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Natural Building in an ancient oak forest in Portugal 🌳🧘

5.0
(6 reviews)6

The experience

Join us in the journey of bringing the historical Quinta do Gorgolao back to its thriving life, entuned with nature. Surrounded by 47 hectares of ancient Oak forest in Central Portugal, you’ll wake up to peaceful mornings, enjoy a healthy and simple lifestyle, and leave your mark on a space filled with history and potential. It’s more than work—it’s a journey into a meaningful and sustainable way of life 😁

What you offer

25 hours of help per week

Gardening: Help grow plants and cultivate gardens

Painting & Decorating: Help with painting or decorating the property facilities.

Building & Repairing: Help with a wide range of repairs or building.

What you get

2 days off per week

Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.

Shared Dorm: You will have a bed in a shared room, which means you will share the same room with other travelers.

Tent: You will sleep in a tent at a camping site.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.

Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.

Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.

Bikes at your disposal: You can use our bikes any time you want.

Pick Up: We will pick you up when you arrive, and take you to our property.

Basic Internet Access: Basic speed internet for you to work remotely

Requirements

Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

Program Details

Here at Gorgolao we value a simple life made of passionate work, respect of ourselves and others and a daily spiritual practice, and we would love to connect to people who are interested in similar values.

Activities & Shift

We start the working day at 9, after a nutritious breakfast. We’ll work together until lunchtime (between 12:30 and 14:00), then enjoy free afternoons to relax or explore. Your workday will total around 5 hours, and the schedule is flexible depending on the tasks. Saturday morning we all help to clean the communal spaces for an hour or so, then the rest of the weekend is free. We organize shifts for cooking and cleaning the kitchen (also during the weekend). We will choose a weekly responsible person for other important tasks such as trash and compost, cleaning the bathroom and making the fire.

Rules

We like to conduct a sober life, so here at Gorgolao you will not find alcohol, tobacco or any other marvelous plant. If you drink or smoke, and you still want to do it, you are kindly asked to do it discreetely on your own. The communal kitchen is mainly vegetarian however we are open to exceptional meals with non-vegetarian food.