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Personalized life-changing travel guidance
Your journey begins! The entire NuMundo team is excited to hear your stories as you embark on a new adventure. Refer to this guide to light your way.
Costa Rica
The entire NuMundo team stayed at Finca Morpho for a whole month two years in a row because we loved it so much. It is a beautiful intentional community & permaculture project lead by a couple young families passionate about growing their own food, experimenting with superfoods, natural building, living in community and having fun on the beach. While there is no formal school, the kids are often running around the land interacting with nature and learning on their own. You have direct beach access, trails with primary forest, close access to the Corcovado National Park – one of the most biodiverse spots in the world – and I can guarantee you will see a monkey and give yourself a natural blue clay body scrub! You could also learn how to surf there.
Their mission is to spread the seed of permaculture using love, compassion and understanding for everyone and everything. And to tend the seedling as the idea of permaculture flowers into a beautiful new world by openly sharing all knowledge and skills.
Finca Morpho’s vision and values are to: Strive to achieve self-sufficiency and sustainability. Strive to Understand, Love, and Cherish all life. Understand and use the Co-Founders agreements. Share all information freely and openly.
Their farm goals are to produce as much food and abundance as possible through the guide of the Basic Permaculture Agreements and to educate and empower the people to take back the tools needed to create an abundant and fulfilling life for themselves. This center is probably your best budget volunteering option in Costa Rica.
Contact & Book – Website – Facebook
The ecological, spiritual community of PachaMama is a platform for a profound voyage into healing, self-acceptance and expansion of consciousness. PachaMama is also an intentional and alternative off-grid village where people live their normal lives in harmony with nature. There is no belief system practiced rather, a safe space is created for each fellow traveler to shed old layers, transcend limitations and discover wholeness. The Six Pillars that hold this alternative way of life are Meditation, Emotional Healing, Yoga & Physical Rejuvenation, Native Ceremonies, Ecological Living and Mystical Musical Journeys.
We recommend this center especially because of the amenities and wide range of activities available to participate in. Many of the smaller and up and coming ecovillages are much more unpredictable and may be a risk bringing your kids to. Pachamama is reliable what they offer and the amount of people and families live that live there.
Contact – Website – Facebook – Instagram
Mexico
Teopantli Kalpulli is a beautiful and historical ecovillage in Jalisco, Mexico. On 70 acres of land, 150 community members live. The village bases most of their practices on Nahuatl and Huichol traditions of natural building and sacred practice. The heart of the land and place of prayer is the sacred Ceiba tree planted on top of an original kiva. The first Huichol sacred seed storage space that was built outside of a Huichol community exists on this land today and is used for storing musical instruments and sacred corn seeds.
The children of the village go to school in the community schoolhouse and each adult takes a turn teaching to share the responsibilities. Their gardens grow native plants like white sapote, corn, guava and amaranth and chile. The area of Jalisco, Guadalajara has been a market-place for Obsidian trade between North and South America since time immemorial. Obsidian was everywhere in the village beneath our feet. A member of Teopantli Kalpulli event built an Obsidian shining and polishing workshop, which sustains him financially.
Teopantli Kalpulli is most likely looking for support in expanding their infrastructure.
Centro Nierika is a retreat center which also has a permaculture gardening volunteer program as well as child care services. When the NuMundo team visited, we recall them having a Montessori school running. Nierika translates from the Huichol language into “sacred mirror and portal”. Experiencing beauty and sacred reflections opens a gateway to the divine. Their vision is to honor the path of healing as self-discovery and transformation for an individual, and to hold the sacred mirror that reflects each ones’ true beauty and highest potential.
Their team of holistic psychologists are world-recognized experts with over 20 years of experience bridging nature, psychotherapy and indigenous medicine. Located in a lush subtropical valley, their eco-retreat center is easily accessible from anywhere in the world since they are only 2 hours away from the Mexico City International Airport. Their center is a safe, ecologically and culturally-rich oasis neighboring a pilgrimage sanctuary site with a history that dates back thousands of years to Mexico’s ancient cultures.
Tepoztlan is a small city in Mexico that is surrounded by peaceful nature. It’s famous for its spas, meditation, alternative medicine clinics and a very traditional city center. It is a small town so you don’t need a car to travel within the city. There are a few options for high quality international schools in the area, so this is a great spot to explore and see what’s there. It’s definitely worth visiting Huehuecoyotl, an ecovillage in the area to feel what it’s like.
There is an archeological site at the top of a hikeable mountain (1.3 miles of steep stone stairs, around 45min-1hr climb at a good pace) that is also famous for its “good vibrations”. Bring water, wear closed-toed shoes, use a backpack to carry your things, take breaks while climbing and be especially careful if you have any medical conditions. The climb is tough if you are out of shape and/or not used to the altitude! It’s definitely worth the hike to reach the pyramid, El Tepozteco, and the wonderful views of the surrounding area. The site may be reached by walking down Avenida 5 de Mayo (in the direction away from where you entered the town). Continue until the street ends to the steps which mark the beginning of the trail. The hike to the top is free but it will cost 47 pesos to access the pyramid. At the top you will also encounter coati, also known as a tejón. These animals, members of the raccoon family, are curious and will attempt to open backpacks to find food.
Brazil
We highly recommend Piracanga, an intentional community committed to the dream of creating a loving community, which is formed by about 40 adults and 18 children and adolescents. They dedicate themselves to their self-knowledge and offer the tools they use to those who come to participate in their courses, retreats and programs. While clicking through their website it doesn’t appear that they have spaces to rent long term, there usually is space open at affordable rates and you should inquire to learn more. Also, there are plenty of opportunities to rent beyond the retreat center, in the ecovillage behind it. There’s a small school for children and even a school for the grown ups too. According to their website they are aligned to the Awaken LOVE movement as a spiritual teaching but we haven’t heard that they are overbearing with this aspect of the community. Almost every day they offer activities such as yoga, Sound Meditation, circular dances, kirtans, hikes, sports (there is a beach volleyball court, and also slackline) as well as other activities! It’s worth noting that June is the beginning of the rainy season there.
Contact – Website – Facebook (check out their cover video)
Around the World List
Chile – PioPio – This community is right next to an eco-neighborhood that houses about 100 people, including families. Message Carolina at PioPio to ask about renting there.
Kenya – Kilifi – They have discounted rates for staying longer than a month
Ireland – Cloughjordan Ecovillage
Scotland – Findhorn Foundation
Italy – Torri Superiore
Virginia, USA – Twin Oaks Community
Quebec, Canada – La Cite Ecologique
Missouri, USA – Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage
Colombia – Aldeafeliz
Japan – Konohana Family
Nicaragua – Centro Ecologico de Aprendizaje Universal Ananda Nikunja
El Salvador – La Casa Organica
> Backpacking – My favorite down-to-earth and straight forward backpacking list and guide is Travel Independent.
> Meeting People – Use Facebook Groups to find the latest events and meetups in the region you’re traveling in. For example: Spirit Events Sacred Valley for events just outside Cusco in Peru. Use keywords like “events, permaculture, expats, expatriates, healers” etc. Don’t be afraid to talk to other travelers in hostels ; ).
> Travel Insurance – I recommend World Packers for international travel & health coverage on your journey.
It was awesome connecting with you, wishing you a beautiful journey! Please keep us updated on your travels with photos and videos: Bryan@numundo.org.
