The Ayahuasca Tourist – High Times in the Andes

What is Ayahuasca

The active elements in Ayahuasca include an hallucinogenic alkaloid that is illegal in the United States. The liquor is made from boiling together the leaves and roots of plants indigenous to this jungle region of the Andes. The plants used or the potion derived therefrom are not addictive. In fact, ayahuasca has even been shown to help people overcome addictions. A Brazilian church uses ayahuasca in its sacrament.

No Magic Carpet Ride

Many who have undergone treatment with the potion have said that it is not a magic carpet ride, that they sometimes experience a terrifying journey with nightmarish visions. Ayahuasca also induces a severe gastrointestinal reaction in some participants, leaving those users retching and discharging from both ends. Indeed, at one point the potion was used among the natives to purge their systems of various parasites and disease-causing micro-organisms, as well as the demons that lurk in the mind.

Phyiscal and Mental Duress

“There is no way somebody would take ayahuasca as a recreational drug and then go out and party," said an Australian who works at Blue Morpho, an ayahuasca spiritual retreat. "This is what separates ayahuasca from hallucinogenic drugs. You don't just take it to have fun." The mental and physical duress weeds out those looking for a quick trip.

The Ayahuasca Tourist

An Ayahuasca tourist refers to a tourist who wants to experience exotic rituals and partake of modified services geared toward non-indigenous people. Writers, anthropologists, ethnobotanists, philosophers, and those on a spiritual quest have gone to this jungle region. Folks from every corner of the globe have visited to spend a few weeks there to cleanse themselves and to study what exactly is happening around the ayahuasca experience.

A tour guide describes the tourists: “They come for two or three weeks at a time, they go on special diets, they stay in nice hotels or simply appointed retreats. I think it's a good thing.” Retreats and healing centers such as Temple of the Way of Light, The Hummingbird Retreat Center, Blue Morpho Ayahuasca Center, Sachamama, and the Yacu Puma Healing Center are among the resorts and retreats that offer ayahuasca healing regimens.

Ceremony

Visitors usually stay at their retreats for about two weeks. During that time they will be lead through about eight ceremonies using ayahuasca. The jungle retreats usually have a moloka (a traditional healing temple) in which the ceremonies are held. The resident shamans will have been boiling and preparing the ayahuasca all day before each ceremony. In the evening, around nine or ten o'clock, a shaman will carefully pour a small cup of the ayahuasca, a sludge-like elixir, for his or her followers and watch over them as they experience the various physical and mental reactions manifested by the brew of medicinal roots and leaves.

Accommodations

One of the healing resorts describes their rooms as clean and comfortable. In them are a bed with mosquito netting (but the bugs are seldom a problem), a lamp, a table and chair, and nothing else. These are authentic rainforest accommodations, used for centuries by natives. There are not gadgets or outlets. One is completely severed from the electronic world.

Brochure

A representative from the Hummingbird Retreat says, “The Hummingbird encompasses eleven acres in a wonderful rainforest setting away from the mayhem of city living. Our land is virgin forest which has remained untouched for generations, some is open garden planted with trees and flowers where you can also see the sky (something of a rarity in the rainforest!) We have some lovely walks here, a pretty lagoon, and our garden includes fruit trees and flowers with brilliant blossoms in all the colours of the rainbow.”

Food

Forays into Iquitos, Peru, a small nearby town, are available for shopping and dining. But food in the retreat itself is recommended as part of the healing process. Food available in the dining rooms is fresh and wholesome and in keeping with the ayahuasca diet. Organic fruits and vegetables grown nearby are used whenever possible. Breakfast usually consists of fruit, eggs, toast, and oatmeal. Lunch may include fruits, vegetables, plantains, yucca, rice, beans, and pasta. Dinner normally is made up of vegetables, salads, and soups.

Expenses

A 14-day workshop is around $2,500 (usd) which includes food, lodging, ceremonies, and many interesting daytime activities. Prices vary, but this is a median. One must arrange travel to Iquitos, Peru, but once there you will be picked up and taken into the jungle for your two-week retreat. Folks who wish to attend should consult with their primary care physicians and are required to sign release of liability documents.

Payoff

The payoff can be profound, say those who have used the ayahuasca ceremonies. Some say the potion provides an almost divine, transformative experience. Others describe new insights into their lives. The long, exhausting ceremonies where ayahuasca is consumed often end in intense joy. For more information on ayahuasca retreats, simply punch “ayahuasca” into your browser.