The work of an Ayahuasca retreat doesn't begin when you step off the plane in Peru. It begins the moment you say yes — and the way you spend the weeks between that yes and your arrival shapes what the medicine is able to do once you sit down in ceremony.
We've held space for people who arrived after months of intentional preparation, and we've held space for people who arrived from a long flight, having barely thought about it. Both can heal. But the prepared body, the regulated nervous system, the heart that has had time to listen to itself — that body meets the medicine differently.
What follows is the guidance we share with every guest who is accepted into a Sacred Healing Ayahuasca retreat at Casa Kallpa. It's drawn from the lineage we work within, our own years with the medicine, and the rhythms of the Peruvian Amazon where this plant has been used as a teacher for thousands of years. Take what serves you. Talk to us if anything is unclear.
Why preparation matters
Ayahuasca is a strong, intelligent medicine. It works through the body — physiologically, emotionally, spiritually. The cleaner the vessel that meets her, the more she can move.
Preparation does three things. It cleans the body so the medicine doesn't have to spend the first ceremony just moving through processed food, alcohol, and pharmaceutical residue. It quiets the nervous system so you can actually receive what she shows you. And it sets your intention — not as a wish list, but as a question you've already been living with.
None of this is about being perfect. It's about meeting the medicine as a guest meets an elder: prepared, respectful, willing to listen.
The dieta — what to avoid, and for how long
The dieta (pronounced dee-EH-tah) is the traditional preparation diet that Amazonian healers have used for generations. It is not a punishment. It is a practice of clearing space.
Four weeks before your retreat
This is when you begin softening certain edges. The further out you start, the gentler this transition will feel by the time you arrive.
- Avoid recreational drugs of any kind. If you use cannabis daily or take psychedelics regularly, this is the window to stop.
- If you are on any prescribed antidepressant (SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, tricyclics, lithium) you must speak with your prescribing doctor and our team well in advance. Some of these have serious interactions with Ayahuasca and require a careful, supervised taper. Do not stop psychiatric medication abruptly without medical guidance.
- Begin reducing alcohol. Aim for zero alcohol in the final two weeks.
- Cut back caffeine if you can, especially energy drinks and pre-workout supplements.
Two weeks before
This is the heart of the dieta. The body begins to remember what it feels like to be light.
- No alcohol. No recreational drugs.
- No pork or red meat. Many lineages also ask that you avoid fermented foods — aged cheese, kombucha, vinegar, soy sauce, sauerkraut, miso.
- Reduce processed foods, refined sugar, and fried foods. Cook simply. Eat closer to the earth.
- Avoid stimulants beyond a small morning coffee or green tea.
- Sexual activity, including with a partner and self-pleasure, is traditionally paused during the dieta. The reason is energetic — the practice asks you to gather your life force inward.
One week before, and the day of travel
The body is now porous. Eat lightly. Move gently.
- Plant-based, mild, low-salt meals where possible. Steamed vegetables, rice, lentils, soups, fresh fruit.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Avoid spicy food, chili, garlic in excess, and anything fermented.
- Avoid social environments that overstimulate — loud bars, big parties, screens late at night.
Energetic and emotional preparation
The body is half of it. The other half is what you bring into the room with you.
In the weeks leading up to your retreat, give yourself permission to slow down. Take walks without your phone. Sit with morning light. Write — not to perform, but to listen to what is moving underneath the noise.
Most people arrive at Casa Kallpa with one of two questions in their body. The first is what is mine to release? The second is what is mine to call in? You don't need a perfectly worded intention. You only need to know which question is yours, and to be willing to let the medicine show you something you didn't already know.
"The medicine does not give you what you want. She gives you what you are ready to see."
If you have a meditation practice, deepen it. If you don't, ten minutes a morning of simple breath is enough. If you have a therapist, let them know what you're walking into. If you have a journal, write one page before bed about whatever is alive that day. Small acts. Done consistently.
Medical and medication considerations
This is the section to read closely, and to share with us before you travel.
Certain medications and conditions are not compatible with Ayahuasca. This is not negotiable — the risks include serotonin syndrome, hypertensive crisis, and other serious reactions. Our intake process is thorough for this exact reason.
- Always disclose: any psychiatric medication, blood pressure medication, blood thinners, immunosuppressants, history of psychosis or schizophrenia (personal or first-degree family), heart conditions, seizure history, recent surgeries, or pregnancy.
- Stop with medical guidance: SSRIs and similar antidepressants typically require a six-week washout. Do not improvise this — work with your doctor and let us coordinate.
- Bring with you: a list of any supplements, herbs, or daily medications you are taking, including microdoses. Some interact with Ayahuasca in ways most general practitioners aren't aware of.
If you are unsure whether something is compatible, ask us. We would rather have a careful conversation than discover something in ceremony.
What to bring (and what to leave)
- Loose, comfortable clothing that you don't mind getting dirty. Layers — the jungle is warm by day and cool at night.
- A water bottle. A small flashlight or headlamp.
- A journal and a pen you actually like writing with.
- Any prescription medications you are continuing to take, in their original packaging.
- An open mind and a willingness to be wrong about yourself.
Leave behind: heavy perfumes, scented body products, expectations of a particular experience, and anything that feels like a piece of armor you're tired of wearing.
The day you arrive
You'll be met by our team at the airport in Tarapoto and driven to Casa Kallpa near Rioja, in the high jungle of the San Martín region. The journey itself is part of the arrival — the mountains soften, the air thickens, the road quiets.
That first evening at the casa is for orientation, for rest, for letting the jungle do its first work on your nervous system. We sit together. We meet each other. We talk through what the week will hold. There is no ceremony on night one. The medicine is not in a hurry, and neither are we.
By the time you sit in your first ceremony, the body has already begun its softening. That is what preparation is for.