Iquitos
A city on the Peruvian Amazon, reached only by boat or air, and the centre for ayahuasca tourism and traditional plant healing.
Practised and told of here
Best time: June to November, the drier months.
Iquitos grew during the rubber boom. The Amazon peoples nearby, such as the Shipibo-Conibo, use ayahuasca, a brew of two plants, in healing rites led by experienced healers, called curanderos or vegetalistas. Since the 1990s foreign visitors have come to take part.
Traditions
The Shipibo practice includes songs, called icaros, and designs, said to be heard and seen in the experience. For Amazon communities the brew is a medicine and a way of speaking with plant spirits. Anthropologists describe the practice as embedded in a whole way of life.
Cautions
Visitors have died in the care of untrained operators, or been assaulted. The brew can interact dangerously with medication and with some conditions of mind and heart. Retreats vary widely in quality, and indigenous leaders have criticised the way outsiders turn a medicine into a product.
Visiting
Iquitos can be visited for the river, the Belen market, and the Amazon lodges, without joining a ceremony. If anyone chooses to take part, they should do so after medical advice and with a centre vouched for by community members.
A respectful visit to Iquitos
Living communities are not a show. Ask before photographing a person or a ceremony, and follow local rules.
- Belen Market See the plant and food market with local guidance.
- Pacaya-Samiria Reserve Visit with an accredited guide.
- The Amazon Museum Read about the people of the region.
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Iquitos" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets and ceremonies change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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