Mahāvana Foundation

03/05/2025

By Sanaka Rsi : ✌️🙂♥️
I visited Pran Gopal in his jungle hermitage in January 2025 and stayed for about a week.
It was a much-needed period of solitary introspection—completely cut off from the world. No internet, no phone, no distractions.
Just space to reflect deeply on my life, my choices, and my direction.

The setting was ideal. I stayed in a simple hut nestled in the jungle. My only human contact came from brief, quiet exchanges with Pran Gopal when he brought me lunch each day. I was also visited daily by a troop of small, very cute monkeys, whose presence was oddly comforting.
At night, the jungle came alive with the hauntingly beautiful calls of countless mysterious creatures and birds.

The retreat led to something entirely unexpected.
In the stillness, I came to recognize the importance of trying to mend a meaningful friendship I had lost.

I reached out to apologize, not expecting much—but what followed was something I hadn’t dared to hope for: a heartwarming, deeply healing reunion.

Pran Gopal was a wonderful host. He has many admirable qualities, but what stood out most to me was his deeply accepting and non-judgmental nature.

30/01/2025

"Sevan Mercy shares heartfelt reflections on her journey at our Mahavana Foundation, offering wisdom and inspiration along the way."
" I could not have asked for, or planned for, a more beneficial experience. My partner and I found Mahavana foundation via a dear friend of mine who sat with Peter last year and had wonderful things to say. Trusting this friend, my partner and I decided to go here out of the many other retreat centers we looked at and considered. I’m so, so glad for this.
Immediately upon exiting the thick jungle path from the river to his place on the land, I was soothed by a sense of safety. Not once during the duration of our stay did I ever feel afraid or nervous (which is a lot coming from me, a U.S. living in a “rough” neighborhood). Spending my days in my private tambo with no walls, just a screen between me and the flora and fauna of the Amazon, I was continually astounded by the glory of nature and felt grateful to get to be so close to it.

Peter offers a traditional dieta, which to me, is what you want if you’re truly looking to deepen your relationship with yourself, these plant teachers, and your path. There are no jungle tours, or yoga classes to fill your time and distract you. It’s just you, the plants, and the jungle.

The container in this truly beautiful part of the Amazon- thriving and pulsing with life, and the solitude of the traditional dieta, paired with simple and nourishing meals, is the perfect recipe for a profound and transformative experience.

Peter’s wisdom is as potent as he is humble. He exudes calm, grounding, seasoned energy that made me feel confident in my own innate wisdom and medicine. His words are never pedantic or preachy, he doesn’t interfere with your own process, and says just the right thing in a straight forward and simple way. Like a good teacher, he doesn’t tell you, he creates the right environment for you to discover for yourself.

Oh, and his songs!
The icaros are deeply moving.

You may already know that Ayahusca is not a cure all, and that often we’re left with more questions than answers. You may know that what we’re shown and what we encounter in ceremony is half of the medicine, and the other half happens in the weeks, months, years to come.

With that in mind, this place, this dieta, this experience, this person, will hold a very special place in my heart and soul as I continue to unravel the mysteries I encountered and allow them to inform how I live my life for myself, my loved ones, and for a better world. ✌️♥️

13/12/2024

Pedro • Dec 13, 2024
A must go place! Amazing experience
A first timer doing Ayahuasca I’ve couldn’t have pick a better place do do the dieta and ceremonies. I spend 14 days here and this place is magical, the level of love and care that Peter and Claudia put into what they do is unbeatable. The isolation was definitely the most challenging part for me and I don’t think I would have done it without Peter’s support who would give insights as to how to work with my thoughts and meditation techniques, he is a very wise man. They also have two amazing dogs, bully and Momo that I already miss. The ceremonies are intimate and I felt really safe doing it. Peter’s Icaros are really powerful. Plus, it is a lovely journey to get to Peter’s place. A must go place! 😁

01/09/2024

The insights and healing we experienced as a group will resonate with me for a long time, and I hope they do for you as well.
May the lessons we learned continue to guide us on our individual paths, and may we carry the spirit of this ceremony with us in our daily lives. ✌️🙂♥️

05/08/2024

Honored to have shared this transformative experience. Thank you for your openness, wisdom and support.
When you dive deep, you find treasures that can’t be seen from the surface.✌️🙂♥️

22/07/2024

I had an incredible experience at Mahāvana Foundation. Pran is an excellent guide through the medicine journey, with an obvious intuitive understanding of how to approach each individual who enters his space. As a beginner in working with Amazonian plant medicine, I felt absolutely safe and well cared for the entire time I was there, and left the experience with an incredibly valuable perspective and a sense of deep healing that has positively impacted my life moving forward. I'd highly recommend Mahāvana Foundation to anyone seeking a supportive space for dieta and connection with plant teachers. Cynthia
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09/07/2024

Dearest Peter & Anna

Here is my review of my time with you in your beautiful slice of heaven

I had decided quite some time ago I wanted to go to Peru but having heard some worrying accounts of different places I was reluctant to go on my own.
When I saw Peter was building a retreat I instantly knew I would go there.

I briefly had met Peter in Glastonbury 11 years ago .
I knew he was a very safe energy.

In may of this year I made the trip to Iquitos and was met by Peter who accompanied me back to his beautiful place.

I can’t begin to explain what he and Anna have created you can only experience it.
They have created a safe non toxic held environment for dieta where you are not starving and you are invited to sit with Ayahuasca .
A completely different approach to what I had heard from others that had been to Peru.
The focus is on the master plant which you are dieting and the process which you are going through.
This approach really helped me to realise I do not need to do absolutely everything I can choose.

I did 16 days dieta and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever willingly done.
The solitude is extremely challenging- I live alone & I love my own company but this is different- zero distraction just you and your trauma.

The ceremonies were difficult but I built up a relationship with the medicine and we worked in sync.
She would allow me to rest and recover between processes.

Peter & Anna are so tentative without being invasive, they know what you need , support, silence . They really are so intuitive.
Not once did I feel uncomfortable with them .
They have the most incredible well behaved dogs who I miss
I(i will spell this wrong )
Moomoo & Bully

I can not thank them enough for walking beside me through my own personal hell.

On coming home I am completely different, it’s like I’m the old me before the s**t but with wisdom .

I want to live to experience life and to really delve in with an open heart

Will I go back?
I left a piece of my heart there
I am definitely going back in 2026

All of my love

Phoenix-Rose

02/07/2024

Dear friends, I am announcing our new website,done by the amazing Anna! ✌️🙂♥️

Experience profound healing and transformation with individualized retreats at Mahāvana Foundation in the heart of the Peruvian Amazon. Combining traditional Amazonian healing practices with wisdom traditions of the East.

11/05/2024

Beautiful experience 🤍
I had a beautiful and transformative week at Mahavana Foundation with Peter and Anna.
There are hundreds of options for plant medicine retreat centres in Peru and it can get extremely overwhelming - but here are some reasons why Mahavana is unique and stands out from the rest:

• Peter and Anna are both incredibly wise, caring, and highly experienced; and you can absolutely trust them with your journeys.
• The retreat is intimate and private, which is a rare and valuable quality. Most other centers pump out 15-25 participants per ceremony, which can be hectic and challenging especially for introverts.
• Peter, as a shaman, really honours your intuition and welcomes you to listen to your body, instead of enforcing a strict schedule like most of the other centers. He welcomed me tune into myself, and choose when and what to partake in.
• Anna has extensive background in psychology coupled with years of professional experience as a facilitator across multiple ayahuasca centres. I found our conversations extremely helpful to process my experiences.
• Both Peter and Anna are very grounded and meditative in their approach, so it's great for people who can benefit from that energy and stay rooted in the present.

Furthermore, I found it extremely helpful that the shaman was well versed in the transmission of the plants as well as western psychology, so that integration can be more graceful in my life.

About the facilities, the tambo is spacious and equipped with thoughtful touches like a water gallon. The food was prepared with care and variety. Last but not least, they have some of the most loving pets I have ever met in my life; two happy dogs and a cat that loves you for no reason and support your process.
I definitely recommend this place wholeheartedly. 🤍

01/05/2024

Perfect!! Loved it at Mahāvana
Hi everyone, my name is Niels, from the Netherlands, I just finished my 3 weeks masterplant dieta at Mahāvana. Having experience with ayahuasca but not with the dieta, I was searching for a small and save place to go in the Peruvian jungle and follow a masterplant dieta. Searching on internet I found Mahāvana foundation and it instantly felt good. I had a video call with Peter, and afterwards decided that it was the right place for me to go, then booked my tickets. I slept one night in Iquitos after the travel (close to the airport) and next morning being picked up by Anna at my hostel. We took the motortaxi to the boat and then travelled to the jungle where Peter and their lovely dogs where waiting for us. The last part to the center was an easy walk thru the jungle if it wasn’t for me wearing my flipflops ( suggested to bring crocs :)
Warm welcome at their jungle house where we ate nice lunch and then I got shown my tambo (hut) for my stay.

The next morning started with a kambo ceremony and in the evening the first ayahuasca ceremony. Peter and Anna are really friendly and they are always there for you if you need something or need to share something. They are really helpful in your process and guide you through. The rest of your journey is up to you. The ceremonies are guided by Peter singing his beautiful icaros and playing his drum and chakapa. Peter was a mestizos maestro student.
The food you get served during your dieta is tasty and portions are as big as you can or want to eat. The medicine that Peter cooks traditionally is strong.

I had some more difficulty times during my 3 weeks dieta, (which was a good thing) but overall I feel rested, heeled and awakened. I stayed a few days after the dieta and could hang out with Peter, Anna and their lovely animals. I’m going to miss them all!!!

I would definitely suggest to go here if you’re looking for a small ayahuasca center, with super friendly, English speaking people, in an unspoiled and authentic environment.

Much love for Mahāvana foundation family!💚

15/04/2024

Dear friends, I am pleased to announce that the project of building a new medicine kitchen at our Mahāvana Foundation centre is now complete.
In less then 2 minutes, the video will show you the entire process of how we constructed the medicine kitchen in the Amazon rainforest, Peru.

14/04/2024

Experience of master plant dieta @ by Mladen from Croatia ✌️🙂♥️
1 day in jungle = Life longer 1 year
After arriving in center I was impressed how emerged we are in jungle. All houses has no walls, only mosquito nests, so feeling of open space and feeling of jungle around us is astonishing. The entire center is completely isolated from civilization, and there's no other way but to fully connect with the jungle. Besides merging with the jungle, we all experience facing ourselves. La Dieta is not an easy process at all, but as I wrote in the title, I literally believe that 1 day spent there extends my life by 1 year. The hosts were available to us in every aspect, and all I can say are words of gratitude and admiration. The food is awful, but that's not the fault of the center and the hosts but the definition of "La Dieta," which requires food without salt and sugar. Personally, it opened my eyes to how much salt actually means in my daily diet. Apart from losing 5kg in 10 days, I quit smoking to***co, stopped consuming sweets, and everyone who sees me tells me that I am very calm and relaxed. I definitely plan to repeat "La Dieta" after some time because it can only bring me good. I would also recommend to everyone who is hesitant to experience this because it's really worth a lot of benefits for both the psyche and the body of a person. Peter, Ana, Mihaela, and Lena, thank you for sharing such a wonderful experience worth remembering for a lifetime.
Ah Peter
For Peter, words are not enough. The understanding I see in his eyes, the empathy I feel when I'm in distress, the beauty and tenderness of his verses and his voice as he sings us icaros, the security I feel knowing he watches over us – all of this only partially captures how great this man is and how much wisdom he holds within. Peter, thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Ana the Boss ;)
When I told Anna, "Thank you for everything you do," she was surprised, wondering why I was thanking her, claiming she hadn't done anything. I had to remind her then that all the little things she does make a huge difference in the bigger picture. Anna, thank you because of you I had peace knowing my girlfriend was okay. Thank you for giving me the feeling that if I needed to talk, you were there for me. I apologize if I was awkward by saying I didn't see what I could solve with you that I wasn't already solving with ayahuasca, and I want you to know that regardless of my response, the feeling that you were there for me meant a lot to me. Anna, just like Peter, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You both will stay in my memory for a lifetime.