Welcome to Finca Del Soul

Welcome Jungle Friends!
We are so glad that you decided to spend some time here. We invite you to make a connection with the land, learn as much as you can, and get into some projects that feel satisfying and meaningful to you.
Here are just a few other things to know before you come. 🙂

Volunteer Questionnaire: We want your stay to be as harmonious as possible, so if you haven’t already done so, help us to get to know you by sharing some information in the questionnaire.

Vegan Ethics: We respect the rights of other beings to live freely. Do not bring any captive animals or anything produced through the exploitation of animals or the violation of their rights. This includes anything made from animals (leather, wool, silk, down, sponges, shellac, carmine, perfume, vitamin D3, pharmaceuticals…), anything tested on animals (shampoo, toothpaste, makeup, deodorant, moisturiser, sunblock, insect repellent, anti-itch cream, pharmaceuticals…), or anything else that involves the exploitation of animals in its production (honey, eggs, milk, nearly all bread/pastries…).

Food: Before you first arrive, you should pick up whatever food you would like at the market in Loreto, at least enough to last until the next food truck comes (usually) the next Wednesday afternoon. (Extra food is helpful in case the truck doesn’t come.) Most people bring things like fruits, vegetables, oats, rice, beans, lentils, et cetera. We usually have bananas, plantains, limes, sugar cane, ají, greens, herbs, and sometimes other produce from the land, but plan to bring 100% of your own food, and we will show you what else is available when you arrive. Please don’t eat food that you didn’t bring until you’ve had the kitchen tour.

Everyone eats the food that they brought or the communal food from the land during the day. Sometimes we share ingredients for dinner. We work pretty hard, so we’re usually all hungry and eat quite a bit for dinner to refuel.
Please do not feed Wolfy any oil or salt or chocolate, even if he begs.

If we need more food, it’s fairly simple to make a trip to Loreto, but it’s an all-day ordeal, and the difficulty of the return trip is directly proportional to the quantity of food that you buy. It’s a 15- to 20-minute walk to catch the bus that comes sometime between 7:30 and 9:30 in the morning. There are returning buses in the afternoon at 13:30 (sometimes) and 14:30 and 15:30, followed by a walk of 1 km +, mostly uphill, carrying all of your food, or a taxi is $10.

There are people who sell food on the weekends on the paved road a few kilometers away: usually papayas, plantains, yuca, and local fruits if they have any in season. Some of the farms along our road can also sell us these things as well as panela and whole-grain rice and occasionally other produce.

Garden: Please ask before harvesting any fruit or cutting any plants. We are happy to share what is growing here, but we want to make sure that the food is harvested at the right time and that plants are cut correctly so that they will be healthy and keep living to their fullest potential. 🙂

Kitchen: We don’t obsess about the cleanliness of the kitchen, but we try to keep the space reasonably tidy and organised so that it’s ready for anyone to use when they want to eat. We only put plant matter like extras from fruits and vegetables in the compost bucket. Any paper, plastic, metal, or non-plant materials (including tea bags) go with you when you leave so that they don’t contaminate this land or go into a landfill and contaminate land elsewhere in the Amazon. We also try to cut the larger kitchen scraps a bit before putting them in the compost; that way they will decompose faster and be ready to feed to the plants sooner.

Bathroom: You are welcome to use the shower, though on warm and sunny days we recommend going to the nearby river for a bath instead (both for the experience and in order to save the well water). We do not use flush toilets here, as they waste water and can clog the pipe which is very difficult and messy to fix. We use simple compost toilets in the form of buckets, and we cover our deposits with dry grass or leaves when we are done, or we use holes in the ground where fruit trees or bananas will be planted and cover our deposits with soil. You can bring your own hand-held bidet, or you are welcome to use to the hose outside. In the event of a major water shortage, we also have an abundance of toilet paper plants. On your last day here, please ask where you can empty the compost toilet bucket.

Electricity/Internet: The grid electricity in Ecuador comes from hydroelectric dams, and it is sometimes turned off due to drought (in the Andean dry season), so sometimes we have no electricity here. The internet service provider sometimes does not have electricity either, and even when they do, the internet service is still not reliable, but when it works, it works (40+ Mbps download). The Wi-Fi signal near the volunteer house is weak, but it is usually sufficient for basic tasks. We also have a small bodega near the main house where people can use Wi-Fi to make audio/video calls without disturbing others.

What to Bring: You don’t need to bring much, as life here is very simple. There are basic kitchen and garden tools, work gloves, work boots, et cetera, but you should bring lightweight work clothes that you can get dirty or torn, and you may want to have some cleaner lightweight trousers and long sleeves for when it gets a little bit cooler, some kind of light to see in the dark, and headphones/earphones (so as not to disturb other people). If you plan to menstruate while you’re here, you may want to bring washable/reusable pads or a menstrual cup (or a few, just in case), as they can be very difficult to find in Ecuador.

Please don’t use any cosmetics or (non-native) toxic products here. This means soap, toothpaste, shampoo, body wash, deodorant, moisturiser, insect repellent, anti-itch cream, sunblock, perfume, makeup, nail polish, pharmaceuticals, et cetera, including products labelled “non-toxic” or “ecological”. Any toxic substances used here go into the soil and air, contaminate the plants and water, and poison the land and food that we’re growing. You can make your own toothpaste from coconut oil and your preferred essential oils, and there are wood ashes and lots of rangpur limes, lemongrass, and other plants here for the other uses listed above.

Please do not bring any cigars/cigarettes or alcohol.

Please do not bring non-compostable trash. Bring reusable bags/containers and avoid pre-packaged items.

We don’t ask anyone to leave anything here, but if you happen to have any extra books, old clothes (can be dirty or unusable), sauces, spices, a functional digital camera, electronics with working parts, or any interesting fruit tree seeds, cuttings, or small plants (ask first because we have many already), those would probably be useful. There are also tools and other supplies that are difficult or impossible to find in Ecuador, so if you’d be willing to have something shipped to you to bring here when you come, please let us know as soon as possible.

☀️ Enjoy!
We (and the land) very much appreciate all your help, but we also want you to enjoy yourself. You can slow down and take it easy, do some deeper exploring, connect with locals, or make the river your second home.

📸 Share your jungle experience
Please feel free to take photos, record videos, or blog about your projects, discoveries, and adventures in the Amazon. (But don’t record anyone else without their free prior informed consent.)

🌴 The bigger project and mission
Finca Del Soul is more than just a fruit forest project; it’s the beginning of a larger vision to create a network of people growing food sustainably and regenerating the land. Learn more here.

Coming Here: We will send you a separate link with directions to the land.

Leaving Here: Please let us know as soon as you can which day you expect to leave so that we can accept other volunteers. (If you don’t want to leave, that’s probably okay too.)

Survival Spanish: Click here for helpful words and phrases for this part of the world.

We wish this to be a soul-feeding chapter in your life, where you walk away with interesting stories, new skills in your toolbox, some new thoughts, and memories of a time when you helped to make a difference on this Earth. 🌱

If you have any questions let us know. Looking forward to seeing you soon! 🌳