Huachuma Retreat

For your safety, every participant must complete a medical form and attend a video interview before being approved to join the retreat. To begin the process, please send us an email, letting us know you’d like to come, and we’ll send you all the necessary documents to send back to us. Following your video call, payment of the 35% deposit via PayPal or Wise will confirm your place.

There are no legal vaccination requirements for entry to Peru. For general recommendations for travel vaccinations for Peru and South America, please follow the advice of your doctor.

Foreigners can enter Peru with a tourist visa which allows for 90 to 183 days inside the country. Citizens from the UK, US and many European and Latin American countries will be granted the visa upon arrival at the border. For some countries, you need to apply for the tourist visa 15 days or more before you come. You can find more information about Peruvian tourist visas, and if you need to apply for one at https://www.gob.pe/en/36240-apply-for-a-tourist-visa-to-enter-peru

Yes. For the best exchange rates, we recommend the currency exchanges in Cusco city center. You will be able to exchange currencies at the airport as well but the rates are not so good. You can also withdraw soles, and often US Dollars, from most ATM machines with fees varying depending on the banks at both ends.

We’ll provide your transport from either Cusco airport or your accommodation in the Sacred Valley to and from the retreat. Let us know when you’ve arranged your travel so that we can arrange to pick you up. To get to the area, there are regular daily flights between Lima and Cusco airports and daily flights between Cusco and some of the other major cities in Peru. Cusco is also accessible by bus from Lima and from other cities in Peru, but do be aware that the bus journeys can be very long, it’s a 24 hour ride from Lima to Cusco.

There are some medications which will need to be discontinued before drinking Wachuma, and others which we advise you to discontinue as possible. We’ll discuss any medications that you’re taking during our initial call and you’ll be advised on if those need to be discontinued and the best approach to doing so.

Yes, we can cater for your dietary requirements and will do our best to make your food as satisfying as possible while also following the restrictions for the plant medicines. Please let us know abou

Taking altitude pills with Wachuma isn’t a huge risk but we advise that you avoid them if at all possible as sometimes the medications can affect the strength and depth with which the medicine works with you. We’ll give you some tips on how to acclimatize to the altitude, including where to get oxygen therapy in Cusco, when you book your place.

In our initial video call, we’ll talk about your reasons for coming to the retreat and you’ll have the opportunity to ask any questions, to talk about any concerns you may have and to let us know your needs. You’ll also be sent some preparation information including what to bring and what to expect, and some journaling and meditation exercises that can help you prepare. We’re always available to answer any questions by email in the run-up to the retreat so you can get in touch at any time that you need to.

Following the retreat, you’ll have three integration calls about a month, three months and six months afterward, to check in with how you’re doing and to assist you if you’re experiencing any challenges. The timing of these calls is flexible and they can be taken when you most need them, so they can be much sooner and closer together if you’re in need of support. We’re also always available to support you if you need it and you can send us an email or a text at any time.

Integration is a unique and personal process for everyone and we’ll do all we can to provide you with the support that you need in the way that you need it. This can include talking through your ceremonies and your process, addressing challenges, support with health and lifestyle changes, and guided meditation and yoga practices to bring into your days.

You’ll also have access to the monthly group integration meetings, via Zoom. These meetings are open to everyone including participants from other retreats and those who have not attended ceremonies or retreats with us, and are intended to provide a safe space for sharing, integration and discussion around the medicines, healing and spirituality. Sometimes one of the biggest challenges can be returning home to an environment where very few people understand your experience, so the monthly group meetings provide a space for individuals to meet, share and connect.

Additional preparation and integration sessions are also available for $80 per session, or $420 for six sessions (you can combine preparation and integration sessions as you need).

Hiking in the Andes can be challenging, especially at altitude, but the medicine tends to give you a little extra strength than you may believe you have. You’ll need to be physically fit enough to be able to walk uphill and last for the endurance of the hike, but we will also choose the locations based on the ability of the group, so a moderate level of fitness will be sufficient.

There are always many tours leaving for Machu Picchu from Cusco, Urubamba and the Sacred Valley and it’s easy to arrange a trip. We can put you in touch with English speaking guides who previous retreat participants have given us great feedback about. If you are going straight from the retreat, you might find it easiest to get a taxi or a collectivo from Urubamba to Ollantaytambo (about 30 mins) and from there you can get the train to Machu Picchu. It’s recommended to book tickets and train tickets ahead of time. If you’re going with a guide they will help you with this, or they can be booked online. If several members of the group are all looking to go, we can help to arrange a tour for the group to go together.