Ayahuasca Retreats Peru, Ayahuasca Peru or Ecuador?

What is the difference Between Peruvian Shamans and Ecuadorian Shamans?
Mainly certification and safety measures! There is no regulation or certification of Peruvian shamans or Ayahuasca retreat centers in Peru. None! Anyone in Peru can call themselves an Ayahuasca shaman or San Pedro shaman and hold Ayahuasca or San Pedro retreats and ceremonies in Peru with absolutely NO TRAINING whatsoever.

Which is Best, Peru or Ecuador?

Ecuador regulates, registers and approves Ecuadorian Ayahuasca and San Pedro shamans and also ensures that Ecuador Ayahuasca retreat centers have met requirements for fire safety, food safety and have obtained all of the requirements permits for providing Ayahuasca retreats in Ecuador. True, some Ecuador Ayahuasca retreat centers have not adhered to the requirements by the government for the proper permits, fire safety, food safety, etc, but we have!

We even go beyond the requirements of Ecuador’s regulations, please see our page on why everyone says we are #1 of the Safest and Best Ayahuasca Retreat Centers in the world. Make SURE you check with any Ecuador ayahuasca retreat center if the Ecuadorian shamans are regulated and certified.

Why Ecuador Shamans and Ecuador Ayahuasca Retreat Centers are more secure than Ayahuasca Retreat Centers in Peru:

  • Ecuadorian Ayahuasca and San Pedro shamans are certified to be properly trained by the correct medicine councils and organizations.
  • Ecuadorian shamans are certified to have learned proper ethics and integrity. Ayahuasca Retreats in Peru and Peruvian shamans do not have this type of verification.

Ecuador is a country whose Ayahuasca shamans and San Pedro shamans are determined to be capable of their trade in Ayahuasca ceremonies and San Pedro ceremonies before being allowed to offer these ceremonies to you. Gaia Sagrada ONLY works with certified and approved Ecuadorian Ayahuasca shamans who have earned the right to hold Ayahuasca ceremonies and we work ONLY with certified and approved Ecuadorian San Pedro shamans who have earned the right to hold San Pedro ceremonies.

Meet Gaia Sagrada’s Ecuadorian Shamans, Approved and Certified

If you would like to find out more about our Ecuadorian Ayahuasca shamans and Ecuadorian San Pedro shamans, please see our Shamans & Staff  page.

Certification means there has been outside verification of the Ayahuasca shaman or the San Pedro shaman, including their integrity, abilities, skills and education in their work with Ayahuasca ceremonies and San Pedro ceremonies. Ecuadorian shamans belong to medicine councils in the Ayahuasca ceremonies and San Pedro ceremonies trades. These medicine councils have great authority in the Ecuadorian medicine circles and govern which Ecuadorian shamans are allowed to give Ayahuasca ceremonies and San Pedro ceremonies.

Why Ecuador has the Best Ayahuasca Retreat Center Experience

Peruvian Ayahuasca shamans have no regulation, checks or balances. Absolutely none. A Peruvian Ayahuasca shaman or Ayahuasca retreat in Peru does not have any authority he or she is beholden to, there are no councils that can approve or disapprove them. Anyone can call themselves an Ayahuasca shaman or San Pedro shaman in Peru and open a retreat center.

Ayahuasca in Peru

Ayahuasca Retreat Peru

This is not to say that Ayahuasca retreats centers in Peru do not have great Peruvian Ayahuasca shamans. There are definitely true Ayahuasca retreats in Peru with a real Peruvian shamans. However, you are taking your chances with any Ayahuasca retreat in Peru based on the sole fact that you don’t know what kind of training, if any, the shaman has or what authority he or she has for providing retreats or ceremonies. The true master shamans are mixed in with the amateurs and there is no way to discern between the two from any outside source. This is the problem with Ayahuasca retreat centers in Peru.

Ayahuasca Ecuador – Regulated: Ecuador shamans are registered and determined to be qualified to give Ayahuasca ceremonies or San Pedro ceremonies, with ethical integrity.

Ayahuasca Peru – Non-Regulated: No regulations, anyone who wants to call themselves a shaman and provide retreats and ceremonies can do so, no training required.

Gaia Sagrada Contract with Ecuadorian Ayahuasca and San Pedro Shamans:

Peru Ayahuasca

  • Traditional medicines only, without admixtures that could be dangerous to a person’s well-being, like Datura, Toe, Nicotine extract, or hundreds of other admixtures that could have an ill effect. Our Ecuador shamans only make and use pure, unadulterated, traditional Ayahuasca and San Pedro, true to their original form.
  • Shamans should never ask anyone to remove clothing that exposes a person’s privates, nor touch anyone in inappropriate places for any reason during retreats. Everyone is respected and safe. Gaia Sagrada is owned by a woman who would never allow anything to happen to women at Gaia Sagrada. Everyone is here for healing, and that is the focus from our Ecuadorian shamans, who have integrity and respect. Gaia Sagrada’s goal is to provide a safe and respectable experience for everyone.
  • Shamans are obligated to conduct all Ayahuasca ceremonies and San Pedro ceremonies with safety precautions in mind so no harm will ever come to a participant. Nothing dangerous ever happens at any Ayahuasca ceremonies or San Pedro ceremonies. Gaia Sagrada takes this responsibility seriously and everyone is cared for in the best possible way.
  • Shaman agrees to act with integrity, compassion, professionalism and attention to participants’ needs.

The rest of the contract with our Ecuadorian shamans pertains to more mundane things, like being on time, sticking to the dates they agreed to, etc. The items of the contract above, these are the ones that help insure you have a safe and respectable experience with Ecuadorian shamans and the Ayahuasca ceremonies and San Pedro ceremonies they offer. Most Ayahuasca retreat centers to do not have legal contracts and agreements with their shamans to honor these principles.

No Ayahuasca Commercialism Involved

Ayahuasca retreats and Ayahuasca ceremonies are offered at cost here at Gaia Sagrada. No Ayahuasca tourism or Ayahuasca commercialism involved. Even the director makes only enough to have food and shelter, nothing more. No one is getting rich at Gaia Sagrada. Our purpose is awakening the world to a higher consciousness, one individual at a time.

Gaia Sagrada is Comfy!
Difference between the jungle and the mountains

The Andes mountains offers a comfortable climate. You can sleep in a nice, comfortable bed with all modern amenities at your service, never too hot and never too cold. Here you can simply journey into the innermost parts of yourself, and be comfortable while you do so.

Why suffer physically if you don’t have to? Here you won’t be constantly swatting mosquitoes and bugs. You can just simply enjoy yourself in the clean, clear climate of the Andes mountains.

If you want to see the jungle, Ecuador has lots of jungle too. Ecuador’s jungle is in fact the headwaters of the Amazon river, the source of the water that goes all the way through Brazil. You can still make a journey to visit the jungle quite easily if that is something you are attached to. It’s not that far away!

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