Ayahuasca Community

By Shalynn Pack The Big Day – it’s the World Cup of birding, the day in which birders around the world spend all day trekking through the rain, snow, heat, and insects to try to document as many bird species as possible in just 24 hours. Bolivia started participating in the Big Day only recently, and just last year, came

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Even if you’ve tried Ayahuasca before, you never exactly know where she will take you. Every time it’s a journey into the unknown. You could be transported into otherworldly realms beyond time and space, or you may feel no effect at all. After five months of exploring South America I ended up deep in the Bolivian Amazon, far away from

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By Shalynn Pack, Conservation Scientist The largest and most powerful cat in the Americas. Black panther. Panthera onca. Jaguar. The name “jaguar” comes from the indigenous name “yaguara,” meaning “he who kills in one leap.” A powerful cat and the top predator of Central and South America, the jaguar has inspired humanity for thousands of years as a symbol of

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By Shalynn Pack By trade, I am a wildlife conservation scientist – I study species of birds, mammals, and amphibians to understand how we can ensure their survival into the future in this human-dominated world. By soul, I am a spiritual seeker – I search for ways we can deepen our connection to the planet, to the Divine, and to

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THE UNTOLD STORY OF RIBERALTA AND THE AMAZONIAN IDENTITY According to the standard written history of Riberalta, Amazonian Bolivia began after the arrival of rubber prospectors towards the end of the 19th century. Before that, it was an “empty space”.  This story effectively erases the presence of the original inhabitants of the Bolivian Amazon. Few historians bothered to ask who

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  Did you Know? The Bolivian hero in War of the Acre was a Tacana Indian named Bruno Racua. Using flaming arrows, he led the retaking of Bahia, nowadays Cobija the capital of Pando, letting the Brazilian troops escape.   Did you Know? The first car that arrived in Bolivia was in Cachuela Esperanza (Beni), brought by the rubber industrial

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River dolphins of Asia and South America are one of the most endangered species in the world. Their principle threats are man-made and include negative interactions with fisheries, poisoning and hunting by fishermen, river pollution and hydrocarbons, and fragmentation of their habitat due to dam construction. They are considered to be an important quality indicator of the aquatic ecosystems they inhabit.

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With a warm and humid climate, Riberalta, Bolivia offers a wide variety of tourist attractions and breathtaking natural landscapes.  Some of Riberalta’s “sites to see” include:  Tumichuqua 20 km from Riberalta along the main highway to La Paz city stands Tumichuqua, which means Island of Palm Trees in Tacana native language.  Tumichuqua is a marvelous lake of crystalline abundant waters that

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David was born in Pucallpa in the central Amazon in Peru. His parents were farmers, working on a slash and burn plot in the jungle. David and his 7 siblings were raised by his mother and uncle, ayahuasca visionary artist Pablo Amaringo.  In 1988, when his uncle Pablo started the Usko-Ayar Amazonian School, David was one of the first 14 students. He

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A Story of Wild Cocoa in the Bolivian Amazon Miguel Palomeque is perched on a large, dry, fallen tree trunk on his cocoa plantation, El Paraíso, situated in the jungle close to a tributary of the River Beni, near Carmen del Emero, a community in the Ixiamas district. He explains that last year, right here, to the north of La Paz, he

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THE BOLIVIAN AMAZON While many may believe Bolivia to be an Andean Nation, in reality, Bolivia is the country with the greatest part of its territory in the Amazon Basin. According to data from the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, the Bolivian area of the Amazon covers 824,000 square kilometers, representing 75% of its national territory and 11.2% of the Amazon

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The Giant River Otter in Bolivia Pteronura brasiliensis, also known as the giant otter, is already extinct in Uruguay and possibly Argentina.  In Bolivia populations remain, despite dangers that threaten them. According to the Red Book of Endangered Vertebrates of Bolivia (2010), the otter is considered an “endangered” species; it is estimated that the country´s population does not exceed 500.

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Anderson Debernardi’s art creates an opening into the unseen world explored through sacred traditions of the Amazonian peoples.  Through his art Debernardi tells the story of the Amazon and mythological beings who secretly reside there. Andy is a strong advocate for the preservation of the rainforest and sees the medicinal and visionary plants as a gift from nature.[...] Read More »

Alex Grey is a mystic/visionary artist, teacher and author. His art spans a variety of forms including visionary/mystic art, sculpture, painting, performance art, process art and installation art. Alex is co-founder of the Mission of the Chapel of Sacred Mirrors which seeks to build a sanctuary of visionary art to inspire every pilgrim’s creative path and affirm the values of love and

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Alexandre Segrégio is a visionary artist whosethemes are predominated by the power, enchantments and magic of Nature.  His art demonstrates the wealth of flora and fauna as well as the traditional rituals of the indigenous inhabitants of the Amazon.  Segrégio’s art demonstrates the magic that permeates the forests revealing the secrets of a holy realm hidden within the Amazon jungle.[...] Read More »

Felix Pinchi Aguirre was born on August 21, 1983 in Huanuco, Peru.  Since he was a young boy, Felix attended painting classes at the Usko-Ayar Amazonian School and received personal instruction from the well-known ayahuasca artist Pablo Amaringo.  Growing up Felix experimented with impressionism and surrealism.  After taking ayahuasca for the the first time, Felix found a purpose for his art and a

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Its early evening and Badi is looking out the fifth-story window of her new apartment perched in Cochabamba’s northern foothills. With the 18,000 foot peaks of Mount Tunari to her back, Badi’s apartment surveys the valley below. To the West, a clear view of the “Christo de Concordia;” a 33 meter statue of Jesus strikingly similar to his more famous

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