About this retreat
Selva Madre is a family-owned and operated healing center located across the Nanay River from Iquitos, Peru — about an hour from the city center by taxi and riverboat. The center is run by the Rimachi family, whose healing lineage spans multiple generations. At its heart is Don Luis Rimachi, a practitioner with over 40 years of experience guiding guests from around the world through deep healing and personal transformation.
The 10-day retreat format — four plant ceremonies held every other day with rest and integration in between — reflects a thoughtful philosophy about pacing and depth. Rather than maximizing ceremony count, Selva Madre prioritizes the quality of each experience and the time needed for genuine processing. The medicine is brewed on-site with no additives, prepared only by experienced practitioners following a strict diet.
Accommodation is in private traditional Amazonian jungle bungalows with en-suite bathrooms, protected from insects, and surrounded by jungle. The program includes botanical tours, jungle excursions, plant and floral baths, shamanic consultations, fresh dietetic meals, and an English/Spanish interpreter — making it one of the most comprehensive and accessible authentic retreat experiences in the Iquitos region.
Read full description on AyaAdvisorsRecent Guest Reviews
The Rimachi family made me feel like a genuine guest in their home, not a customer passing through a retreat center. Luis Jr. met me at the river, helped with my bags, and that warmth never stopped. By the end of the 10 days I genuinely felt part of the family.
Read moreDon Luis has 40 years of experience and it shows in the precision and depth of how he works. The ceremonies were powerful and beautifully paced — every other day with real integration time in between. Four ceremonies over 10 days is exactly the right rhythm.
Read moreThe medicine at Selva Madre is brewed on-site, prepared only by experienced practitioners following a strict diet. You can feel that care and integrity in the quality of the experience. There are no shortcuts here — everything is done the traditional way, with full respect for the process.
Read moreThe private jungle bungalows are simple but genuinely comfortable — spacious, clean, with en-suite bathrooms and proper mosquito protection. Waking up in the Amazon jungle every morning, surrounded by that soundscape, is something I'll never forget.
Read moreThe botanical tour and jungle excursion were unexpected highlights. Between ceremonies there was enough structured activity to feel engaged but enough rest to properly integrate. The fresh dietetic meals were nourishing and thoughtfully prepared for the work we were doing.
Read moreSelva Madre fixed something in me that years of conventional therapy hadn't touched. Don Luis works with a precision and care that's rare — each consultation felt genuinely tailored to where I was. The whole experience, from the river crossing to the final ceremony, was transformative.
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