As a volunteer at the Finca, you will have the opportunity to assist the team in various working areas. You will gain extensive knowledge about organic agriculture and sustainability. You will develop new skills in bio-construction, agroforestry, organic vegetable gardening, harvesting, plant propagation, composting, cooking, and recycling. Additionally, you will enhance your understanding of maintaining a healthy life balance and cultivate new abilities.
The project can host up to 4 volunteers simultaneously. Weekly team meetings are conducted to outline the tasks that need to be accomplished. Work areas are allocated to each volunteer based on the current requirements of the Finca, while also considering the skills and interests of all participants.
The work areas encompass:
- Working in the gardens and food forest: This includes sowing, planting, mulching, pruning, irrigating, and harvesting.
- Harvest and processing: This involves cleaning, measuring, and storing the produce collected from the edible forest or orchards, among other tasks.
- Bioconstruction: This includes various new infrastructure projects and the maintenance of existing structures, as well as organizing and maintaining tools in the bodega.
- Online presence: This entails assisting with the management of social media and the website, as well as writing blogs or articles about the Finca.
- Kitchen: This involves helping in the kitchen with meal preparation, dishwashing, and cleaning.
Please be aware that if a volunteer possesses specific skills in areas such as construction, bioconstruction, carpentry, marketing, or tropical species identification in the secondary forest, they are encouraged to concentrate their efforts in one of those particular fields.
As is customary in Costa Rica, the day begins early at 6 a.m. Depending on the day or the individual’s responsibilities, volunteers participate in collaborative activities in one of the previously mentioned sectors. Breakfast is served around 8:30 a.m., and lunch is provided at 12:30 p.m.
Afternoons are typically reserved for leisure activities. Nonetheless, there may be scheduled tasks for the afternoon, such as household chores: recycling, tidying up, managing gray water, and fermenting kefir or kombucha, in addition to baking sourdough bread.
Usually, the Finca organizes a wellness activity each week, occurring in the afternoons, with options that include dance, yoga, acroyoga, woodland walks, documentaries, and more.
During their leisure time, volunteers have the opportunity to discover the stunning surroundings, engage in hiking, and visit sites like waterfalls, hot springs, or archaeological locations. They can take a leisurely walk through the forest or explore the town of La Flor and interact with the local community. Reading a book brought from home or borrowing one from the Finca's library is also an option. The library features a variety of titles on permaculture, organic farming, medicinal plants, literature in several languages, botany, and more! Additionally, volunteers can participate in crafts or other activities.
On weekends, you may wish to visit appealing nearby attractions, such as the Irazú Volcano, Guayabo National Monument, the Durán Sanatorium (a historic “haunted” building), and Tapantí National Park. Weekend excursions to the Caribbean or Pacific coast are also possible. Numerous points of interest are located within a range of 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Please note: The tasks may differ. They are influenced by factors such as the number of volunteers, weather conditions, the season, the current needs of the project, and individual motivation. Not every volunteer may participate fully in all these activities.
(174)
Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Groups
50+
