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Host rating
80 %
Last replied
20 Jan 2025
Reply rate
71.4 %
Usually responds within 4 days
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Description
Hello everyone, we are a couple (Italian -Bulgarian) of donkey lovers, living in the small nice village of Madzhare, located in the beautiful Rila mountains. We have started a project to save some donkeys destined to certain death and to give them a new role by organizing sustainable excursions with children and families (slow and responsible tourism). We also try to make our village more ecofriendly and sustainable. There is a lot of work, but also many opportunities for being creative ! Last year, we were successful in several cleaning and embellishing campaigns in the surroundings, thanks to our volunteers. This year, besides our many projects with our donkeys (like renewing a barn, making our place more inclusive also for people with disabilities, etc), we would like to help the village by building a pedestrian eco-path for the children in the forest nearby. If you love nature, this place is for you. We welcome everyone willing to express his/her talent!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Working in contact with animals especially with donkeys, taking care of them, taking them for a walk in the various mountain paths in the area is truly a beautiful experience that can give you a lot. Also, as we organize ecofriendly campaigns to improve the life of the village, your help is a true and concrete added value.
Madzhare is a village located 60km south of Sofia, with convenient connection by bus. A few kilometers away form us, you can find the ski resort of Borovets. In the summer you can choose various mountain trails that will take you up to peaks up to 2900 meters high but above all to the beautiful and famous 7 Rila lakes. Bulgaria is a perfect place for hikers, from beginners to experienced ones!
Help
Do you like working with animals? Would you like to participate in concrete ecological and sustainable actions? Are you good at carpentry ? Are you a person with precise artisan skills? Do you love to draw and paint? Working with children?
We are looking for people willing to help us in the daily care of our lovely animals (feeding them, cleaning the place) and in the management of the farm. Besides our 16 donkeys , we also have 9 chickens, 3 goats, 3 cats and 2 dogs.
Your help will be needed as well for several renovations planned for the spring/summer of 2022, like a new chicken coop, fences, new barn etc. etc. A special focus will be put this year on the construction of our new barn, and transformation of the old one into a polyvalent space where we can welcome everyone, including children with disabilities.
Also we want to improve the conditions of our small village Madzhare (350 people), in order to make it more ecological friendly and welcoming for everyone. Last year we were active in different projects to clean and embellish it, this year we continue with the construction of an education eco-path for children in the woods nearby.
Languages
Languages spoken
Bulgarian: Fluent
English: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Russian: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
You can contact them directly for more information.
Accommodation
Our house is at the end of the village, isolated in a beautiful panoramic position. We have 3 bedrooms and for the moment (only) a shared bathroom. We share the kitchen/living room and a large outdoor garden.
In the summer there is also the possibility of sleeping in the old barn, or with tents in the garden.
You will work 5 hours a day, usually from 9.00 to 12.00 in the morning and from 14.00 to 16.00 in the afternoon. You have 2 days of free time, usually during the weekends.
The meals for the lunch time and dinner are cooked in turns, by the volunteers and by us (we are very curious and love to try different types of cuisine). The expenses for food (except for alcohol) are at our expense during the 5 days of work, and at your expense during your free time.
What else ...
We can pick you up from the city of Samokov (1h15 from Sofia - autobus station "yug/south").
In your free time there are many things to do in the surroundings: hiking in the Rila National Park, MTB, downhill, visiting the famous Rila monastery (100km away), the Bulgarian capital Sofia (60km away), etc.
Our village is well connected by a minibus to the city of Samokov, from where there are many buses to the region.
By staying with us, you will experience the rural life in a typical and quiet Bulgarian village, close to many hiking trails and treasures.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We provide an excellent and fast internet connection & possibility to work alongside nature .. as long as you are not disturbed by the crowing of the roosters or the braying of our donkeys: o)
Space for parking camper vans
possibility of caravan parking and discharge of Black water
Can possibly accept pets
small dogs or cats are allowed, large dogs could be a problem as there are 3 cats and a small dog in the house
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (17)
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Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(4.9)
Communication:
(4.8)
We recommend it to everyone
Loved the location of the farm and the house, on a small hill with breathtaking morning views and a one sweet old lady as a neighbor.
The village is also nice, with only a few streets, but my interaction with people was really great!… read more
During my stay, we cleaned the donkey’s stable every day, we cleared a part of the forest to prepare a future ecopath for the donkeys and the kids, we took care of the other animals (chickens, geese, the baby stork), we went picking forest fruits and mushrooms... The area… read more
We hope to see you guys again
Good luck
She is a girl full of enthusiasm and energy and we hope to see her again soon.
Thanks for everything Vladi
To live with Oksana was very uncomplicated, especially with cooking and shopping… read more
