Mountain Wind guides small-group Huachuma, Ayahuasca, and Kambo retreats in Cusco, the Sacred Valley, and the Manu jungle of Peru. Groups are limited to 6 or 9 guests, every participant completes a free screening call before booking, and integration support is available before and after your retreat.
We keep our groups small to improve guest experience and sustainability. (Max 6 or 9 guests)
Our staff is trained by internationally accredited organizations to improve guest safety.
Free consultations are conducted before booking. So you can be sure participation is safe for you.
Huachuma, the cactus of the four winds, inspires every Mountain Wind journey, with experienced guides and sitters beside you all the way. Explore our first two retreats: Raymi Retreats, Huachuma within the ancient festivals of the Andes, and The Serpent & The Condor, from jungle Ayahuasca and Kambo to mountain Huachuma.
We shape every Mountain Wind retreat around the right guests, not the most guests, so we’ll tell you honestly if a different path suits you better. Book a consultation and we’ll talk through what you’re looking for, and if it points beyond what we offer, we can recommend a partner center from our community. Our partners are centers we work with professionally, and we receive no compensation from them for these recommendations.
Your wellbeIng comes first
Your safety is the foundation of every journey we guide. Before you ever arrive, we take the time to get to know you: your intentions, your health, and any medications you take. Each retreat is prepared with care rather than assumed. We arrange your transport, lodging, food, and medicines ourselves, so you are accompanied and supported from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave. Here is what you can expect from us.
Every Mountain Wind retreat is guided by experienced facilitators who understand the traditions, the plants, and the people they serve. Our team handles the details of your journey, from transport and lodging to food and ceremony preparation, so you can stay focused on your experience. From your first conversation through your final day, you will be accompanied by people who take your wellbeing as seriously as we do.
Every participant begins with a personal onboarding interview by video call, where we talk through your reasons for joining, your interest in the medicine, and any medications you take. This conversation lets us prepare each retreat around the people in it and give you honest guidance on dietary preparation and on speaking with your physician before changing any medication. Nothing is rushed, and no one is accepted without first being heard.
The experience does not end when the retreat does, and how you carry it back into daily life matters as much as the ceremonies themselves. We encourage you to reflect on what came up, take your time returning to your routines, and stay in touch with us as you process your journey. When you are ready for deeper guidance, we will be here to support you. We employ certified psychedelic integration coaches that have the experience to guide you through the process.
Choosing to step into this kind of experience is a meaningful decision, and you should feel safe and supported every step of the way. At Mountain Wind, we listen first, prepare carefully, and stay with you from your first conversation to your return home. We are here to answer your questions, honor your intentions, and guide you with the respect this work deserves, so you can arrive with trust and leave with clarity.
See Where You’ll Be
From comfortable rooms and quiet garden spaces to ceremonial malocas and guided days out in Cusco and the Sacred Valley, take a look at the places that will hold your journey.
Your wellbeing comes first
Can’t join our set dates, or want something more personal? Our custom Peru retreats let you add Machu Picchu, the hot springs, and other Cusco-region experiences to your journey, or build a private retreat on your own schedule, with the privacy and confidence you’re looking for.
Extend Your Journey
Already planning The Serpent & The Condor or one of our Raymi Retreats? We can extend your journey with a visit to Machu Picchu, the hot springs, another ceremony, or almost anything available in the Cusco region, arranged through the partners we work with.
Start From Scratch
Prefer to start from scratch? Tell us what you’re looking for, and we’ll shape a retreat around your dates, your pace, and your intentions, with the privacy to go deeper and a team that handles the planning.
Share your ideas and we’ll help shape the details.
Before, During & After
Whether you’re preparing for a retreat or processing one you’ve already attended, Mountain Wind offers integration support through our own certified integration coaches. You don’t need to have joined one of our retreats to reach out.
Prepare
A good integration starts with preparation. Talk with us about your intentions, your questions, and what you hope to carry back into daily life, so you arrive grounded and ready.
Return
Coming home can feel as intense as the retreat itself. Reach out as you process your experience, and one of our certified integration coaches, each screened and hired by Mountain Wind, will support you through it.
Open to Everyone
Did your center not offer integration support, or are you working through an experience from years ago? We’ve supported guests from many centers, and you’re welcome to contact us no matter where you attended.
Before, after, or years later, tell us where you are and we’ll point you to the right support.
Below you’ll find answers to frequently asked questions about all of the retreat offerings with Mountain Wind. We’ve compiled the most important information to help you prepare.
Our Raymi Retreats (Quapaq, Pawkar, and Inti Raymi) are Huachuma retreats in Cusco and the Sacred Valley, built around Andean festivals. The Serpent & The Condor is a 9-day journey from the Manu jungle, with Ayahuasca and Kambo, up to the mountains near Cusco for Huachuma. Not sure which fits? Book a free call and we’ll help you choose.
Mountain Wind arranges your lodging, meals, transport, and the ceremonies and medicines for your retreat. You arrange your own flight to Cusco and your travel documents.Mountain Wind arranges your lodging, meals, transport, and the ceremonies and medicines for your retreat. You arrange your own flight to Cusco and your travel documents.Mountain Wind arranges your lodging, meals, transport, and the ceremonies and medicines for your retreat. You arrange your own flight to Cusco and your travel documents.Booking starts with a free consultation, usually by video call on WhatsApp or Telegram, where we talk through your intentions, health, and medications. You then complete our intake form and reserve your space with a 50% deposit. The deposit is non-refundable, but with enough notice, or in an emergency, it can be moved to a future retreat.
Every participant has a personal onboarding interview before booking, where we ask about your reasons for joining, your health, and any medications you take. Some conditions and medications make Huachuma, Ayahuasca, or Kambo unsafe, and if a medicine isn’t right for you, we’ll tell you honestly. Please don’t stop or change any medication without speaking to your physician first.
Raymi Retreats are limited to 9 guests, and The Serpent & The Condor is limited to 6. Small groups give every guest more attention from our guides and keep the experience personal and improve sustainability.
Yes. We can add Machu Picchu, the hot springs, or almost anything available in the Cusco region to an existing retreat, or build a private retreat around your own dates and intentions. Visit our custom retreats page to start planning.
Yes. Our own certified integration coaches, each screened and hired by Mountain Wind, support you before and after your retreat. You don’t need to have attended a Mountain Wind retreat to reach out.
We don’t offer master plant dietas. If you’re looking for a dieta, a center in a different location, or a way to dieta without traveling, book a call and we may recommend a partner center from our community. Our partners are centers we work with professionally, and we receive no compensation from them for these recommendations.
The Booking Process follows the following steps in order.
Safety is very important to Mountain Wind. We also want to be sure we don’t accept payments unless we can provide you with the highest quality experience possible.
We ask you to follow our Booking Process to be sure you can attend our retreats with confidence and in a safe way, without unnecessary charges to your payment method.
In some emergency cases beyond your or our control, we will refund your deposit in full. There are some conditions to consider:
A WhatsApp message is the best way to get a hold of us in a timely manner. Contact us here, if you have any questions or concerns. In the past, there has never been a time when a customers deposit was lost, unless they refused to contact us or answer their phone number on file. Our refund policy is subject to change without notice, however be aware we can always find a solution. Book with confidence, we will take care of you.
We accept payment by credit or debit Card various providers. You may also transfer directly from your bank account Or you may pay by cash, credit, debit, or bank account with other services.
After your free consultation, we send secure payment instructions and help you arrange payment.
Booking links are created once for your deposit. Contact us on WhatsApp or by email and we will help you, and we can send a copy of your invoice.
The product code verifies that you completed your free consultation, and links your paperwork to your payment. This keeps your records secure and lets us contact your emergency contact if needed.
We use your information only for our internal safety and booking processes. We do not share it. We keep records for [CONFIRM: 3 years], then archive them as required by law and destroy them when no longer required. To request your data, contact us and verify your identity by video call.
The deposit is 50% of the retreat price. The remainder is due on arrival. Our partners prefer cash in dollars if at all possible. Coordinate with us if you prefer another payment method.
All prices are in US dollars, and we prefer payments in this currency. Exchange rates often effect the cost of our services and retreats. If you are moving your deposit to another retreat the exchange rate could affect the cost.
We have no minimum retreat size and will not cancel a retreat for this reason. If Mountain Wind cancels a retreat we will fully refund your deposit as quickly as possible.
The nearest hospital to the mountain house is EsSalud National Hospital “Adolfo Guevara Velasco” in Cusco and it is a 16 minute drive from the center. There is emergency transportation on site 24 hours a day.
Near the jungle lodge in Manu is “POSTA MEDICA SALVACION MANU ESSALUD,” 57 minutes away from the lodge. Transportation is available for emergency cases 24 hours a day.
Our emergency plan is based on NOLS WFR best practices and divides situations into cases of evacuation or monitored care. An NOLS certified WFR is present at all times on every retreat and is required to have a well stocked first aid kit to handle any situation.
Every guest completes an onboarding interview, usually by WhatsApp or Telegram video call, and submits our intake form covering health history, medications, and why you want to participate. Mountain Wind works with medical professionals in special cases. If a medicine is not safe for you, we will tell you honestly and discuss alternatives. If for any reason you are denied and have already submitted a deposit of some kind (for example through Retreat.Guru or AyaAdvisor) a full refund will be issued immediately.
Never stop or change prescribed medication without your doctor’s advice. Many medications, including antidepressants, stimulants, and blood pressure drugs, can interact dangerously with Ayahuasca and Huachuma. Tell us everything you take during intake, and speak with your physician before making any changes.
The answer depends on availability and speciality. We work with dozens of qualified ceremony leaders, ayahuasceros, huachumeros, and plant medicine professionals.
At the mountain house we work with Lesley Myburg. She has more than 30 years of operating her own center and serving huachuma. She has trained with and studied local huachumero Dr. Ruben Orellana.
When working with Ayahuasca we work with Alonso Gaitan and Flor Araceli Diaz. They have a decade of experience working with and guiding others in their individual practices. They have studied with many masters across many traditions, consult our About Us page to find more information.
Additionally we work with Borka Cafuk and John Moore when they are available to travel from the jungle. Borka and John have their own center Yana Puma and have been serving guests for more than a decade.
Finally we may also work with Shipiba Lidia Cordova when she is available. Lidia comes from a long family history of Shipibo curanderos. She has worked with foreigners and has a rich understanding of the medicine.
More curanderos, vegetalistas, huachumeros, ayahuasceros, and plant medicine specialists may be added at any moment. We use a rigorous screening process before working with them to verify their qualifications.
Our guest to facilitator ratio never exceeds 1 facilitator to 6 guests and often is much closer to 1 facilitator to 3 guests.
Difficult moments are a normal part of plant medicine, and facilitators focus on safety, containment, and support. For Ayahuasca, guests stay in the ceremony space for the entire ceremony, even if they feel no effects, for their own safety. Huachuma ceremonies are more open: guests can sit together, apart, or walk the nearby grounds.
Yes. Our Serpent & Condor retreat combines two Ayahuasca ceremonies, two Kambo sessions, and one Huachuma ceremony over nine days. Our Raymi retreats also has scheduled optional Kambo sessions.
Depending on your medical intake and contraindications we may separate the Kambo from other ceremonies by as much as 24 hours to ensure safety.
First-timers are welcome. Every guest completes an intake call, and new guests receive a full explanation of what to expect before each ceremony. Participation in any Ayahuasca or Huachuma ceremony is generally not permitted for anyone under 18. This age limit also applies to Kambo Sessions. Guests under the age of 18 can still participate in tours and could possibly receive a non-ceremony discount depending on the activities that they want to experience while others are in ceremony.
Recommended: We encourage all participants to be over the age of 25. We find this produces the best results. However this is not a hard and fast rule depending on the client.
Arrive early to acclimatize, drink plenty of water, eat lightly, rest, and avoid alcohol for your first days. Mild headache and fatigue are common at altitude. Ask your doctor about altitude medication before you travel, especially if you have heart, lung, or blood pressure conditions.
If at the mountain house we have oxygen, over the counter medications, natural supplements, and the staff has 30 years of experience helping guests acclimatize quickly. We have had 80 year old guests and others in varying degrees of health come and work with medicine. In extreme cases we follow NOLS WFR best practices and can descend in altitude and slowly return to help acclimatizations.
Huachuma has no strict diet. Ayahuasca does require dietary restrictions, and Kambo requires fasting from food and caffeine for at least 8 hours beforehand. Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs before any ceremony.
A preparation PDF is available on request in or after your booking process.
Fly into Cusco (CUZ). Send us your flight or hotel details a few weeks before your retreat and we will pick you up at the correct location.
We recommend you arrive a minimum of 12 hours before your retreat begins for best results. Closer arrival times are fine, however we need you to coordinate closely with us to ensure we pick you up and bring you directly to our meeting point.
Pack layers: a warm jacket, thermal base layers, hat and gloves, rain gear, sun protection, sturdy shoes, a water bottle, insect repellent, a flashlight, and comfortable loose clothing for ceremonies.
A PDF on what to bring is included in your booking process. If you have not received it please contact us and we will respond quickly.
Requirements vary, so consult a travel-medicine clinic well before you travel. Yellow fever vaccination is commonly recommended for Amazon regions of Peru.
However in Manu we are still in the high jungle and mosquitoes are extremely rare compared to lower Manu or the Amazon basin. Consult a travel physician for expert advise but our experience says malaria prophylactics and yellow fever vaccinations are only used when an abundance of caution helps the guest feel more secure.
Choose a policy that covers medical care, emergency evacuation from remote areas, and trip cancellation or interruption. Check that it covers high altitude and does not exclude participation in plant medicine ceremonies.
Retreat costs for Custom Retreats are so variable in price there is no way to clearly answer this question without knowing more about what you are looking for. Tickets for attractions like Macchu Picchu can be hard to obtain and the closer to your desired date the more expensive they become. Prices of fuel for transportation fluctuate greatly and can affect this cost as well. These are only two of the many variables among many.
Our Custom Retreat form is designed to gather this information efficiently and submit it to our team for review and pricing.
We have set this minimum to ensure a quality experience. At least a day is needed for acclimitization before participating in any activities. A day for ceremony. Followed by another day for observation after the ceremony. Another day for departure organization. This is already 4 days. Our Custom retreats are designed to pair a ceremony with an attraction at a minimum. That is why we choose a 5 day minimum.
Absolutely. If we include Macchu Picchu added onto a retreat or in a custom retreat we include tickets, transportation, and any additional accommodations you might need to experience Macchu Picchu in the best possible way.
Yes. This is exactly the purpose of our Custom Retreats options. Customizing a retreat to a guests needs and precisely pricing the retreats for affordability, accommodations, and requests that don’t fit into our retreat packages.
Plant medicine integration is the process of making sense of an Ayahuasca, Huachuma, or Kambo experience and applying its insights to daily life. It usually involves reflection, support, and gradual changes in habits or relationships after a retreat.
Integration helps guests process what they experienced and carry it into everyday life, rather than letting it fade. Returning to routines, work, and relationships can feel difficult after a retreat, and support during that period helps guests stay grounded.
Our integration support is broken down into three categories. Preparation, Post Retreat, Crisis.
Mountain Wind offers all of these included in the price. We only support the psychedelic experience. We are not therapists. As such we offer two preparation and two post retreat integration calls per guest per retreat. However crisis calls are always free and we offer crisis calls to anyone, even if you attended a retreat at another center.
Yes. Integration support is included in every retreat. We also offer integration support for anyone that asks for it at $100 per session.
Integration begins the moment you decide to attend a retreat. This is the process of incorporating a psychedlic experience into your life and there are things you can do to help prepare yourself before your retreat.
During your retreat we will discuss your experience, encourage you to journal, and give you tools to understand what you are experiencing.
After you leave integration moves from theory to practice. Reflecting on your retreat journal, having supporting calls with us, and taking steps to implement the lessons learned in your daily life.
If you ever decide to return to plant medicine for more experiences or deeper lessons, this process you have invested in will prepare you well for even more profound understanding.
There is no fixed timeline. Some guests feel settled within weeks, while others continue integrating for months. It depends on your experience, your circumstances, and the support you have.
Guests often report emotional ups and downs, tiredness, difficulty returning to routine, strong reflections about relationships or work, and feeling disconnected from people who were not there. If distress is persistent or severe, or you feel unsafe, contact a licensed mental health professional or local emergency services.
Helpful practices include journaling, time in nature, gentle movement, regular sleep and meals, creative expression, and talking with trusted people. It is often wise to avoid making major life decisions immediately after a retreat.
No. Integration coaching supports reflection and applying insights, while therapy treats mental health conditions and is provided by licensed professionals. Integration support from Mountain Wind is not a substitute for medical or mental health care.
Shane Parks – The facilitator and owner of Mountain Wind provides the majority of the support. He is a certified integration coach with Out of the Dark Academy and has been providing integration coaching for many years.
Zach Khan – Also provides some integration coaching. He often works with Mountain Wind and provides support to guests who feel connected with him. Zach has also be working with plant medicine and integration support to many years.
Others may also be added here soon. If they are you can rest assured they are qualified, authentic and supportive individuals.
Absolutely. The reason most of our guests seek plant medicine is to add new insights into their daily lives. That is what integration is all about! So please reach out to us by voice or video call. We are excited to get curious about your experience and how you are doing after your retreat with us.
Yes. Tell your doctor or therapist about your retreat and any medicines you took, especially if you take prescription medication. Never restart, stop, or change medication without your doctor’s guidance.
Look for someone with relevant training, clear boundaries, and experience supporting people after plant medicine experiences. Ask about their credentials and approach, and choose someone who respects your health history and encourages professional care when needed.
Another important quality to look for is integrity of support. Integration coaching should not be about selling you another retreat. An Integration Coach should be focused on helping absorb or understand your experience instead of a way of advertising for a specific center or medicine.
Additionally Integration Coaches should not be interpreting your experience for you, or giving you life advice. They should be using guiding questions to help you decode your own experience for yourself.
Finally, be wary of anyone offering Integration support by making promises. No one can tell you what integration will do for you in absolutes. Integration support is about assistance for you to make the changes you wish to make with agency, authenticity, and guided understanding.
Allow time to settle and reflect before another ceremony. Your integration coaching offered through Mountain Wind will never tell you it’s time for another ceremony. You tell us when you think you are ready. Then we will revisit motivation and intention of this decision to help you make an informed decision.
It is important to note, a common challenge for some participants in any psychedelic experience is chasing. After a profound interconnected psychedelic experience, some guests want to run back and experience it again. However good integration coaching will guide you to understanding why you are looking for another experience and help you make your own decision.