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Host rating
85 %
Last replied
31 Mar 2025
Reply rate
85.7 %
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Description
Hi! We are Martijn, Miena, and our son Kai (born Dec 2024). We love to welcome you to our little family and offgrid homestead. Nestled in nature, our one-hectare property is a space where we embrace natural living, permaculture, and self-sufficiency as much as possible. We’re passionate about working with nature—whether it's through farming, natural building, or crafting - and we’d love to share our knowledge, learn from you, and create together!
A little bit about us...
Miena has a background in preschool education with a focus on nature-based learning. She has a deep passion for yoga, photography, art, and natural crafts. When she’s not crocheting, weaving dreamcatchers, or making natural skincare products, she’s baking delicious bread and adding beautiful touches to our home, but all this also has to be juggled with a little boy.
Martijn is a builder and handyman and believes in shaping our reality by 'chopping wood and carrying water' so he loves a good piece of driftwood to create something, develop the gardens, and further establish our full functioning food forest (we have planted 137 fruit/ nut trees so far!!). He enjoys experimenting with pickling, jamming, and fermenting. 'Let's make a plan' is his motto for life!
Kai is busy getting his first teeth and despite the drooling, is a very happy baby with so much happiness and change. Staying with us does require some affinity with small children as our days are planned around his needs as well.
We both have an income through online work, which allows us to live flexibly and fully embrace a simple, content outdoor lifestyle. We believe in "abundance by needing less", striving to live in harmony with nature while still enjoying the occasional luxuries like a lunch out or a treat from the supermarket; all in good balance.
About Our Homestead
Our home is still young—just two and a half years old! Our home is built with natural materials, including wattle and daub walls (clay, sand and straw), a cow-dung floor, and a grass ceiling. We live off-grid with a rainwater system, solar-powered electricity, a wood-fired boiler for hot showers, a compost toilet, and a workshop for drying herbs, a washing machine and freezer . We are meat eaters although sparingly but easily adapt to vegetarians or vegans. We share our home with our dog Jack, two cats (KungFu & Kenya), and a small flock of chickens and Indian runner ducks.
Our Experience with Workaway
We have hosted many Workawayers from all over the world while managing a neighbouring farm for 2 years who also welcome Workawayers. We love the exchange of knowledge, the connections we build, and the opportunity to share our passion and way of life rooted in nature, sustainability and more self-reliance.
We especially welcome families with children, couples, and experienced work-away-ers who have a bit of knowledge and prior experience in homesteading, natural farming, and building, and who don't mind getting their hands and feet
dirty!
If you’re excited to live more simply, learn new skills, and be part of a warm and welcoming space, we’d love to hear from you! Come join us and be part of our self-sufficient homesteading journey!
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Interests
Sustainability
Farming
Charity work
Culture
Writing
Plant care
Photography
History
Music
Gardening
DIY & crafts
Drawing & painting
Animals
Art & design
Cooking & food
Carpentry
Books
Yoga / Wellness
Outdoor activities
Nature
Beach
Mountain
Hiking
Dancing
Camping
UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
There is so much to learn from each other and the skills and experiences that we can share include permaculture, natural building and woodworking, small business creation, wood harvesting and treatment, natural farming, and simply embracing a joyful, fulfilling life.
This exchange is a two-way journey—travelers will gain new skills, inspiration, and hands-on experience, just as we will learn and grow from each person who joins us!
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
Our days vary, guided by the weather, moon phase, and whatever needs attention. Here are some of the things we focus on:
🌿 Natural Farming & Permaculture – We’re always expanding - digging swales, planting trees and bananas, propagating, fertilising, and nurturing our growing food forest. We cultivated small-scale permaculture gardens for our own use, eating fresh produce or preserving it through pickling, jamming, and jarring.
🏡 Natural Building & DIY Projects – Using resources harvested from the land, we build and improve structures like our carport, an art studio, and guest accommodation. We love working with clay and soil to enhance our natural home. There’s always something to fix or build, so handyman skills are a plus—but an eagerness to learn is just as valuable!
🎨 Creativity & Art – Creativity is at the heart of our lifestyle. Whether it's woodworking, painting, or upcycling materials into garden and forest decorations, we welcome new ideas and artistic touches to make our space even more beautiful. Especially driftwood art!
🏞️ Exploring & Land Development – We’re developing more pathways around the Quko River, creating natural retreats where we can connect with nature and enjoy refreshing dips on hot days.
🍽️ Living & Sharing – We cook and enjoy our meals together, making the most of our homegrown ingredients. While we live communally—sharing meals, cleaning, and working together—there’s plenty of time to be on your own and do your own thing.
Languages
Languages spoken
Afrikaans: Fluent
English: Fluent
Dutch: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
Our mother tongues are Dutch and Afrikaans, but we’re also learning isiXhosa, the native language of this region, to better connect and communicate with the local community!
Accommodation
Our super cozy campervan, Bertha, has space for up to three people (a double bed and a single bed). She’s been on an incredible four-year journey across Africa with Martijn and is now a comfy retreat on our homestead. Equipped with a small kitchen, fridge, and solar lights, Bertha has everything you need for a snug stay in this one of a kind Toyota Hilux campervan from 1981.
On rainy days, you can also relax in our workshop, which has a small fireplace, a comfy couch, and the perfect atmosphere for reading, unwinding, and listening to the soothing sound of raindrops on the roof.
Meals & Cooking – We provide three meals a day. Lunch is usually cooked and shared together during the week, while other meals can be eaten separately or shared, depending on the flow of our young son and the rhythm of the day. We appreciate our alone time too, so weekends are flexible—we go with what feels natural for everyone. We adapt easily to vegetarians and vegans.
What else ...
The surrounding area is perfect for weekend adventures, with stunning coastal walks and beautiful beaches like Chintsa, Haga Haga, and Morgan Bay all within easy reach. We often take Sundays to explore and go for a scenic drive.
While we prefer not to indulge in alcohol, you’re welcome to enjoy a drink in your free time—we ask that our space remains free from any overindulging and drunkenness.
Our days are filled with chatting about and working in the gardens, fixing or improving things, chatting to our dog, listening to the birds and monkeys, meditating (when we are not too busy), and creating more beauty within all this natural magic—and we’d love to share it with you! 🌿✨
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Space for parking camper vans
This host can provide space for campervans.
Can possibly accept pets
A well-behaved dog is more than welcome—especially if they’re good at helping to keep monkeys away as our Jack doesn't have a clue!
How many Workawayers can stay?
Two
