muyuin Kichwa, seed
Native species nursery
Collect seeds in the rainforest and plant them in the hacienda's nursery.
Minka is an experience of connecting with nature and the ancestral traditions of the Amazon. Take part in planting native trees, growing yuca and other everyday work in the chakra, sharing knowledge, collective work and learning close to the land. A chance to live the rainforest from its roots and help care for the place we call home.
At least two weeks, four hours of work each morning, three meals a day and groups of four per task, always with a guide.
Stage 1 of 5: harvest
A unique volunteer program, at a real hacienda
Minka welcomes small groups in two-week cycles. You work four hours every morning alongside the lodge team, on tasks the hacienda genuinely needs, and the rest of the day is for the river, the rainforest and the people who live here.
No experience needed: we teach you everything at the hacienda. All you need is the will to work outdoors.
Stage 2 of 5: fermentation
A day at Minka
Each week has six working days and one free day. Day 4 of each week starts at 6:00 am with birdwatching, and that afternoon is free.
- Breakfast at the restaurant
- First work block
- Break with fruit and water
- Second work block
- Lunch
- Rest during the hottest hours
- Workshop or activity, three afternoons a week
- Dinner
- Campfire or free evening
Week 1Conservation and rainforest
- 1Arrival, welcome and hacienda tourAfternoon: Interpretive trails · Evening: Welcome campfire
- 2Nursery: seeds and plantingAfternoon: Medicinal plants workshop
- 3Reforestation with GPS logging
- 46 am birds · 9 am lodge wildlifeEvening: Talk on the hacienda's wildlife
- 5Amazonian chakraAfternoon: Bilingual trail signs · Evening: Campfire
- 6Cacao and vanilla trail, with harvest
- 7Free. Optional: walk to the Ceibo
Week 2Cacao and bioeconomy
- 8Cacao harvest and fermentation
- 9Vanilla, in seasonAfternoon: Natural-fiber crafts
- 10Fruit trees and value-added products
- 116 am birds · 9 am biodiversity inventoryEvening: Ceremony with the shaman
- 12Chocolate: roasting, grinding and your barAfternoon: Amazonian cooking · Evening: Campfire
- 13Wrap-up, records and group photoEvening: Farewell dinner
- 14Departure
Stage 3 of 5: drying
Seven areas of work:
Each with its Kichwa or scientific name. You rotate through them over your two weeks.
sachain Kichwa, forest
Reforestation
Plant seedlings in degraded areas and log every tree with GPS and a photo.
chakrain Kichwa, family garden
Traditional agriculture
Work the chakra with lumu (cassava) and palanda (plantain), vanilla in season and Amazonian fruit trees.
sacha wiwakunain Kichwa, wild animals
Birds and wildlife
Birdwatching at dawn and helping care for the rescued animals at the wildlife center.
yachayin Kichwa, knowledge
Amazonian knowledge
Medicinal plants, Amazonian cooking, natural-fiber crafts and a ceremony with the shaman.
sacha ñanin Kichwa, ancestral trail signs
Education and research
Bilingual signs for the trails and a biodiversity inventory on iNaturalist.
Got a skill to share?Photography, biology, design, languages or cooking: tell us in your application what you'd like to bring to the hacienda.
Tell us in your applicationHow we work in Minka
Real photos of the team and the volunteers.
Stage 4 of 5: roasting
How cacao is transformed at the hacienda
Five steps, from the pod to your own chocolate bar.
1Harvest
The pod is cut and opened to free the beans.
2Fermentation
The beans ferment in their white pulp.
3Drying
They dry in the sun on mesh racks.
4Roasting and grinding
They are roasted and ground into paste.
5Your bar
You take home your own chocolate bar.
Scientific name of cacao
Theobroma cacao
From pod to bar
Harvesting, fermenting, drying, roasting and grinding. You take home your own chocolate bar. Cacao is worked in relays: each group ferments the batch that the next group turns into chocolate. That way nobody leaves without their bar.
Living here
Where you'll sleep
Volunteers have their own wooden rooms, separate from the guest rooms, with bunk beds and a bathroom. You eat three meals a day at the lodge restaurant and have Wi-Fi in the dining room and the rooms.
Cultural exchange
You learn from the people who have always lived here: how a chakra works, which rainforest plants are used as medicine and how chocolate is made. In the evenings there's a campfire with other volunteers and the lodge team. We speak Spanish, English and German, and you get to practice your Spanish every day.
Voices of Minka
Stories told by people who spent two weeks at the hacienda.
Be part of the first generation
Minka is a new program. This is where the stories and photos of its first volunteers will appear, told in their own words.
Apply for your spotStage 5 of 5: your bar
What it costs
Included
- Accommodation in a shared room
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Program workshops and activities
- Your chocolate bar
Not included
- Transport to the lodge
- Travel insurance, which is mandatory
- Personal expenses
Frequently asked questions
Do I need experience?
No. We teach you everything at the hacienda. All you need is the will to work outdoors.
What is the minimum age?
18.
Do I need vaccines or insurance?
The yellow fever vaccine is recommended for the Ecuadorian Amazon. Travel insurance is mandatory.
What should I bring?
Rubber boots or closed shoes, long trousers and long-sleeved shirts, a rain jacket, a headlamp, insect repellent, sunscreen and a reusable bottle.
How do I get there?
From Tena, head toward Puerto Misahuallí and take the road to Ahuano as far as kilometer 18.5. Once your spot is confirmed, we'll send you the exact location.
Can I come with my partner or friends?
Yes. When there's space, you share a room.
Is there internet?
There's Wi-Fi in the dining room and the cabins, enough for messages and calls.
Apply for your spot
It takes two minutes. We reply within 24 hours, in your language.