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Permaculture, community & Spanish!

location
4 - 24 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Excellent 4.8  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Excellent response rate

Highlights

  • Practice and improve your Spanish language skills.
  • Re-connect with Nature through a practical learning experience.
  • Live a permaculture lifestyle with a young multicultural community.

Highlights

  • Practice and improve your Spanish language skills.
  • Re-connect with Nature through a practical learning experience.
  • Live a permaculture lifestyle with a young multicultural community.
  • Lean in practice organic agriculture practices in the tropics.
  • Help out with (bio) construction projects.


  • Especially good for

    Age 18+
    Singles
    Couples
    Families
    Groups
    50+

    About the program

    Join our daily lifestyle in a permaculture farm. You'll learn in practice about organic agriculture, bioconstruction and a Spanish class included!

    One of our main intentions with this program is to improve the Spanish language skills through real and conversational language practice on a daily basis.  

    Because this is part of our volunteer learning program, we would be also doing field tasks at the nursery, composting center, harvesting, ...

    About the program

    One of our main intentions with this program is to improve the Spanish language skills through real and conversational language practice on a daily basis.  

    Because this is part of our volunteer learning program, we would be also doing field tasks at the nursery, composting center, harvesting, gardens and terraces tasks, (bio)construction projects and bio-factory. 

    Community kitchen rotation: Cooking 2-4 times a week (Mon-Fri), breakfast or lunch for the rest of the team. You will do it on your own or with a partner. 

    During the afternoons we would be having free and personal time. We would also have some home tasks, such as house weekly general cleaning, house recycling, ferments and nonalcoholic brews making. 

    Once a week we have a community wellness activity that we decide in collective during our weekly planning meeting. It could be yoga, dancing, magical passes, documentary or movie night, etc. 

    This program also includes a Spanish lesson once a week, as well as daily accompaniment on your language acquisition. At the end of your stay, you will present a short project on your Spanish improvement. 
     
    Every Friday we have as a check-in word circle, to share about our state of being, feelings and needs, according to compassionate communication principals. We like to make sure that we’re co-creating a safe space from a holistic perspective. 

    The land is located at 1,200 m a.s.l. This is why we may either have sunny days, as well as rainy and cool ones. We’re surrounded by a wonderful diversity in flora and fauna. You can expect to see an interesting variety of birds, bugs, spiders, scorpions, snakes and some wild mammals.

    We usually visit a local attraction (waterfall, hot springs, hiking) once a month.




    Typical day

    We wake up with the sunlight! : ) Since we do meals rotation, the people in charge of breakfast on that day should be up at 5:30 a.m. at the kitchen. So that we all could eat at 6:30 a.m.


    This would be our weekly general schedule for morning tasks:

    • Monday- Logistics: harvests, post-harvest process, ...

    Typical day

    We wake up with the sunlight! : ) Since we do meals rotation, the people in charge of breakfast on that day should be up at 5:30 a.m. at the kitchen. So that we all could eat at 6:30 a.m.


    This would be our weekly general schedule for morning tasks:

    • Monday- Logistics: harvests, post-harvest process, bio-control
    • Tuesday- Vegetable gardens: weeding, mulching, planting, harvesting, pruning, open new beds
    • Wednesday- Edible Forest: weeding, mulching, planting, harvesting, pruning, open new beds
    • Thursday- “The Everything Day”: we do tasks of different areas of the farm
    • Friday- Bioconstruction: depending on the project, we could be working with bamboo, volcanic rocks, clay and more!

    During the morning we have a short break to have a fruit snack, and off course, water! 


    There is also a different team every day (Mon-Fri) to cook lunch. We all eat at 1:00 p.m

     

    Afternoon is free time in general, but we could also do some home tasks like a brew making, ferments, weekly cleaning task, or our wellness activity.

     

    Weekends are free time. 


    Free-time activities

    To begin with, you can enjoy the sounds and calmness of nature.

    Having a chilled afternoon taking a walk at the farm forest, bird watching, taking a walk at the town are some close and physical activities.

    We have a chill/co-working space in which you could spend indoor time with other volunteers or ...

    Free-time activities

    To begin with, you can enjoy the sounds and calmness of nature.

    Having a chilled afternoon taking a walk at the farm forest, bird watching, taking a walk at the town are some close and physical activities.

    We have a chill/co-working space in which you could spend indoor time with other volunteers or on your own. You could have some music jamming, table games, reading a book, writing, painting, personal computer work.

    Having a Spanish personal time to study is highly recommended during afternoons or evenings. We have some cool books at our home library, or just having spontaneous conversational time.

    Some other experiences around are a visit to Irazú Volcano, Guayabo Archeological monument, Lankester Botanical Garden, Cartago Municipal Museum, Cartago Basilica, the Ruins, Local markets. You could also plan on going further away, like planning a trip to the beach. 


    Requirements

    Requirements

    Minimum Age: 18 years

    In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

    Language Skills

    You need to speak English (basic level)

    Nationality Restrictions

    No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

    Other Skills

    Desired but not required: abilities in organic agriculture, and bioconstruction.

    Time Commitment

    Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 06:30 - 13:00

    What's Included

    What's Included

    Services by Finca Sol y Valle

     Accommodation and food & drink are included in the fees.

    Accommodation

    We have a cabin with a bedroom for 3 people max., with a bunk bed and single bed. In that cabin there is warm shower and conventional toilet.

    We have another composting toilet with the most beautiful view from the mountains!

    The other cabin has a bedroom for 1 or 2 people at the same time. Warm shower and conventional toilet.

    We have a communal kitchen for all of us.  

    Food & Beverages

    Our diet is vegan, mostly with organic fruits and vegetables. Yummy!

    We’re vegetarian friendly. Which means that you can get on your own eggs, bee honey, or dairy products from the grocery store at the town.  

    We organize our meals by rotation. So every day we co-create cook teams for beak fast (6:30 a.m) and lunch (1:00 p.m). Dinners are freestyle, so each person decide what to eat, and what time. Weekends are also freestyle. 


    PD. Let us know if you have a special diet restriction. 

    Internet Access

    Good access at the project site

    What's NOT included?

    What's NOT included?

    Airport Pickup at Juan Santamaria International Airport

    An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

    Flight Tickets

    The nearest airport is Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO) in San Jose. We assist you to find cheap flights to Costa Rica. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

    Travel Insurance

    Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Costa Rica provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

    Vaccines

    If you are intending to volunteer in Costa Rica you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Costa Rica. VACCINE CHECKER

    Details on arrival

    We host volunteers almost the whole year, except from December 23rd 2023 to January 7th 2024. Normally we don’t accept volunteers from Christmas till a few days after New Year’s Eve.

    Availability
    Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

    Program fees

    4 weeks (min. stay) 818€
    5 weeks 1,016€
    6 weeks 1,215€
    7 weeks 1,413€
    9 weeks 1,811€
    11 weeks 2,208€
    24 weeks (max. stay) 4,788€
    Average fees 202€/week

    Program fees

    202€ per week 4 - 24 weeks Age 18 - 50+

    Payment methods

    Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

    NO CREDIT CARD FEES


    Duration

    4 - 24 weeks

    Deposit

    The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


    Final Payment

    Your final payment will be agreed with Finca Sol y Valle during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


    Meet your organization

    Finca Sol y Valle

    Excellent 4.8 rating (12 reviews)

    Agency - founded in 2018

    Verified by Volunteer World

      Excellent response rate

    Coordinated by

    Anamor

    Spoken languages: French, Italian, English, Spanish

    About the project

    Finca Sol y Valle is a place in which people from all over the world can come and have a practical learning experience in a community based, permaculture lifestyle.

    Meet your organization

    ¡Hola! Hi! Salut ! Oi! Ciao!

    Welcome to our farm!
    We're a community of people co-creating a more sustainable lifestyle, in harmony with nature.
    More than half of the farm is a protected secondary forest with 50+ year old trees - a breath of fresh air in the heart of Costa Rica's deforested agricultural region. Other areas on the property include a bamboo forest for construction needs, a food forest with over 100 fruit trees, extensive organic gardens for personal consumption, and several bioconstruction projects. The project serves as an sustainable model contrasting with the chemical-based farms nearby.

    12 reviews · rating4.8

    Tona Ratigan Green rating5

    2023 at Agroforestry, Bioconstruction and Community!

    Finca Sol y Valle was a fantastic experience. From learning about all the flora and fauna, to being able to work with the earth, to learning about the natural cycles of the earth and growing spiritually, Sol y valle was definitely the right choice for me. The systems they have in place are simple ...
    Jeff and Anamor were great hosts that treated everyone with a lot of respect and compassion. Finca Sol y Valle is beautiful place with great community and worldly ...
    Our 2-week stay was great, it was over to fast. We felt really welcome and we liked all involved people: the hosts and the people working there (eg the other volunteers and the dog 😊). The tasks changed daily, we were involved in gardening, planting, construction and cooking, all of them ...
    Noemie Catherine rating4.6

    2023 at Agroforestry, Bioconstruction and Community!

    Work in a finca in permaculture and community. We work monday to friday. We pronoun breakfast at 6 h and lunch 13h together. We work from 8 am to 1 pm. Per week we participate in a wellness session and an activity all ...
    I honestly can say that I learned so many things during my stay at Sol y Valle. It truly is another way of living compared to my life in the U.S. and I am so grateful to have been able to met all of the wonderful people who reside there. I learned not only about sustainable living and agriculture, ...
    Marta Fernandez Ocaña rating5

    2022 at Agroforestry, Bioconstruction and Community!

    It was amazing, the knowledge, the people, the place, the food!! All was delicious! Thanks very much, the team of sol y Valle are a really good professionals, everything is very well organised ...

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    French, Italian, English, Spanish

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