SAFETY, TRAVEL & LOGISTICS

Safety with Amazonian Plant Medicine

Your safety and well-being are our top priority, and our intention is to create the safest and most comfortable environment possible for your healing and learning. As trust is an absolutely foundational pillar of our care, it is absolutely critical for you to be honest with us about your physical, psychological, and emotional health and history both beforehand and onsite.

Working with teacher plants can carry health risks, and we, therefore, require that you fill out a medical questionnaire during your registration process. It is necessary that you disclose any known heart, liver, kidney, pancreatic, or other serious medical condition, and/or use of any medication when filling out this questionnaire. Some medications require longer periods of time to clear out of the system, so please advise us if you are currently taking or have recently used any (this includes herbal and natural supplements). Those with diabetes or a hepatic condition must first consult with us and provide more information about the condition. If you have a heart condition or chronic high blood pressure, you must first consult with us and provide more information about the condition. People with tuberculosis must not ingest certain teacher plants. If any potential medical contraindications are present, we will inquire further to learn more information and assess if Amazonian plant medicine is a good fit for you.

It is also important that we have full knowledge of any psychological health conditions you are currently experiencing or have had in the past in order to ensure your safety during your stay. Some teacher plants can be dangerous to those with a history of psychological conditions. SSRI antidepressant medications are not compatible with the treatments that we provide and must be suspended six weeks before arriving in order to ensure your safety, as well as the safety of our team and other students. We will provide advice on how to proceed during your registration process. Please consult your doctor if you are in any doubt. You should not stop taking prescribed medications without consulting your doctor. It is possible that working with teacher plants is not the right fit for you at this particular moment, and our priority is to help you make that assessment and ensure your well-being and safety.

Travel & Logistics

All new arrivals are received only on Sundays, we highly recommend that you plan your travel to arrive in Pucallpa on Sunday before noon, at the latest. For your travel plans it is best to arrive in Pucallpa on the Saturday before your samá is scheduled to begin. We also recommend scheduling your departure from Pucallpa on the Sunday after your Arkana ceremony or later to ease into your return to society.

For all flights, we recommend packing some samá-friendly snacks and to avoid all airline and airport foods. For individuals and small groups, we will coordinate with you to pick you up at the airport or at the hotel you choose to stay at in the Pucallpa/Yarinacocha area. The ride out to the community is by van, truck, or motokar and takes about 45 minutes from Pucallpa’s airport. Larger organized groups will coordinate a meeting location that will be shared among the group by their organizers.

For entry into Peru please check with visa and vaccination requirements from your country. The protocols for arriving in Peru from another country are periodically updated; please check with your airline and embassy to ensure you meet all the current requirements to enter Peru. This link here may be helpful.