a land-based project, nestled in a secluded valley in the mountains of northern Portugal
a land-based project, nestled in a secluded valley in the mountains of northern Portugal
A CORUJEIRA*
*An old Portuguese word that holds two truths: the nesting place of the owls who share our forest, and a cliffside habitation, a little hard to find.
Two decades ago, wildfires swept through these hills, stripping the soil bare. Since then, a young oak forest has begun to return, carrying the first signs of ecological recovery. The valley now hosts A Corujeira, an off-grid dwelling dedicated to regenerative arts, rooted in the understanding that human and ecological well-being are synonymous. Our focus is exploring how practical learning and intentional lifestyles contribute to creative growth and regenerative land practices.
A Corujeira invites those who wish to learn, create, and care for the land to be part of this ongoing experiment in regeneration.
SAUNA
PERCH
PERCH
YURT
WORKSHOP
CLAYHOUSE
CLAYHOUSE
The land is on a slow journey of recovery from a fire that passed through two decades ago, and our work here is a gentle, creative rehabilitation from that. This expresses itself in two intertwining streams: regenerating the land through agroforestry, and playful, ecological architecture as a form of applied learning. We have been hosting educational, not-for-profit gatherings asking ourselves the question "How can we engage more deeply with ecological restoration as a creative, communal process?".
OWL'S NEST, 2025
Tucked against the creek is an off-grid sauna and medicinal garden, creating a space where personal and ecological wellbeing come together. Regenerative work includes replacing eucalyptus with diverse, fire-resistant food forests and designing buildings from local natural resources and reclaimed materials.
The terraced medicinal garden has over 25 varieties of herbs for intentional foraging. The reforested eucalyptus grove now hosts a young food forest with over 200 newly planted trees and shrubs.
'every space is a temple'
CLAYHOUSE
A naturally built tiny house; living space that is also a work of creative expression, built with locally sourced and salvaged materials.
Japanese Cedar SAUNA
An 8-person, wood-fired sauna with adjacent spring-fed pool and waterfall. Designed and built by hand and with love.
MONGOLIAN YURT
A 35-square-metre (~7-metre diameter) Mongolian yurt with a cosy, egg-shaped wood burner.
SUPPORT SPACES
PERCH
PERCH
WORKSHOP
VAN
KITCHEN
steam as living ritual
The Practice of Steamology
The sauna is the hearth of A Corujeira, and a space of supportive ritual.
Steamology is a practice of connection and service. The work involves a deep attunement to self, other, and environment.
We use natural leaf whisks to capture steam and massage the body, focusing heat and introducing herbs with intention to open the senses and support the respiratory system. By inviting awareness of breath, rhythm, sound, and heat, we assist the nervous system in transitioning from a state of habit and activation to a state of deep relaxation and insight.
PRIVATE RENTALS
All firewood provided, with the sauna pre-lit 1 hour before your arrival.
Enjoy private access to our 35m² yurt and spacious 8-person Japanese Cedar sauna.
The creek provides a constant flow of fresh spring water to ground the system between sessions.
Rates
4-Hour Window: €150
8-Hour Window: €280
We are a Centre for Regenerative Arts. 100% of profits from these rentals are reinvested into our reforestation initiatives and the evolution of the space.
The Owl's nest
Gathering for Regenerative Arts
for the ones who build things, tend things, and love to gather
Land Art · Workshops · Sauna · Music · CoCreation
JUNE 25-30, 2026
ART MEETS ECOLOGY
50 creators, 5 days off-grid in the mountains of Northern Portugal.This valley is tended year-round by artists and stewards. This gathering adds to it, turning the reforestation site into a living sculpture garden, with land art in clay and wood and a giant owl woven from branches to watch over the food forest.Key spaces are adopted and hosted by small camps, each bringing their own character: the sauna, the teahouse, the clayhouse, the sculpture garden, etc; sovereign spaces in a shared landscape.Alongside the building and skill-sharing: steam ceremonies, cold plunges under springfed waterfalls, mountain walks, live music in the forest. And whatever else we create together.
Pillars of the Gathering
This is a Burn-esque event, in that it borrows from but is not limited to the principles of Burning Man gatherings.
Community Weaving
We share skills, equally learning and teaching one another.
Regenerative Stewardship
We enhance the land through natural expression.
Decommodification
We create a space unmediated by commerce.
Immediacy
We inhabit the present moment.
PRACTICAL THINGS
Facilities
wood-fired sauna · springfed water · compost toilets · solar power · communal kitchens · showers · yurt teahouse
Food & Accommodation
Burning Man-style: food is self-organized with communal kitchens provided. Come ready to cook for each other.
BYO tent / camping gear
SLIDING SCALE PRICING
We use a sliding scale so the event stays accessible.
Pay what reflects your means! Every tier makes this possible.
€90
accessible tier: covers core infrastructure
€120
standard tier: covers infrastructure + production cost
€150
supporter tier: contributes to land stewardship + future gatherings
*€60 local rate available for Portuguese and Galician nationals.
Are you one of the seeds?
If you would like to join, or have a dream that wants to be born, please get in touch and see how we can breathe life into it :)
SLIDING SCALE PRICING
We use a sliding scale so the event stays accessible.
Pay what reflects your means! Every tier makes this possible.
€90
covers core infrastructure costs
€120
covers costs + contributes to land stewardship
€150
supports subsidised artist residencies and future gatherings
*€60 local rate available for Portuguese and Galician nationals.
Are you one of the seeds?
If you would like to join, or have a dream that wants to be born, please get in touch and see how we can breathe life into it :)
SUMMER NEST RESIDENCY
SUMMER NEST
RESIDENCY
2026
When:
May-October inclusive, with a minimum one-week stay
What to expect:
Food & Accommodation
3 communally-cooked meals per day, camping in private or shared tent providedIntentional Coliving
Creating together, eating together, and daily morning check-ins.Facilities
50 sqm communal yurt and kitchen, workshop and makerspace, creekside sauna, and weekly steam ceremonies (subject to wildfire risk)Creative Support
Power tools, painting supplies, library, basic music recording equipment, and weekly projector movie nights.Learning & Harvesting
Weekly introductory workshops on off-grid systems, herbalism, natural building, agroforestry, steam ceremony
*All human dwellers are asked to contribute 12 hours per week towards the land project. This holds an educational focus on land work, off-grid systems, natural building, and regenerative agroforestry
Cost:
Sliding scale of €90 | €120 | €150 per week per person for food and accommodation. If money is an issue, please reach out - specific volunteer roles are available :)
*After food and expenses, any and all profits go directly toward the support and evolution of this land project <3
Who is this for?
5-7 creative and ecologically-minded people at a time, interested in:Regenerative land stewardship and collaborative event production.
Designing and implementing functional off-grid systems (biogas, water, compost).
Hands-on carpentry, natural building, and expanding communal infrastructure.
What is happening this summer?
Installation of a new biogas digester toilet system
Sheltered makerspace
New compost toilet block
Outdoor showers
New irrigation system of agroforestry sites and medicinal gardens
Library extension to the communal yurt
Owl's Nest Gathering for Regenerative Arts: June 24-29 (TBC)
Many other bits and bobs
*If you have a creative dream or idea for an event you can imagine hosting here, please reach out! This is a very open space for collaboration :)
WHO ARE 'WE'?
The identity of A Corujeira is a collective one. Primarily though, we are Nimbu, the resident cat and guardian, and Eska, the mostly-human steward. Although I'm a mechanical engineer by education, the patterns of humans and natural systems will always be infinitely more beautiful to me than machines, and this forest is where this passion has taken root.
Our community includes the hundreds of humans who visit the land each year. These stewards learn, grow, and contribute their energy to its structures while tending to new seedlings. Of course, 'we' also include our non-human inhabitants. We are the trees, the soil microbes, and the wildlife that define this ecosystem. Together, we maintain the pulse of this project.
