Looking for volunteers/couch surfers to help in the Guest House or on the Permaculture Farm of my private Jungle Reserve in the Amazon Jungle near Iquitos, Peru

Stay in a wooden house which is surrounded by jungle. Wake up to the sounds of birds and insects and watch monkeys play in the trees. Experience the local life of farmers, and visit nearby lagoons, animal rescue center and national parks.

Hi I’m Ivonne and I’m the owner of the private 8 ha (bigger than 8 football fields) Jungle Reserve “Reserva Copoazu” which is located between two jungle villages near the Amazon river and the city Iquitos in Peru.

In the jungle reserve, there is a guest house for volunteers and up to 4 AirBnB guests. There is also a small permaculture farm which in the future will provide food for volunteers and guests.

I am not on my farm from 30th April - 30th September 2018 because I am working in Germany. During this time I am looking for 1-2 house- and pet-sitters for my jungle house. You do not have to stay for six months but I do ask for a minimum stay of 2 weeks.

I'm also looking for 1-2 volunteers who can take care of the farm and jungle reserve during my absence and are able to work without supervision. Volunteers must have previous farming or gardening experience and stay for a minimum of 2 weeks.

The house is not a party location. Please only apply if you look for some quite time.

I do not provide any food or meals and the garden does not provide any fruits or vegetables yet because it got destroyed during a recent flood and hurricane. Therefore you have to buy fruits, vegetables and groceries like oats, rice, quinoa, pasta, oil, spices, eggs, milk powder … and prepare your own meals. Most volunteers spend 5-10 Soles (2-4 US$) per day for food, depending on what you eat.

Since I do not provide food I only ask for 3 hours of work per day 5 days a week (or 15 hours per week) instead of the usual 5 hours per day 5 days per week (25 hours). Volunteers have two consecutive days off.

Help:
Your tasks depend on whether you work in the guesthouse or on the farm. Please note that sometimes you might be the only volunteer for a few days and therefore have to look after the house, guests, pets and the farm.

House
At least one volunteer has to be in the house to provide live-in security during the day and at night and to take care of the guests.
Tidy up and sweep the floors once a day.
Clean the entire house including your room, the two guest rooms, bath room, shower, kitchen, … twice a week and before guests arrive and after they leave.
Change the bed sheets once a week and wash them by hand.
Clean up after yourself, wash your dishes, … after every meal.
Fetch cooking and drinking water from a nearby well and filter the water.
Help with small repairs.
Fill up water tanks inside the house from a nearby rain water hole if it does not rain for a while.
Set up portable solar panel in the morning and gather it in the evening.

Animals
Feed the dog and cat.
Clean the ears of the dog once a week, apply ear- and eye drops and check if he hurt himself or got bitten. Disinfect wounds if necessary.
Clean the litter box of the cat once a week.
Walk the dog in the morning and evening.
Give the dog and cat some attention.
Let the chickens out in the morning and lock them up in the evening.
Feed the chickens with organic waste.

Guests and other Volunteers
Help guests and the other volunteers to have a great time. Welcome them and show them the house, farm and jungle reserve when they arrive. Explain how everything works (e.g. where the well for the drinking water is, how the rain water system works, what we do with the trash, …).
Be polite and respectful. Do not party or talk loudly if the guests or other volunteers went already to bed. If you want to party asked the others if they want to join you.
Offer one workshop to the other volunteers and guests every week, e.g. yoga, meditation, music, dance, martial arts, painting, arts and crafts, writing, cooking, languages, … or tell them about your country or your travels.

Permaculture Farm
Clear garden and prepare the vegetable beds. Plant seeds in small cups to grow plants inside the house. As soon as the plants are big and strong enough, plant them in the garden. Water the plants and pull out any weeds.
Clear the jungle around the house and plant corn, yucca, papaya, bananas, platano, avocados …
Cut back the weeds around the fruit trees.
Transfer wild banana and avocado trees from the jungle onto the field around the house.
Collect fruits and vegetables from the farm.

Jungle Reserve
Clear the paths, maintain or replace bridges. Repair the fence.
Make signs to mark medicinal plants and fruit trees.

Community outreach
Teach English or share your culture with the people in the village
Arts and sport projects with the village kids
Projects which enhance awareness for environmental protection, respect, ...

Typical Working Day for house-sitter
You have to get up early approx. 6a.m., let out the chickens, feet the dog and cat and walk the dog.
Fetch some cooking and drinking water and filter it before breakfast. Wash your dishes from last days dinner. Make yourself breakfast, wash the dishes and clean the table and kitchen. Do some cleaning or small repairs. Offer a workshop or do a community outreach project. Make yourself lunch and clean up after yourself. Fetch some more cooking and drinking water. Enjoy your free time or offer a workshop. Before dinner, feed the dog and cat, lock up the chickens and walk the dog. Make yourself dinner and clean up after yourself. Enjoy your free time or offer a workshop.
Typical Working Day for volunteer who works on farm
Most volunteers get up early and work one hour outside before breakfast when it is still cool. Than they make themselves breakfast. Afterwards they offer a workshop or jungle tour, clean or repair the house, plant seeds, … until lunch. They cook lunch together or take turns. Afterwards they clean the dishes. After lunch they enjoy their free time or do a community outreach project in the village. Before dinner they work another hour outside when the sun is not so strong any more. They cook dinner together or take turns and wash the dishes. Afterwards they offer a workshop, share their culture with the other volunteers or guests or enjoy their free time.

Accommodation:
Volunteers sleep in a three bed mixed dorm. There is also a private room for couples.
The conditions in the house are basic. There is no electricity or running water. There is a rain water system for the sink, toilet and shower and a gas stove. I provide a rechargeable flashlight for every person. In the village there is electricity and for a small fee you can charge your electrical devices in a friend’s house.
Volunteers buy their own food and prepare the meals themselves. You can buy groceries, cold beverages and snacks in the village shop but unfortunately no decent vegetables or fruits.
Most volunteers go to San Juan, Belen or Iquitos once a week to buy groceries, fruits and vegetables, to use the internet and to recharge their electrical devices.
You can get mobile internet for your smart phone from Movistar (Claro, Bitel, and Entel only have a very weak signal).

What else:
The people in the nearby village are eager to meet people from all around the world. You can practice your Spanish and learn about life in the jungle, natural healing, Ayahuasca, ...
You can visit nearby lagoons, animal rescue center and national parks. Great views of the jungle.

Please note:
Iquitos has no road connection to the rest of the country or any neighboring country. You have to fly or take a boat. Avianca, LATAM, Star Peru and Peruvian Airlines have cheap offers if you book 1-2 months in advance. Please check the Lonely Planet on information about the boat journey.

The paths in the jungle can become very muddy. I recommend to wear rubber boots because the mud destroys hiking boots. Rubber boots also protect your feet from snakes and biting insects. You can buy cheap rubber boots in the Belen market in Iquitos for 20 Soles (7 US$).

Volunteers must be highly motivated, independent and able to work without supervision.

Free time activities
There are a few books in English, Spanish and German incl. a book about the medicinal use of plants and indigenous culture (in Spanish) which you can read. There are also a few Spanish courses and phrase books if you like to learn or improve your Spanish.

You can walk in the jungle, visit people who live nearby, go to the village where you can play football and volleyball every Sunday, watch TV, or have a drink.

You can also visit nearby places on the road Iquitos-Nauta like a natural reserve, the zoo or a lake.

Application
Please specify if you are applying for the house-sitter or farm manager position.

Please provide following information when you apply for the house-sitter position:
When do you want to volunteer and for how long?
Will you arrive by boat or airplane?
Have you volunteered before? What did you do?
Have you worked in a guesthouse or hostel before or did some house-sitting?
Have you been taking care of cats, dogs and chickens before?
Have you stayed in the jungle or wilderness before? Where and for how long?
Have you stayed in an off-grid off-road house before or camped? Where and for how long?
Which workshops do you want to offer for the other guests and volunteers and the community?
How do you imagine a typical day in the guest house?
Why do you want to volunteer on my farm?

Please provide following information when you apply for the farm manager position:
When do you want to volunteer and for how long?
Will you arrive by boat or airplane?
Have you volunteered before? What did you do?
Have you worked on a farm before?
Do you know how to use and sharpen a machete?
Do you have any knowledge about permaculture?
Have you stayed in the jungle or wilderness before? Where and for how long?
Have you stayed in an off-grid off-road house before or camped? Where and for how long?
Which workshops do you want to offer for the other guests and volunteers and the community?
How do you imagine a typical day on the farm?
Why do you want to volunteer on my farm?

Thank you for your interest in this workexchange.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I am looking for volunteers/couch surfers to help in the Guest House or on the Permaculture Farm of my private Jungle Reserve in the Amazon Jungle near Iquitos, Peru.

Interests

• sustainability
• permaculture
• natural medicine
• nature conservation

Music, Movies, and Books

I love authentic music played from the heart and books and movies which inspire me.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Receiving volunteers and couch surfers and traveling and volunteering myself.

Teach, Learn, Share

I love to teach permaculture.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I love to teach permaculture.

Countries I’ve Visited

Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru

Countries I’ve Lived In

China, Peru, United Kingdom, United States