Profile information
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Host is looking for help immediately
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Host rating
80 %
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Last replied
7 Jul 2026
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Reply rate
63.9 %
Usually responds within 7 days
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Feedback
18
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Email verified
Country info
Badges (3)
Min stay requested: at least 2 weeks
Details
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Description
I have a small farm in Costa Rica where in the past 4 years I have built my home, planted fruit trees and flowering plants, and started rescuing animals and re-homing them when possible. We currently have 10 dogs, 3 cats, 9 pigs, 3 goats and 2 cows. I am vegan and love to cook and share meals with others. My property is 2.8 hectares. There is my home where the majority of the dogs sleep, the volunteer house next door where 1-2 dogs sleep. The pasture side is 1.3 hectares and on it is a small guest house that we rent out or put long term volunteers. We offer a rustic-ish stay, delicious food, lots of social activities, beach time, and animal cuddles in exchange for someone to love on our animals and help out with keeping this place clean and keeping the animals alive and happy. Must love dogs!!! They are the focus of my work and the cause of most of the chaos here.
In addition to rescue I have been working to spay and neuter all the dogs in and around Pavones. We have sterilized 150+ dogs and cats at no cost. I often have missions to drop off meds, rescue puppies, treat a dog who is injured (I'm not a vet but can clean wounds and give injections), give emergency rides to the vet (2 hours away), or occasionally receive wild animals that we help get to the proper authorities. I am constantly getting phone calls and texts, and am on my phone a lot. Currently I am paying for everything out of my own pocket with occasional fundraising efforts. I'm not perfect, but I am doing my best.
In order to keep things running, I NEED help. If you'd like to be part of a project that is making a real difference that you can see first hand, this is the place for you. -
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
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Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We live in the most beautiful, quiet, friendly town in Costa Rica. It is a magical place that offers so many off the beaten path opportunities to adventure, meet new people and learn about Costa Rican culture first hand.
We live next door to an indigenous reserve, where you can visit by foot or on horse and meet local people and buy their handmade crafts. Here you will learn about local plants, animals, and foods. And of course, you will be taking care of animals that you may not be familiar with, and experience life at a super small-scale rescue operation in Costa Rica. There are so many weekly activities to participate in, like outdoor markets, dance class, taco night, open mic night, live music at restaurants, cacao ceremonies, ecstatic dance, yoga, pilates, etc etc.. I go to many of these and would be happy to help with transportation to others or we offer motor bikes for rent for more flexibility. I also have a wonderful group of friends and I am used to bringing my volunteers everywhere with me, so being social and eager to meet new people is ideal. If you are not social you will end up being here on the farm a lot which can feel isolating. -
Help
***IMPORTANT***—> PLEASE only message me if you can stay 14 days or more!!! To fully immerse yourself in village and farm life we request you stay at least 2 weeks. It is busy here and sometimes you’ll only make it down to beach or adventure once a week, so in order for you to be present here and also have time to get to know the area 2 weeks is necessary. If you cannot commit to this amount of time you can follow us on instagram and reach out in the future when you have more time. Priority goes to people who want to stay longer term. I would LOVE to host longer term (1-6 months) and can offer more private lodging if that is the case. Thank you!
*** We prefer working with volunteers who are 21+ ☺️I will consider younger volunteers who have experience with animals or who are studying to be vets or vet techs***
This is a super rewarding full on volunteer opportunity, but it’s not for everyone. We are up in the mountain above the beach, and with rainy season approaching you will be here on the farm a lot. If you know how to drive a motorcycle that will help you get up and down, but besides that your options are walking up/down a steep hill 30 minutes or going down with us when we run errands or have a day out.
Our ideal volunteer would have a love for animals and experience in caring for them, most importantly. Second most important is a good attitude and flexibility.
Any experience with obedience training would be beneficial to our new dogs who are looking for homes, but not necessary. Besides helping with the day to day care of the animals, we always have projects to do around the farm, garden maintenance, planting, watering, weeding, etc. Helping with cleaning will be a big part of the help we need. I do most cooking, so I appreciate help with dishes, sweeping, and cleaning up animal messes. There is opportunity to help sand, varnish, paint, build simple structures for the animals, and finish some projects in the house. I would LOVE to have a handyman (or woman) come help finish a number of unfinished projects.
Your schedule will be mainly feeding,cleaning and walking the dogs between 7:30ish-10:30ish,feeding the dogs dinner, and occasional afternoon projects.
We have someone come clean 2 times a week now due to complaints about cleanliness, and we have a huge fridge that fits all the fresh food, leftovers, and even dried goods so they don't go off.
The complaint about not being able to put leftovers in the fridge was strange and not true. If you don't think things are clean enough you are welcome to clean as much as you like, but we live in an open house where there are bugs and animals. I am ONE person juggling the animals and a part time job. Please be realistic about your expectations after reading all there is to know about my home. I care A LOT about animals AND people, so making sure my guests are happy is very important to me. I have made many life long friends through work away and I have also hosted people who cannot communicate their needs who leave after a few days. -
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent -
Accommodation
There is a structure next to my house that is the volunteer space. It’s one big room with lots of shelves, table and chairs, bathroom with toilet and sink, a full sized bed and a single bed. The clothes dryer is in that room and some of the shelves are used or storage, but the rest of the space is yours. You'll share the house with 1-2 dogs, and the dogs are also fed there. In our home we have a kitchen and bathroom with a hot water shower to share.
For food we have two options! First option is everything include, which is what 98% of workawayers choose. I like to cook GOOD vegan food, using imported spices and expensive ingredients, like avocados, nuts, local organic green and homemade sourdough, kimchee, tofu, tons of veggies and fruit, etc. I generally cook twice a day, and the 3rd meal is something already in the fridge or whatever you’d like to make from whatever is available. You will have free range of the kitchen and can help yourself to fruit and other snacks. For this I ask for $7 a day optional contribution towards groceries.
Second option is breakfast and dinner, lunch and snacks supplied by you. Meals will be a bit more basic, but it will be no cost to you. Groceries are really expensive here in Pavones so if you choose this I would recommend bringing food from a bigger city.
Costa Rica is expensive, and I want to be able to supply good food and a good time to my volunteers, so asking this amount allows me the freedom to host and take care of you as if you were friends or family visiting, without being totally burdened by the cost. This area is otherwise very cheap and you can spend most days going to the beach or river without spending any money at all. -
What else ...
We live 5 minutes drive from the beach, and 20 minutes from the second largest left in the world, in Pavones. You can store a surfboard near the beach or if you would like to learn I can set up lessons for you. There are beautiful tidepools and waterfalls nearby, classes available like painting, ceramics, chocolate making, dance, spanish, yoga, Pilates, etc. There is a weekly market and offerings of live music, open mics, ecstatic dance, and other fun community events.
Important!!
Vista de Mar is up a steep hill from Punta Banco and the beach. It’s a 30-45 min walk depending if it’s up or down and how fit you are. It’s a beautiful walk, and great exercise, but most people don’t do it every day. I have a car and can give rides when convenient, or you can rent a moto if you are experienced!! The hill is not for beginners.
Also important!!!
We have a small home and many animals, which creates chaos at times. I will share some examples of every day situations in the farm that come up, and if it scares you this may not be the place for you 🫣😇 ex; dogs barking any time someone shows up, fights between the dogs, accidents in the house, the goats escaping and sneaking into my neighbors yard, power going out, running out of water, car breaking down, a scorpion in the dirty laundry, running out of propane right before dinner is ready, etc. Some of these happen every day and some very rarely!! This is the jungle after all and the price you pay for living in paradise. Can’t wait to host you and share with you our beautiful chaos. -
A little more information
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Internet access
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Limited internet access
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We have pets
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We are smokers
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Can host families
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How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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My animals / pets
Chat with Workawayers who've visited this host
Feedback (9)
The tasks are simple and manageable, and there is a good balance between helping out and having time to … read more
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.4)
Cultural exchange:
(4.6)
Communication:
(4.3)
The tasks are simple and manageable, and there is a good balance between helping out and having time to … read more
Unfortunately our stay with Haley did not … read more
They were always open to questions and did their best to support us during our stay. Haley is a fantastic cook, preparing delicious … read more
What Hayley and Wagner do is truly admirable. They dedicate their lives entirely to rescuing … read more
