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Host rating
80 %
Last replied
26 Mar 2025
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Description
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Currently looking for a 2 or 3 people to house sit while I am away for 4/6 weeks in july/august 2025 Ideally Spanish speaking. The most important thing is to look after the dogs and the cat. Any other work that gets done while I'm away will be greatly appreciated. Obviously you can sleep in the house not in the tent!
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*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️*️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️️CAN ONLY ACCEPT VOLUNTEERS WILLING TO CAMP!!!
Accommodation is very rustic. Theres a sofa and a mezzanine in host house.
4 man tent available from host for willing camping volunteers.
I’m Ruth from Manchester, England, and for some reason have been blessed with the good fortune of living here. I’m in the mountains 8km above Samaipata. After many years of travelling I finally found my place- 1 ½ hectares, around 200 fruit trees and built my adobe house facing the famous El Fuerte. The ultimate goal is for self-sustainabililty which means working hard but also enjoying the fruits of the labour. Fires, music and vegetarian food (you can cook meat) under the stars and generally appreciating nature. I cultivate edible shrooms so anyone who has knowledge and/or experience on that front and wants to be part of the mushroom millions monopoly is welcome! I ask a minimum of a 2week stay so I can organise food, and we work 25 hours per week (20 in tent) which volunteers can decide how to manage their time, depending on weather and projects. No experience necessary but a willingness to contribute and exchange ideas and energy is essential. At the same time, any experience or knowledge of permaculture and/or natural building would be a bonus. Shroom connoisseurs would be particularly welcome right now.
I'll be honest-it's not the cushiest workaway round here but if you like physical work in the outdoors in a beautiful place, I'd really appreciate your help. I have 2 dogs and a cat who supervise and quality control all work and volunteers, random chickens always getting in the way and the occasional stray cow/horse so it's essential you are beast friendly. My place is rustic, dont come wakin me up coz theres a beetle in your face.
I generally like to make the most of daylight so get up and go to bed pretty early so evening entertainment is up to you. I might occasionally play yahtzee or games if you let me win.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Chance to learn about living self sustainably and off grid in an area of Bolivian campesinos and like minded extranjeros. Living dictated by nature rather than schedules. Being so far from nearest shop/decent internet/24 hr elec can be quite an experience for some.
Orchard maintenance, growing veg/mushrooms, natural building. Languages-English and Spanish. And some really bad German(- just the most useless words n phrases).
Stargazing-I'm no teacher but there's a pretty good view from my place.
Vegetarian diet....seeing how easy, healthy n hopefully tasty it is!! More than happy to share cooking skills n tricks (both ways) n go more vegan-ish if vols want but also have no interest in converting anyone.
Help
2025: cutting dead trees small enough for woodburner. Fixing alot of small shit-curtain rails, cleaning gutters, window frames,
Painting whole interior of living room.
Help needed maintaining the orchard-harvesting, pruning, clearing.
Natural building, maintenance/restoration. The old house has been converted into a mushroom workshop(2 rooms) and a toolshed(1room).
Currently work entails: clearing, clearing, clearing-with machete/hoe/strimmer, pruning fruit trees, juicing oranges, harvesting citrus, maintaining/improving water channels, indoor mushroom production, and some construction/building maintenance. Any experience/advice for indoor oyster/shiitake mushroom project very welcome. Ive been producing for over a year now but the system could use alot of improvement.
Recently got rid of next door's chickens on my land so need to excavate the veggie plot and get planting.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Accommodation
Mezzanine and sofa in house but ideally Tent only. Plenty of room for camping. Communal kitchen and bathroom with gas hot shower. No wifi, 'Entel' signal is generally good, can hotspot in emergency.
With lots of rain it can be difficult/impossible to get a taxi but always possible to walk to town-8km...takes me 1hr to main rd, 1.5hrs to the plaza. Im sure the government will install a zipline soon.
I have 2 dogs and a cat. The neighbour has two dogs n a lot of chickens that are often on my land so anyone with allergies should probably stay away. Being right next to Amboro there's also a whole host of insects....it's not like they're in your face all the time but they live here too.
What else ...
I am facing El Fuerte ruins and on the border of Amboro National Park probs half hour to each in a car.
There is a multi-cultural vibe in Samaipata with more n more restaurants and bars by the day. Weekends are best for the market.
The weather is usually pleasant all year round but winter can get quite cold at night sometimes (down to 3º). #minus 2° july 2021 😱😂
There are waterfalls, hikes n plenty of off road biking/motorbiking nearby with rentals n guides possible in town. Animal refuge, outdoor swimming pool n look out point all within walking distance of plaza. No problem if volunteers want to leave my phone number with tour agencies in town for tours further afield.
Easy onward transport to Santa Cruz, Sucre, Cochabamba and pretty much anywhere from Santa Cruz.
Taxis to/from village cost 50bs mototaxis 15/20bs but after lots of rain the only way is the 2 foot express....walking-1-2hrs depending how fast you walk.
ATMsin town- only visa banco union n banco ganadero but changing US dollars is always possible in town.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
Whatever size very welcome... just that the driveway and the road from the village can get tricky with lots of rain....😏
Can possibly accept pets
Ive got 2 dogs and a cat and the neighbour has 2 dogs...and lots of chickens.... but if u got a travelling animal....im sure we can work it out.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (15)
Photos
Feedback
There are a lot of different jobs to do which is nice as it avoids getting bored and I got to learn plenty of stuff.
The work as well as the shared moments with… read more
Ruth es una persona hermosa! super dulce y buena onda, siemrpe con una sonrisa y muy chistosa y amigable.
El lugar es fantastico! el mejor cielo nocturno que vimos y muchisimo espacio para estar tranquilo.
Esperamos volver a verte Ruth!! un… read more
They're very hard workers with many skills and lots of initiative. I don't have a daily routine for volunteers (just 20-25hrs per WK) but every day after breakfast they… read more
It was a great time for us at Ruth's place. There were many tasks to do depends on the weather conditions but definitely we enjoyed the most managing with the outdoor tasks and admiring the mountain view. Two… read more
Good luck with the rest of it!
The weather however was not on our side and cold and… read more
Including: Digging John Seymour style Deep Beds, Clearing Bush (with Machete and… read more
All the best! :)
