SpiritQuest Shamanic Sanctuary

Rio Momon, near Iquitos, Loreto

Ayahuasca and huachuma (San Pedro) sanctuary on the Momon River near Iquitos, founded by biologist Don Howard Lawler in 1995 and led since his death in 2019 by Don Rober Acho Jarama and family.

Details from the centre's own website and independent sources, read 28 Sep 2026.

The legal position in Peru

In 2008 Peru's National Institute of Culture declared the traditional knowledge and uses of ayahuasca by native Amazonian communities Cultural Heritage of the Nation. The declaration protects traditional use and contrasts it with decontextualised commercial use; it does not license retreats. No authority inspects retreat centres, so standards vary between operators, and legality says nothing about safety.

The law and every listed centre in Peru

Programmes and cost

Prices and formats as published by the operator on the date shown. They change, so confirm directly before budgeting. We never estimate a price that is not published.

Also offers

• Huachuma (San Pedro)
• Bobinsana
• Mapacho tobacco

Peyote.com lists this centre for ayahuasca only: we have not assessed these offerings, and they are not part of this listing.

Screening, as the centre describes it

"a detailed written screening questionnaire to help us get acquainted with you and to assure your safety and suitability for our work." "We are selective when it comes to accepting applicants." Medication (read 2026-10-03): "The combination of specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, such as Prozac) and most other antidepressants with Ayahuasca or other MAOIs can cause life support emergencies or death."

The cited ayahuasca safety facts to check it against

What a ayahuasca retreat involves

The typical shape of this kind of programme. Use it as a checklist to ask against, not as this centre's timetable.

1. Before arrivalMedical and psychiatric screening, and a dieta, commonly restricting alcohol, recreational drugs, pork, fermented foods, salt and sugar, and sexual activity. SSRIs and MAOIs must be resolved with a clinician well in advance.
2. Day 1Arrival, orientation, one-to-one consultation with the healers, intention setting. No ceremony.
3. Ceremony daysLight plant-based breakfast, integration workshop mid-morning, light lunch, rest and fasting through the afternoon, pre-ceremony yoga around 6:30pm, ceremony from roughly 7:30pm running several hours.
4. Rest daysCeremonies alternate with rest days: group sharing circles, flower baths, healer consults, bodywork, and time to do nothing.
5. Final dayClosing circle and integration planning. Most centres advise against flying the same day.
6. AfterIntegration support varies enormously, from a single follow-up call to a year of community access. This is the single biggest quality differentiator and the least advertised.

Compare side by side: SpiritQuest Shamanic vs Temple of the Way of Light

Sources for this profile

• Ayahuasca Program Agenda · Centre's own site, read 28 Sep 2026
• Calendar · Centre's own site, read 28 Sep 2026
• Howard Lawler interview - Bardo Methodology · Press, read 28 Sep 2026
• SpiritQuest ayahuasca deep dive · Centre's own site, read 3 Oct 2026

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