The place
A land populated with almond and hazelnut trees and forests of holm oaks and oaks. A space of nature in front of the cliffs of the Sierra del Montsant.
A superb and wild environment. Where to get lost and find yourself. And at the same time, well connected with the needs of the modern world.
Yurts in the middle of the meadows
Outdoor kitchen
With its windows overlooking the Montsant, the kitchen is an open space, a meeting place...
Almonds and poppies
Facilities
La Mandorla has been gradually equipped with infrastructure that meets the needs of life, always respecting the environment and the landscape.
Authentic Mongolian yurts, open-air kitchen, small wood workshop whose roof is covered with solar panels, bathroom, craft house, farmhouse, dry toilets and much more!
the yurts
host yurts
They are nomadic dwellings, imported from Mongolia, but they are real small houses. We have three host yurts to accommodate the children of the campers and the guests of retreats and weekends
In Mongolia, temperatures can drop to minus 40 degrees in winter... That's why yurts have a 1.5 cm thick felt cape, made of wool and boiled compressed animal hair.
The temperatures are pleasant in the yurt as long as there is a fire in the central kitchen/stove. Mornings are cool...until the stove is turned back on...
In summer, the felt is raised on all sides to allow air circulation ...
A waterproof cover protects the yurt from rain. However, after big storms, some water can seep in…
We have 4 host yurts: 2 of 30m2 (for 6 people), 1 of 45 m2 (for 10 people), and 1 of 60 m2 (for 15 people).
The Great Yurt
The Great Yurt
This is one of the largest yurts in la Mandorla. We built it to establish our home, as our family had grown over the years. The Great Yurt is a small house where we spend time as a family.
It has a fireplace in the center and a 'rocket' stove for the colder winter months.
It is equipped with a kitchen, a mezzanine, desks, beds and closets: everything you need for everyday family life. The wooden furniture has been manufactured by Anouchka, respecting an aesthetic coherence and adapting to the round shape of the yurt.
The kitchen
The outdoor kitchen
It is the meeting and meeting place in summer. Facing the Montsant mountain range, it opens onto a magnificent landscape. Closed in winter with windows that let you see all the nature that surrounds it.
Here generous and tasty dishes are lovingly prepared every day with organic and local products...
It is also a small warehouse where food is stored in glass jars or aluminum milk jugs: flour, rice, pasta, lentils...
Decorated with old utensils, it has a special charm. It is the great common space, a place to share moments.
craft house
The craft house
It is located in the same structure as the workshop. In this little house everyone can make the works of art that they have in their imagination. It is full of materials, tools, books and... even a room with costumes and costumes!
A place full of possibilities. You will find a small library, a costume room and a wide variety of materials to develop crafts with boys and girls. It is a very crowded place for campers, since every day some manual activity is carried out there. Even the children themselves use it as a rest and reading area in their spare time. The wooden finishes and its height lead us to think of a tree house. The natural light that enters through its windows is perfect to feel really welcome.
the dry bath
the dry toilet
It is a hole in the ground surrounded by a small log cabin to preserve privacy. After relieving themselves, everyone pours a pan of sawdust, ashes, or forest leaves into the hole. Thus the odors are practically destroyed and the feces decompose. They will serve as fertilizer for the trees.
So simple, so traditional and so practical! ...
Our feces will serve to nourish the trees of the forest, never the orchard. The surprising thing is that there is no bad smell, since the same dry leaves decompose with fecal matter. It is an ecological tool, easy to clean and above all, it helps us save water!
There are currently 3 dry toilets. One is near the kitchen, and the other two are next to the yurts to facilitate access to the toilet from anywhere in la Mandorla.
The shower
The shower
It is also a small building, warm and humble, equipped with a bathtub and a water heater connected to solar panels.
For now, it's a small wooden cabin shared with all the guests at la Mandorla. It has hot water from a butane gas heater and a bathtub.
3 shower rooms are being built for guests only. In these times of water scarcity, showers are appreciated and used consciously.
The workshop
The tools workshop
Its roof is equipped with solar panels and woodworking machines and other tools are kept here. Children do not have access without authorization from an adult.
The workshop has been expanding in recent years, and is currently not only a warehouse for materials and tools, but also a space to create, invent, and manufacture.
Its roof supports the solar panels and protects all electrical equipment (inverter, water pump, batteries...). A central place in the search for self-sufficiency.
The farm
The farm and the chicken coop
Places where you remember the responsibility that comes with caring for animals. A guaranteed learning corner.
Donkeys, goats, horses, chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese... Each one has its space to sleep. During the day many are in semi freedom. Every day we feed and drink the animals, we clean and fix their spaces. Children and guests can come to visit them and many times they help us with enthusiasm in the farm chores.
the orchard
The orchard
We are what we eat!
To live a self-sufficient life, a vegetable garden is essential. At la Mandorla , we practice organic farming and do not use fertilizers or substances harmful to the ecosystem.
The garden is fertilized only with the manure of our animals. It is like a garden that changes colors, texture and density of vegetation according to the months of the year.
Location
- 2 km from Cornudella de Montsant (shops, doctors, pharmacies, AC, Priorat fire station)
- 25 km from Reus, province of Tarragona (supermarkets, hospitals, train station...)
- 1h45 from Barcelona, capital of Catalonia.
It is reached by a dirt road with potholes and irregularities, but everyone arrives normally by car. Be careful! Take a good look at the route before, because the mobile network connection is lost along the way.
