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Min stay requested: at least a week
Details
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Description
We are Néstor and Saula. In the mountains of the Malacatos valley, just 1 km from town, we have a 28000 m² piece of land with 360° views of Mandango, the sugarcane fields, and the mountains surrounding the valley. Even though it's so close to town, it feels completely disconnected: quiet, peaceful, and full of nature.
This project is our dream. We spent a long time searching for the perfect spot to one day build our retirement home. In the meantime, we're bringing the land to life: growing and harvesting our own food, opening trails among the fruit trees, and caring for the poultry that live with us. Néstor is the one who's always there, completely passionate about the plants, the crops, and watching everything slowly take shape. Saula dreams of doing yoga and mindfulness there one day, surrounded by everything we've built together.
We have both been educators, and that is still a big part of who we are. Our hope is that, one day, this place will open up to the wider community, with workshops on agriculture, wellness, and everything we learn and practice here. It would always be non-profit, a space to serve the community and to grow more projects like this one. The volunteers who join us now would be part of that story from the beginning.
We sometimes hire local people to help with clearing the land, maintenance, and some building work, so you'll also get to meet other people from the area while you work.
We're looking for people who want to learn as much as they want to teach, with skills in manual work, agriculture, construction, gardening, or any other ability you'd like to share with us. In your free time, Malacatos is the gateway to the famous Valley of Longevity: Vilcabamba is just minutes away, and Loja and Zamora offer even more nature and culture to explore. -
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Light gardening
Creative DIY projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Light maintenance
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Interests
Gardening
Cooking & food
Videography
Technology
Sustainability
Pets
Culture
Self development
Farming
Yoga / Wellness
Hiking
Nature
Mountain
Outdoor activities
Camping -
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
Beyond the work on the land, the idea is to share real time with Néstor and Saula: conversations about life in Ecuador and in your home country, and the chance to also meet the local people who sometimes work with us on the land.
Néstor can share everything he's learned about Andean agriculture, the climate of this valley, and how to grow things in this soil. Saula is a teacher, and she'd love to set up a language exchange: Spanish classes in return for French classes, if that's something you can offer. She also enjoys connecting over wellness and slow living, and dreams of bringing yoga and mindfullnes sessions into this space one day. In return, we'd love to learn from you: your culture, your language, your customs, or any technique or skill you'd like to teach us.
We're just minutes from Vilcabamba, known worldwide as the Valley of Longevity, a town with a very active community of expats and locals living side by side. You'll always find yoga classes, wellness events, meditation, and all kinds of activities related to nature and conscious living there. There's also the local market in Malacatos, farmers' fairs, and the nearby towns of Loja and Zamora, full of nature and traditions to explore in your free time. -
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
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Help
The main help needed is manual work on the land up in the mountains: planting and harvesting fruits and vegetables, opening and maintaining trails, clearing weeds, watering and general plant care, and building a chicken coop, among other small DIY projects. You'll also help take care of our animals: our chickens and our peacock.
Néstor will be with you most of the time working on the land, so many of the tasks will be done together. It's a real exchange: he shares what he's learned about these plants, this soil, and this climate, and he's also open to learning new farming, building, or gardening techniques you might know and want to teach him.
Occasionally you might also help with small tasks at the house in Limonpamba where you'll be staying, such as garden upkeep or cleaning the pool, though the main work will always be up on the land. -
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent -
Accommodation
You'll stay at our house in Limonpamba, just a 5-minute drive (or about a 15-minute walk) from the town of Malacatos. It's a spacious house that can host 3-4 volunteers, in shared dorm-style rooms with clean, comfortable beds. It has an outdoor area with a fully equipped kitchen, plenty of space, and a fridge, plus good wifi throughout the house. There's also a pool and a basketball court for your free time.
We provide lunch from Monday to Friday. For breakfast, dinner, and weekends, you'll have a fully equipped kitchen at your disposal to cook your own food. Néstor loves to cook, so every now and then on weekends we'll invite you to share a meal with us: pizzas, lasagnas, barbecues, and much more. And if you'd like, we can cook together to learn from each other and try recipes from your country.
Malacatos is a small, affordable town with a local market and frequent farmers' fairs, so getting fresh, cheap ingredients is very easy. And every now and then, whenever the season allows, you'll also get to enjoy what the land gives us directly: picking your own fresh fruit straight from the trees and crops on the property. -
What else ...
If you're flying in from another country, you'll most likely arrive first in Quito (UIO) or Guayaquil (GYE), Ecuador's international airports. From Quito, you can take a short domestic flight to Catamayo airport (LOH), the closest one to us: about 1h10 from Quito or around 40 minutes from Guayaquil. From Catamayo airport to Loja it's about 30-45 minutes by taxi or bus, and from Loja to Malacatos another 30 minutes by bus. If you'd rather skip the internal flight, you can also take a direct bus from Quito or Guayaquil to Loja, though the trip takes considerably longer.
Once you're here, you don't need your own car to get around: local buses run very frequently between Malacatos, Vilcabamba, and Loja, and they're quite cheap. The town of Malacatos, with its shops and local markets, is within easy walking distance.
As for house rules: we ask that you don't smoke indoors, respect quiet hours at night, and refrain from hosting parties, so we can keep a calm and respectful atmosphere for everyone. -
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
This host can provide space for campervans.
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How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
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My animals / pets
Gallinas (2 years)
Several chicken, goose and a peacock
