Temple of the Way of Light offers safe ayahuasca retreats and plant spirit healing in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, featuring a balance of highly experienced female and male healers (Onanya) from the indigenous Shipibo-Konibo tribe who together carry hundreds of years of experience practicing the ancient art of ayahuasca shamanism, supported by highly trained Western facilitators who act as a critical cultural bridge between healers and guests. Located about two hours by boat and track from Iquitos on 250 hectares of protected second-degree rainforest land, the Temple has developed and refined various ayahuasca healing programs with meticulous attention to detail and unparalleled experience working with thousands of guests. Recognized as a “rebirthing” center, the Temple’s healing work catalyzes a process of awakening followed by deep spiritual evolution, addressing psycho-emotional patterns, energetic imbalances, and personal and ancestral traumas at the source of suffering. The Shipibo system of plant-spirit healing (curanderismo) has the potential to shift participants into right relationship with their true nature, loved ones, and the natural kingdom. All retreats include an exceptionally high ratio of healers and staff to guests, six ayahuasca ceremonies, six different floral baths, plant vapor baths, plant remedies, energetic massages, nutritional dieta-friendly meals, individual consultations, and strong focus on integration both during and after retreat. The Temple applies the most stringent health and safety protocols in the Amazon, including in-depth medical screening, accepting approximately 70% of applications, with comprehensive support before, during, and after retreat through group sessions, private community access, specialist integration guides, and post-retreat materials and practices. Following Earth Care and Permaculture principles, the Temple has worked since 2007 to preserve and regenerate the local environment, generating positive social and environmental impact through its sister nonprofit organization, The Chaikuni Institute.
Why it matters: Authentic ayahuasca healing requires access to the medicine and the deep indigenous knowledge of Shipibo-Konibo healers carrying hundreds of years of experience, cultural bridging by Western facilitators, and immersion in the Amazon rainforest where ayahuasca originates. By maintaining the most stringent safety protocols in the Amazon while honoring traditional plant-spirit healing practices, the Temple proves that ancient shamanic wisdom and modern safety standards can integrate to support profound transformation. The Temple’s recognition that individual health is intimately connected to the health of the whole—evidenced through its permaculture work and preservation of 250 hectares of rainforest—models how healing centers can practice reciprocity with the land and communities that make their work possible, understanding ayahuasca healing as inseparable from environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
