Frequently Asked Questions

The Hummingbird Center is located 14 KM outside of Iquitos, Peru. We are 3 KM off the main road set in the Amazon jungle. To get here, you will first need to fly into Lima, Peru, and then fly on to Iquitos. See our Traveling to Iquitos page for details.

The Hummingbird is a family owned and operated business, run by Jim and Gina Davis since 2010. Gina was born and raised in Iquitos, so this is a Peruvian family business. Guiding people through a deep healing and transformation process with ayahuasca has been their full time work since opening.

Jim had his own 30 year struggle with depression, and after a decade of dedicated work to find relief, discovered ayahuasca. He had a radical healing in his third ceremony that completely removed the last of his depression. That remarkable experience led him to learn more about ayahuasca, and eventually led him to owning the Hummingbird Center.

From the beginning the Hummingbird has been dedicated to helping people with fairly serious problems find relief. We have always had 3 and 4 week stays for people that needed deep healing, focused on dietas with other medicine plants. After careful screening, we often work with people that will not pass the screening process of the larger and better known centers.

Jim has personally guided over 250 people through a 3-4 week program, mostly for depression, anxiety and truama.

Our curandero Manain is from the Mestizo tradition and has over 40 years of experience. He has been working with us for over 8 years. With Manain, Gina and Jim, you get a team with exceptional experience and skill.

The Hummingbird also works with Huachuma, also known as the San Pedro cactus. We have worked with both ayahuasca and huachuma since opening. Huachuma and ayahuasca are complementary and synergistic.

These powerful medicine spirits of Peru know they are working together, and many find their ceremony with huachuma the most transformative experience of their lives.

We limit our retreats to a maximum of 10 people to ensure everyone gets the care and attention they need, both in and out of ceremony.

Jim and Gina's family live at the retreat center with their son, his wife and daugher. A total of five of us live in our private home on the property. All of us work together running the center.

We also have three German Shephard dogs. They are friendly and playful, and for some, add to the healing experience in a significant way.

Both English and Spanish are spoken. Manain, our curandero, only speaks Spanish. The retreat is run in English, but we have accepted people that only speak Spanish and translate as we go. Note we cannot translate everything, and some information is lost. It is best to have good English skills to attend our retreats.

For citizens of many countries, such as the USA, Canada, EU and many others, a 90 day tourist visa is granted on entry. Other countries must apply for a visa ahead of time at the nearest Peruvian embassy or consulate. Research online for the latest requirements for country who's passport you will be traveling with.

Peru requires you passport have at least 6 months of validity when entering the country. You will be denied entry at the Lima airport if your passport does not have at least six months left before it expires.

For our 7 - 12-day ayahuasca retreats you will be met at Las Terrazas restaurant at 10 am on the first day of your retreat. This map shows the location of the Las Terrazas on the "Boulevard", a park fronting the river a block from the Plaza de Armas, near the hotels and very easy to find. Let us know in advance if you have any problems making this time and place, and we will try to accommodate your schedule. Those on our immersion ayahuasca retreats are encouraged to begin with the 12 day program, as it works best. If that is not possible, we will work out pick up on an individual basis.

We leave for Iquitos around 10 am on the last day of your retreat. For example, if you are on a 12 day retreat that begins on the 1st of the month, you leave morning of the 12th. If you begin on the 15th, you would leave on the 26th. If on a 9 day retreat those dates would be the 9th and 23rd, respectively.

For those flying out the day you leave, it is best to pick a flight that departs after 12 pm. If you need an antigen Covid test within 24hrs, take that into account when scheduling your departure flight.

We recommend arriving the day before your retreat begins so you have a night to rest from your travels. We leave for the center at 10 am the first day of the retreat.

For hotel recommendations in Iquitos, please see our Air Travel and Hotels page. We cannot make any specific recommendations for Lima.

The weather in Iquitos, Peru does not change much, and highs are usually 30-33 C (89-94 F) with humidity 65-85%. August is the driest and sunniest time of the year. It is also the hottest. The rainy season usually begins in early December, and it tends to be cooler due to the cloud cover. Most of the rain comes in the night, and there are not many days with persistent rain so it is still easy getting around. The following website has charts of average weather conditions throughout the year and should help in your decision: Average Weather in Iquitos, Peru

Mosqitos are not a problem at the Hummingbird. For an unkown reason there just are not many mosquitos here. If you go a few kilometers away it may be very diffent. Malaria pills are not needed at our retreat center. Our family has lived on the property since 2010 and nobody has ever gotten malaria.

This is a matter of personal choice, but there is very little risk of acquiring tropical diseases if you are only traveling to our center. If you choose to vaccinate, do so at least two weeks before your first ayahuasca ceremony.

The Hummingbird ayahuasca retreat center has a no medication policy, with a few specific exceptions. For detailed information on this topic, please read our ayahuasca safety and advice page.

Yes you may. While we respect those traditions that do not allow it, we have never noticed any difference for the woman, or the ceremony as a whole that is outside of the normal variance of ayahuasca experience.

Mosquitoes are usually not a problem at the Hummingbird Center, but as we are in the jungle, they cannot be ruled out. The best natural defense is to begin taking lots of Vitamin B12 a few weeks before you travel. Natural repellants containing both citronella and eucalyptus works quite well. And, of course, consult your health advisor about precautions before you travel.

We use purified, bottled water at our center, so it is perfectly safe to drink.

All quests get a private room in one of our tambos (jungle hut) set in the jungle. Our tambos have two rooms, so depending on the number of people at the retreat you may have a neighbor.

Our rooms are simple, but comfortable. All rooms have a composting toilet, desk and chair, shelves for your clothes and belongings and a bed with a high quality and very comfortable mattress. A hammock may be put up inside your room on request. We have a shared shower area near our maloca. Our Photo Gallery has many pictures of the tambos so you can see where you will be staying.

The Hummingbird Center has reasonable speed Wi-Fi access through Starlink that is available in the common area. Though it is available, we encourage people to set their phones aside, disconnect from the outside world, go inward and focus on the work they have come to do. An occasional check-in back home is fine, but unless there is good reason to do so, you will get much more from your retreat if you do not engage with the distractions of the internet, email, and social media.

We have lights in all of the rooms and throughout the grounds, but they are powered by a generator which only runs in the mornings and evenings. We have a charging station where you may charge batteries, phones, laptops etc. In the evenings without ceremony, the lights will available until 10 pm.

Laundry service is included in the price of the retreat. Clothes are washed by hand and line dried. How long it takes to dry depends on the material and the weather. Thick clothes such as jeans may take 3-4 days to dry if it is rainy.

We keep our retreat groups limited to no more than 10 people, so everyone receives the personal attention they need. This also makes it easy to find a quiet, private space outside of scheduled activities. Our maloca is large, so this also allows almost 3 meters between people during ceremony.

Yes, in fact we encourage it. Many people choose to not drink on ceremony night for a wide variety of reasons. Even without drinking, one still receives the healing benefits of ceremony, though not to the same degree.

Our core program is a 12 day retreat that includes six ayahuasca and one huachuma ceremony. The price is $2800. We offer shorter stays of 9 or 7 days withing that 12 day program.
9 day retreat - $2400
7 day retreat - $2000

We also offer 3 or 4 week Immersion retreats for those looking for a deeper experience with ayahuasca, or whose condition requires a longer treatment plan. This is typically those who have struggled with depression, anxiety and trauma for 10 years or more, and not yet found a lasting solution. It takes time to heal from long term problems.
3 Week Immersion Retreat - $4000
4 Week Immersion Retreat - $4900

How long of a retreat to choose is a very important decision. During the intake process we do our best to get a clear idea of what a person is looking for, and where they are at in their journey. We give an honest assesment of what length of stay we think would be best, to maximize the probability of lasting results. We to not try to push people into longer stays.

Everyone's journey with ayahuasca is different. To balance cost and time with results from ceremonies, one way is to allow yourself the option of extending your stay if you decide more time with ayahuasca would be beneficial. This does mean purchasing air fare where you can change your return date. This is a wonderful way of relieving the worry many feel about not getting what they are looking for in the time they have in the retreat.

The master plant dieta is a separate process where you drink a tea made from another medicine plant, and follow some very strict rules designed to minimize the energy that affects your body so the energy of the medicine plant and its spirit can do healing work. Anyone would benefit from this process. It is at the core of the Amazon healing tradition.

Traditionally, people that came to an ayahuasquero for healing did not drink ayahuasca. They participated in ceremony without drinking, and were prescribed a dieta with a plant chosen but the curandero, with the guidance of the medicine spirits.

A master plant dieta is challenging. Its hard. There is no question in our minds it is worthwhile, but it is only something one should enter if they are committed to finish it.

Breakfast is served at 8 am. Lunch at 12 pm, and dinner at 6 pm. We do not serve dinner on ceremony nights.

This is usually no problem at all. We regularly have clients who are vegetarian or vegan, gluten intolerant , or have other specific food allergies. For those with allergies we cook a separate meal excluding those ingredients they are allergic to.

Maybe, but only if you want to buy souvenirs from the Shipibos that come after San Pedro day. The large embroidered cloths (4'x4') cost 800 soles. Smaller ones begin at around 50. Prices for these cloths are based on the amount of work involved.

We do allow smoking, but not in any of the buildings or common areas where people congregate. We have a covered table outside specifically for smokers. We do not allow smoking in ceremony.