Arkana Spiritual Center

What Arkana Spiritual Center does

Arkana Spiritual Center is a privately held, founder-led wellness retreat operator that runs sacred-medicine ceremonies (ayahuasca, San Pedro, psilocybin, peyote, Bufo Alvarius, and temazcal) for international wellness tourists, primarily from the US and Europe. Founded in 2016 by José Sáenz — a Harvard MBA and former Lehman Brothers investment banker — the company runs four active retreat centers: two in Peru (Amazon Jungle near Iquitos and Sacred Valley near Cusco) and two in Mexico (Valle de Bravo and the Yucatan Peninsula), with a fifth site in Arenal, Costa Rica announced. Programs are offered in 4-, 7-, 14-, and 21-day formats with prices ranging from roughly US$1,980 to US$12,000, and are kept intentionally small (max ~25 guests, average ~14) to support high facilitator-to-guest ratios and medical oversight by board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Arturo Sáenz. Master Shipibo shamans, led by Maestra Justina (highest Meraya lineage, 45+ years of practice), anchor the ceremonial delivery, while the company's proprietary 8P Integration Method and lifetime post-retreat WhatsApp support structure its pre- and post-experience offering.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model, with discovery calls, SEO-led content marketing, organic social media (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Spotify), and direct website booking integrated with the Retreat.guru marketplace as the primary demand and conversion channels. All-inclusive pricing bundles ceremonies, accommodation, meals, airport transfers, excursions, and integration support, with optional Bufo Alvarius ceremonies (~US$300) and spa treatments as add-on revenue. Cumulative throughput exceeds 4,000 guests with 1,000+ five-star reviews across TripAdvisor, Google, AyaAdvisors, and Retreat.guru, including five consecutive TripAdvisor Travelers' Choice Awards. The company is wholly founder-owned with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and a small core management team; on-site shamanic and facilitator staff are engaged locally in each country. The technology footprint is limited to commodity tooling (HubSpot CRM, Google Analytics, Starlink connectivity, Webflow CMS), and there are no proprietary AI/ML systems or app products.

Name

Arkana Spiritual Center

Legal name

Arkana International

Website

https://arkanainternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Arkana Spiritual Center is a privately held, founder-led operator of ayahuasca, psilocybin, peyote, and Bufo Alvarius retreat programs across Peru, Mexico, and forthcoming Costa Rica, serving international wellness seekers through small-group, all-inclusive ceremonies led by Shipibo Master Shamans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plant-medicine wellness retreats

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Wellness & Integrative Health Retreats (THAGAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ayurveda & Traditional Medicine Retreats (THAGAMAF), Wellness Retreat Centers (Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness) (THAGAMAB), Wellness Retreats & Immersions (Multi-day, Digital Detox, Mind-Body Programs) (THAJAHAB)

Keywords

• Plant medicine retreats
• Ayahuasca ceremonies
• Wellness tourism
• Psychedelic retreats
• Integration support

Headquarters

HQ city

Iquitos

HQ country

Peru

HQ region

Latin America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. All-Inclusive Retreat Packages: Arkana generates revenue through all-inclusive retreat packages that bundle accommodation, ceremonies, meals, transportation, activities, and integration support. Pricing varies by location (Amazon vs Sacred Valley vs Mexico), retreat duration (7, 14, or 21 days), accommodation type (shared, private, luxury suite), and number of ceremonies included. Optional add-ons such as Bufo Alvarius ceremonies ($300) and spa treatments provide additional revenue streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Arkana Spiritual Center operates all-inclusive, multi-day sacred-medicine retreat programs held at its own facilities in the Peruvian Amazon and Sacred Valley and at Valle de Bravo and Yucatan in Mexico. Each retreat bundles traditional ceremonies (ayahuasca, San Pedro, hapé, psilocybin, peyote, Bufo Alvarius and/or temazcal) with accommodation, meals, airport transfers, yoga, breathwork, sound healing, excursions, medical screening and post-retreat integration support. Optional add-ons include Bufo Alvarius ceremonies and spa therapies, with custom Bespoke Retreats available on request.

Product overview

Arkana Spiritual Center operates a portfolio of sacred medicine retreat programs across Peru and Mexico, organized by location and duration. The core offering consists of ayahuasca retreats at two Peruvian sites: the Amazon Jungle near Iquitos and the Sacred Valley near Cusco, each available in 7, 14, and 21-day formats. A parallel line of psilocybin mushroom and Bufo Alvarius retreats operates in Mexico at Valle de Bravo and Yucatan. All retreats include ceremonies (ayahuasca, hapé, San Pedro, psilocybin, peyote, or Bufo depending on location), complementary practices (yoga, breathwork, sound healing), accommodation, meals, excursions, and integration support. Optional add-ons include Bufo Alvarius ceremonies and spa therapies. The company also offers fully custom Bespoke Retreats and is developing a new location in Costa Rica. Integration support via the 8P Method is included as a core service across all programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Amazon Ayahuasca Retreat Ayahuasca retreat program held deep in the Amazon rainforest near Iquitos, Peru, featuring traditional Shipibo ceremonies, jungle immersion, and 1-3 week program lengths. Targeted at individual wellness seekers.
• Sacred Valley Ayahuasca Retreat Ayahuasca retreat program nested in the Andes Mountains near Cusco, Peru, combining ayahuasca ceremonies with San Pedro cactus ceremonies and access to Incan sacred sites. Targeted at individual wellness seekers.
• Valle de Bravo Psilocybin Mushroom Retreat Psilocybin mushroom and Bufo Alvarius retreat program located in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, featuring Mazatec mushroom ceremonies and Bufo (5-MeO-DMT) ceremonies in summer months. Targeted at individual wellness seekers.
• Yucatan Psilocybin Mushroom Retreat Psilocybin and sacred medicine retreat located in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, featuring Mazatec mushroom ceremonies, peyote ceremonies, and temazcal sweat lodge experiences in winter months. Targeted at individual wellness seekers.
• Bespoke Retreats Custom-curated, personalized retreat programs tailored to individual or group needs, available across Arkana's network of locations in Peru and Mexico. Targeted at private groups and individuals seeking fully bespoke programming.
• Integration Support Services Post-retreat support services including onsite integration workshops, online integration masterminds, and one-on-one aftercare support, based on the proprietary 8P Integration Method. Targeted at past and prospective retreat guests.

Quantifiable outcome

• 64% clinical response rate for treatment-resistant depression (research reference)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Temple of the Way of Light: Long-running ayahuasca retreat center in the Peruvian Amazon offering multi-week Shipibo-led programs. One of Arkara's longest-established direct competitors in the ayahuasca retreat category.
• Soltara: Peru-based ayahuasca retreat center offering multi-day ceremonial programs with Shipibo-trained facilitators. Directly competes with Arkana's Amazon and Sacred Valley programs on price, duration, and customer profile.
• Nihue Rao: Peruvian Amazon ayahuasca center working with Shipibo healers in the Iquitos region. Competes with Arkara's Amazon location for international guests seeking authentic Shipibo-led ceremonies.
• The Holistic Sanctuary: Plant medicine retreat operator offering ayahuasca and other modalities with medical oversight, targeting healing-focused wellness tourists. Comparable all-inclusive format and outcome-oriented positioning.
• Blue Morpho: Peru-based ayahuasca retreat center in the Amazon that has historically targeted similar international wellness traveler demographics, with comparable Shipibo ceremony offerings and program durations.
• Mahana Retreats: Plant medicine retreat center offering ayahuasca and other ceremonies with holistic programming. Comparable length and price structure to Arkara's Mexico and Peru programs.
• Ayahuasca Foundation: Iquitos-based organization offering ayahuasca retreat programs alongside Shipibo-led dieta experiences, targeting spiritually-motivated international travelers in a similar price band.
• Rythmia: Costa Rica-based plant medicine retreat operator offering ayahuasca and other sacred medicine ceremonies with all-inclusive packages. Direct competitor for North American wellness seekers seeking legal psychedelic retreat experiences.

Others

• Retreat.guru: Booking platform used by Arkara for reservations that also lists competing ayahuasca and psychedelic retreats. Functions as a distribution partner and indirect competitor for consumer attention.

Emerging players

• Beond: Mexico-based luxury wellness retreat that incorporates ibogaine and other plant medicine therapies in a clinical setting. Comparable customer demographic (premium wellness travelers) with overlapping but not identical therapeutic model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ArkanaSpiritualCenter
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Instagraminstagram.com/arkana.spiritual.center
• TikToktiktok.com/@arkana.spiritual.center
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arkana-spiritual-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arkana Spiritual Center