Profile information
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
3 Jul 2025
Reply rate
100.0 %
Usually responds within 1 day
Feedback
7
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Email verified
Badges (4)
Details
Description
We are Heiko and Joy, a South African couple that have chosen Portugal as our ‘forever-home’, and have been lucky enough to find ourselves in the beautiful Mondego valley on a 4ish hectare farm!
We would really appreciate any help on the farm, there is always something to do, and it is such a beautiful area that it is a pleasure to be able to share it with others.
Waiting for you to throw her ball is our dog Lulu, keen on cuddles is our new puppy Raldo and waiting for head rubs are the farm-wise cats Skazi and Fang.
We border on the Mondego River at the edge of the Serra de Estrela national park, have about 250 olive trees to harvest and a little chestnut forest. We aim to live gently and respectfully with nature, and find a balance between work and taking the time to enjoy our surroundings.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Language practice
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
General Maintenance
Interests
Technology
Pets
Farming
History
Gardening
Books
Writing
Animals
Outdoor activities
Hiking
Nature
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
We would like you to be fairly independent and happy to spend time chilling in the cabin, exploring the farm and the mountains and surrounding towns, swimming in the river and the pool, but of course would like to also spend time getting to know you and going to festas, showing you some hikes and lakes etc.
Besides the river on the farm there is also a nearby lake, a nearby official river beach and an award-winning boardwalk (Passadiços do Mondego).
The closest city is Guarda, it is 20 minutes by car. It has a bus station and a train station and all major facilities. We can give you a lift or there are also taxis available.
Help
A farm is hard and rewarding, with plenty of projects and maintenance always to be done. Weeding, planting, pruning, bramble management, basic carpentry, and a myriad of surprise tasks and adventures await. Work smart and work hard is the name of the game. Just as important is taking the time to relax and explore.
A typical day would be having your breakfast in your cabin, meeting up for tasks at the main house or project site (usually between 8 or 08:30, depending on the time of year), doing tasks for 5 hours, having lunch around 1pm (together or separately depending on the day), and then the rest of the day is yours to spend as you wish. Some evenings we can have a movie or boardgame night.
We are pretty flexible with the time, for example if you would rather help a full day on one day, you can then have the following day off etc.
Languages spoken
Afrikaans: Fluent
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Portuguese: Beginner
Accommodation
Rose Cabin has high-speed wi-fi, its own kitchen, lounge, bedroom and bathroom, and there is also an outdoor bathroom block about 30 metres away with two toilets and two more showers.
We aim to have three to four main meals together per week (which for us is lunch), and will provide all other meal ingredients for you to prepare yourselves. If you have very specific dietary requirements (i.e vegan) we may adjust it so that you are cooking for yourself a bit more, or you can educate us with some of your favourite easy recipes!
What else ...
We have a minimum stay of two weeks.
Camper vans are welcome.
We do not accept smokers due to an allergy and the high fire risk in Portugal.
We do not run a commercial business or sell any produce from the farm, it is purely our private residence.
We look forward to teaching you what we can and learning from you as well :)
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We think that our space is perfect for digital nomads. Heiko works remotely from his office in the main house via Starlink and we get between 200 - 300Mpbs, and Rose Cabin gets about 90Mbps.
Space for parking camper vans
If you are happy to park your camper in the olive fields then we are happy to have you! The bathroom block with toilets and showers is not too far away.
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
My animals / pets
Feedback (3)
The place is beautiful and there is a lot of nature to see around. The work was interesting and well explained, always in a very nice setting.
I was very well housed in a cabin with another person and we never lacked anything!
They were also patient with me who did… read more
Photos
Feedback
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Accuracy of profile:
(5.0)
Cultural exchange:
(5.0)
Communication:
(5.0)
The place is beautiful and there is a lot of nature to see around. The work was interesting and well explained, always in a very nice setting.
I was very well housed in a cabin with another person and we never lacked anything!
They were also patient with me who did… read more
I Stayed with Joy And Heiko for almost a month and it was absolutely fantastic.
I was welcomed with open arms and stayed in a cute cabin with everything one might need and such a cozy atmosphere.
The workawayers and hosts took turns cooking lunch and we all eat together so everyday we had great food and even better company whilst eating.… read more
