Off-grid living & eco-tourism in the mountains of Tanay, Philippines

Details

• 

  Description

  Hello! My name is Nics. On November 2018, my dad, mom, sisters and I founded our mountainside campsite! It started as a family farm where we took care of honeybees, planted native hardwood trees, and grew fruits and vegetables for personal consumption. This little passion project slowly developed into a working sustainable farm, a campsite with geodesic “glamping” dome as a highlight, and a basic farm-to-table restaurant. Additionally, a friend of mine and I take care of the post-processing of our produce and other locally-sourced goods. We also operate adventure tours for those who want to hike, do ATV, chase waterfalls or go cave spelunking nearby.
  
  After my dad’s sudden passing on 2022, as the eldest child, I had to take over the management of our construction business in Manila. So now I run both our construction business, and our farm/campsite alongside my mom. I also have a bunch of side businesses with my friends (including the tours and farm products i mentioned earlier), and many random others which I don’t want to bore you with. LOL. As you may have noticed I am a bit of a hyper, go-getter, businesswoman type of (tiny) person. Anyway, because of the construction business, most of my weekdays is spent in the city. Fortunately, I have over 20 employees in Tanay, helping us with administrative tasks, front desk, guest relations & marketing, farming & landscaping, day tour activities, construction & maintenance work, and restaurant operations. My work at our project is now more on a macro-level, focusing on our general development plans and strategies to continue pushing its growth as a functional business.
  
  Working on a 2.3-hectare farm in the mountains is no easy feat. First, we are in the middle of the forest and dealing with nature and the elements: We are 100% off-grid and solar-powered, and our water source is stand-alone and not connected to a local system. Second, starting as merely a passion project for our family, the way we developed was not from a polished and professional perspective. We basically just went with the flow (especially during the pandemic), and all our tiny ideas and projects were just based on what was needed at that time (and what we enjoyed doing/ having in our family’s little world). The only non-negotiable was to keep on growing only clean food (zero synthetic farm inputs), and as much as possible to develop with nature. The challenge of course to this very rugged style of doing things, is its imperfections that sometimes require a lot of maintenance and/or attention, than if we developed “by the book”. We had to and we still need to work on standardizing our operations - that is so we can turn into a more formal, profitable and scalable business.
  
  The charm of this home away from home though is its real, unmade up vibe. It merries the comfort of "glamping" to life at an off-grid organic mountain farm that is constantly changing.

• 

  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Hospitality/Tourism

  General Maintenance
• 

  Interests

  

  Sustainability

  

  Culture

  

  Pets

  

  Farming

  

  Plant care

  

  Carpentry

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Music

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Water sports

  

  Nature

  

  Mountain

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Hiking

  

  Camping

  

  Beach

  

  Adventure sports
• 

  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

  ...

  ...

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  What's this?
• 

  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  At The Apiary, volunteers experience the slow, grounded rhythm of life in the Philippine countryside.
  
  Culturally, there’s so much to take in. You’ll learn about traditional Filipino organic farming, Filipino hospitality, and have the opportunity to engage with the local community. Conversations often flow in both Filipino and English, and volunteers are welcome to share their own language and stories too.
  
  You’ll also meet visitors from all walks of life—families, students, couples, solo campers, city-dwellers seeking fresh air—who come to stay at our glamping site or join our day tours. Most guests arrive on weekends, though we host visitors on weekdays too.
  
  During your days off, you're free to explore the stunning landscapes around us—hike the scenic mountains of Tanay, chase waterfalls, or simply unwind and enjoy the view. Whether you’re planting trees, chatting over a bonfire, or watching the clouds roll over the hills, you’ll experience the quiet richness of life lived close to nature.

• 

  Help

  We welcome volunteers with all levels of experience, as long as you’re eager to help and open to learning. These are the roles we currently need support with:
  
  🌱 Farming & Gardening – Assist with planting, harvesting, composting, and general farm work
  🐓 Animal Care – Help care for chickens, rabbits, and native stingless bees
  🛖 Construction & Eco-Building – Build or improve huts, sheds, pathways, and other farm structures
  🍽️ Restaurant Support – Help with food prep, service, and dishwashing in our farm-to-table restaurant
  🧺 Housekeeping – Assist with cleaning and preparing our glamping domes, huts, and common areas
  🌿 Farm Tour Assistance – Guide or support our educational tours and cultural experiences
  🎨 Artists & Creatives – Help beautify the farm with murals, garden art, upcycled installations, or any creative ideas you’d love to share
  📸 Content Creators – Photography, videography, or social media support to help share our story online
  
  If you’re passionate about sustainability, enjoy the outdoors, and don’t mind getting your hands dirty—we’d love to hear from you.

• 

  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Tagalog: Fluent
  German: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  While most of our staff members can understand and speak basic to conversational English, they may still be uncomfortable (especially at the beginning) in interacting daily with foreigners/ non-Filipino speakers. So volunteers have to be extra friendly in interacting with the staff, and they'll eventually warm up to you. We do have one foreign worker, and despite the language barrier, everyone gets along with him. Workaway is a great opportunity for my staff to be more comfortable and confident in interacting with non-Filipinos, and learning about different languanges/cultures. Likewise, volunteers can practice their Tagalog or English with us!
• 

  Accommodation

  Volunteers usually stay in one of our cozy nipa huts—rustic, native-style cottages surrounded by gardens and cool mountain air. You may have your own room or share a hut (in a separate room) with a staff member, intern, or fellow volunteer. If we're fully booked (typically on weekends), you might spend a night or two in a camping tent—we’ll provide a sleeping mat, bedding, and pillows for a comfortable stay. You’re also welcome to bring your own camping gear if you prefer!
  
  Bathrooms are shared but clean, and just a short walk from the huts. There are no hot showers, but we promise the cool mountain water is refreshing. As we're fully solar-powered, there are no air conditioners, but the huts have ample lighting and fans, and the mountain breeze keeps things cool.
  
  Charging stations are available at the reception and restaurant area, so we recommend bringing a power bank to stay charged throughout the day.
  
  We share one hearty lunch together each day: rice plus freshly harvested ingredients from our farm and/or fresh meat that the staff pitch it for. For breakfast and dinner, volunteers are free to cook their own meals using what’s available in the garden or what they’d like to bring/ buy from town. We can set up a wood fired cooking pit for you at the nipa hut site. You can also order from the restaurant (with discount). Since we’re in a remote mountain village, access to modern conveniences is limited. Even fresh meat is only available when local sellers pass through a few times a week. We also replenish stocks at the resto weekly, so maybe you can replenish your supplies then

• 

  A little more information

  • 

    Internet access

  • 

    Limited internet access

  • 

    We have pets

  • 

    We are smokers

  • 

    Can host families

• 

  Can host digital nomads

  We have Starlink WIFI at the restaurant

• 

  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

• 

  My animals / pets

  Tipu

  Tuldok

  Bokchoy

  Taal

  Sheep

Website Safety