A Home Away From Home: Connection, Comfort, and Soul with Paula in Chile
Interview and edit by Rebecca Woolford, Senderos
Far away from all that’s familiar, it’s not unusual to feel the longing for a place that feels just as reassuring, warm and welcoming as your own home when travelling. Finding a home away from home in every sense is rare to say the least.
A true home away from home experience is about connection, comfort, and soul. When you find such a spot, it’s like a little piece of your heart stays there forever.
Alongside six other siblings, Paula Christensen (see below) has been welcoming guests to Mallin Colorado, a remote lodge set in 500 hectares of native forest in the Chilean Patagonia, for over 30 years.
From a chance encounter 3 decades ago when on a family camping trip, the Christensens took a leap of faith. Inspired by this spectacular corner of the earth, their lives changed forever.
Scroll down to enjoy this rare and insightful interview with Paula, as the Christensen’s family celebrate 30 years at Mallin Colorado.
Images: On the left Paula Christensen. On the right the whole family together celebrating Mallin Colorado’s 30 year anniversary.
Mallin Colorado is on the shores of the General Carrera lake, close to the Northern ice fields in Chile. It’s a remote location, to say the least. What brought you and your family there?
“We travelled to the region of Lake General Carrera for a family holiday which was off the beaten track. It felt like this expansive, pristine nature was only for us. It was an incredible experience.
One evening we stopped at the lake side to camp for a few nights. Whilst there we met a Gaucho who lived very close by. He invited my father to follow him up into the hills with the horses to see his land. We didn’t know this was a moment that would change the trajectory of our family’s lives forever.
When my father returned from his chance encounter with a local Gaucho I recall him saying, ‘This place is a treasure. Let’s sell everything we own and buy this property.’
We were from the city of Santiago. We didn’t know much at all about tourism. We never visited hotels or restaurants. We spent our family vacations camping.
My father is best described as a dreamer and visionary. He saw this small piece of paradise, and wanted to share it with friends and family.
The first wooden cabin was built for the family to live in. My father then said, ‘Let’s build another cabin for guests, we cannot keep this to ourselves, others must see the magic and beauty of this place.’
Back then it was our family, cousins, and relatives who came to visit. We had no idea back then that Mallin Colorado would become a home away from home for people from all over the world.
I remember when I was younger, our house was always hosting people. My family loved to host guests, to cook for family and friends, and so it was natural for our family to extend this beyond people we knew.”
Mallin Colorado, a family business success story for over 3 decades. What’s the secret to it’s success?
“As a family it’s been a great experience and incredible journey of personal development. We started this project more than 30 years ago.
In the first few years it was all about discovering our individual strengths and passions. For example, my sister loves gardening and flowers. I love cooking and I speak multiple languages which is useful for marketing. My other siblings are strong at construction, managing the accounts etc. My mother is also a fantastic cook, she’s been creating homemade dishes for our guests at the lodge for 20 years.
Today, all seven of us siblings lead very different lives. Some of us have big families, others do not. Some live in the country and others in the city. Mallin Colorado is a common thread which connects us all. The key to its success? From the early stages of this project we identified our abilities and limitations. We respect each other’s strengths and know each other very well.”
It’s hard to imagine a more breathtaking setting for a family-run eco lodge. Can you help our readers to paint a mental picture of Mallin Colorado: What can one see, smell, hear and feel?
“The first thing that sets Mallin Colorado apart is the remoteness.
After a 5-7 hour drive where you’ve only seen nature and mountains outside your window, and the occasional town with 500 inhabitants, suddenly a sign will appear…
Wooden cabins glowing with a warm light emerge, you immediately feel like you have arrived home, surrounded by nature, peace and tranquillity. Upon entering the clubhouse a cosy fire burns inside the stone fireplace.
Each morning you wake to the sounds and smells of 550 hectares of pristine meadow and native forest that surround you. As you open the windows you see the impossibly blue waters of Lake General Carrera. In the distance, Patagonia’s Northern ice fields shimmer in the sunshine. The way the log cabins are designed is that every room gives a sense that there is nobody else around. It’s the simplicity of the lake and you. You breathe the cool fresh air and you’ll immediately feel refreshed. Each new breath connects you deeper to the surrounding nature.
On your doorstep is free access to 15km of wooded trails to explore on foot or horseback. Our guests experience at a deeper level than most other places the stillness of nature, surrounded by lakes, forests, and mountains.
Mallin Colorado experiences up to 300 sunny days per year and the lowest rainfall in Chilean Patagonia which makes it perfect for adventure seekers of all ages, including a memorable trip to the Marble Caves.”
A lodge which embodies the heart, soul and character of you and your family. What makes Mallin Colorado such a home away from home?
“Every single guest we’ve welcomed has felt my family’s welcoming and nurturing energy, even if we are not there. Every corner, experience, garden, home cooked meal is done with such love our guests feel the soul of this place.
In the main house there are a few pictures of our family in the living room so it’s immediately obvious Mallin Colorado was a family home in the beginning.
For example, the cabins were built by my brother Eduardo, along with local people from the community. The materials are from a local wood factory, sourced from anything they were planning to discard.
My other brother is an artist and he crafted the handmade furniture as well as decorative pieces in each of the log cabins. One of my favourite pieces is the lamps Eduardo made from tree branches.
In the construction of the log cabins my brother upcycled discarded wood from the factory, and if we needed to cut any trees it was as few as possible. We intentionally kept the power lines underground, and any noises are kept to a minimum to honour the peace here.
My sister knits these beautiful, cosy wool slippers for our guests. So, you get the idea that people who visit feel that this was made by a family for other families to feel nurtured.
As a family we still come together twice a year at the beginning of the season to celebrate a new year with the team there and again in April to close the season with them.
We go without our husbands and wives. It’s just the seven of us with our father and mother. My parents are getting old but they still go to Mallin Colorado as they are still heads over heels in love with this place.”
Let’s talk about Chile’s glaciers. The ice fields were once more silent, today the loud cracks are often heard. What changes have you witnessed over the 30 years with climate change?
“When you’re in a remote place such as this, surrounded by and connected to nature, you feel much more profoundly how fragile everything is. Here is what I’ve personally witnessed…
Here in northern Patagonia the glaciers close to Mallin Colorado are the closest glaciers to the Equator line in terms of big masses of ice.
There is an ice trek over Glacier Exploradores that I did around 20 years ago. I hiked 20-30 minutes from the starting point before I reached the ice. Today you need to hike four hours to reach the ice. A clear sign of global warming, and the impact humans have already had on this place.
Beyond this, at Mallín Colorado we are lucky to have fresh, clean water from a creek that comes from the lagoon. In February this year, which is our summer, there was no water left. We will have to look for other sources of water because there’s no more water in that creek.
There is less and less snow in the winter. In the peaks, you see almost no snow in the summer. Compare a picture taken in the summer time of these mountains 30 years ago to today and the difference is striking.
I don’t think we can stop tourism, and we have no right to say no to travellers who want to come to know this place. But we have to take care, we have to educate people on how to achieve a respectful, low-impact trip, and the right kind of development.”
What’s next for Mallin Colorado?
“2025 marks 30 years since that family camping trip to the lake that changed our lives. My parents are still alive, so we’re planning a BIG celebration with the family and the local community. In the closest town almost everyone has worked at least one day at Mallin Colorado. We plan to make a short video about the story of this family too.
My father is proudly running a reforestation project here, he’s already planted around 500 trees. For him, this reforestation project is his most important project to date, planting native tree species.
We’re also planning to further improve the quality of the accommodations and experiences for our guests.”
To discover more about Mallin Colorado here>
Prefer audio? You can now listen to this interview on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Amazon music.
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