Colombia
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Hi there - we are looking for an intrepid and conscientious Workaway, ideally Spanish speaking, to join our family for a two-week working holiday at our place in the Colombia Andes from 2-16 January 2020
A bit about us and our place - we are a British Colombian family living in the UK with two young children (6 and 2). Every year we travel to Colombia for a few months, usually during the dry season Dec/Jan for our holidays, and to continue developing our mountain retreat.
The land is 17 hectares of virgin cloud forest and old grazing meadows, situated at the top of a small valley high in the Andean mountains 1 hour from Bogota, Colombia. It has two natural springs, a cabin, small ruined adobe house and is full of rare birds and wildlife.
The cabin was built using natural materials, with earth walls and a green roof, mostly taken from the land. It is basic and rustic inside - a kind of "hobbit house", that comfortably keeps us and several guests dry and warm during the chilly mountain nights. The weather in the day is warm - temperatures reach around 22 degrees Celsius.
We bought the land 2 years ago and have spent that time mostly fixing up the cabin. This visit we will finish that process and turn to developing and regenerating the land. For this, we are hopefully going to collaborate with a biologist from the National University who is an expert on the regions flora can advise us on how best to rewild the land. We are custodians of only a relatively small area - but one that houses a number of threatened species, as tropical montane forest is now down to 5pc in the region. With a small team, we also plan to search for new springs, excavate streams, developing the existing springs, build stables, and begin further building projects.
Gardening
Building
Babysitting / child care
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Help with Eco project
Help in the house
We will provide you with a simple room, all food and a daily wage of 40,000 Colombian pesos (around 11 dollars). You will get to spend two weeks in a stunning location, immersed in nature, involvement with a re-wilding project learning about eco regeneration in the Andean cloud forest, starlit nights and campfires, hiking, horse riding etc ... we plan to make day trips to nearby Choachi and Ubaque beautiful colonial-style towns, as well as to beautiful waterfalls and sacred lakes.
We are looking for an extra pair of hands and a kind heart to help with cooking, housekeeping, childcare, as well as some involvement in the rewilding and development projects. Someone to get involved and share the adventure with. Spanish speaking is preferred, we do speak English but try to avoid it when we are in Colombia. We are looking for an intrepid and outdoorsy kind of person, as the location is so wild and remote!
English, Spanish
You will be provided with a private room in the cabin. Accommodation is very basic, as there is no electricity other a solar panel to charge phones and lamps etc. It is however very cosy and there is always a good fire There is a compost style loo outside the cabin. Food will be good healthy fare - protein, vegetables, rice. potatoes, stew and soups, Colombian arepas etc
We are near the village of Bobadilla Arriba, a one hour drive from Bogota. We would travel up from Bogota on 02 January and return on the 16th. The retreat itself is remote at 2700 metres above sea level, and the nearest road is 45 minutes walk down the valley. Belongings, materials, shopping etc are transported up and down by horseback. For this reason, independent travel may be limited although as mentioned we plan to make several day trips away. We are quite a relaxed family although of course things can get hectic! We often do not follow existing systems and structures, especially around the education of our children - and would expect the Workaway to have some openness and/or experience in child-led or "unschooling" type set-ups. We may be also be joined at various points by family, friends and their children.
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
More than two
Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week
