our story

NATU was born from a deep love for Aruba’s wild nature, rich heritage, and the kind of travel that gives back.

Founder's Tale

dentist & Engineer turn cunuKero

A magical night dancing beneath the stars in our beloved cunucu¹, celebrating our wedding with friends and family from all over the world. String lights in the watapana trees, a warm breeze, and lots of ambiente. Visitors and locals felt the magic in the air. That evening sparked the flame that would become NATU.

String lights, a warm breeze, and lots of ambiente

Back in Europe, the memory stayed with us. What if we could share this magical feeling with others? What if it could help regenerate our historical cunucu and preserve it’s natural beauty and cultural significance for future generations? What if travel could truly give back?

“A visit to a 1.000+ year old olive orchard in Greece during one of our trips, and the family-owned olive mill that had been co-operated by the local community for ages, was a huge eye opener for me. The contrast was huge, still working as a corporate manager, being fully focused on savings and efficiency.
- Leo [Roel]

Later that year, a trip to South Africa brought unexpected inspiration. In a landscape not unlike Aruba’s own - rugged, dry, and full of life - we discovered the beauty of luxury safari tents. Many of the private nature reserves are sustained entirely by tourism, proving that travel can directly fund regeneration.

Seeing this was like seeing our vision in real life. We were drawn instantly to the idea: a minimal-impact shelter offering comfort and luxury, elevated lightly on stilts, letting nature continue beneath it.

We decided to go all in, chasing the freedom to live in line with our values. Our careers went on the backburner.

From there, the vision gained momentum. We co-designed our custom interiors with Luciana, collaborated with a carpenters’ collective in Cape Town, and worked with a local community from rural Blantyre, Malawi, to bring unique pieces to life. Meanwhile, the engineering phase unfolded: every detail carefully planned. And then came the moment to roll up our sleeves. On Aruba, together with our family and friends, we laid the foundations with our own hands and built the camp from the ground up.

"Ban Planta" ("Let's Plant"), one of our first regenerative projects

One of our first regenerative projects, “Ban Planta” ("Let’s Plant"), brought our dream to life. Surrounded by family and friends, we planted our first tamarind and mango trees beside two old mispel trees - right next to one of our tents, 'Isla'. We have also started a hofi³, where we have started cultivating fruits and veggies. We are excited to see this cunucu filled with shade and fruit again one day!

NATU is today the result of love, dedication, courage, and perseverance. It reflects our desire to live in connection with nature, and to create a retreat where our guests can feel that too.

1 cunucu: In Papiamento, cunucu refers to farmland or countryside, where generations of Arubans lived close to the land. Today, it’s a place where cultural heritage and nature still breathe together.
2 cunukero: Cunukero is the name given to the people who lived close to the land in Aruba’s cunucu - cultivating small plots, raising animals, and carrying forward generations of knowledge about living in the desert landscape.
3 hofi: Hofi is the word for "kitchen garden".