Caya Shobo — Varillal, Peru
A Shipibo Ayahuasca and Master Plant Dieta healing center in Varillal, Peru
Caya Shobo means House of Great Spirit. It is a Shipibo healing center in Peru, built around Ayahuasca and the Shipibo practice of Master Plant Dieta, in which a person works closely with a teacher plant under a shaman's guidance.
The center was formed by friends who began their own journeys with Ayahuasca as early as 1997. After years of exploring different Amazonian shamanic traditions, they encountered the Shipibo tradition in 2009, and Master Plant Dieta in particular. What they saw then shaped everything that followed: there was no really well-run Ayahuasca center focused on deep healing through Shipibo Dieta, and most operated in the space of what they call Ayahuasca tourism. They set out to build a sanctuary that honored the ancestral Shipibo tradition while keeping Western standards of care. Becky, one of the facilitators, is named on the site as an original co-founder.
The format is deliberately small. Retreats are limited to 12 guests, with a high ratio of healers and facilitators to guests. The 12-day retreat includes eight Ayahuasca ceremonies and a personalized Master Plant Dieta; the 5-day retreat includes four ceremonies and an introduction to Dieta. Around the ceremonies sit energy-cleansing flower baths, plant extracts, private talks with healers and facilitators, and conferences on Shipibo shamanic knowledge. The center says its facilitators bring more than 175 years of Shipibo healing experience, much of it from long, apprenticeship-style dietas with teacher plants over months and years.
The work begins before arrival and continues after departure. Every participant completes a health form before a reservation is confirmed, preparation guidelines pair the shamans' knowledge with the clinical experience of the Western facilitation team, and post-retreat integration support is part of each program. Retreat dates are listed from October 2026 through May 2027.
Traditions: Shipibo Shamanism, Ayahuasca, Master Plant Dieta, Icaros, Flower Baths
Programs: 12-Day Shipibo Ayahuasca Retreat with Master Plant Dieta, 5-Day Shipibo Ayahuasca Retreat with Intro to Master Plant Dieta, Ayahuasca Ceremony, Retreat Preparation, Energy-Cleansing Flower Baths, Shipibo Shamanic Knowledge Conferences, Healing Integration, At-Home Supported Cleanse