Help us grow an organic farm and developing homestead beside the Savegre River 🌱

Details

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  Description

  Welcome to the Ranch
  
  Hey there! We’re Erez and Tali, an Israeli couple in our early 40s—husband and wife, best friends, and a superhero team with our 2 dog-kids and 7 cat-kids, lots of chikens and ducks lol 🐶🐱
  
  We’re on a mission to bring Erez’s dream to life: building a self-sustainable, organic, eco-conscious off-grid farm community in the beautiful village of Santo Domingo de Savegre, Costa Rica. Our 30-acre farm sits along the Savegre River, right on the edge of the Savegre Nature Reserve.
  
  Our Journey So Far
  When we bought it, this was just overgrown grassland. Since then, we've been working tirelessly to turn it into a cozy, growing haven. By now we have a place that's comfy, but still very much a work in progress. Our main living area, The Bodega, is a shared open-air space with an indoor/outdoor kitchen, gas amenities, a washing machine, compostable bathroom, hot water shower (a rarity here), reliable Wi-Fi, and fans to keep us cool.
  
  **What We’ve Built (So Far!):**
  🌿 Two vanilla plantations
  🍌 Banana, plantain & pineapple groves
  🍊 A budding fruit orchard
  🥦 A unique greenhouse for organic veggies (EDIT July 2026: Our greenhouse was recently badly damaged during a storm, so one of our current projects is figuring out what can be rescued, reused, and creatively reinvented. ).
  🐓 A free-range chicken coop with lots of ducks as well
  💧 Two handmade lagoons & an island (A rainwater catchment and irrigation lagoon with a small island, created to manage tropical rainfall, reduce flooding, and retain water on the land. This is still an ongoing project)
  and a beautiful place to live :) - also an ongoing project lol
  
  Our goal is to grow our own organic food while regenerating the land, upcycling materials, and creating a self-sustaining farm community. But for now, it’s just the two of us—working hard, learning as we go, and realizing that extra helping hands (especially those with experience) would be a game-changer!
  
  Where You Come In 😊
  We’re looking for:
  either a couple or a single person, (if 2 people they'll all have to share the same bedroom).
  Must be hands-on, enthusiastic, with a participant state-of-mind, ready to help with any farm task necessary, and want to be part of building an organic ecovillage farm.
  No kids, no pets, sorry!
  
  We currently have:
  1 small room inside our home that could house from 1 - 2 people comfortably,
  1-week stay as the ideal time frame (long enough to make a real impact, but not so long that it feels too isolated/boring). If you're interested in a longer stay, let’s chat and see what works AFTER you already get here so we can both make educated decisions!
  (Read more below in the "About the Living Space" section).
  
  ****EDIT: Please read the section below carefully. We took the time to write exactly what we offer and exactly what we're looking for. Only reach out to us if you read this fully and feel like this is definitely a good fit for you. Thank you.*****

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Light gardening

  Creative DIY projects

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  Light maintenance
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Life in our village
  
  the place offers a quiet, nature-filled village experience rather than nightlife or a busy tourist atmosphere.
  
  During your free time, you can swim or relax beside the Savegre River, explore a nearby waterfall and lagoon, hike, watch birds and wildlife, go fishing, or simply enjoy the peace of the countryside.
  
  We are approximately 13 kilometers from the main coastal highway, so arrival and departure must be planned with us in advance. Public transportation is limited, and we currently cannot provide regular transportation, although we can help explain the available bus and taxi options.
  
  Closed shoes or work boots are essential. You should also bring clothing suitable for hot days, heavy rain, mud, and cooler evenings.

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  Help

  How you can participate
  
  We’re not just looking for volunteers, we’re looking for Participants. The perfect fit? Someone proactive, hands-on, and creative, who thrives on collaboration, open communication, and getting things done. If you love the idea of building something meaningful from the ground up, enjoy a nature-immersed, off-grid lifestyle, and believe in sustainable, upcycled living, we’re on the same wavelength! Farm life can be beautiful and deeply rewarding, but some activities are also hot, muddy, repetitive, or physically demanding.
  
  The exact activities change according to the weather, season, and current priorities. We want you to get the most out of your stay, so we’ll plan together—balancing work, rest, and fun based on the weather and your interests. Ideally, we work 5 hours a day, 5 days a week (but if you’re eager for more, we’d love the extra hands!). Expect to be involved in all aspects of farm life, everything we do here is part of the daily rhythm. You may help with:
  
  Mowing and clearing grass
  Weeding and mulching
  Pruning and maintaining our crops and plantations
  Planting and transplanting
  Preparing and improving vegetable-growing areas
  Helping us recover or reinvent the damaged greenhouse
  Feeding chickens and ducks
  Cleaning the coop and collecting eggs
  Composting and general farm organization
  Building or repairing practical farm structures
  Upcycling materials into something useful
  Preparing meals and keeping shared areas clean
  
  Our greatest current need is help with the land, growing areas, and greenhouse. Experience with organic gardening, tropical agriculture, carpentry, woodworking, welding, construction, irrigation, landscaping, or greenhouse design would be especially valuable.
  
  Skills We Need Most (Priority Given to 1 & 2)
  
  1️⃣ Gardeners & Green Thumbs 🌱 [EDIT July 2026: this is probably the top needed skill right now, but be ready to get down and dirty]
  Love mowing the lawn or getting your hands in the dirt? We need a LOT of help mowing the grass, as well as pruning, weeding, planting, and maintaining the various plantations and raised beds.
  
  2️⃣ Builders, Welders, Woodworkers & Carpenters 🛠️🔨
  Got experience with wood, metal, cement, or construction tools? We upcycle A LOT of materials and could really use someone who knows how to build furniture, structures, and functional farm setups.
  
  3️⃣ Cleaning & Household Help 🧼🍽️
  If you love keeping things tidy and don’t mind washing dishes or sweeping up, you’d be a lifesaver in our big, busy household!
  
  4️⃣ Chicken Coop Caretakers 🐓🥚
  We have around 100 chickens with some ducks that need daily feeding, cleaning, and egg collecting.
  
  5️⃣ Artists 🎨🌿
  If you have a creative touch, we’d love for you to **bring art to our space**! Send us samples of your work first so we can see if it fits our vision.
  
  What you can learn and experience
  
  This is an opportunity to experience the real process of developing and maintaining a diversified organic farm in a humid tropical environment.
  
  Depending on the season, current projects, and your interests, you may learn about:
  
  Growing tropical fruits, vegetables, herbs, and root crops
  Vanilla cultivation
  Planting, pruning, weeding, transplanting, and mulching
  Organic growing methods and soil improvement
  Caring for free-range chickens and ducks
  Composting and low-waste living
  Capturing and managing tropical rainwater
  Upcycling materials for farm projects
  Adapting structures and growing systems to heavy rain
  The rhythms of rural Costa Rican village life
  
  We are not presenting ourselves as experts with a perfectly completed demonstration farm. We are learning, experimenting, solving problems, and improving the land as we go. We especially enjoy welcoming people who want to exchange knowledge and bring their own ideas and experience to the table.
  
  We speak fluent English, Hebrew, and Russian, as well as intermediate Spanish, so there are also plenty of opportunities for cultural and language exchange.
  
  Join Us!
  We’re excited to share this journey with like-minded, passionate people. Let’s build, create, and grow something incredible together! 🌿💚

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Hebrew: Fluent
  Russian: Fluent
  Spanish: Intermediate

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  Accommodation

  PLEASE NOTE 🚨
  We can only accommodate between 1 - 2 people at a time who will share the same room sleeping side by side. You will have a shared kitchen, with your own bathroom and shower (you are responsible for keeping your room, bathroom and shower clean and we fully expect you to stay on top of that).
  
  About the Living Space 🏡
  We currently have 1 room that's a walk-up galleron inside of our house. It's got mosquito netting all around, a fan, and two individual beds that can also be stacked up into one single individual bed, linens, pillows, towels included; there are hangers and a shelf for your personal items. This is kind of camping-style galleron room which offers enough privacy for you to have your quiet time but since it's inside of our house you won't ever really be completely isolated there, especially if you leave the door open and our cats will come by to say hi. :)
  
  We have a 1-week stay as the ideal time frame—long enough to make a real impact, but not so long that it feels too isolated. If you're interested in a longer stay, let’s chat and see what works AFTER you get here so we can both make an educated decision after having met each other in person!
  
  Please bring your own eco-friendly toiletries such as any soaps/creams shampoos etc for your own personal hygiene.
  
  You will be responsible for keeping your bedroom, bathroom, shower, and shared areas clean, and return them to their original state before you leave. We do not allow food, drinks, or smoking inside the bedroom.
  
  Our home is very much a shared space, with two bathrooms (one for us, one for guests), a communal kitchen, and our cats and dogs freely walking around protecting the place :).
  Privacy is minimal, and due to the open-air design, there’s little soundproofing — just so you know what to expect!
  
  Wi-Fi? ✅ Yes! We’ve got Starlink, so the internet is fast and reliable. (Electricity, though, depends on the rainy weather, lol)
  
  Food & Drink 🍉🥦
  You're welcome to help with meal preparation and dishwashing and joining the table. If you like to cook something special for yourself, there is a grocery store just a few minutes walk from the farm, and the vegetable guy arrives every Friday so you can buy fresh veggies and fruit off his truck (need to order iin advance). You're also welcome to ride into town with us to shop in the big stores for whatever you need for yourself.
  Erez has an aversion to any pig and shellfish products, so we ask that you please not bring those into the house.
  
  IMPORTANT:
  🚫 **Very strict No alcohol or drugs** policy on our farm. Please respect our farm’s drug-free environment. Thank you.
  The nearest hospital is approximately one hour away, and we have only basic first-aid supplies at the farm. Please bring any medications you may need and tell us in advance about important allergies, medical needs, or physical limitations.
  
  Laundry 🧺
  We can gladly help you with your laundry. You can sort it, prepare it by checking pockets etc, and hand it to Tali and she will help. Before you give it to us please make sure that you have only clothes inside the laundry bag and don't forget anything in the pockets.
  
  Personal Hygiene & Bathrooms 🚿🚽
  Please bring eco-friendly toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, soap, etc.), as our sewage system is compostable and needs to stay chemical-free.
  
  Our bathrooms are compostable, so nothing goes into the toilet—not even toilet paper! Trash bins are provided for disposal. Thanks for helping us keep our system running smoothly! 🌿♻️
  
  Getting Around 🚗
  We’re 13 km from the main highway, so plan your arrival with us in advance.
  
  We’re excited to welcome you to our little slice of paradise! 🌿💚 Let’s build, grow, and create something amazing together!

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  What else ...

  We are located roughly 1 hour away from the nearest hospital and the only medical assistance we have on site is very basic (just band aids and iodine), so if you know that you might need any medications, or if you're allergic to anything, please take care to pack it for yourself.
  We have 2 large dogs and 7 cats who roam the farm freely so if you're allergic to cats or dogs this might not be a good fit.
  Please make sure to have closed shoes/boots and hats since you'll need to work in the field and it often rains and it's muddy, and always hot.
  It's a good idea to bring a mix of clothes that'll fit very hot weather (during the day) and chilly weather (at night).

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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

  Starlink wifi

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  Two

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  My animals / pets

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