Amazon Basin - Peru - page 919

WARNING: AYAHUASCA

Throughout your travel in the Peruvian Amazon, you will come across numerous places offering the chance to
partake of ayahuasca . This is the derivative of a hallucinogenic jungle vine, used to attain a purgative trancelike
state by shamans (witch doctors) for centuries and now increasingly popular with Westerners. Ayahuasca is in-
variably taken as part of a ceremony that can last anything from hours to days, depending upon who is conducting
the rituals. Be wary of taking ayahuasca: it can have serious side effects, including severe convulsions and dra-
matic rises in blood pressure. If mixed with the wrong substances, it has even been known to be fatal.

Also be sure to do your research into the ceremony you're signing up for: among some shamans offering a
genuine ritualistic experience (although even so the afore-mentioned health risks still apply) there are charlatans
out there who have also been known to rob and on occasion rape unsuspecting gringos under the influence. As
well as a number of independently operating shamans, the vast majority of jungle lodges offer ayahuasca cere-
monies and many of these lodges are reviewed in this chapter, although not because they offer these ceremonies.
Lonely Planet does not recommend taking ayahuasca and those who wish to, do so at their own risk.

Courses

Tambopata Hostel
Offline map
( 57-4201; www.tambopatahostel.com ; Av 26 de Diciembre 234) Tambopata Hostel
can arrange fun salsa classes, basic Spanish lessons and Peruvian cookery classes for very
reasonable prices.

LANGUAGE COURSE

Tours & Guides
Most visitors arrive with prearranged tours and stay at a jungle lodge − which is conveni-
ent but by no means the only possibility. You can also arrange a tour upon arrival by going
to the lodge offices in town, where you might get a small discount on a tour that would
cost more in Lima or Cuzco. You can also look for an independent guide. Bear in mind
that choosing one not affiliated to a lodge, or one without a license, does give you less re-
course in the event of a disastrous trip.
Choosing a guide is a lottery: they'll offer you tours for less, but stories of bad inde-
pendent guides are not uncommon. Beware of guides at the airport, who often take you to
a 'recommended' hotel (and collect a commission) and then hound you throughout your
stay. There are crooked operators out there, too. Shop around, don't prepay for any tour
and, if paying an advance deposit, insist on a signed receipt. If you agree to a boat driver's