Mixed Farm

Metropolitan

8 • Updated 1 year ago

This is a project of 7 hact. of a new boutique vineyard with Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc and Pais strains in the beautiful Valley of Caleu, one hour drive to the North West of Santiago. We offer stay for up to 4 volunteers - mainly students and well educated adults, looking after Nature and willing to share their knowledge with kindergarten and basic education local students. A plus is a fondness for sports such as running, trekking, horseback riding, mountaineering, chess... and wine tasting, of course. Good sense of humour and "hands on" attitude are a must. Only requirement: NO drugs and NO smoking. From 2017 we added a group 4 fillies of the Chilean Breed horses to start rational horse taming and training. The principle is not only to be kind to each other us humans but also to animals and particularly the horses. We face a Natural Sanctuary of an ancient white oak tree forest and the Aconcagua Mountain, in the Andes. There is accommodation in a farmhouse - in restoration - in two rooms with cabins, shared bathroom and kitchen with gas stove. Foods will be delivered to prepare your own meals. There are 4 main projects under the context of Community Engagement, namely, the following: 1. The boutique vineyard aiming at a production of 2.000 bottles 2. Caleu Athletics - focused on long distance running, including marathon, cross country, and trail running 3. The Caleu Primary School - furthering education, sports, and health among young people 4. Breeding farm of Chilean horses - the natural taming and care taking of colts and fillies Wwoofers who love wine, horses and have digital media skills are most welcome. Internet access available via hotspot, Sim card from Entel service provider encouraged (can be purchased upon arrival in Santiago)

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Sheep or goat farming

Viticulture

Host type

Production farm

7 Hectares | 17.3 Acres

Accommodation

4+ WWOOFers

Bedroom

Children accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Length of stay

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Alvaro

Member since 2019

Languages spoken: English, Spanish

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

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Sat

Response rate: 71% Response time: typically within 2 days

Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Metropolitan

-33.001156, -71.000564

My past WWOOFers

Ilana

March 2026 • Massachusetts, United States

Michelle

February 2026 • Washington, United States

Hannah

January 2026 • Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

Morgane

June 2025 • 35 - Ille-et-Vilaine, France

Bastiaan

February 2025 • Gelderland, Netherlands

1 - 5 / 10

Feedback

Monika

United Kingdom • April 2026

This is a beautifully situated place with a view on Andes, where we spent 4 weeks. The community in this small village is lovely. The land owner was there half of the time but showed us around and listed the tasks we could choose to do. Some of them were out of our capabilities or the scope of organic farming (e.g.: rebuilding the cabin). However, we did other things like taking care of horses, cleaning the area from manure and many dangerous items, such asbestos, wires, nails, screws and other sharp objects which could harm them or people. We renovated the kitchen, stripped the paint from the front wall of the house and painted them. We cleaned both water tanks and improved the watering system around the house and on the vineyard by fixing leaks, replacing sprinklers, etc., to aid automated watering and to help saving the plants. The farm is mainly run by wwoofers, so even though it has great potential (lovely set up vineyard, garden with almond, figs trees) it is neglected and needs a lot of maintenance to be safe and suitable for use. The biggest challenge for us was to do work with very limited tools and materials, but it gave us the opportunity to be creative. We fell in love with horses and really appreciated the presence of other wwoofer, who tought us a lot about them. We were also able to learn more about wine making process, enjoy the work during grapes harvest and taste absolutely amazing wine in the vineyard only few kilometres away. We are grateful for opportuni

Hannah

Germany • February 2026

My time in Caleu with Álvaro was my first WWOOFing experience and a very special part of my trip. I felt very comfortable and can wholeheartedly recommend the place. It takes a little time to settle into the town, the accommodation, and life in Caleu. Everyone knows everyone here, and the people are open, warm, and helpful. Everything in Caleu moves at a slower pace and often involves creative, alternative solutions. It's fun to be a part of it with your own creativity and to learn to let go of rigid ideas. Flexibility is also required regarding the accommodation; everyone is encouraged to set up their own space upon arrival and adapt it to their own needs. So, at the beginning, I did a lot of cleaning and tidying. During my stay, I was also in charge of caring for the super cute four horses daily, tend to the plants and paths on the property, and often did the cooking. Outside of the farm, I had the opportunity to get involved in the community by helping with children's swimming lessons, participating in workshops, and assisting with projects of the neighborhood association (e.g., recycling). Aside from feeding the horses, there were no set working hours or schedules. As a WWOOFer, I had the freedom to decide what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it, and how I wanted to use my strengths. Álvaro is very involved in many local and larger projects where you can get involved. Overall, the tasks were very diverse, and there was always more to do than time allowed. One ch...

Morgane

France • October 2025

Our stay with Alvaro was, by far, the best wwoofing experience we have had. We miss the place, the people and the horses; and hope to come back visit soon. Saying that, anyone considering becoming a member of Caleu's university must know that it is not a conventional volunteering program; here one must choose what to learn and how to do it. There are many options, projects to develope and people from town that could use a helping hand, and this wwoofing experience consists in being creative enough to find a place there and becoming usefull. There was just a few instructions and a lot of disposition from Alvaro to encourage us to think about the best way to use our skills and knowledge in the community. The full on Chilean hospitality. We recommend the place greately and advice anyone interested to take a couple days into understanding the dynamic before picking a project; there is plenty of time and many posibilities. Also, the place is very quiet, with amazing trails around and at the feet of a great mountain, and the best fast food of Chile just ten minutes walking. Note: you will be some time by yourself and will make your own schedule.*

Arlene

Belgium • January 2025

Quel bonheur d’entamer notre tour en Amérique latine, avec Alvaro et à Caleu, un merveilleux coin sur terre. Les habitants qu’il nous a présentés au fil des activités sont très chaleureux, la nature y est riche et nous avons pris plaisir à la parcourir avec Alvaro, sa famille et ses ami(e)s. Nous avons surtout communiqué en anglais et nous regrettons que nos lacunes en espagnol aient été un frein pour développer ces nouvelles relations. Les activités agricoles demandent ici à être reprises et planifiées, il est parfois difficile de s’y projeter mais chacun pourra apporter sa pierre, et le travail sera varié, et enrichissant à qui fera preuve de volonté et d’indépendance. Tout ce qui est est fait est valorisé et gratifié par Alvaro, un homme extraordinaire que nous n’oublierons pas!

Johanna

Germany • July 2024

I can only recommend a stay at Álvaro's farm. It is a unique experience and I would do it again anytime. You shouldn't have any expectations of a luxurious lifestyle, but if you are open-minded, you can learn to live a simple, easy and beautiful life. The location on Cerro el Roble is fantastic and the view of the snow-capped Andes is stunning. I've never seen such cute horses with such a nice character. I think they are like that because they can live freely on the 7 ha property. As for the food, it was really great that a vegetable and fruit truck came every Monday and Friday. But there is no supermarket in the village, just a small kiosk with the essentials. I really enjoyed the peaceful and quiet atmosphere of Caleu. The people there are very friendly. And so is Álvaro. He always looked after me and he is a good spanish teacher. We went on some nice hikes together. Living together worked really well. Of course, there are minor disagreements from time to time, but I've learned to communicate them. It can be cold in the house in winter, but there's a fireplace so it's warm in the living room. Most of the time I worked with the horses, but my tasks also included caring for trees and plants as well as cleaning the property. In general, Álvaro leaves it up to the wwoofers to decide what they work and also demands initiative from the wwoofers.

Amanda

United States • February 2024

I had a great experience at Alvaro’s place, I just had to adjust a little while I was there. I expected that this was an established operation, with a set schedule of chores to complete each day. It is not like that. Alvaro is the owner of the land, but he does not personally work the land. There is a former employee, Nelson, who came to visit a couple times to show the WWOOFers a few things, but he does not work the land anymore either. So, as a WWOOFer, I was on my own a majority of the time. Once I learned that, I was able to adapt. I made sure to create my own daily tasks, both to keep me busy, but also to feel like I was contributing. I WWOOF because I enjoy learning about growing food (I’m a dietitian), I want to help people, and I also want to see different lifestyles and perhaps adopt some of them later on in my life. I had a few suggestions for Alvaro that I shared with him before I left (fixing some things in the bathroom, editing his WWOOF profile so it’s more accurate). He was very open to my feedback. I appreciated that, and I also appreciated his involvement in his community. It is a great passion of his that I was able to take part in, and it made this experience very unique. I believe there are two kinds of people who would fit very well at Alvaro’s place: someone like me, who’s just happy to work and can adapt easily, or someone who is patient (things move slower here) and can stay for a long period to create/finish new projects.