About Us
A haven grown from soil, salt & stillness
Kalinawan is a Visayan/Waray word meaning calm and inner peace. It is a working farm, a freediving school, and a wellness sanctuary on one mountainside in Biliran Island, Philippines.
Our Story
From tired land to a living classroom
When Lany and David first walked this hillside, decades of conventional coconut farming had left the soil thin and tired. Rather than fight the land, they listened to it. Using permaculture design, they rebuilt the earth layer by layer from swales to catch the rain, food forests to feed the soil, to gardens that spiral like shells along the contours.
Word of the farm's transformation spread through the province, then across the seas. Guests came asking not just to visit, but to learn — and to heal. Yoga decks rose above the gardens, a meditation hall filled with the smell of incense and sea air, and the deep water below the cliffs became a classroom for freediving.
Today Kalinawan is a holistic haven where the same principles that regenerate the land — patience, observation, and care — regenerate the people who walk it.
The Origin
The story of Camp Kalinawan
Some places are built. Others are discovered. And some seem to be waiting for the right people to bring their story to life.
The story of Camp Kalinawan began in 2016, when Lany first bought a piece of land on the lush and beautiful Biliran Island.
At the time, she had a simple dream: to create a peaceful place where people could slow down, reconnect with themselves, and find balance. Inspired by her long travels through Thailand, particularly by its meditation retreats, natural surroundings, and wellness culture, Lany imagined building her own little sanctuary. She wanted a place for meditation, healing, and quiet moments in nature.
But life, as it often does, had something more beautiful in store.
Then Lany met David, the man who would become her beloved and who would bring an entirely new dimension to her dream.
David had a deep passion for permaculture, regenerative farming, and working with nature rather than against it. Where others might see land, he saw a living ecosystem. He was fascinated by soil, water, plants, food forests, and the possibilities of creating a place that could nourish both people and the land.
Naturally, Lany told him about her property in Biliran.
So David came to visit.
And then he fell in love.
Not only with Lany's land, but with Biliran itself.
He was captivated by the island's dramatic landscapes, lush greenery, and—most importantly—the abundance of water. Streams, springs, rain, and fertile land created the perfect canvas for the kind of regenerative living he had always dreamed of.
What began as Lany's vision for a meditation and wellness retreat slowly transformed into something bigger.
Their two dreams began to grow together.
Lany brought the vision of a sanctuary.
David brought the vision of regeneration.
And the land brought its own wisdom.
Together, they began imagining a place where people could rest, reconnect, learn, grow, and experience a different way of living with nature.
A place where wellness wasn't limited to yoga or meditation, but could also be found in planting a seed, walking barefoot on the earth, swimming in fresh water, sharing a meal grown from the land, listening to the rain, or simply sitting quietly beneath the trees.
And so, Camp Kalinawan began to take shape.
The name Kalinawan speaks of clarity, peace, and a calmness of mind. It is a fitting reflection of what Lany had dreamed of from the very beginning.
Today, Camp Kalinawan is more than a piece of land bought in 2016.
It is the meeting point of two journeys: Lany's search for stillness and wellness, and David's lifelong passion for regenerative living.
It is also a story about listening to each other, to the land, and to the possibilities that emerge when human dreams work in harmony with nature.
From a dream of a meditation retreat, to a love story, to a living experiment in regeneration, Camp Kalinawan continues to grow, one seed, one stream, and one beautiful connection at a time.
And perhaps that is the real magic of Kalinawan:
It wasn't simply built.
It grew out of love for each other, for the land, and for a more harmonious way of living.
Our Philosophy
We don't teach permaculture. We live it.
Everything at Kalinawan — from the composting toilets to the communal meals to the way we hold space in meditation — follows the three ethics of permaculture. Guests don't just study these principles; they wake up inside them each morning.
Earth Care
Every structure, garden, and lesson regenerates the land it touches. We farm in ways that leave the soil richer each season.
People Care
Whether a guest stays one day or one month, we tend to their wellbeing as carefully as we tend the gardens — real food, real rest, real connection.
Fair Share
Surplus harvest feeds neighbors and students; tuition funds community projects. Abundance here moves in circles, not lines.
The People
Meet the guides of the haven
David Seiffert Diaz
Co-Founder | Freedive Instructor | Carpenter | Spearfisher | Permaculture Designer
A German-South American co-founder and one of the driving forces behind Camp Kalinawan, David was raised between two cultures — an upbringing that gave him an open-minded perspective, creative problem-solving skills, and a deep appreciation for nature. A passionate freediver and spearfisher, David draws inspiration from the deep ocean. As a carpenter and permaculture designer, he brings that same curiosity and creativity onto the land — turning ideas into structures, systems, and regenerative solutions. Together with his partner, Lany, David is helping transform Camp Kalinawan into a living haven where ocean, forest, food, craftsmanship, and community come together. His vision is simple but powerful: create a place where people can reconnect with nature while learning how to live more sustainably and regenerate the land they depend on.
Helanie Lanante (Lany)
Co-Founder | Meditation Guide | Spaceholder | Permaculture Designer | Wellness Facilitator
Lany is a local woman born and raised in the village of Tagaytay, where she was brought up by a rice farmer before leaving her rural roots to study in a strict Catholic school and later nursing in the city. Life, however, led her on a very different path. Her journey took her to Germany for six years and across different parts of the world, where she explored diverse cultures, philosophies, and ways of living. She spent years practicing Vipassana meditation, lived within Buddhist monastic communities for a total of one year, and explored different approaches to healing, wellness, and self-development. Today, Lany is a certified meditation practitioner, yoga practitioner, spaceholder, permaculture designer, relationship workshop facilitator, and certified naturopathy practitioner. Her recent travels have centered around healing and wellness retreats, conscious communities, and spaces dedicated to personal growth. Her greatest passion is creating safe spaces where people can slow down, reconnect with themselves, and discover their own capacity for healing. Drawing from years of self-reflection, meditation, and personal healing, Lany believes that the deepest healing often begins when we learn to listen to ourselves. Together with David, she is shaping Camp Kalinawan into more than an agritourism destination — a place where regeneration of the land meets regeneration of the human spirit.
Napoleon Lanante
Organic Farmer | Community Leader | Spearfisher | Former Seafarer
Napoleon Lanante spent years as a seafarer, traveling the world by sea and meeting people from different countries, cultures, languages, and backgrounds. Those experiences gave him a broad understanding of the world while deepening his connection to the ocean. Today, Napoleon has returned to the land, dedicating himself to his own abundant organic farm. Passionate about organic agriculture, he currently serves as a leader among the farmers in his village, sharing his experience and advocating for sustainable ways of growing food. The ocean remains an important part of his life — in his spare time, Napoleon goes spearfishing to provide food for his family and share the catch with the community. His years at sea gave him an exceptional understanding of ocean conditions, depths, currents, and marine environments, skills that have made him one of the most experienced spearfishers in the area. From crossing oceans to cultivating the soil, Napoleon embodies the connection between land, sea, food, and community that lies at the heart of Camp Kalinawan.
Reyneil Lanante
Off-Grid & Survival Mentor
Reyneil is a true-blooded local who spends most of his time here on this island. He assists his father in the jungle and catches fish at sea with neighbors at night. He can build a shelter, catch a fish, and light a fire in the rain — skills he learned before electricity reached his village. A bamboo craftsman, he teaches self-reliance as an act of devotion to the land.
