Jakon bekanwe-welcome to El Centro Inkameraya!
Welcome to Inka Meraya, a Shipibo family-owned ayahuasca healing retreat and community center in the Peruvian Amazon that stands as a sanctuary for the culture, medicinal wisdom and ancestral history of the Shipibo.
Our Name: Inka Meraya
The first word in our name refers to the Inka who gave the medicine of ayahuasca to the Shipibo in antiquity. The second word, Meraya, refers to the most powerful level of a healer in the Shipibo language.
Our vision
Our vision is to create a thriving Shipibo retreat center available to travelers from around the world, as well as to local Peruvians, who seek healing.
El Centro Inka Meraya
We have created an ayahuasca healing retreat center located six miles outside of Puerto Maldonado, Peru, available to travelers from around the world, as well as to local Peruvians. We are offering an authentic Shipibo healing experience through ayahuasca ceremony, master plant dietas, and floral baths for those seeking recovery from emotional, physical and spiritual ailments.
We achieve this by following natural, clean, and safe protocols, and creating a conducive environment that fosters the relearning, regeneration and cultivation of traditional practices shared within the Shipibo nation in Peru and with communities across the globe.
Preserving a Sacred Lineage for Generations
The Shipibo healing lineage through ayahuasca is a living tradition that requires a lifetime of practice and hard work in order to be mastered. Wisdom keepers have trained apprentices from time immemorial and continue to do so today. We are fortunate that the ancient wisdom of countless generations remains intact and available to us. Healing centers such as El Centro Inka Meraya are critical to the survival and dissemination of this ancient wisdom.
The Inka passed down the ayahuasca medicine to the Shipibo people, who are the guardians and wisdom keepers of the Amazonian plants. The vast knowledge of healing and plant medicine held collectively within the Shipibo culture is ancestral, profound and vital for future generations. Supporting this sacred lineage and the preservation of its healing powers is our utmost priority at El Centro Inka Meraya.
As an institution of cultural preservation, learning, and healing, El Centro Inka Meraya trains and empowers healers known as onanyas (Shipibo shamans) as they progress through increasingly advanced levels of practice. Our center exists to support healers and help disseminate their knowledge within the local community and across the globe.
Our leadership
Sergio Vasquez (Inkanima)
Sergio Vasquez, raised in the Shipibo village of Curiaca, comes from a long lineage of Shipibo curanderos. Trained by his father Manuel Vasquez, he is knowledgeable in Shipibo healing traditions. Fluent in his native tongue, Sergio worked at El Centro Nihue Rao for three years, gaining experience in teaching the Shipibo language, assisting in ceremonies, and working with diverse cultures. Sergio finds great joy in sharing his culture.
Robert Morrow (Rono Soi)
Robert Morrow, a renowned violin bow maker, is a curandero in the Shipibo tradition with extensive experience in conducting ayahuasca ceremonies. He has led over 400 ceremonies for participants across the United States. He has completed the traditional apprenticeship and dietas with respected Maestros Ricardo Amaringo and Manuel Vasquez.
A Comfortable Space for your Healing Journey
Our private cabins, or tambos, are designed to be your sanctuary during your healing journey. Built with a traditional thatch roof, wood and screen walls, and hardwood floors, each tambo ensures privacy and comfort. They include a private, en-suite bathroom with a sink, shower, and dry toilet for your daily use and floral baths. The tambos are fully enclosed with mosquito screens, and are set apart from each other by natural vegetation to provide a sense of isolation and deep privacy.
We offer three types of dietas: the ayahuasca dieta, the healing dieta, and the learning dieta. In traditional Shipibo practice, the goal is to consume only the nourishment required to sustain oneself—no more and no less.
The meal plan for the healing and learning dietas is highly restrictive, consisting of traditional staples like grilled fish in its natural peel and small amounts of green plantains. The ayahuasca dieta, for those attending ceremonies but not taking a master plant, is our least restrictive option.
Guests following the ayahuasca dieta will enjoy a clean, healthy, and traditional diet featuring delicious meals typical of the jungle with a wider variety of locally sourced fruits, vegetables, and fish. Our kitchen is happy to accommodate vegetarian and vegan preferences for all dietas.
Please ensure your flight lands in Puerto Maldonado, Peru (PEM) no later than 5:00 PM. We'll meet you at the airport upon arrival and take a taxi to the riverside. From there, we'll take a 30-minutes boat ride to the trail leading to our center. Arriving earlier in the day allows for a leisurely 15-minute walk through the rainforest to the center. Don't worry about your bags—your luggage will be carried for you. The cost of all transportation (airport to center and back) is included in your retreat package.
Ceremonies will be held in our maloka (ceremonial house) starting at 7 p.m. The onanyas (Shipibo shaman) and assistants will guide you in your healing experience during each ceremony. To ensure each guest receives personal attention and support, our ceremonies are limited to a maximum of 12 guests at a time. Each ceremony is facilitated by one or two experienced shamans and one or two assistants, depending on the group size.
All guests will receive floral baths (amount varies depending on the length of stay). Floral baths are a lovely healing experience that will supplement your ceremonies and healing dieta.