Community life and rural living near Loulé, Portugal

Details

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  Description

  Welcome to a developing land-regeneration project in a quiet rural valley near Loulé, Algarve, Portugal. We are restoring the land, developing gardens, improving outdoor infrastructure, and creating a low-impact place for people to live, learn, share skills and reconnect with nature. We will also be reopening our doors to long-term families, helping to rebuild the warm, nature-oriented community that once existed here.
  The land already has the main infrastructure in place—outdoor kitchen, showers, toilets, water, electricity and shared spaces—but it needs care, improvements and a new burst of colour. It is rewarding to see the gardens, play areas and practical spaces become more beautiful and useful through everyone’s contribution.
  We are very family-friendly, with several outdoor play areas, tree houses and plenty of space for children to explore. Daily life is simple and outdoorsy: cooking together in the outdoor kitchen, making pizza and bread in the wood-fired oven, caring for the goats, chickens and dogs, and ending the day under clear, star-filled skies.
  We are looking for two to three volunteers as soon as possible to join our small cooperative team. This is a practical, outdoor, evolving project rather than a polished retreat. We share the day-to-day rhythm and tasks between around four to five people, including us—we also live and volunteer here.
  The surrounding area is wonderful for independent explorers. Loulé and the traditional inland village of Alte are close by, with hiking, natural swimming spots and waterfalls nearby. Rocha da Pena and Fonte da Benémola offer beautiful nature walks, while beaches, the coast and Ria Formosa are easy day trips with your own transport.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Animal Care

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
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  Interests

  

  Charity work

  

  Farming

  

  Videography

  

  Self development

  

  Sustainability

  

  Plant care

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Art & design

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Gardening

  

  Photography

  

  Carpentry

  

  Animals

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Camping

  

  Nature

  

  Mountain

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Cycling
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Cultural exchange is part of everyday life. We enjoy sharing meals, conversations and time together, and there are lots of natural opportunities to connect with us, the children, and the other people living and volunteering on the land.
  We can share practical skills and knowledge about land regeneration, gardening, simple outdoor infrastructure, animal care, cooking, bread and pizza making, and low-impact rural living. I also meditate and can offer meditation and breathwork sessions, and another volunteer, Regina, is a fitness coach, so there may also be opportunities to share movement, wellbeing and energy practices.
  In return, we love learning from people from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. We enjoy hearing new ideas, new ways of doing things, and different perspectives on family life, community, health, creativity and sustainable living.

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  Help

  We’re looking for two to three volunteers to join our small cooperative team and help with the practical day-to-day work of the project. The help is varied and very hands-on, and includes land regeneration, gardening, watering, planting, maintaining and improving simple outdoor infrastructure, cleaning shared spaces, cooking, food preparation, shopping, animal care, and small practical jobs around the land.
  We like to do tasks together and share skills along the way, so this is a good fit for people who enjoy learning by doing, being outdoors, and contributing to a developing project. Tasks are shared between around four to five people, including us, and we all take part in the rhythm of the place.
  If you like practical tasks, simple living, and being part of a small team where everyone helps out, you’ll probably feel at home here.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Lithuanian: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner
  Portuguese: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  We can offer a simple, clean and secure place to sleep in our private bell tent or in your own campervan/caravan. The bell tent is set up for comfortable outdoor living, and we can provide bedding so you arrive ready to settle in. We also have shared outdoor showers, toilets, and a kitchen area, so the space feels practical and homely even though it is outside.
  Food works as part of the rhythm of the place. Depending on the exchange option, food may be shared, partly shared, or fully self-catered, and we can discuss what suits both sides best. We enjoy cooking together, sharing meals and keeping the kitchen space warm, tidy and communal.
  For us, the accommodation is not just somewhere to sleep—it is part of the experience of living simply, close to nature, and being part of the project.

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  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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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have space for campervans and caravans on flat, arriving to the property via tarmac road. The area already has the main infrastructure in place, including electricity hook-up points, drinkable water available on site, outdoor showers and toilets, and access to an outdoor kitchen if needed. The site is simple, practical and outdoorsy rather than polished or formal, and we are improving and revitalising it little by little. It is a good fit for people who are happy with a relaxed, nature-based setup and who appreciate being part of a place that is still evolving. For campervans and campers the space is best suited to self-contained travellers who value a quiet rural setting, easy access to facilities, and the chance to stay somewhere open, friendly and family-oriented.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  Bosque

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