Practicalities & Ayahuasca

Health in the Rainforest

The Amazon requires special preparation:

• Yellow fever vaccination: Strongly recommended for the Amazon region (mandatory in some areas). Get vaccinated at least 10 days before entry!
• Malaria prophylaxis: There is a risk of malaria in the Amazon lowlands. Discuss with a tropical medicine specialist — standby therapy or prophylaxis.
• Insect protection: DEET-containing insect repellent (50%+), long clothing in the morning and evening, impregnated mosquito net (usually provided in lodges).
• Water: Drink only bottled water. Lodges provide it.

What to bring?

• Light, long-sleeved clothing (protection from insects)
• Rubber boots (provided in most lodges)
• Waterproof bag/dry bag for electronics
• Binoculars (essential for wildlife observation!)
• Flashlight/headlamp for night excursions
• Sun protection and rain poncho

Ayahuasca — An Honest Word

Peru — especially the region around Iquitos — is the center of Ayahuasca tourism. Ayahuasca is a psychoactive plant brew that has been used for thousands of years by indigenous shamans in healing ceremonies. In recent years, there has been a real boom, with hundreds of "retreats" and "ceremonies" for Western tourists.

What you should know:

• Ayahuasca is legal in Peru and culturally rooted
• The experience is intense and unpredictable: strong hallucinations, vomiting (“purge”), emotional extreme experiences
• There are serious providers with experienced shamans and medical supervision — but also many unscrupulous ones looking for quick money
• There have been fatalities and serious incidents, often with providers without medical supervision or with interactions with medications (SSRI antidepressants are particularly dangerous!)
• Research thoroughly, choose only providers with good references, medical screening, and emergency protocol