Join us for the olive harvest and discover local village life in Mani, Greece

Infos

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  Description

  Hello,
  
  We are Alexandros and Claire. We live in the South Peloponnese in the village of Lagkada between mountain and sea. We moved to the beautiful area of Mani a few years ago with the will to create a village life and we quickly started working with olive trees.
  
  Our olive groves are located around the village and in other beautiful locations of the Mani and we are looking for volunteers to participate with the harvest (October until February). The olive harvest is a physical work - in a difficulty level similar to the grape harvest - that requires commitment, teamwork, and physical readiness.
  
  The oil produced is for our own consumption and small-scale sales. Alexandros' main activity is the restoration of Byzantine churches and historical monuments, and Claire is a piano teacher and runs holiday rentals. But olive production is a crucial part of our life as it allows us to be connected to our food consumption. While Claire is doing the logistics, Alexandros is in the fields and takes a break of 3 months during the winter to do the harvest.
  
  We will do our best for you to have a holistic experience of the local life in Mani!

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Pratique d’une langue

  Aide avec des éco-projets

  Jardinage

  Bricolage et construction

  S’occuper des animaux

  Aide dans une ferme

  Cuisine/repas pour la famille

  Aide à la maison

  Entretien général
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  Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

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  Qu'est-ce que c'est ?
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  You’ll have the chance to learn about land regeneration, olive farming, and how to tell the difference between good and great olive oil. We both speak English, and Claire, who’s from France, also speaks French. We’re excited to share with you all about the local food, culture, and lifestyle—like foraging, preserving food, and the history of the area.
  
  Mani is a peninsula with charming villages along the coast and in the mountains. With its beautiful beaches, hiking trails, and a mix of locals and Europeans living here full-time, it’s got a nice balance of wild nature and lively community. We’ll happily share our favorite spots with you!
  
  Lagkada is about a 1 h15 drive from Kalamata, which has an international airport and bus connections between Athens and Lagkada. In the village, there’s a café where locals gather throughout the day, and just a 10-minute walk away is our favorite taverna.
  
  The closest beach is 11km away by car. On this coastline, you will find other beaches but also the main villages (Agios Nikolaos, Stoupa and Kardamyli) where the local community congregates. There is public transport every day and we can also arrange for you to borrow our car to go around easily.
  
  We look forward to host people that take initiative and can make the most of the opportunities provided. Together we can co-create a wonderful experience for both you and us!

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  Aide

  Volunteers help 5 hours per day and 5 days per week with days off in exchange for meals and accommodation.
  During the olive harvest, things operate a bit differently because the work depends entirely on the weather—we can't work on rainy days, so we make the most of sunny ones. To balance this, we add 1 extra hour of work per day, which, in our experience, is just enough to cover the rainy days of the week.
  So the typical schedule is 6 hours a day with two breaks of 1h30 in total ; we start working in the fields at 8:30 and finish at 16:00, with a 30-min coffee break and a 1-hour lunch break. These breaks are precious times of the day to share and exchange. Alexandros particularly like to share about the history of the area, the culture around olive oil, or simply to enjoy the view and the nature.
  Please consider that if it rains, the days off might not necessarly fall on the weekend (or on sunny days).
  In the unlikely events that it there is no rain during your stay, you will then take your extra hours as extra days off at the end of your stay.
  
  Although the fields are not certified organic due to the small scale of our activity, we produce exclusively organic extra virgin olive oil. Most of the fields have been abandoned by the owners and we work to bring these fields back to life, first by clearing the jungles of high weeds, then by pruning the trees, and finally by harvesting the olives, which is the only way to ensure that the trees will keep on producing. After a period of 5 years without being harvested, the tree stops producing and it is a part of our gastronomic heritage that we lose because it is a very high quality olive specific to the micro-climate of Mani.
  
  The olive harvest includes the following tasks: pick olives / lay and move nets on the bottom / put olives in bags / burn branches and collect wood.
  
  The team spirit is a crucial part of this project : when an individual contributes to the best of its abilities to the team, the daily effort becomes easier and more joyful.

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  Langues parlées

  Greek: Courant
  Anglais: Courant
  Français: Courant

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  Hébergement

  We offer accommodation in a house located above the village, 15 min by foot from our house. It is a simple house on two levels with independent bathrooms, a commom yard and beautiful sea views. The upper floor has a large bedroom and a common kitchen/living room. The lower floor has 2 bedrooms, one with a double bed and one with a single bed.
  We can host up to 5 volunteers; it is suitable for couples, friends or individuals. We ask everybody to be responsible for the good running of the house and keep it a clean and livable space.
  
  Food is provided for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as for days off and is cooked by team members. The mom of Alexandros, Evangelio, prepares every working day a traditional lunch, which is shared all together during lunch break in the field. Breakfast includes bread, butter, jam, and oats. Dairy products, extra beverages (soda, beer, others) and special requests are not included.

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  Autres infos...

  - We ask people not to smoke in the house or while working.
  - Social drinking is accepted but not drug or alcohol habits.
  - If you have any mental or physical health issues please let us know so we can assess if this is the right place for you (including allergies, special dietary requirements etc.)
  - The minimum length of stay requirement is 2 weeks.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Espace pour garer des vans

  You are more than welcome to come in your campervan but please note there are no parking on the premises. You will find parking spots at the square of the village.

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  Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

  Cet hôte a dit qu’il acceptait les personnes voyageant avec un animal.

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Plus de 2

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