AMAZON WITCH'S DEN - AWD
AWD is the twin initiative of Parign Hak-Grandma's Home. It is a still tiny, non-commercial Ayahuasca retreat center owned and run by Jessica Bertram, the co-founder of Parign Hak. See her full bio here.
Nestled in between two major natural protected areas, the Manu Biosphere Reserve (with Manu National Park at its core) and the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve (the ancestral homeland of the indigenous Harakbut people), in the Southeastern Peruvian Amazon, a rainforest region known worldwide for its extreme biodiversity, AWD is located at about an hour away from Parign Hak, off the Manu road and up on a tributary of the Upper Madre de Dios river, on the edge of the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve.
AWD sits on 16 hectars of privately owned mountain rainforest that was partially cleared for agriculture, and also selectively logged over 30 yrs ago. The forest has since been recovering naturally, and since Jessica purchased the land in early 2020, she has been speeding up its process of natural recovery by planting hundreds of timber trees and doing small-scale sustainable farming on the land that does not require slash-and-burn practice or the use of any agrochemicals. There a lots of banana plants, manioc, fruit trees, pineapple and timber trees alongside many medicinal plants, both wild and planted, growing on the premises. Over the past four years of sustainable use, many bird and mammal species previously absent from the surrounding forest have now reappeared and can be observed on a regular basis. Over 70 different bird species and six different monkey species have been recorded on the land, topped up by rodents, peccary, deer, tapir and jaguar. There are many trails that can be explored, and several crystal-clear forest streams to soak in under the canopy when temperatures get hot.
AWD has been created to meet the increasing number of inquiries for stays both extended and shorter than the standard monthly 8-day-long retreat offered at Parign Hak - Grandma's Home. These stays can be arranged leading up to or following a retreat at Parign Hak, or independently, based on individual needs and desires.
AWD features a ceremonial maloca, one spacious visitors cabin with a private bathroom, flush toilet and shower, and a small hut for local personnel to stay whenever there are visitors around. Hammocks are available upon request.
On ceremony days, the Parign Hak - Grandma's Home team gets together at AWD to join forces in ceremony.
At AWD, people can deepen their retreat experience, immerse themselves even more into the amazing nature of the rainforest, or even undertake a master plant dieta in the Shipibo tradition.
As a female-run initiative, the main focus at AWD is on empowering women in a safe and intimate setting, although male visitors are just as welcome.
Please get in touch hitting the contact button below to learn more details on availability and dates.
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