Région: mastatal puriscal san jose costa rica

We are a local Costa Rican family living on a small organic farm. We are in the process of creating a sustainable living susituation by utilizing permaculture techniques, protecting the forrest that surrounds us, and participating in our local economy. Our farm is located in the small town of Mastatal, in the shadow of the Cangreja National Park. We believe the forrest is an important resource, and we have an obligation to protect it. We offer three meals a day of the best Costa Rican food and comfortamble sleeping accomodations. The lifestyle is very laid back, We also have a washing machine that is available for free. Projects on the farm include: Natural Building Planting Trees Maintaining and Harvesting Crops Maintaining the Medicinal Garden and Taking Care of the Animals hydroponic system Aquaponics system creative with ceramic art we produce organic crops. We have pig, chickens for eggs,fish (tilapia), dogs, 1 cat and several cows.We make our own homemade cheese from cow's milk and now we are focusing on building more organiccrops, specifically fresh vegetables like chilies,tomatoes, yuca, oranges, lemon, pineapple, sweet potatos, zuchini, mango, papaya, aguacate, cucumber, mustard, starfruit, pejibaye, platano, banana, chayote, frijoles, carrot and other locally grown vegetables. There are volunteer opportunities for construction projects,gardening, and working with medicinal plants here on our farm as well. Our food Volunteers eat with the family rice and beans, fruit,and salad are always served. We also make bread, tortillas, empanadas, eggs, cheese, soups, and Meat is occasionally available vegetarians and vegans are easily accommodated. Volunteers also have the option to attend Spanish School, in mastatal 20 minutes walk What can I do with my free-time? take trips into the park and take the short walk to the waterfall in our backyard. Of course relaxing and reading in the hammocks are encouraged, as well as yoga on our outdoor deck. swim in the river, visit local hot springs, climb the mountain of la cangreja ( 1300 mt ). birdwatching ,Hiking in the mountains ,riding horse ,Indigenous Reserve zapaton pura vida Javier , Raquel ,our son Andres 1 year 3 months

Région: Ontario

We are a 4 person family (mom, dad, 2 girls (1 and 2.5 years)) and a dog and fish. We like to be home as much as possible, yet our extended family lives out-of-town so we travel enough to visit them all (Timmins, Ottawa, Manitoba). We have done and enjoy travels ourselves (father has worked overseas previously, mother has done an exchange herself). We are outdoors people who enjoy activities (we have lots of equipment for skiing, biking, snow shoeing, canoeing, horseshoe pit, etc.). T.V. time is reserved for when the kids are gone to bed (7:30pm). We have a new family business, which takes, up lots of our time this year, so mom is required to work. We are kept very busy with our business/career and kids, yet like to enjoy new experiences. We have a focus on balancing health, the environment (we recycle and compost), fun and treats - or at least try. Please no smokers, as we don’t smoke ourselves, or smokers have to do there thing outside in all weather and away from little eyes. We follow two diets: meat-atarian and vegetarian. We live in a all-seasons Northern community city surrounded by Nature, lakes, bike trails. We have a river on our property, a bus route in walking distance, and a bike trail as well. We have all four seasons and plenty of activities for each season.Toronto is 3.5 hours away south, Ottawa 4 hours away east, Sudbury 1.75 hours west, and New Liskeard is 2 hours and Timmins 4 hours away north.We have a 6-acre lot and 1 acre is cleared with lawn. A bus stop is located on our road, less than 1 kilometre walk. The long distance/Greyhound bus is located downtown about 7km away. The train has discontinued service this month. We have an airport with 15 km from our house.

Région: British Columbia

I am a construction manager and my wife a health care professional. We love to travel and have just returned from a work away experience in Panama. We love meeting fellow travelers to share our experiences.

Région: Nogueirinha, near Oliveira do Hospital

Quinta da Laranjeira (Farm of the orange tree) is located in the rural village of Nogueirinha, near Oliveira do Hospital in Central Portugal. The traditional house has been fully renovated and has two bedrooms, the lower level is self-contained with a combined bed/sitting room, separate shower room and toilet. Within easy walking distance of the house is a small shop with adjoining cafe/bar and the local Associação (social club). The 1.2 hectare Quinta sits on hillside with a mix of woodland and terraces. The (upper) wooded area supports native trees, and the (lower) terraces are used for cultivation of our small crops, vines, Olive and fruit trees. We are an English couple, Patrick (54) & Elaine (45), we share the house / land with our dogs, Daisy & Rrrags, we also have three cats, four hens and a cockerel. This year (2013) with the help of our 'Workaway' volunteers we've completed the heavy forest clearance, in the future this will be a relatively easy maintenance job for March (weather permitting). We've a number of projects for the remainder of the year requiring specific skills. We hope to create a 'garden' (apart from our cultivation areas), as we would like some colour other than green! We also have vegetable planting and weeding to do in addition to normal land maintenance. We are also extending the kitchen and doing other building work. We've had quite a few volunteers now, and they have been a great help with general work, our needs now are more specific and concentrate on two key areas of experience, horticulture and construction, a person with experience in both areas would be ideal. IMPORTANT! Quinta da Laranjeira is not an 'eco' project and we will not be persuaded to make it one. We use powered machinery for cultivation and land maintenance. We use insecticides and fertilizers on our crops and chemical treatments for control of problem species. We feel it's important to make this clear to potential volunteers to prevent them working in an environment in which they would be uncomfortable. We are not vegetarians or vegans, and have no intention of being converted! We eat practically all conventional foods including meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products and vegetables. Anyone with an unconventional or alternative diet would probably not enjoy a stay here.