Eduardo Astorga and Eugenia Moreno Here met, married and formed a family of eight children with Max Astorga, then administrator of a nearby gypsum deposits, founding a lineage that until today maintains a close bond with San Alfonso. What'S more, about a century ago the Astorga Barriga donated the land where the school, the football field, the Police station and other community places are located, placing the foundations of the future people.
Four decades Ago, one of the couple's children, Eduardo Astorga, decided to promote a family business dedicated to tourism. With the support of his wife, Eugenia Moreno, and his ten children, they devised to transform the 3.600 hectares of the Fundo San Alfonso in the ecotourism Center Cascade Las Animas, a new move, as at that time the concept of ecotourism was unknown in Chile.
A seguidilla of innovations that have characterized the work of the family in the Chilean tourist industry Was initiated, always having to the preservation of the environment in the center of their attention. Therefore, it has promoted important projects of recovery of endangered fauna and soils affected by erosion, having planted over 30.000 trees between native species and introduced in the course of the last two decades. Due to this same concern, during three years of tenacious struggle was opposed to the passage of the pipeline that, with serious danger on the flora and fauna of the area, intended to build the consortium formed by Gas Andes and Nova Corporación within the Cascade of Las Animas. The dispute was finally resolved in favor of the Astorga, forcing the modification of the original layout.
After this episode, it was decided to convert to the tourist center in a Sanctuary of Nature, reason why today one of the most important protected areas of the central zone of Chile.
The aspiration to maintain unaltered the natural environment of San Alfonso and the great potential that Cascade of the Animas has for the tourism of special interests, motivated the many grandchildren of Eduardo Astorga and Eugenia Moreno to join the activities of the Center of Ecotourism. This third generation, headed by Sebastián Herrera Astorga in the General Management, has been in charge of professionalizing the business and of raising new ecotourism projects, one of which is Cascada Lodge.
Thus, a legacy of more than 100 years and the current entrepreneurial spirit are now joining to invite them to enjoy the different services provided by Cascade Las Animas, taking the Andean environment surrounding San Alfonso as an unbeatable backdrop. We hope.
Four decades Ago, one of the couple's children, Eduardo Astorga, decided to promote a family business dedicated to tourism. With the support of his wife, Eugenia Moreno, and his ten children, they devised to transform the 3.600 hectares of the Fundo San Alfonso in the ecotourism Center Cascade Las Animas, a new move, as at that time the concept of ecotourism was unknown in Chile.
A seguidilla of innovations that have characterized the work of the family in the Chilean tourist industry Was initiated, always having to the preservation of the environment in the center of their attention. Therefore, it has promoted important projects of recovery of endangered fauna and soils affected by erosion, having planted over 30.000 trees between native species and introduced in the course of the last two decades. Due to this same concern, during three years of tenacious struggle was opposed to the passage of the pipeline that, with serious danger on the flora and fauna of the area, intended to build the consortium formed by Gas Andes and Nova Corporación within the Cascade of Las Animas. The dispute was finally resolved in favor of the Astorga, forcing the modification of the original layout.
After this episode, it was decided to convert to the tourist center in a Sanctuary of Nature, reason why today one of the most important protected areas of the central zone of Chile.
The aspiration to maintain unaltered the natural environment of San Alfonso and the great potential that Cascade of the Animas has for the tourism of special interests, motivated the many grandchildren of Eduardo Astorga and Eugenia Moreno to join the activities of the Center of Ecotourism. This third generation, headed by Sebastián Herrera Astorga in the General Management, has been in charge of professionalizing the business and of raising new ecotourism projects, one of which is Cascada Lodge.
Thus, a legacy of more than 100 years and the current entrepreneurial spirit are now joining to invite them to enjoy the different services provided by Cascade Las Animas, taking the Andean environment surrounding San Alfonso as an unbeatable backdrop. We hope.