Our Location

Casa Del Maestro is located outside of Genaro Herrera, Peru, a small river village with an estimated population of 5,000 people.

The village sits on the banks of the Ucayali River, one of the main tributaries that forms the Amazon. The Ucayali region, including Herrera, is home to well-established traditions of plant medicine. Maestro Alberto was born in Genaro Herrera and maintains a respected reputation in the region as a premiere ayahuasca healer.

ABOUT GENARO HERRERA

The village was founded in the early 1950’s and named after Peruvian literary figure, Ernesto Genaro Herrera Torres, who was a respected voice and documenter of local Amazonian culture. Much of the surrounding countryside is utilized for cattle ranching and making buffalo cheese. Maestro Alberto and his family keep a buffalo herd, as do many of his neighbors.

There’s a nearby I.I.A.P outpost (Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana), a government organization that focuses on scientific research, sustainable development, and natural resource management. Herrera is not far from Peru’s largest Amazonian reserve, Pacaya Samira.

Docks at the village of Genaro Herrera, near Casa del Maestro ayahuasca retreat, showing people arriving and unloading items on the bank of the Ucayali river.

Street scene in a the small Amazonian village of Genaro Herrera, with a few people walking and riding bikes, blue sky, on the way to Casa del Maestro plant medicine retreat center.

Group of black water buffalo gathered in a field with a morning sun in the sky, behind a barbed wire fence, on the property of Don Alberto, ayahuasquero.

Orange and pink sunrise in the Amazon over a cleared field, on Maestro Don Alberto's retreat center in Peru.

Group of ayahuasca retreat participants standing in a field with a large tree in the distance under a cloudy sky.

Stormy sky over a cleared field in the Amazon in Peru.

Bright red and orange sunset sky over a partially cleared field, jungle canopy in the background.

THE LAND AT CASA DEL MAESTRO

We are one of the last establishments along the roadway before reaching the frontier with Brazil.

When you come here, you are coming to ancestral lands where ayahuasca has been utilized for generations. There is deep jungle in all directions . . .

The property is a multi-use space that includes the main ayahuasca camp, pasture, cultivated plots, several ponds, and a parcel of jungle. There are trails, medicinal and horticultural plants, domesticated animals, and ample space for nature, solitude, and reflection.

RETREAT CENTER FEATURES
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Accommodations: Simple, spacious, and clean. Guests enjoy private rooms in shared bungalows with shared bathroom facilities.

Bathrooms: Modern toilets, showers, and sinks supplied by our onsite well and supported by a septic field.

Electricity: Solar panels provide power for recharging devices, lights throughout the buildings, a small refrigerator, and kitchen appliances.

Cell Service: Mobile service reaches the center for both Bitel and Claro carriers. There is no WiFi, so we suggest getting an international data plan or purchasing a local SIM.

Drinking Water: Fresh drinking water dispensers are available throughout the property. Bottled water can be purchased for 3 Soles (less than $1).

Laundry & Linen Service: Laundry service is provided. Hand-washed and line-dried. Rooms will be serviced daily.

Hammock Lounges: Comfy hammocks are available in the main guest building as well as the maloca.

Library: A selection of books with spiritual, non-fiction, and fiction titles, many of which have been left by former guests for the next traveler.

Retreats Overview ❃

A round maloca with a thatched roof, surrounded by shrubbery, with a deck and railing, under a cloudy blue sky at Casa del Maestro ayahuasca retreat.

Retreat guests sitting on chairs and mattresses inside a maloca with a thatched roof, preparing for an ayahuasca ceremony at Casa del Maestro.

A long wooden house for guest accommodations at Casa del Maestro, surrounded by plant foliage and a cloudy sky.

Retreat guests relaxing in hammocks inside a rustic wooden shelter with a metal roof and wooden floor, at Casa del Maestro ayahuasca center.

A guest bedroom with wooden walls and floors, a bed covered with a blue mosquito net, a blue plastic chair, a black mat with a white rolled towel, a small window with glass blocks at Casa del Maestro ayahuasca retreat center.

Public bathrooms with individual shower stalls separated by partial walls and blue shower curtains, beige tiled walls and floor, thatched roof, and bathroom essentials like toilet paper and buckets.

Wood-paneled room with a small wooden bookshelf, a blue bucket on top, and a doorway with a blue patterned curtain at Casa del Maestro ayahuasca retreat center in Peru.

A small restroom with tiled beige walls and floor, a white toilet with a box of tissues on top, a green trash bin to the left, and a wall-mounted toilet paper dispenser to the right.

A traditional Peruvian jungle house with a wooden railing and a thatched roof, elevated on stilts, surrounded by grass and small plants, under a blue sky at Casa del Maestro ayahuasca retreat center in Peru.

Dining and lounge area at Casa del Maestro ayahuasca retreat center in Peru, with a long table covered with a patterned tablecloth, set with glasses, plates, and utensils. The space has a thatched roof, wooden floors, and surrounded by greenery.

Sunset over a peaceful pond with reflections of trees and a wooden house on the left, and a sky painted with pink and orange hues, at Casa del Maestro ayahuasca retreat center in Peru.

A thatched-roof open traditional ayahuasca cook house, with wooden railings, surrounded by young plants, under a colorful sunset sky at Casa del Maestro retreat center in Peru.

THE JOURNEY TO GET HERE

Our trip begins in Iquitos, where we meet on the first day. After introductions, we’ll take a 90-minute bus ride to Nauta, a port town located south along the highway.

From Nauta, we transfer to a speed boat and are on the water around 1:30 pm. Lunch is served, and for the remainder of the journey, relax into the scenery as we follow the Ucayali upriver.

Upon arrival to Herrera, the Casa Del Maestro family will be waiting to greet us, help with luggage, and take us to the medicine center for the journey ahead . . .