rio muchacho organic farm

Just had the awesome opportunity to visit Rio Muchacho and can't say enough positive things about it. I haven't found many experiences I can say this about, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. I arrived and was greeted by Nicola, who began the project with her partner Dario. She was very warm, easy going, welcoming and professional and gave me a great outline of what each day would look like while I was there. There was some flexibility in the schedule too as it was rainy or I wanted to just relax on the hammocks for a bit, everyone was totally open to that. I felt extremely welcome and able to just 'be' there. My cabana was tucked away in the forest overlooking a river and fireflies at night, and many cabanas have their own beautiful, clean composting toilets and showers. I wanted an authentic cultural experience blended with some adventure and relaxation and I found it here at Rio Muchacho. You don't simply watch as someone else does everything (unless you want to!), but actually get to participate firsthand in making chocolate, a cool ring from royal palm or tagua nut and a traditional Ecuadorian lunch in a banana leaf with veggies picked straight from the beautiful large garden. Would very highly recommend this place as it is very rewarding for the visitor and supports the local community, along with sustainable living. What more could you ask for?

My husband and I spent 2 weeks volunteering at Rio Muchacho and we loved it! Dario and Nicola are so welcoming, and everyone at the farm was very appreciative of everything we could do to help. We heard about the farm while searching for different places to volunteer throughout Ecuador, and signed up! After two weeks, we were well into the routine of the farm, and knowledgeable enough to be ready to make some changes in our own lives back home. We would love to come back one day! The food was also delicious, and it was really fun to participate in the tours like chocolate making, the hike to the big tree, and ring making!

I spent four weeks on the Rio Muchacho Farm as a volunteer and never wanted to leave. The food is fresh-picked from the gardens, the staff are kind and welcoming, and the owners - Nicola and Dario - are knowledgeable and passionate about organic, sustainable living. I learned so much during the short time I lived there - from caring for animals, to attending the gardens and ecotourism. I also had the opportunity to tag along with some of the guided tours, which I found to be informative and culturally enriching (making chocolate was my favorite activity, although I also enjoyed visiting the giant tree and making rings from palm seeds). I highly recommend this trip to all nature-lovers, culture enthusiasts, and people with a thirst to learn more about sustainable living.

Rio Muchacho always grown the best organic veggies! When we are in Bahia we love getting a veg box every week. My favs: Amazing arugula, beautiful beets, perfect peppers, and tasty tomatoes!Make sure to visit the farm when you come here. It is worth it!

I did the 1 day tour and it was incredible. Edgar my guide spoke great English and was absolutely fantastic. The horse ride was one of the best ever, we cantered/galloped so much. Visiting the farm was really interesting and fun as you're involved in harvesting the veggies and preparing lunch. After a decent hike we finally found the howler monkeys and had an amazing howling session with them! Then had a refreshing dip in the fresh waterfall.

We decide to go for a day tour after finally finding the office that no one seem's to know it exist in Canoa. After paying 188,00$ for 4 pax and two childrens under 5 years old! We got there and waited 30-40 minutes before having someone that came to us saying we was our guide. (Spanish only) My god he seem's so bored with life and showed us around like it was such a pain for him, we visited a big tree (wow a tree!!!!) made ring out of seeds and made chocolat. I don't understand why they call this a farm after seeying a few plant here and there that were horrible. I know what I'm talking about I grow organic vegetable for living. Why bring people there and making them pay (more than 40$) to see what is obviously NOT a garden. The good part, food was good.

My Family of 4 had a great time with the Horseback riding excursion to see Howler Monkeys! We harvested Organic Veggies, prepared a lunch meal that was wrapped in Banana leaves, took great Horseback ride, then wrapped up the day by roasting Cacao Beans and making chocolate to eat over fresh bananas! It's my 4th or 5th visit and I always love returning to Rio Muchacho Organic farm! It's always great to see the hosts Dario and Nicola and see the children growing up. Thanks to you two!

This place is a paradise for many. Despite being considered a "rustic" alternative to tourism, there is a certain feeling of bliss in unplugging for your entire length of stay. Visitors are able to come for days or months. - I personally spent two months there, dividing my time between volunteering, and attending the month-long permaculture course. My experience living there has definitely changed me for the better. -- And the course itself could not have gone better. It was so full of information and ideas, I am fully motivated returning home equipped to take charge of long-awaited projects in my home fields. -- From my experience working in the field, to my nights of tranquility, I learned a new way of existence. I realized how splendidly simple it is to live sustainably; and Rio Muchacho provides the perfect community in which to learn. I met many visitors during my length of stay, and even those who stayed for a few days were all departing with previously unobtained knowledge. There is so much going on at the farm in terms of particular projects or methods of sustainable living, that one can become acquainted with much in a very little amount of time. There is plenty of work to be done, and the owners are very happy to help facilitate newcomers into the routines. Cheers to Nicola and Dario for their glowing energy that shines bright from Ecuador.If one wishes to see excellent examples of Eco-tourism, organic agriculture and agroecology, this is the place to visit. They sewed in me, many seeds of wisdom that I am taking to scatter the earth. I hope you get a chance to stop in and let them rub off on you. Cheers.

I did not know anything about the farm until I visited. I intended to volunteer for 1 month but ended up staying 3, as the owners Dario & Nicola do truly care about the environment and ecotourism as a means to sustainability and not just money. The rooms are neat and the whole farm is rather well made, with electricity and water available almost everywhere. I would recommend to anyone who is curious about organic farming, sustainability, permaculture, or even a general idea on how humanity will sustain itself, to visit.

Wow! What a beautiful month! This rustic, natural setting is a wonderful place to spend a month, we learnt about Sustainable agriculture for an intensive one month course and thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere, people, animals(horses, pigs, chickens, dogs, worms, bats and a few ducks-but don´t mention the snails) and bird life(Mot-mots in abundance, woodpeckers, and I saw a hummingbird every day). The accomodation was like a tree house, made from bamboo and some rooms did need mosquito nets, but not all, but you aren´t seperated from nature which is splendid, but not always private. Ensure you take organic and biodegradeable shampoo´s and soaps as they are leading the way at RMOF on how to engineer a home that uses all it´s ¨waste¨ products. With all kitchen waste going to the animals or compost and sawdust toilets for humanure (only on ornamental plants) and all grey water resused on the land, it´s fantastic to go if you just want a taste of an environmental community for a few days or a longer stay where you get hands on in the dirt and vege´s. I would reccomend taking a jar of nutela and some coffee if you have a sweet tooth or are a coffee fanatic as they supply you well with fod, but coffee doesn´t actually need to be drunk 3 times a day so they offer it in the mornings but if you want extra, it might be good to bring some extra. The food was actually lovely, always fresh. I found a jar of nutella or something the ants cant come and hijack is good to have for those cravings though. A really special perspective has been gained from our visit.

I visited Rio Muchacho in order to take part in the month long intensive permaculture course. This proved to be invaluable to me as I am also farming organically in the same tropical environment. There was a lot to pack into a month and Nicola managed to do this through well led, compelling lectures and interesting practical workshops. Nicola and Dario contribute a huge amount to the local community, in particular the community school. They work extremely hard to provide education to the children there and pay for everything that the school needs from their own pockets. They have hearts of gold and are interesting, kind people and wonderful to talk to on everything related to organic farming, sustainability and permaculture. The vegetarian food is amazing, not the same old South American cuisine that you become accustomed to here, a breath of fresh air. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience here and will certainly be returning here to learn more. Thank you very much Rio Muchacho!

A month-long permaculture course in the Rio Muchacho Organic farm was a beautiful experience. Not only because of the very informational course but for the experience of living a farm-life in a place where one can live in harmony with the nature, having zero negative ecological impact, eating healthy food straight from their own garden, not to mention the beauty of the place with gardens full of birds and pretty bamboo cottages. Recommend highly for everyone who would like to see how it is possible to live with a minimal ecological footprint, self-sufficiently with an abundance of vegetation and ecological solutions around you. Suvi - Finland

I did the three day tour with Rio Muchacho. Everyone else was doing volunteering, and so it seemed that I was taken care of well. We did the chocolate making because I was there, which I quite enjoyed, however some of the activities did not happen as they did not have the materials or we just didn't do it (example visit the local school, or make our own coffee).I quite enjoyed the activities - the different cooking activities, the horse rides, the arts and crafts and learned a lot of new things.I think that it may have been more organized when the owners ran it, however they had recently had twins. The one twin screamed the entire time I was there.I feel it was a bit overpriced since several of the activities were missed.My biggest problem was that it's a jungle and they do not provide a net for sleeping/mosquitos. Everywhere else I went in Ecuador provided nets (often if they weren't even in the jungle), and I feel that this should have been provided without having to ask and them having to scramble. Also, I think that the dog needed to see a vet and get some proper vet care. I'm glad that they rescued her, but she looked like she needed some medical attention.

This was pretty much my first stop/stay to my South American experience and it was the perfect taster in a safe and also environmentally sustainable location. The people were friendly, warm and inviting and imparted a lot of knowledge not only about sustainability and perma-culture, but also provided great travel culture tips. I would definitely recommend Rio Muchacho to anyone, weather you are a seasoned traveller, or a first timer.

Rio Muchacho Organic Farm fulfilled all my expectations and more. I stayed for 3 weeks and thoroughly enjoyed living more simply, and learning about organic agriculture and permaculture. I slotted into the rhythms of feeding and cleaning animals, planting, weeding, watering and then harvesting good organic food which was cooked for us in a simple open kitchen. I especially enjoyed making chocolate sauce from the raw beans. The accommodation was in attractive bamboo and thatch rooms in a beautiful garden, mostly overlooking the river.I enjoyed getting to know the staff, interns and other guests in a relaxed setting.Rio Muchacho supports the environmental school down the road. It was great to be involved and see the children learn with a heavy slant on good environmental principles and practices.Rio Muchacho is a very attractive place to pause from travel, help out, eat well (lots of veges) and most of all learn. I would love to come back and do the one month permaculture course. I have heard great comments about it.