfather’s Spanish name.

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

🔍 Critical Notes

Screening and medical support. A detailed application form asks about heart conditions, epilepsy, psychosis, bipolar disorder, suicidal thoughts, family psychiatric history, medications and pregnancy, but it is reviewed by “trusted members of our team” and no doctor is named. Its preparation page sets a washout of at least three weeks for SSRIs, MAOIs and antipsychotics and treats serious conditions as cases for individual assessment rather than exclusion. No medical staff or emergency protocol is published; travel insurance is required, and Iquitos hospitals are roughly an hour away by road.

Who runs it. Heberto García, born in 1978 near Yarinacocha, Ucayali, is listed as owner and general director, per his profile; the operator says his maternal grandfather Yosi Ocha, known in Spanish as Guillermo Ramírez, was among the last merayas and died in 2006 (unverified). Family members work as healers and staff, per the team page. No Peruvian RUC or company name was found, and the “Peruvian Institute of Shamanism and Natural Medicine” in its old branding has no visible registration, per a practitioner’s blog that names it.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is legal in Peru, where traditional use was declared national cultural heritage in 2008, but no national licensing of retreat centers exists, per a Peruvian operator’s legal guide. No source shows whether it holds a park service permit inside the reserve.

Corrections to our earlier profile. The center now trades as Onikano, renamed in 2024, not 2025, per its rebrand page. No source places it in Puerto Almendra; it lies in the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve, southwest rather than southeast of Iquitos. The $1,320 price is in euros, two weeks cost €2,490 rather than $2,500, groups reach 15 rather than 12, and the Tripadvisor count is 98, not 42. MAOIs and antipsychotics now need three weeks, not one, and the earlier claim that its site listed no 2025 dates is contradicted. Quora praise for two named staff members, a Quora mention of December mosquitoes, Reddit mentions of the reserve, plant baths, master trees and construction noise, a Reddit post giving the rebrand as a shift away from tourism, and a Reddit price of $2,500 remain unverified, though mosquitoes and master trees appear in Tripadvisor reviews. Claims of a rainforest conservation focus and partnerships have no current source. Our earlier grade was B+; the grade is now B-. Founding in 2014 by Shipibo Maestro Heberto García, his grandfather Yosi Ocha, individualized ceremonies, shamanic training, the list of conditions to disclose, the 3-week SSRI washout, the 2008 heritage declaration, overwhelmingly positive reviews and no incidents found are confirmed.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Conditions such as psychosis, bipolar disorder, epilepsy and heart disease are assessed individually rather than excluded. 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

Shipibo ayahuasca of undisclosed recipe, plus San Pedro, rapé, sananga, mapacho and master plant dietas. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: Lowland rainforest in a national reserve with a swimming lake, master trees and plant baths.
• Rooms: Private bungalows with mosquito nets and no electricity, some with en-suite bathrooms; solar power and Wi-Fi in common areas.
• Style: Family-run Shipibo ceremonies for up to 15 guests, with arrivals each Monday and volunteer translators.

Practical guidance: Fly into Iquitos and arrive by noon on Monday; transfers are included, and flights before 10 a.m. on departure day miss the final ceremony.

Should You Book?

Only after confirming in writing who sets doses for first-timers, whether the Maestro leads every ceremony, who provides medical help and what the refund terms are. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

The operator says García received guests from 2000 and founded the center in 2014, and the earliest dated reviews are from November 2021. 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 follow the pre-arrival diet. After you return: The site offers after-retreat guidance, but one 2025 guest says a listed integration circle was not held; 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

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Last reviewed November 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.