Creative Container and Co-Living in Máncora Peru

Do you have all these creative ideas, but keep not finding the time or space to start? Or maybe you’ve started a project — or several — but motivation and inspiration ebbed away, and now finishing feels impossible? Or maybe you’re searching for your dream job or project, but nothing seems to come up, and the steps you take just don’t lead to results… 

I know that feeling VERY well. At some point each year, I get stuck in a loop of rewriting the same to do lists but not finding the motivation to work through them🫠 For me, ideas come easy and the real challenge is finding a rhythm to bring them to completion - with the final 10% often being the most challenging. Over the years, I have learned that what works for me is not pushing harder or waiting for motivation to come, but changing my environment.

This is why I am hosting a creative container & co-living in Máncora, Peru in November and December 2025. It is a space where flow meets structure; a space to let your creativity come alive, while staying focused and motivated. It is a community space for creatives, freelancers, digital nomads, online students in paper writing phase, travellers who seek a pause to integrate; anyone who has an idea or project they want to focus on💡

On this page, I share a bit about the philosophy of the creative container concept and it hopefully contains all the practical information you need, feel free to reach out with questions either via e-mail or my instagram (@iam_allovertheplace)!🌞

Alchemy, Creativity, and the role of the Body

Alchemy is the science of transformation and one of its key principles is: if an external situation is not changing — a relationship pattern you keep repeating, finding a job you love, and so on — it means something internally still needs to change. 

If change is not occurring externally, it means something internally still needs to shift. 

Meanwhile, if something inside you is not shifting — despite all the inner work you’re doing — it can help to change your external environment. It helps to step out of the place where you’ve been holding certain habits, thoughts, and blockages. 

After having spent months dwelling on the same to do lists, but not finding the motivation, time or discipline to get any of it done, I decided to radically change my environment. I am a slow traveller and so I tend to stay in places for multiple months at a time anyway, but usually these are places with lots of things to do and many people to meet. I was living in Salvador, Brazil when I decided to rent out a remote apartment in Los Organos, Peru for a full month.

The idea was to give myself myself space and time for my creative ideas and to integrate changes in myself. I had been traveling, gone through a healing journey with my menstrual cycle, and had had some intense psychedelic experiences. For me, taking this space looked like resting, journaling, having deep and reflective conversations — but also connecting with other creative people, the ocean, doing yoga, surfing, and learning something new: kitesurfing. 

Ultimately, one of the main bridges between your inner and outer world is the body. So how do we integrate? By listening to our bodies. Creating and finding new ways means moving in new ways — dancing, trying something unfamiliar, surprising your senses. 

Before I went to the apartment in Los Organos, I spent a few days in Máncora, which was two towns further North. I ended up loving the guesthouse where I was staying, the community in Máncora and the town itself so much that I came back multiple times a week from my remote apartment – that turned out to really remote. After my one month in the apartment with various days in Máncora, I spent a whole full month at the guesthouse.

Altogether, these two months led to a CRAZY amount of progress in terms of projects:

⭐️ I handed in various dream proposals

📝 Pitches I sent from that time got accepted

🦋 I felt inspired, felt ideas flow and ‘coincidentally’ instantly connected with the right the people

💻 I wrote and scheduled blogposts for the upcoming months

💰Suddenly, earlier efforts even started (literally) paying off and I was approached for paid assignments

🏖️ Anddd all of this was happening in while resting and enjoying the ocean.

Now I am recreating this energy to share with others!

Why organize a shared Creative Container and Co-Living?

As a slow traveller, digital nomad and online master student, one of the things I am missing most is community! Although the remote apartment in Los Organos was beautiful, I noticed that being together with a group of people in one space, working on your own or a shared project brings an energy of motivation, inspiration and creativity that is unmatched. 

I had been thinking about organizing a shared space like this for a while now - for nine months before I decided to pursue the idea, to be exact. When I visited this guesthouse in Máncora was when I truly envisioned how a creative container and co-living would work out.

This creative container is slightly different from the average co-living as I am also hosting various creative and vision-based workshops. My own life is genuinely amazing, and I feel a lot of creativity, confidence and am surrounded by the support of friends and family - even if most are far away. My life is this way it is due to things I have learned, choices I have made, and the network around me. So by making the creative container a co-living, I aim to inspire and help others to find that too!

In one of my favourite cafes in Máncora, Peru

Why in Máncora, Peru?

Like I said, I visited Máncora, Peru - a beach town in Piura, a province somewhat near the Ecuadorian border - in June and July 2025. My plan was to only stay for a few days and then spend the full month in Los Organos, to then travel through Peru after. However, I ended up spending almost a full two months in Máncora. Why? Because the energy there was incredible.

I stayed in Kinti Guesthouse, a place run by an Argentinian and Colombian couple that truly make it feel like home. Everyone that walks through the doors notices how good the energy is there. I stayed in this guesthouse for most of my time. While I was there - working on my projects - a lot of good things happened to me, some initiated there, some springing from seeds planted earlier in my life.

My energy in this guesthouse and in Máncora in general were through the roof. I have never felt so happy, and people noticed; I was glowing and multiple persons told me that.

Elsewhere I have written a post about Máncora and all that you can do there, where to stay, and when to visit.

What contributed to my focus was that Máncora is small and has a close-knit expat community. This made my world feel small and calm. Besides that it is an excellent place to surf, kitesurf, do yoga, and spend hours in the ocean. Movement and being near water is very important for my creativity and so Máncora really felt like a perfect place to host this creative container and co-living.

I also met inspiring and creative people, such as a Colombian filmmaker, a talented jewelry maker, other fire spinners, and people starting projects. So, in short, I feel like Máncora's energy could generate a lot good things for people when we gather.

Beach in Máncora

Who are invited?

It genuinely does not matter what you do  – an online study, research, an online job, or a creative project in the broadest sense – the idea is that you use at least one of the two work blocks a day throughout the week so that we create this co-working space.

To make the space accessible for people with various backgrounds, I am working with a tiered price system. I will explain it below.

Two of the wonderful new friends that I met (with myself in the middle)

Practicalities: length of stay, prices and what is included

So, you can choose to join for 2, 4 or 6 weeks. If you decide to stay 4/4+ weeks you get the two extra days in November included.

What else is included besides stay?

💻 Co-work sessions twice a day with good wifi - of which the idea is you join at least one

🧘🏼‍♀️Yoga 2x a week OR 💪 a gym membership

💫 One creative or vision-based workshop a week

🪁Discount at the kitesurf club

🏄🏽‍♀️ Discount at the surfschool

🎁 When joining for 4/4+ weeks: one conversation with me beforehand to talk about your intentions & one (optional) integration conversation with me 1-3 months after the creative container

🍿 Weekly movie night at El Deck

🌅 Daily sunset gathering with the community

Food included:

🥑 DELICIOUS vegetarian breakfast served seven days a week (other food preferences / dietary options available)

🥗 Groceries for up to five veggie-rich meals to be prepared together

🍞 Homemade bread

What is not included?

🌮 Remaining meals (plato del dia is 20 PEN)

✈️ Flights and airport transfer (optional add-on)

Available room types:

⭐️ 4 bed mixed dorm

⭐️ private room with double bed

⭐️ private room for 3 people with double and single bed (can only be booked per 3)

⭐️ private room with two single beds (to be booked with 2, but you can indicate you would be interested to book with someone else and I can ask around)

🐬 All private rooms have a private bathroom. All rooms, including the dorm, are cleaned at least twice a week :)

Soooo what does it cost?

🌞 Like I said, I am choosing to work with a tiered price system that corrects for income/country of residence and income within your country, so that the space hopefully becomes more accessible for a variety of people.

Moreover, you can choose to stay 2, 4 or 6 weeks. And of course the price depends on your currency. This means that I do not have a super steady price list available.

To give you an idea, I will post below the table for high income countries (in USD and in EUR) - this includes Argentina and Chile - based on staying the whole month of November. This means four weeks and two days extra:

For high income countries for the whole month of november (4 weeks + 2 days free), prices in EUR:

	Low income	Middle income	High income
Dorm bed	3098 PEN ~ €752	3688 PEN ~ €895	4278 PEN ~ €1039
Private room by yourself	4830 PEN ~ €1.173	5750 PEN ~€1.396	6670 PEN~ €1.620
Private room shared with someone else (price p.p.)	3255 PEN ~ €790	3875 PEN ~ €941	4495 PEN~ €1.092
Private room for three (price p.p.)	3255 PEN ~ €790	3875 PEN ~ €941	4495 PEN ~ €1.092

Prices for high income countries, for the whole month of november (so 4 weeks + 2 days extra), prices in USD:

	Low income	Middle income	High income
Dorm bed	3098 PEN ~ 890 USD	3688 PEN ~ 1.060 USD	4278 PEN ~ 1230 USD
Private room by yourself	4830 PEN ~ 1340 USD	5750 PEN ~ 1.650 USD	6670 PEN ~ 1915 USD
Private room shared with someone else (price p.p.)	3255 PEN ~ 935 USD	3875 PEN ~ 1.111 USD	4495 PEN ~ 1.290 USD
Private room for three (price p.p.)	3255 PEN ~ 935 USD	3875 PEN ~ 1.111 USD	4495 PEN ~ 1.290 USD

Then, the price table for middle income countries (in Guatemalan QT, Brazilian Reais, and Mexican Pesos), again based on staying the whole month of November. This means four weeks and two days extra:

Prices for people from Mexico for the whole month of November (4 weeks + 2 extra days):

	Bajos ingresos	Ingresos medios	Altos ingresos
Cama en dormitorio	1770 PEN ~ 9.380 MXN	2213 PEN ~ 11.730 MXN	2655 PEN ~ 14.070 MXN
Habitación privada para una persona	2760 PEN ~ 14.630 MXN	3450 PEN ~ 18.280 MXN	4140 PEN ~ 21.940 MXN
Habitación privada para dos personas (precio pp)	1860 PEN ~ 9.860 MXN	2325 PEN ~ 12.320 MXN	2790 PEN ~ 14.790 MXN
Habitación privada para tres personas (precio pp)	1860 PEN ~ 9.860 MXN	2325 PEN ~12.320 MXN	2790 PEN~ 14.790 MXN

Prices for people from Guatemala for the whole month of November (4 weeks + 2 extra days):

	Bajos ingresos	Ingresos medios	Altos ingresos
Cama en dormitorio (de 4 personas)	1770 PEN ~ 3900 QT	2213 PEN ~ 4870 QT	2655 PEN ~ 5840 QT
Habitación privada para una persona	2760 PEN ~ 6075 QT	3450 PEN ~ 7590 QT	4140 PEN ~ 9110 QT
Habitación privada para 2 personas (precio pp)	1860 PEN ~ 4095 QT	2325 PEN ~ 5115 QT	2790 PEN ~ 6140 QT
Habitación privada para 3 personas (precio pp)	1860 PEN ~ 4095 QT	2325 PEN ~ 5115 QT	2790 PEN~ 6140 QT

Prices for people from Ecuador for the whole month of November (4 weeks + 2 extra days):

	Bajos ingresos	Ingresos medios	Altos ingresos
Cama de dormitorio	1770 PEN ~ 510 USD	2213 PEN ~ 635 USD	2655 PEN ~ 760 USD
Habitación privada para una persona	2760 PEN ~ 795 USD	3450 PEN ~ 990 USD	4140 PEN ~ 1190 USD
Habitación privada para dos personas (precio pp)	1860 PEN ~ 830 USD	2325 PEN ~ 670 USD	2790 PEN ~ 800 USD
Habitación privada para tres personas (precio pp)	1860 PEN ~ 535 USD	2325 PEN ~ 670 USD	2790 PEN~ 800 USD

And then there are the photos of the guesthouse and rooms to give you an idea of the vibe and physical space🤗

Please let me know if you are interested - via Instagram (@iam_allovertheplace), by commenting on this post, or sign up for the newsletter to receive my e-mail address! This includes if you are interested in joining another time, but not this one in November and December. I am creating a contact list to keep people updated on future creative containers & co-living that I am organizing - in Peru and other places.

Finally, if you know someone that might be interested in joining please forward it to them! I also have this whole text and the prices available in Spanish here.

And if you have questions about accessibility, let me know!

Big hug,

Ilse🤗

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Have questions or feedback? Drop them in the comments or DM me on Instagram @iam_allovertheplace.

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