Stay on our family farm with goats and other animals in Seia, central Portugal

Details

• 

  Description

  We are David & Eli, a Belgium couple and since 2014 we live and work on our 12 hectare beautiful land with view on the Serra da Estrellla mountains.
  We have cats, dogs, chickens, ducks and goats and we have a (seasonal) organic fruit and vegetable garden. We try to live a sustainable life and provide our essentials as much as possible from our own land, fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, meat, wood, timber, water, ...
  We love to share all of our farm experiences with anyone who is interested to learn about owning land and keeping goats in Central Portugal.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet

  House sitting
• 

  Interests

  

  Van life

  

  Pets

  

  Farming

  

  Music

  

  Gardening

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Carpentry

  

  Animals

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Nature

  

  Mountain

  

  Hiking

  

  Camping
• 

  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  What's this?
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Our land is privately located between 4 little Portuguese villages, on walking distance (+-30min) each with a tiny grocery store and a local bar where the locals meet for coffee and social company. They are always very pleased and exited to see strangers coming by and having a little chat with you. And who knows, if you're lucky you might even end up experiencing a traditional Portuguese local event or fair...
  We are located about a one hour drive to the top of the Serra da Estrella mountains and the way to it leads you through beautiful and exiting places.
  You can come and experience daily life in rural Portugal and learn what it takes to manage and run a farm on a 12 hectare land with goats!
  We are always happy to tell you about the local culture and our experiences we gained over the years, living a basic rural life in Central Portugal. We can even teach you a bit of the basics of the Portuguese language if you wish.

• 

  Help

  The land is partly open, terraced and partly forest. Sadly enough the main part of our forest has burnt in a wild forest fire in 2017. But in the meantime, over the past years we have given the native vegetation and trees a chance to regenerate. Since then we are managing the land with a good balance between human interferen and giving our goats a daily moment of free grazing to keep the excessive regrowth under control. Owning land in central Portugal asks a big focus on fire prevention. Summers are extremely hot and dry here!
  
  During the cooler and more humid seasons we often need some strong and energetic people with a good physical condition to help us out with managing the land: the grass needs to be removed before summer arrives as a fire safety measurement and in winter we will be processing wood, clearing bits of land and excessive vegetation , pruning trees, making (controlled, authorized) fires, etc...
  So if you have any experience in this area or you're just fit and like to do a bit of physical workout from time to time, depending on the season, we could be very happy to host you and teach you all bout land care and fire prevention.
  
  The animals, the garden, the kitchen and household also ask a lot of our daily effort. In this area we are often looking for help with feeding the animals, milking the goats, making cheese, cleaning stables, planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting, cooking and washing up and some general household tasks. But also our goats need their daily guided stroll on the land. Experiences are not required but doing the tasks with a smile and a good attitude are a must! You can learn all about goats and making cheese, learn how to preserve food for winter, etc.
  
  The help needed is usually very divers and always depending on the season! Different things to do in different times of the year... Sometimes the tasks will be more practical and sometimes more physical but we always try to take in account the interests and qualities of each individual volunteer. So let us know what your interests, experiences or skills are and we can discuss in what area we would be able to fit you in.
  
  Its important for us to have a good vibe going with our volunteers. We love to cook and during our shared dinners we like to exchange stories and life experiences with each other and learn about other cultures from all over the world.
  
  If this sounds like where you would like to be part of then send us a message with a clear description of yourself , what area of the farm you are attracted to and why you chose to write us.
  
  If you are interested in animal care we do require a MINIMUM stay of one month! (No need to apply for less) We are very happy to teach you all about it but it really takes a while to get comfortable with all the routines, milking, making cheese, herding, to get to know their behaviours and personalities, etc.
  
  For other divers task we can consider shorter stays depending on the season and on the offers that we receive...

• 

  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  French: Fluent
  Dutch: Fluent
  Portuguese: Intermediate

• 

  Accommodation

  We have caravans for our volunteers to sleep and a sheltered kitchen where our volunteers can cook and eat.
  Sheets and blankets are provided and we have a comfortable hot shower and toilet.
  Daily tasks like cooking, washing up and keeping the common area clean and tidy are shared responsibilities and we expect everyone to cooperate in these things.
  We try to find a good balance between cooking and eating together but also expect our volunteers to be able to take care for themselves from time to time (but then of course we provide the essential ingredients).

• 

  What else ...

  We offer our volunteers food and accommodation in exchange for help on our farm. We are not very strict in counting the hours per day you help out but appreciate our volunteers to be flexible too. Some helping days will be longer and harder than others so now and then we will build in extra days of rest depending on everyone's needs and how hard the work has been!
  The routines of the animals need caring during the weekends as well, so we will sometimes ask some flexibility in that but we are happy to discuss and plan the off and on days so we can suit everyone's needs.
  We are open minded and try to divide the tasks depending on our helpers experiences and capacities. So it's important to us to get a little information about who you are, why you would like to join us and what you expect of your experience on our farm!
  In general we like one or two volunteers preferably staying over a longer period of time to help with all the daily routines with the animals and household. But in certain periods we will need more than one or two volunteers at the same time when we are planning on a bigger task.
  
  We are looking forward to meet motivated people who are open for adventure!

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  The mobile reception is very good on the land so people who bring their own hotspot can work online... Our wi-fi only works around our house and doesn't reach our accommodations.

• 

  Space for parking camper vans

  People traveling with their own home on wheels are always more than welcome! The access to our land is by a long sand track but even medium to large vehicles can easily get here. We have a camper spot with water and electrics and have hot shower and toilets.

• 

  Can possibly accept pets

  Only well behaved pets can run free on the land. We have dogs, cats, goats and chickens and we don't accept other animals chasing them! Also realize that it's often not possible to have your dog at your side during certain tasks. Your dog might have to stay at your caravan during the working hours.

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

Website Safety

Feedback (24)