What People are Saying About Eco Caminhos
“Eco Caminhos is not just a place to volunteer, it is a place to experience a different way of life. I immediately felt welcomed and comfortable in my home away from home. I enjoyed meeting such amazing people and learning about their different backgrounds and reasons for joining the Eco Caminhos family. Working on the Eco-farm and learning about bio construction was a nice change from my regular life. In my time there I learned that happiness should always come first.” – Raelle, Canada.
“A super project. People committed to nature, truth, and life in this beautiful land. Dear companions and partners.” – Mirtes, Brazil.
“Excellent ethos and driven by people with true passion, cannot recommend enough!” – Joel, United Kingdom.
“Amazing experience! Life, culture, concept, landscape, food, friendship, collaboration, volunteering… you come back from there different. And wanting to go back” – Robson, Brazil.
“Pure Nature, good energy, tranquility, total harmony“ – Tania, Brazil.
“Five stars isn’t enough in a place where the stars shines all over the place. Incredible place, serious project commanded by serious people and committed to the human being and nature!” – Nai Magalhães, Brazil.
“We loved our stay at Eco Caminhos. Really beautiful surroundings and gorgeous eco-lodge. Plus, the fresh produce from the farm was delightful. Great access to nearby trails too.” – Amy Seidl, Estados Unidos.
“We stayed at Ecocaminhos in the EcoLodge for two months. It was a great experience for everyone in the family, including our 3, 6, and 9 year old kids. Real world sustainable farming, permaculture, agroforestry experience, and awesome community of local apprentices and local and international volunteers. Highly recommend!” – Liuan Huska, Estados Unidos.
“The Eco Caminhos space is a paradise in the midst of the many challenges of modern life. There we reconnect with nature, with simplicity, with very special people in an environment of great freedom, genuine care and peace.
And it is a return to collective, communitarian and loving living in an atmosphere of affections, sounds, smells and images that nourish the soul and nourish our Being.
In addition to all this, it is easily accessible and, even being in the rural area, we easily reach the city center where we can access everything we need.
I highly recommend an experience there. :)” – Izabel Sousa, Brasil.
“We had an excellent stay at Bart’s, where we stayed for a short week to discover the Eco Caminhos project and to take an interest in the different principles of permaculture, through the practices of agroforestry and bioconstruction. We couldn’t have hoped for a better welcome and a better time. The setting is magnificent, the brilliant team of volunteers and Bart knew how to prepare a great program for us including a presentation of the vision of Eco Caminhos and how it works, an introduction to agroforestry and bioconstruction, and participation in the various manual activities with the volunteers. Bart also took the time to share his experiences with us, particularly around social entrepreneurship. This experience was very rich in lessons, discussions and reflections! We also took part in an excursion in the surrounding mountains with superb views of Nova Friburgo! Finally, what a joy to share our meals, prepared with farm products, around a large table with all the workers. We look forward to continuing to follow the development of the Eco Caminhos project. Many thanks to Bart and his family!” – Louis Fountaine, France.
“An experience at Eco Caminhos is the kind of experience in which you don’t recognize what a big impact it’s had on you until you look back on it.
I can’t express how influential my time on the farm. I spent three weeks with Eco Caminhos with the intention of learning about agroforestry and sustainable living generally. I came away from the experience with that—and so much more.
The community here is the biggest strength of this organization. The people are amazing. Being in a multicultural environment with people from all over is an incredible experience. It’s a melting pot where you’re able to learn about different cultures all at once—along with improving your Portuguese, of course. (I recommend coming in with some knowledge of Portuguese. Though it’s not necessary, it will enrich and facilitate your experience. I did, and I am grateful because it helped me forge closer connections.)
And despite there being a revolving door of volunteers coming and going, the staff make an effort to get to know everyone. You feel as though they appreciate the time you spend on the farm, limited as it may be.
I also enjoyed working with the community members and the staff on the tasks. The tasks were also varied enough each day that I was always doing something different in agroforestry or by a construction. Whether you implement the tasks in your future endeavors after your experience on the farm is up to you. But at the very least, you’re learning about what it means to move sustainably, work hard and slowly toward something, and to promote development in your own community. Anything worth having or creating it’s going to take time and patience and sacrifice. I so appreciate the lessons I learned here because I know I’ll take them with me for the rest of my life.” – Isabela Valencia, Venezuela.
What Volunteers Have to Say About Their Experience
“I am grateful and happy for my experience and am looking forward to seeing how that little permaculture farm, striving to be self-sustaining, will develop in the future.” – Sarita, Austria – Short-Term Volunteer
“After this experience life will be more about me. I have lived a life in service of others and I learned a lot from that and enjoyed it too, but there was a point that I knew that I had to make this turn and for me Eco Caminhos has been the right place to make this turn.” – Maria, Holland – Short-Term Volunteer
“Being a volunteer at Eco Caminhos was the best experience I lived so far. To be honest, I got from it much more than I expected…I got new friends, new outlooks on life and I managed to do do things I never saw myself doing.” – Catalin, United Kingdom – Short-Term Volunteer
“I learned how my thoughts and actions can become more harmonious. From the beginning, I wanted to live in an organic way and Eco Caminhos gave me the tools to do it.” – Tanja, Denmark – Short-Term Volunteer
“The rhythm of life was a welcome change from the often chaotic and demanding nature of the city, and this environment really allows individuals to slow down and become more established in the simple things.“ – Kennedy, Canada – Light Rehab Program