Join us to experience the rural life in the middle of Costa Rica Central Valley’s mountains! We are a project focused on growing organic vegetables, tubers and fruits. We take care of our dear animals (for the moment dogs, a cat, a goat and chickens) and we try to use our resources efficiently and respectfully as we live peacefully with all the beings in our environment.  We have our vegetable gardens, and we are developing an agroforestry system which integrates different crops, fruit and timber species and….hopefully coffee soon! In Finca La Quimera we share with people from very different places so here you will find a great opportunity to learn from other cultures, practice or learn Spanish and develop or improve your communication skills as you get involved in the daily planification of activities. Practice community life, be involved in the decision making and become one of our family members for the time you choose to join us. Take home and implement all you learn with us to make the change!

Finca la Quimera was established in a property with no public services. Water supply and management have been great challenges in this area, as well as the management of waste…. apart from the high use of agrochemicals in the country.

At Finca La Quimera we capture and manage our own water in the most efficient way possible, receiving most of our water supply from 2 water springs within the farm and also from rain supply. 

We support businesses that work sustainably, and we try to make the best decisions in terms of what to bring into the project, making sure we have a way to manage the waste products may generate (reducing, reusing and lately recycling)

Since 2020 the Farm offers an educational volunteer program in which our volunteers work for about 5 hours a day, mornings from Monday to Friday and in the afternoon, we offer some workshops (art crafts, movement, etc.) and talks on different topics related to farming and living in community. The main purpose of the volunteer program is to share sustainable practices and a respectful lifestyle with our visitors as we try to be more independent from external resources (growing our own food, using and keeping effectively the farm resources), expanding our consciousness.

Having volunteers coming in and out of the project is a great way to have a positive impact on the world and also to bring in new and interesting ideas to implement on the farm. It is always a great exchange that makes everyone grow and evolve in the right direction. 

1.- Living Spaces

The living areas at the farm consist of a main big outside common kitchen and library area where we all meet for meals and chill, that overlook the farms fields and the mountains and forest around us.

 A workshop by this area where we keep all the farming supplies, tools and working materials. 

Then just a minute downhill there is the Volunteers shared cabin which is a newly built cabin that can host 8 people for now.

In a secluded spot on the farm there is also a big and beautiful private Bungalow (Oropendola’s cabin) in the forest that is usually up for rent or available for volunteers that want more privacy, like families or couples.

And finally, closer to the common areas and the volunteer’s cabin there is Alba’s home. Alba is the founder of this project and usually she lives in this cabin with her babygirl, her dog Baco and her chickens. We have a team that will be managing the project while Alba and her babygirl are abroad due to personal reasons whose members are Lara (manager), Tavo (in charge of agriculture)

Around the farm there are various trails that go through some parts of the forest, a trail to our water reservoir and down to the river Jicotea as well.

The Farm and its surroundings are in a very mountainous part of the country, sometimes quite steep. We work on slopes, and this works really well for some crops and allows us to use gravity for our water supply.

2.- How Work is organized

We meet every morning (from Monday to Friday) at 6:30am in the communal area where we divide into groups to prepare breakfast, clean the kitchen and common areas, start the fire, collect and chop wood, feed the chickens, water the gardens in case is needed and all kind of routinary activities. After breakfast we have a meeting where our team explain the different activities/projects going on in the different areas (agriculture, maintenance of structures and gardens and construction) and you decide where you want to participate that day (we encourage our volunteers to participate in the different areas to understand how everything is interconnected in a farm) We start with our activity plan until 1pm when lunch is served.

As we prepare our meals, every day there will be a cooking team (in charge of preparing breakfast and lunch) guided by one of our staff members (organized in our morning meetings). Harvesting and preparing food is one of the most important activities for us (food is sacred and it is one of the most important sources of energy for us to realize any other activity in our life) so…. we love to cook! You can learn new recipes, traditional Costa Rica dishes and, of course…be creative! We also love to learn from you. As lunch is served at 1pm, the cooking team will start to cook at 11 (or before depending in the preparation of the menu) 

In the afternoon you can decide how you would like to spend your free time: going to the river, walking in the forest or farm surroundings (there is a very nice soda close to the farm), join one of the workshops we offer on art crafts, movement (primal movement, dance, contact impro dance, authentic movement, etc.) or chat about any topic of your interest related to farming and living in community (gardens design, biointensive agriculture, agriculture systems, medicinal plants, etc.…challenges of this type of projects and their inhabitants) We always encourage our volunteers to share their knowledge and experience with us, offering also workshops or activities for the rest of the group. 

3.- Expectations

Volunteers are expected to keep a respectful and healthy attitude towards the farm, neighbors and surroundings. We appreciate very much proactiveness and good communication skills, everything can be learned, attitude is what defines the experience ;-)

As we wake up early…. we go to bed early as well….so we kindly ask to keep the quiet times after 8:30 pm please.

Since we don't have any waste or garbage services close by, we ask volunteers to take back with them the waste they generate that can't be separated in our recycling bins. Thanks!!

Volunteers at Finca La Quimera are in a safe place where they can communicate freely and will be listened to and taking into account for anything important they want to share. As a weekly closure we have a Friday meeting where everybody can share whatever experiences or thoughts about the week, helping us to stay tuned to each other and improve our organization and communication.

Volunteers will have plenty of personal free time (workshops or talks in the afternoon are optional) and we will make sure that their spaces are safe and comfortable. The schedules of work can be flexible in case they want to take a weekend or afternoon trip.

They will always be provided with sheets and blankets for their beds. Volunteers staying more than 2 weeks will get clean sheets every 10-14 days.

We can provide volunteers with a lot of practical info about the area and the country in general. We always look after our volunteers, and we create bonds and friendships that go beyond the farm work and their time spent at the farm. 

4.-Things to bring

These are some things that will be very useful for volunteers to bring for a more comfortable work time and stay:

• Front light / flashlight (* means very important)
• Rubber boots (especially on rainy season)
• Work gloves*
• Hat*
• Raincoat , umbrela, cap *
• Work clothes*: Long and short sleeve shirts and long pants.
• Warmer clothes* for earlier and later times in the day or to sleep in (nights can be very cold and humid.)
• Eco-friendly sunscreen
• Eco-friendly repellent
• Eco- friendly hygiene products or soaps*.
• Towel*
• Refillable bottle
• Basic first aid kit (disinfectant, band aids, medicines you think you may need...)
• Solar charger 

5.- Location

Situated at an altitude of 800 m, we enjoy a privileged climate, usually warm during the day and cool at night. Therefore, we recommend warm clothes for some cool mornings or to be warm at night while sleeping.

The farm is located 600 m from the main road down a fairly steep slope, this road to the farm is for 4x4 off road vehicles only.  

6.-What the volunteers will be doing

The most important tasks that the volunteer group carries out are:

• Improvement and maintenance of the greengarden area and all its elements. (mostly fixing beds + steps, weeding, mulching, fertilizing, spraying liquid mountain microorganisms).
• preparing the beds for cultivating and planting.
• -Feeding the chickens, cleaning and caring for the chicken coop.
• Arrangements in the cabins ... (Fixing details, cleaning)
• Maintenance of trails. (Cleaning, weeding)
• Improvement of the common areas and kitchen (organizing, varnishing...etc.)
• Organize and tidy workshop, cleaning of tools.
• Preparing the group’s meals and cleaning the kitchen and communal areas ... etc.
• Help with shopping in town for supplies, fruit & veggies at local stores or farmers’s market.
• Domestic help around common areas and volunteer’s cabin. 

7.-Resources

Finca La Quimera is an Off Grid site, however and since we recently intalled a small solar panel electricity system at the farm,  we can now offer  a Satellite Internet and Electricity service, so volunteers who chose to use it can get connected to the internet a couple of hours per day in the afternoons and charge their devices every day from 11: 00 to 13:00 or during the two hours of more sunlight. We kindly ask to charge one device per person/ day, so we do not empty our batteries.

For our volunteers it could be useful to bring some solar charger or power banks depending on how much you need to charge your devices.

Our closest neighbor up the road (600m) the owner of Soda El Almendro, Alicia, offers laundry and also connections to the internet and electricity in case you prefer this option. 

8.-What's included?

All main meals on the working days are included from Monday to Sunday

We have a diet based on animal products such as cheese, milk, sour cream, eggs and we eat meat (pasture and local) 3 times per week from Monday to Friday.

We can also provide a vegetarian or vegan diet.

We try to produce most of the vegetables we eat (in Finca La Quimera and in Finca La Huella) and buy from local farmers in the Farmer’s Market in Turrialba every Friday. 

9.- Local support

In any case, and to support local businesses, it is recommended to have one of your weekend meals at one of the closest local businesses.

The closest one to the farm: "Soda El Almendro" is open every day, about 600 m from us, is run by our neighbor Alicia.

In Jicotea town (+- 1.5 km) there are two small restaurants: La Cueva (open every day) and Rancho Don Chepe (open on weekends).

There are many activities you can do on the weekends like visiting Turrialba (which is active) or Irazú volcanos, hiking in the Monumento Nacional Guayabo (where indigenous from North America and South America used to gather), going on a coffee or cacao tour, hiking in National Parks like Tapanti (one of the biggest in the country) or Natural Reserves like La Marta, practice rafting or canyoning in Pacuare river, visiting  CATIE’s Botanical Garden in Turrialba or…even going to the Caribbean Coast (Cahuita and Puerto Viejo are at 2’5 - 3 hours by car from the farm)

We also offer a shuttle service to all these locations, and we can pick you up or take you to Juan Santamaria International airport in Alajuela.