What a spring we’re having at Almenara this year! 

It’s May, and as we prepare for the summer, we continue to enjoy this remarkably long and glorious spring, fuelled by late rain and unusually cool weather. We’re fresh from the fourth edition of our Almenara Festival, which was a joyful celebration of community, creativity, and regenerative futures. After the long and rainy winter, the sun finally joined us—and with it, a record number of visitors eager to spend a glorious spring day in nature in the company of a stunning community of wildflowers.

The festival offered a full and vibrant programme: workshops, walks, talks, amazing vegan food, music, dance and countless shared moments of reflection and play. Local initiatives mingled with ongoing Almenara projects, and the land came alive with voices of all ages. The flexagon—almost complete—stood at the heart of the day, hosting a tea ceremony and several workshops in its elegant, earthy way. Then, as the sun dipped into the sea, we gathered in the amphitheatre for a kirtan session, ending the day in song and silence, woven together by gratitude.

If you were present on the day, and haven’t given us your feedback yet, we’d really appreciate hearing back from you via this Google form. Together we can make next year even better!

We finished the flexagon! 

After three months of hands-on learning, muddy boots, and shared meals, the Flexagon is complete. Our natural building community wrapped up on May 10th, right on schedule—a small miracle after such a rainy winter.

Led by master natural builder Fermín Olalla and carpenter Ángel Arbó, 14 volunteers joined us for an intensive journey: from digging the foundations to raising six earthen walls, laying the subfloor, crafting windows and doors, and constructing a wraparound deck and living roof. As the walls dried, we experimented with our own finish plasters—blending local clay and natural ingredients—before carefully coating the inside and out with love and earth.

The Flexagon is now our new community living room in Catalina: a cool, welcoming space built by community, for community. This summer we’ll be adding hand-built furniture and savouring its refreshing embrace on hot days.

Building together like this is more than construction—it’s a living expression of what’s possible when we work collectively toward a regenerative future.

Come stay with us at Casa Cuartilla

Tucked into the hills just two kilometres from Vejer and a short drive from the Costa de la Luz beaches, Casa Cuartilla is our welcoming home for guests, retreats, and gatherings. Whether you’re joining a group or simply seeking rest and reconnection in nature, time here offers a deep breath—a pause—in our permaculture sanctuary.

In the summer months, our rhythm slows, and we open our doors to more visitors. It’s the perfect moment to come soak in the beauty of this place, spend time in community, or just enjoy some peace under the olive trees. Curious? Have a look at our brochure and get in touch. Click here for brochure.

Continuing our collaboration with Objetivo de Luz

In our last newsletter, we were waving goodbye as Candela, Aitor, Eira and Calima, the Objetivo de Luz team, set off to spend the summer in cooler climes. Luckily they were able to pop back to join us for Almenara Festival, and Aitor made a short video of Fermin’s plastering workshop which he shared on Instagram. Check it out on our profile, where it’s already had more than 400,000 views! Objetivo de Luz has also released the first in a series of videos inspired by their time with us – you can find it on their YouTube channel here. They’re promising to come back in the autumn to continue our collaboration… watch this space for new course announcements and other opportunities to learn about permaculture while getting your hands dirty and experiencing immersion in nature and community life.

Permaculture inspirations from Kenya: presenting the work of Grassroots Economics

This month we were delighted to receive a visit from Aude Peronne and Will Ruddick. Aude used to live at Catalina, before continuing her exploration of permaculture and ecosystem regeneration in Central America and then Africa. She has put down roots in Kiriba, Kenya, joining forces with Will in an inspiring community project. We took advantage of the opportunity offered by their visit to offer a session to our local permaculture group – our Mesa Redonda de Permacultura. They shared their experience from Kiriba, on the Kenyan coast, where they develop technologies and practices that nurture regenerative economies based on reciprocity and care of the territory. Inspired by ancestral systems such as Mweria, they promote community coordination of resources supported by blockchain, ecological restoration and shared governance. Check out their work here.

We’ll be back in touch with more news in June!