Part A — Privacy Policy
1. Who is responsible for your information?
Chaka Runa Shamanic and Naturist Healing Center SAC, referred to in this policy as “Chaka Runa”, “we” or “us”, is responsible for the personal information we collect and use through our website and when you enquire about, apply for or participate in our programs.
Registered address
Carretera a Miraflores s/n
Caserío Centro Poblado Lejía
Distrito Shamboyacu, Provincia Picota
Región San Martín, 22370, Peru
RUC: 20611455870
If you have questions about how we handle your information or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at contact@chaka-runa.com.
2. Information we collect
The information we collect depends on how you interact with Chaka Runa:
• Contact and enquiries: Your name, email address, phone number if provided, and information you share when contacting us.
• Reservations: Your selected programs, dates, accommodation, accompanying participants, applicable discounts and any requests, including interest in installment payments.
• Family and couples programs: Your partner’s or other adult participants’ names and children’s names where needed to organise your reservation.
• Applications and screening: Information you provide through the medical application form and interview, including relevant physical and mental health history and medication use. Section 4 explains how we handle this sensitive information.
• Payments: Information needed to match payments to your reservation, such as the payer’s name, payment reference, amount and payment status.
• Newsletter subscriptions: Your email address and, if provided, your first name when you subscribe.
• Website use: Technical information such as your IP address, browser and device information, and interactions with our website, depending on the services enabled and your cookie choices.
We indicate which information is required and which is optional when we request it. If you do not provide information needed to process your reservation or assess your suitability, we may be unable to proceed with your application.
Please provide only information relevant to your enquiry or participation. Submit health information through our screening process rather than the general contact or reservation message fields.
3. Why we use your information
We use your personal information for the following purposes:
• Responding to enquiries: To answer your questions and provide information you request about our programs.
• Managing reservations: To process your request, organise accommodation and participation, apply eligible discounts, and communicate practical information.
• Assessing suitability: To review your application and screening information before deciding whether you can participate.
• Managing payments: To confirm deposits and balances, handle agreed installment arrangements, and process refunds or credits where applicable.
• Supporting your participation: To communicate preparation guidance, program updates and relevant follow-up information.
• Supporting future screening: With your explicit consent, to retain screening information for possible return visits, as explained in Sections 4 and 9.
• Sending newsletters: To send news and program announcements when you subscribe.
• Operating our website: To maintain website functionality and security and, where enabled and with consent when required, understand how visitors use it.
• Meeting legal obligations: To maintain required records, respond to lawful requests and handle complaints or legal claims.
We process information needed to respond to your reservation request and deliver agreed services on the basis of steps taken at your request before entering into a contract, or performance of that contract. We process records required by law to meet our legal obligations.
Where we rely on your consent, we request it for the specific purpose concerned. This includes newsletter subscriptions, non-essential cookies where applicable, and the processing of health information as explained in Section 4. You may withdraw your consent at any time; withdrawal does not affect processing lawfully carried out beforehand.
Making an enquiry or reservation does not automatically subscribe you to our newsletter.
4. Health information and screening
Before participation, we ask you to complete a medical application form and take part in an interview. This process includes relevant information about your physical and mental health, medical history and medication use.
Don Gino and designated Chaka Runa team members review this information to assess your suitability and identify precautions relevant to your participation. Where there are doubts requiring medical expertise, a licensed medical doctor is consulted.
We use Google Forms and Anon::form to collect medical screening responses, which are received and managed through Proton Mail. Responses may also be stored within the form services used to collect them.
Consent and confidentiality
Health information is sensitive personal information. We request your explicit written consent before collecting and using it for screening and participant support. This consent is separate from newsletter subscriptions and acceptance of our reservation terms.
Access is restricted to people who need the information for screening, relevant participant support or necessary administration. Team members receive only the information needed for their role and must keep it confidential. If an external doctor needs identifiable health information, we obtain your permission before sharing it, unless disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.
We do not use your health information for advertising or newsletters.
Returning participants
With your separate, optional consent, we retain your screening information for up to three years after your most recent participation to support screening if you return for another program.
Before each program, you must review and update your health information. Previous approval does not automatically apply to future participation.
Your choices
You may withdraw your consent by contacting us using the details in Section 1.
If you withdraw consent needed for current screening or participant support, we may be unable to proceed with your application or participation. Declining or withdrawing optional retention for future visits does not itself prevent future participation; you will need to provide screening information again.
Withdrawal does not affect processing lawfully carried out beforehand. Any information retained on a separate lawful basis remains protected, as explained in Section 9.
5. Who we share your information with
We share personal information where needed for the purposes described in this policy:
• Chaka Runa team members: Those responsible for enquiries, reservations, screening and organising your participation receive information relevant to their role. Additional restrictions apply to health information.
• Service providers: We use Wix for our website, contact and newsletter forms, contact records and automated form-related emails; Gmail and Proton Mail for email correspondence; Mailchimp for newsletters; Google Forms and Anon::form for medical screening forms; and Usercentrics for our cookie consent banner and preference management. These providers process information needed to provide their services.
• Payment providers: Banks and payment services process the information needed to complete and verify your payments. Their own privacy notices also apply.
• Program partners: Accommodation, transport or other providers involved in your selected program may receive the details needed to deliver their services.
• Professional advisers and authorities: Where necessary and legally permitted or required, we may disclose information to professional advisers, courts or public authorities to meet legal obligations or handle legal claims.
We limit the information shared to what is necessary for each purpose. Sharing health information follows the specific safeguards described in Section 4.
6. International processing of your information
Chaka Runa operates in Peru. When you contact us or apply for a program from another country, your information is processed in Peru as part of responding to your enquiry and organising your participation.
Authorised Chaka Runa team members may access our systems while working or travelling in different countries. Access remains restricted according to their role. Our service providers may also store or process personal information in other countries. This can include website hosting, email, forms and payment services. Data protection laws in those countries may differ from those in your country of residence.
Provider locations and processing arrangements differ. Google operates internationally and may process information on servers outside your country, including the United States. Wix.com Ltd. is based in Israel; Wix identifies data centres in the United States and Ireland and may use processors in other countries. Proton AG is based in Switzerland, and Proton Mail stores encrypted data on servers in Switzerland, Germany or Norway. Anonform Ab is based in Åland, Finland, and hosts its forms in Finland or Germany. Mailchimp processes newsletter information in the United States.
International transfers must meet applicable data protection requirements and use appropriate safeguards.
You can contact us using the details in Section 1 for further information about international processing of your personal information.
7. Newsletter
If you subscribe to our newsletter, we use your email address to send you news, program announcements and updates about Chaka Runa. You may also provide your first name when subscribing. We use Mailchimp to manage subscriptions and deliver these emails.
Subscribing is optional. Making an enquiry, applying for a program or completing a reservation does not automatically subscribe you.
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter or by contacting us using the details in Section 1. Unsubscribing does not affect messages needed to manage an existing application or reservation.
8. Cookies and embedded content
We use the Usercentrics cookie consent banner to present cookie choices and manage consent preferences. Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Some are necessary for the website to function and remain secure. Others may support optional features or help us understand how visitors use the site.
Where your consent is required, optional technologies are activated only after you accept them. You can reject non-essential cookies or change your preferences through Cookie settings.
Some pages include content from external providers, such as embedded videos or audio players. When this content loads, the provider may receive technical information, including your IP address, and may use cookies or similar technologies. Where required, we request your consent before loading it.
You can also manage cookies through your browser settings. Blocking essential cookies may affect how parts of the website work.
9. How long we keep your information and how we protect it
We keep personal information only for as long as needed for the purpose for which it was collected, including any applicable legal retention requirements.
Retention depends on the type of information:
• Enquiries: For the time needed to respond and deal with relevant follow-up.
• Reservations and payment records: To manage your booking and meet applicable accounting, tax and legal requirements.
• Health and screening information: To assess your application and support your participation. With your explicit consent, we also retain it for up to three years after your most recent participation to support screening if you return.
• Newsletter information: Until you unsubscribe. We may retain a minimal record of your unsubscribe request to ensure you are not added again unintentionally.
• Consent records: For the period needed to demonstrate and manage your choices.
You may withdraw consent to retention of screening information for future visits at any time. We will then delete it unless further retention is required by law or necessary and legally permitted for a specific legal claim. The same exceptions apply when the three-year period expires.
If an applicant does not participate, we delete their screening information within three months after the application is declined, withdrawn or closed. Incomplete applications are closed after three months without a response. For participants who do not consent to retention for future visits, we delete screening information within three months after the program ends. Earlier deletion requests are handled promptly. The exceptions for legally required retention or a specific legally permitted legal claim described above still apply.
When information is no longer needed, we delete it securely or anonymise it so that it can no longer identify you.
We use technical and organisational measures appropriate to the information we handle, including restricted access and confidentiality requirements. Health information receives additional protection, as described in Section 4.
No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure. This does not limit our responsibility to take appropriate measures to protect your information.
10. Your privacy rights
Depending on the law that applies to your information, you may have the right to:
• Access your personal information and receive information about how it is used.
• Correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
• Request deletion when information is no longer needed or is otherwise eligible for deletion.
• Object to or restrict certain processing, where applicable.
• Withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent.
• Receive a portable copy of certain information, where applicable.
To make a request, contact us at contact@chaka-runa.com. Please explain your request clearly. We may ask for the information reasonably necessary to verify your identity and protect your records from unauthorised access.
We will respond within the time limits required by applicable law. If we cannot fulfil all or part of your request, we will explain why, including any legal requirement to retain particular records.
You may unsubscribe from newsletters using the link in any newsletter. For other consent-based processing, you can contact us to withdraw your consent. Withdrawal does not affect processing lawfully carried out beforehand.
You also have the right to complain to Peru’s Autoridad Nacional de Protección de Datos Personales (ANPD) or another competent data protection authority where applicable. You do not have to contact us before making a complaint.
11. Children’s information
You also have the right to complain to Peru’s Autoridad Nacional de Protección de Datos Personales (ANPD) or another competent data protection authority where applicable. You do not have to contact us before making a complaint.
We request only information necessary for the child’s participation and support. Where consent is required, we obtain it from the parent or legal guardian, or otherwise as required by applicable law.
Children’s health information receives the protections described in Section 4. Access is limited to those who need it for their role in organising or supporting the child’s participation.
We do not use children’s personal information for direct marketing. Publication of identifiable photographs, videos or testimonials involving children requires appropriate permission from their parent or legal guardian and any other consent required by applicable law. Such permission is not a condition of participation.
A parent or legal guardian may contact us using the details in Section 1 to exercise privacy rights on the child’s behalf, subject to applicable law and verification of their authority.
12. Photography, testimonials and changes to this policy
Photography during programs
Photos and videos will be taken during our programs. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please inform the team before the program begins, or at any time during your stay. Please also avoid joining posed group photographs and remind the photographer of your preference when necessary.
We will respect your choice and take steps to keep you out of photographs and recordings. If you appear incidentally, we will exclude the image from publication or crop or blur it so you are not identifiable.
By participating in a Chaka Runa program, you give us permission to use photographs and videos in which you appear on our website, social media, in presentations and other advertising materials, unless you tell us that you do not want this. You may decline or withdraw this permission before, during or after the program, as explained below.
You may decline permission, or withdraw permission previously given, for promotional use of photographs or videos in which you are identifiable before, during or after your program. Tell the team or contact contact@chaka-runa.com. Your choice does not affect your participation.
After withdrawal, we will stop new promotional use and remove the relevant images from channels we control. We cannot guarantee removal of copies independently shared by others or recall printed materials already distributed.
Testimonials
We ask for your permission before publishing your testimonial and explain how it will be attributed and where it will appear. Giving permission is optional and does not affect your participation.
Permission to publish a testimonial does not give us permission to publish information from your medical form or screening interview.
You may withdraw your permission by contacting us. We will stop future use and remove the testimonial from channels we control where reasonably possible. We cannot guarantee removal of copies independently shared by others or recall printed materials already distributed.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy when our practices, services or legal obligations change. The latest version will be available on this page, with its last-updated date.
Where required, we will notify you of significant changes and obtain fresh consent before using your information for a new purpose.
Part B — Disclaimer
This disclaimer applies to the website and programs of Chaka Runa Shamanic and Naturist Healing Center SAC, referred to below as “Chaka Runa,” “we” or “us.”
Information and professional advice
The information on this website describes our programs, traditional practices and approach. It is provided for general information and does not constitute medical or psychological advice, diagnosis or treatment. Using this website or contacting us does not, by itself, establish a healthcare or therapist–client relationship.
Our programs are not a substitute for professional medical or mental health care. Do not disregard professional advice or delay seeking care because of information on this website.
Team and medical support
The Chaka Runa team includes individuals with and without professional healthcare licences. Some programs include a licensed medical doctor as a team member; others do not. Medical staffing varies by program. Please contact us before booking to confirm the arrangements and scope of medical support for your chosen program.
A participant who happens to be a doctor is not part of the program’s designated medical team. Their attendance should not be understood as a guarantee of medical care or supervision.
Health and participation
Working with ayahuasca and other traditional plants involves risks and is not suitable for everyone. Certain physical or mental health conditions, medications and other substances may make participation unsafe.
Before considering participation, seek advice from an appropriately qualified, licensed healthcare professional regarding your individual circumstances. Do not stop or change prescribed medication to attend a program without consulting your prescribing clinician.
Application and screening
Our application process includes a medical information form and an interview, reviewed by Don Gino and the Chaka Runa team. When questions or concerns require medical clarification, a licensed medical doctor is consulted.
Applicants must provide complete and accurate information about their health, medications and other relevant substance use, and inform us of changes before participation.
This screening process does not replace an independent medical assessment or ongoing healthcare. Acceptance into a program does not guarantee that participation will be free of risk.
Supervision and applicable laws
Information on this website does not encourage unlawful use of ayahuasca or other ethnobotanicals. Their legal status varies by country. Chaka Runa advises against use without appropriate screening, qualified supervision and an understanding of the associated risks. Supervision does not eliminate those risks.
Individual experiences and outcomes
Experiences vary from person to person. Descriptions of traditional uses and potential benefits are not promises of healing, cure or any particular result.
Testimonials describe the personal experiences of individual participants. They do not establish that others will have similar experiences or achieve the same outcomes. Chaka Runa does not guarantee any particular physical, psychological or spiritual result.
External resources
Links and references to external websites are provided for further information. Their inclusion does not necessarily imply endorsement, and Chaka Runa does not control their content or updates.
Responsibility and legal rights
Participants are responsible for providing accurate information during the application process and following the program’s safety instructions.
These responsibilities do not remove Chaka Runa’s obligations under applicable law. Nothing in this disclaimer excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, or restricts your statutory consumer rights.
Further information
Please read our Safety information before applying. If anything about the program, its risks or the available support is unclear, contact us at contact@chaka-runa.com before making a booking.