What it actually feels like to be here
We need to tell you something about this place. When we first drove up, in Sebastián's car, through the winding roads to Casa Sumapaz, kids and adults were making monkey noises (don't ask me why) everytime they'd see the 'colibri signs'. We were all truly excited! However, even after all those months of planning, and the immediate connection to Clara & Sebastián - the hosts - we had no idea how this experience was actually going to turn out.
Then the fog cleared when we entered the gates of Casa Sumapaz. Within hours, our daughter were collecting guavas to feed the wild horses she'd just met. Within days, our toddler had three new "aunties" among the other parents, and sat down to dinner with together with new friends and families from five different countries. Nobody was performing "community." It was just happening.
That's what Casa Sumapaz does. Maybe it's the altitude and mountains that slows us down. The shared meals pull us together. The mornings start with birdsong and kids' laughter outside your window. And somewhere around week two, you stop keeping track of the days because the rhythm just... works.
We're not going to pretend every moment is perfect. Some mornings are hard. Some kids clash. Some parents need more quiet than others. But that's exactly what makes this real. We've designed the structure to hold all of it: the beauty and the mess.
If you've been thinking about doing something like this but aren't sure it's the right time, or the right place, or if your family is "the type": we didn't think we were either. Come anyway.
A small but honest note for this summer: our family of four will be holding Aterra, our Portugal cohort, at the same time. Casa Sumapaz 2026 will be carried by a Facilitator on the ground (more on that in the Team section), with us one whatsapp away, and fully in the design of every rhythm. The model doesn't rely on us. The village holds itself.
With love to the mountains, from Aterra,
Lauren & Tiago
Lauren and Tiago are the co-founders of Cohli and parents of two (Maya, 5, and Koa, 3). Over 40 years, they've lived and traveled through 30+ countries and have been designing family coliving experiences since 2024.
