No Plans, Just Purpose In Peru: Intuition, Nature & Community With Rocio Florez
Interview and edit by Rebecca Woolford, Senderos
This is the story of a woman who wrote and illustrated her own nature magazine at the age of nine, and who, without a business plan, found herself buying a piece of deforested land at the edge of the Amazon Basin on a birthday trip.
Rocio Florez never set out to build a lodge.
What she created instead – Gocta Natura Reserve – is a place where hummingbirds feed beside her deck, where children once ran forest ranger campaigns that caught the attention of Jane Goodall, and where over 20,000 trees have been planted as the cloud forest returns.
In the interview below, Rocio reflects on how it all began: how nature shaped her from an early age, how building trust with the local community came before any talk of hospitality, and how being one of Senderos’ newest partners is opening the right doors at just the right pace.
Before Gocta Natura Reserve, was there a particular moment in early life that you recall about your connection to nature?
“Yes, that brings me back to when I was just nine years old. I used to watch a TV programme. It was from Disney, but nature-focused. It was called Naturaleza – Nature.
It aired every Thursday, and I would wait eagerly for it. I wanted to write down everything I learned, every bit of knowledge and information. I even decided to create a newspaper called Nature. I did it all by hand, handwritten and hand-painted animals and everything.
And I’d take it to school to sell.
I don’t recall actually selling any, I think I made three editions in total, but what I do remember is how much I enjoyed doing it.
Later in my adult life, I travelled to California with my husband Augusto, to go to University. We stayed there 7 years, and our two sons were born there.
I stayed close to writing and publications, and eventually that opened a door for me into what we call international cooperation agencies.
Based in Lima, I had partners in Vietnam and Africa. I met so many people, and I got the opportunity to travel all over Peru. That work lasted for about 12 years.
Lima is a massive city. Getting out of it gave me a completely different relationship with people and with nature. I think that became my foundation — it prepared me for what would later become Gocta Nature Reserve.
My husband and I used to say the same thing again and again: we were never going to retire. We wanted what we called a “productive retirement. Of course, I had doubts. I didn’t really know what I was going to do.”
What journey led you to such a remote part of the cloud forest in Peru and into the world of hospitality with your retreat Gocta Natura Reserve?
“We came here by complete chance, on a trip my husband planned for my birthday.
We weren’t planning to come exactly here, but a friend gave us some really good recommendations on where to go, what to see. So, we spent seven days in this region of Peru – where the Amazon Basin begins. It’s the eastern side of the Andes.
We went on a trek to the waterfall with a local guide. And on the last day, we came to this tiny town. I overheard my husband ask the guide if he knew anyone selling land. And the guide said, “Yes, I do. Do you want to see it?”
He showed us a piece of land and we bought it. That same day. I didn’t ask, “What are you going to be doing here? There was no internet. No phone.
I didn’t think about it much. It just felt right in my body. That’s how I knew.”
“What was the vision that guided you when you first began shaping this place?
“From the very beginning, what mattered most was: this is nature’s place. We are visitors here. And we need to make our presence meaningful.
That means not being a burden, not to the land, not to the people.
I wanted this to be a place where people could come and feel a deep sense of peace. A place where they could disconnect from everything and really connect with nature.
The truth is, there are a lot of hotels or lodges that look like nature-focused places. But then you find yourself surrounded by noise, or loud music, or light pollution. And I think that doesn’t help people feel connected to where they are.
So, the guiding principle was this: if people are going to come here, it has to be for the right reason. And we want them to leave with a deeper awareness.
It’s not just a nice stay. It’s a transformative experience.
With no plan or intentions to work in tourism, what happened next and how did you come to win an award from Jane Goodall?
“I started by building a relationship with the families based in the town. Back then, the town had only about 200 people.
I tried to connect local people with programs that had worked well in other parts of the country. Building partnerships, creating connections, things like that.
And then it slowly became more environmentally focused.
The first project I worked on with the community was called Sierra Productiva or Productive Sierras. It focused on environmental technologies for family use.
People would ask me all the time in the village, “Señora Rocio, are you going to build a hotel?” And I’d say, “No, I’m not building a hotel.”
I wasn’t even thinking about hospitality.
We had built what was meant to be our home. In fact, my daughter designed this large living room with a deck overlooking the waterfall. I have four kids, and seven grandchildren so I guess that’s why we made the house so big.
And then we built one cabin for our friends which is where this story of hosting guests really begins…
At the same time, we started reforesting because the land had been deforested before we bought it.
And I also created a program for children called the Forest Rangers. I had volunteers from Finland coming to help.
It was a project which lasted four years. It was for children between 8 and 14 years old. The purpose was to help them develop a sense of awareness of how beautiful and valuable their home is.
Because what happens in countries like ours is that children often leave their home towns as they grow older. They go looking for opportunities in big coastal cities. And while sometimes that works out, many times it doesn’t, they end up living in very difficult conditions.
We had 18 kids in that group, and over four years we worked with them on different themes – we ran campaigns, created awareness. We even won an award from Jane Goodall, who has been my role model since university.
We got the “Project of the Month” award from her institute because of one of the campaigns the kids created. It was really special.
Those kids are now all grown up!
Some of them still come back to work with me for two months at a time, then they go back to university, and return again. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Reforestation is a key part of your impact work, what can you tell us about it?
“In the beginning, when we started reforesting, we didn’t know exactly what would happen or how best to approach it.
We didn’t know which were the native trees. The faster-growing trees were used by the local community for firewood.
13 years later, we’ve planted over 20,000 trees and the natural forest is slowly returning.
And with that, the wildlife has come back too. We’ve seen the return of many bird species. Mammals. Even small monkeys that had disappeared.
I feel like the land has said, “Okay. You’re looking after me. I’ll look after you, too.
And that gives me so much peace. Because this isn’t a massive operation. I’m still very hands-on.”
You’re one of the newest members of the Senderos family, how did that connection come about, and what made the relationship feel different to most?
A dear friend of mine, an amazing person who works in travel, someone I really admire, introduced me to the Senderos team.
We had this beautiful, long conversation. We spoke the same language right away.
Senderos immediately understood what I am trying to do here. That meant a lot. Because many people don’t – they see a website, they see the pictures, but they don’t always grasp the depth of what we’re doing.
The team at Senderos respected the pace we were moving at. They didn’t push us to be something we’re not. And they’ve opened doors that I couldn’t have opened on my own.”
Your energy is astounding. What keeps you going? What drives you after all these years of service?
“I think it’s the feeling that I’m still learning. Every day, I learn something new.
Sometimes it’s about plants. Sometimes it’s about people. Sometimes it’s just about myself. But there’s always more to discover.
And also I think when you feel useful, it keeps you alive and young.
Talking to a guest. Planting a tree. Sitting with someone from the community and listening to what they need.
Those small things – they give me energy. They give me purpose.”
What’s next for Rocio and Gocta Natura Reserve?
“Well, the first thing that comes to mind is the forest I told you about, the 40 hectares.
Working deeply with science, and young people in science, this is my main project and focus now.
It’s going to strengthen the impact we have on nature, and I hope it becomes a real foundation for what we’re building here.
And something else…
As I receive more people from different countries, I think the experience of horseback riding is going to become something very special in this region.”
Discover more about Gocta Natura Reserve here>
Senderos’ stories is a series that celebrates our partners’ positive impact and purpose across Latin America.
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