itinerary
Day 1. Iquitos / Amazonas Sinchicuy Lodge (L-D)
Meet and greet at the Iquitos Airport from where you will be transferred to the city (you will briefly sightsee the tourist highlights of Iquitos along the way). Speed boat trip on the Amazon, the world’s largest river. During the trip, you will see the magnificence of the Amazon, the exuberance of the jungle and the picturesque villages appearing on the shores with their particular color and joy.
Arrival and accommodation in the Amazonas Sinchicuy Lodge located 45 minutes from Iquitos. The native-style lodge built with natural materials is upon high ground, surrounded by trees, plants and flowers, where birds and butterflies roam.
Refreshing “welcome drink” made with regional fruit (cocona, camu camu, copoazu, other) and brief instructions about the sustained conservation standards that must be observed in the lodge and its surroundings in order to make your tour best enjoyable.
Ecocultural Circuit (The Sinchicuy Watershed Ecosystem)
Short walk or canoe ride in the afternoon –depending on the season- to “Nuevo Peru” where the Yagua Community has established. You will get acquainted with their customs, see their unique apparel made of palm fibers and even try their “pucuna” or blowgun.
Lunch at the Amazonas Sinchicuy. Gastronomy in the lodge is based upon the ample use of natural and fresh products from the river and the local farmlands. Guided ethnobotanic walk in the afternoon. You will be able to identify species of the Amazon plant kingdom (Cat’s Claw, Sour Cane, Copaiba, Aguaje and even Ayahuasca, the hallucinogen vine).
Tour the Santa María del Ojeal farmlands where you will visit the sugar cane squeeze, the fruit orchard, the fish culture pond; see the Amazon breed cattle and artisanal dugout canoe fishing performed on the river by locals
Visit a typical village on the shores of the Amazon, see the homes, schools, churches, shops and interact with its people.
Private interview with the Master Shaman at his “tambo” where ancestral sessions and rituals are held. Comments about Hallucinogen plants and their effect on the magic circle. Participants’ physical condition evaluation. Light dinner at the lodge. Overnight
Day 2. Amazonas Sinchicuy Lodge / Full day Yanayacu (B-L-D)
Watch the Ayahuasca “take” being prepared early in the morning. You can see the Master Shaman cooking the magic vine or “dead man’s rope” pieces accompanied by chants, spells and prayers to the gods or semi-gods. Breakfast at the Amazonas Sinchicuy.
Flora and Fauna Circuit (The Yanayacu Watershed Ecosystem)
After breakfast you will motorboat to the opposite side of the Amazon River. During the trip you will probably spot river dolphins, main characters of fantastic tales and legends of the Amazon Myths. See typical riverside landscape plantations. Walk on tropical rainforest trail and boat or canoe on the Yanayacu River to the Tambo Yanayacu Lodge located in the “Kingdom of the Giant Trees”.
Watch the rich avian fauna of the area. See the diverse medicinal plants, epiphyte plants (bromeliads) growing high on the trees, and giant flora like the “lupuna” or ceiba tree species over 150-feet high. Search for primates and sloths that mimetize with the forest canopy. Light lunch at the Tambo Yanayacu (38 Miles NE of Iquitos). Native-style fishing on the river for piranhas and other species. Return by boat to the Amazonas Sinchicuy Lodge.
Personal conversation with the Shaman before dinner in order to prepare the participants before the Ayahuasca rite. Dinner at the Amazonas Sinchicuy (optional since you are suggested to eat very Light before the rite).
The Ayahuasca Rite
Participants gather at Master Shaman’s tambo to prepare the magic circle. A number of fragrances and esoteric utensils are used, among them: the “shakapa” or sweeper, the “mapacho” or cigar and the “carmalonga” or protective potion also known as “arkana”.
Master Sahaman calls upon divine powers through chants, prayers and “ícaros” (cigar smoke puffs). Ayahuasca potion is prepared by Master Shaman and passed to participants. The effects of the “take” will be noticed 10 minutes approximately after drinking it. Purging is one of the purposes of the ceremony and that is why nausea is common. This way, both body and spirit are cleansed and so harm and evil are expelled giving room to a better health.
The rite ends around midnight, and then participants will return to the lodge to rest.
*Those who participate of ayahuasca will be assisted by the shaman’s aides when the effects of the take manifest.
**Master Shaman suggests that those who have taken ayahuasca must refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages or having sexual contact at least for 4 days.
***It is not necessary that all participants take ayahuasca. If they wish they can receive a flourishing bath or cleansing or just simply witness.
Overnight at the lodge.
Day 3. Amazonas Sinchicuy Lodge (B-L-D)
The Magical Cleansing
Early in the morning the Master Shaman prepares the “cleansing bath” using fragant plants to bring perfect harmony to the participants. The cleansing takes place in an appointed place on the Sinchicuy River before breakfast time. Breakfasr at the Amazonas Sinchicuy.
Dugout canoe ride and hike to see the development of sustained economy projects in the Nuevo Peru Community. If you prefer you can stay in the lodge and rest. Lunch.
Esoteric session in the afternoon in which the Master Shaman will reveal the meaning of previous evening hallucinations. Suggestions by the shaman to focus your life according to the manifested revelations through the Ayahuasca “take”. Dinner. Overnight.
Day 4. Amazonas Sinchicuy Lodge / Iquitos (B-L)
Breakfast at the Amazonas Sinchicuy. Return by boat to Iquitos and transferred back to your hotel or to the airport at a convenient time to board your flight.
HAVE A NICE TRIP … ENJOY IT!
* The order of some activities may vary due to operational or weather conditions.