OUR HISTORY

Kasaguadua is a Civil Society Nature Reserve (RNSC 0041-12) located in Salento, Quindío. We protect 12 hectares of sub-Andean forest (cloud forest in the fourth thermal floor of the neotropics), a living ecosystem from which five water springs emerge. Here, guadua is harvested from the forest itself to aid its regeneration, buildings use recycled materials, and water returns to the basin 100% pure.

But a reserve is not sustained by good intentions alone. For conservation to be real and lasting, it needs sustainability in three dimensions: environmental, economic and social.

That is why we have two service lines that finance the care of the forest and the people who inhabit it:

• Eco-friendly accommodation (EcoPODs and full Dome): Small modules designed for couples, built with guadua and recycled materials. They generate the main income that allows us to maintain the reserve, pay the local team and continue maintaining the forest.
• Guided hiking (Natural Interpretation & Sustainability Tour): A two-hour tour where we show how this ecosystem works, why we harvest guadua, how we treat the water and what it really means to live sustainably. This tour is also a source of income that directly supports the operation of the reserve.

Both activities exist to make the basic maintenance of Kasaguadua economically viable. Donations and subsidies help us improve conditions.

Social sustainability is equally essential. It is not just about caring for the forest, but sharing what we learn and building a community around it. That is why we receive visits from national and foreign universities and organisations interested in our model of harmonious coexistence with the forest. We offer webinars and open training spaces. We carry out community forest restoration days, where neighbours and volunteers plant, clean water springs and learn together. And we weave responsible alliances with local and regional actors who share our commitment to life.

Kasaguadua is also a Zen Buddhist practice centre of the Soto-Zen Community of Colombia. We meditate at sunrise and sunset, in connection with our temple in Bogotá. Because sustainability is also silence, attention and respect for all forms of life.

We are not just an accommodation. We are a living reserve, a human team, a spiritual practice and an invitation to live differently.