7-Day Ayahuasca Retreat in Peru: What to Expect

A detailed look inside the Seven Retreats process – ceremonies, preparation, integration, lodging, support, and the Patacancha cultural excursion in Peru’s Sacred Valley.

Retreat Overview

Seven’s 7-day ayahuasca retreat in Peru is a carefully held process. It is not simply a series of ceremonies, and it is not an improvised retreat experience.

Every part of the week has a purpose:

The preparation before arrival
The private meetings with the Seven team
The sequence of plant medicines
The rest between ceremonies
The group shares
The Patacancha excursion
The lodge environment
The meals
The post-retreat integration support

The medicine is powerful, but the container matters. At Seven, that container is built through experienced indigenous maestros, small groups, medical screening, preparation guidance, personal support, and a retreat rhythm designed to help guests move through the process with clarity and responsibility.

What’s Included in the 7-Day Retreat

This retreat is designed as a complete process. The ceremonies are central, but they are supported by preparation, cleansing, rest, integration, cultural connection, and a peaceful lodge environment in the Sacred Valley.

Ceremonies

Support

Stay

Experience

The 7-Day Retreat Flow

The exact timing of a retreat may shift depending on the group, the maestros, the weather, and what is needed during the process. The outline below gives you a realistic sense of the rhythm of the 7-day retreat.

This is not a rushed schedule. Ceremony, cleansing, rest, food, sharing, nature, and integration all have their place.

Day 1 - Arrival, Private Meetings, and Rapé Ceremony

The retreat begins with pickup in Cusco and arrival at the lodge in the Sacred Valley. Guests are welcomed, served lunch, and given time to settle into the space.

In the afternoon, each guest meets privately with the Seven team to discuss their intentions and any questions.

Later in the afternoon we gather for the first ceremony of the retreat, the Rapeh ceremony.

Day 2 - Lemongrass Cleansing and First Ayahuasca Ceremony

Day 2 begins with the Lemongrass cleansing. This is one of the first important challenges of the retreat and part of preparing the body before Ayahuasca.

Later in the day, guests receive a preparation talk for the first Ayahuasca ceremony. This talk explains how to approach the ceremony space, how to work with difficult moments, and how to begin building a respectful relationship with the medicine. This talk leads straight into the evening for the beginning of the first Ayahuasca Ceremony

The first Ayahuasca ceremony is the first real encounter between the guest, the medicine, and the maestros.

Day 3 - Group Share and Second Ayahuasca Ceremony

The morning after the first Ayahuasca ceremony, the group gathers with the Seven team for a group share. Guests may speak about what they experienced, what they learned, what confused them, and what they are still processing.

After the group share, we have lunch and dedicate the rest of the afternoon to rest. Later that evening, the second Ayahuasca ceremony gives the opportunity to go deeper, now with more trust in the space, the team, and the medicine.

Day 4 - Patacancha Excursion and Integration Through Culture

Day 4 is the first day without plant medicine ceremonies. This pause is intentional.

After two Ayahuasca ceremonies, guests are often sensitive, tired, and deep in their process. Instead of taking guests into crowded tourist sites or physically overwhelming hikes, Seven visits Patacancha, a remote high-Andes community outside Ollantaytambo.

The day offers fresh mountain air, culture, simplicity, community, and a grounded connection to the living Andes. After returning to the lodge, guests have time to use the jacuzzi and sauna, eat dinner, and rest.

Day 5 - Group Share, Floral Bath, and Final Ayahuasca Ceremony

Day 5 includes another group share and time to continue integrating the previous ceremonies.

Before the final Ayahuasca ceremony, guests receive a floral bath prepared by the maestros.

The third Ayahuasca ceremony completes the Ayahuasca portion of the retreat and begins to point the process toward responsibility, clarity, and life after the retreat.

Day 6 - Huachuma Ceremony and Integration Talk

The final full day of the retreat is centered around Huachuma, also known as San Pedro. Where the Ayahuasca ceremonies take place at night, the Huachuma ceremony is held during the day.

The day closes with ceremony closing, an integration talk, a gift ceremony, and dinner.

Day 7 - Conclusions and Departure

The final morning is for breakfast, group photo, conclusions, and checkout.

Guests leave with post-retreat guidance and a clearer understanding of how to continue the work at home. The retreat does not end when the ceremonies end. Integration continues through diet, choices, habits, relationships, and daily life.

Want the Full Retreat Guide?

For guests who want a deeper look before booking, we provide a comprehensive retreat guide with the full itinerary, lodging details, medicine structure, support process, preparation guidance, logistics, pricing, and safety requirements.

This guide is especially useful if you are detail-oriented, attending an ayahuasca retreat for the first time, or want to understand the full Seven Retreats process before booking or speaking with our team.

The Medicines and Treatment Structure

The plant medicines offered at Seven are not placed randomly. Each medicine has a role. Each ceremony has timing. Each rest period matters.

The retreat is designed as a complete process: opening, cleansing, meeting the medicine, going deeper, resting, integrating, and returning home with greater clarity.

Rapeh - Opening and Grounding

Rapeh is the first ceremony of the retreat. It is a traditional Amazonian plant preparation used to support grounding, presence, focus, and mental stillness.

At Seven, Rapeh helps guests arrive more fully into the retreat space. It marks the beginning of the process and prepares the body and mind for the work ahead.

Lemongrass Cleansing - Preparing the Body

The Lemongrass cleansing takes place before the first Ayahuasca ceremony. It is a physically demanding but important part of the retreat structure.

This cleansing helps guests begin the process of release before drinking Ayahuasca. It is also the first confrontation with resistance, discipline, and surrender – qualities that matter throughout the retreat.

At Seven, preparation is not treated as optional. The body, mind, and spirit all participate in the process.

Ayahuasca - A Spiritual, Sensory, Physical, and Emotional Experience

Trying to put the experience of drinking Ayahuasca into words is difficult. Each ceremony is different, and no two guests experience the medicine in exactly the same way.

At Seven, Ayahuasca is held by experienced maestros who understand how to work with the medicine responsibly. The ceremonies are not treated as performance, entertainment, or escape. They are serious spaces for cleansing, self-honesty, learning, and transformation through direct experience.

For more information about Ayahuasca and an outline of the 3 Ayahuasca Ceremonies during the retreat, refer to section 3.3: Ayahuasca in The Comprehensive Retreat Guide

Floral Bath - Cleansing and Renewal

The floral bath is prepared by the maestros using plants, flowers, salts, and perfumes. It is given before the final Ayahuasca ceremony to support cleansing, calm, gratitude, and renewal.

This is a quiet but important part of the retreat. It helps guests enter the final ceremony with more peace and presence.

Huachuma / San Pedro - Grounding and Integration

Huachuma, also known as San Pedro, is the final plant medicine ceremony of the retreat.

Where Ayahuasca often takes guests inward, Huachuma supports an outward expansion into nature, simplicity, compassion, and perspective. It is a medicine of the heart and the Earth.

At Seven, Huachuma opens the integration process. It helps guests begin to ground what they learned during the Ayahuasca ceremonies and relate those teachings to daily life.

Before You Arrive: Preparation, Screening, and Support

Seven’s support begins before guests arrive in Peru. We want each person to understand the retreat clearly, ask questions freely, and move forward only if the process is appropriate for them.

We do not pressure people into booking. Conversations are transparent, direct, and meant to help you understand whether Seven is the right environment for your process.

Speak With Our Team

Before booking, guests are welcome to speak with the Seven team, ask questions, share their situation, and understand the retreat in more detail.

This conversation is not a sales pitch. It is a space for clarity.

Reserve Your Place

Once you feel clear, you may move to the Book your Retreat page, choose your retreat date and room option and place a $500 deposit to reserve your space.

Complete Your Medical Screening

After booking, guests complete a medical intake process with Seven’s health professional. This includes reviewing medical history, medications, contraindications, preparation diet, and safety requirements.

If a guest is not cleared for safety reasons after the medical intake, the deposit is refunded in full.

Your safety matters more than filling a retreat. If this work is not appropriate for you at this time, we will tell you.

How You Are Supported During the Retreat

Ayahuasca work can be physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually demanding. Support is not an extra feature at Seven – it is part of the structure of the retreat.

Guests are supported through private meetings, group shares, preparation talks, downtime, personal access to the team, and post-retreat guidance.

Private Meeting With the Seven Team

Upon arrival, each guest meets with the Seven team to discuss intentions, doubts, questions, and what they want to learn or work through during the retreat.

This helps the maestros and facilitators understand how to support each person throughout the week.

Group Shares

After ceremonies, the group gathers with the Seven team to share experiences, ask questions, and begin understanding what happened.

Group shares help guests put the pieces together. They also remind us that we learn from one another. Often, something another guest shares helps someone else understand their own process more clearly.

Downtime

Rest is part of the work.

Ayahuasca ceremonies can involve long nights, little sleep, emotional release, and deep reflection. Guests need time to nap, journal, sit in the garden, listen to the creek, walk slowly, or simply be quiet.

The retreat is intentionally designed to include enough space between ceremonies.

Supporting Activities

The retreat includes supporting activities that help balance the intensity of the medicine work. These include preparation talks, the Patacancha excursion, floral bath, jacuzzi and sauna, and integration guidance.

These activities are not distractions from the retreat. They help the process unfold with more balance.

24/7 Access to the Seven Team

During the retreat, guests have access to the Seven team for questions, private support, and additional guidance.

The team is present throughout the retreat process. Guests are not left alone to figure everything out by themselves.

Patacancha: A High-Andes Cultural Excursion

On Day 4 of the retreat, guests visit Patacancha, a remote indigenous community high in the Andes outside Ollantaytambo.

This excursion is not included as tourism or entertainment. It is part of the support strategy of the retreat.

After two Ayahuasca ceremonies, guests are often sensitive, tired, and deep in their process. Crowded archaeological sites or long hikes can be overwhelming at this stage. Patacancha offers something different: mountain air, simplicity, community, culture, and a grounded connection to the living Andes.

Why We Go

The retreat is an inward journey. At the same time, many guests are visiting Peru for the first time, and it matters to encounter the land and culture with respect.

Patacancha gives guests a peaceful way to connect with the Andes without turning the retreat into a tourist circuit. The experience brings perspective, humility, joy, and grounding at a moment when the group needs integration and space.

The Yupanqui Family

We visit the home of the Yupanqui family, close friends of the Seven team.

Juan is an expert farmer who works his potato fields and cares for his alpacas. Elena is an expert weaver who creates handmade textiles from their own alpaca wool.

Spending time with them is educational, wholesome, and deeply human. Their way of life offers a living example of simplicity, community, work, land, and joy.

The Experience

The group leaves the lodge in the morning and drives through rivers, waterfalls, mountain roads, and high-Andes landscapes.

Upon arrival, the family welcomes the group with traditional music and dance, followed by tea and snacks. Guests may visit the potato fields, learn about the agricultural work, help with the harvest or sowing depending on the season, spend time around the alpacas, share a traditional meal, and learn about the family’s textile work.

After the visit, the group returns to the lodge for dinner, jacuzzi, sauna, and rest.

The Retreat Environment

Seven hosts its retreats at Sacred Dreams Lodge, located outside Urubamba at the base of Pumahuanca mountain.

The lodge is surrounded by mountain views, eucalyptus trees, gardens, and quiet natural spaces. It is away from busy streets and city noise, yet close enough to Urubamba for practical needs and access to clinics.

The environment matters. Guests need a place where the body can rest, the nervous system can soften, and the mind has space to process what happens during the ceremonies.

A Quiet Sacred Valley Lodge

The property is made up of Andean-style houses placed throughout the grounds. The buildings are made with adobe, eucalyptus, and stone, blending naturally with the landscape.

Guests can walk through the gardens, sit in the sun, listen to the creek, rest between ceremonies, or spend quiet time journaling.

Private King Suite

The Private King Suite includes a king-sized bed, fireplace, living area, and large bathroom. Each suite is unique. Some are ground level, some have two stories, and some may include a bathtub or balcony depending on availability.

This option is best for guests who want privacy, more space, and deeper rest during the retreat.

Standard Double Room

The Standard Double Room includes two beds, a private bathroom, and an outdoor patio or balcony.

This option is designed for friends attending together or guests who are comfortable sharing a room with another retreat participant.