Mixed Farm

Metropolitan

6 reviews • Updated 11 months 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 Response rate: 68% Response time: typically within 3 days

December 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Metropolitan

-33.001156, -71.000564

Reviews

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.

Camila

Australia • March 2023

I had a wonderful time with the very generous Álvaro at Caleu and would reccomend this to people who have the drive to initiate work and who enjoy tasting local food and wine ;). During my time here I felt like part of the family as I bonded with the horses and was introduced to many locals. My average day at Caleu involved getting up around 7 to feed the horses, having breakfast, then before it gets too hot: working clearing paths, pruning/watering fruit trees, picking grapes, making wine, then lunch and siesta then same work in the afternoon. This can also involve swimming, chess, soccer and trail running too! If you have a good sense of humour and enjoy being active in nature you will enjoy this wwoofing experience!

Ulrike

Germany • November 2022

While I’m writing this review we are still in Caleu which answers already some questions. Karam and I felt in love with the place, the beautiful valley, the view to the snow-capped Andes and with the four horses, which are living free on Alvaros ground. At first we cleaned up all the places in which we stayed and yes there are more than one. First Alvaros “basecamp” in Santiago from where he works during the week, but also with a sleeping possibility for the arriving woofers. Second a house in the village of Caleu, which has the charm and atmosphere of an old western house and third his house in the hills of Caleu with this incredible view. Everything is simple, but sufficient. We care for the horses and the vineyard and we enjoy that Alvaro is giving us space to solve problems on our own, when they occur. We learn a lot here and also the people living here are super-nice and patient with our spanish-skills. Alvaro, our host, is a very nice, generous and open-minded person who tries to fulfill his dreams in difficult times. And we are very happy to be of help and to share that with him. Maybe a connection which will stays for a long time.