Organic farming and nature restoration project in the depths of Serra da Estrela
Guarda
We are Ana and André, a young couple (both 33) with a little baby named Eva. Ana studied biology and forest management, while André is an archaeologist. We have a great love for this mountain and dream to live self-sufficiently in tune with Nature and to restore the native woodland and natural pastures using ecology, permaculture and old land management techniques to create a rich, biodiverse and fire/drought resistant landscape! For this we started an ecology and heritage preservation project called "Vale Velho". It is about 100ha of abandoned land in a very remote part of the Serra da Estrela, at 1100m of altitude, where you can expect to be surrounded by mountains and enjoy stillness and the sounds of Nature. We keep heritage breeds and plant varieties, have 40 sheep, 20 beehives, 3 dogs and 2 cats, a vegetable garden, recenty planted orchard and chestnut grove, rye fields and about 80ha of land to reforest, some of which has already been planted or seeded. There is an archaeological site with ancient graves inbedded in stone.
In 2022 the land burned, and lots of our work has been destroyed. We also have a new little baby to take care of and André is finishing his master´s degree, so we need an extra need help with some farm activities, for example: collecting firewood, clearing shrubs, cleaning traditional waterways, tending the vegetable garden, looking after the animals, and seeding, planting and protecting native trees. We also have some infrastructure building and maintenance to do. We know how to use some native plants for medicine and food, and we sometimes make Serra da Estrela cheese, which we can teach. We will also share knowledge about local species and ecossystems, the shepherd culture and portuguese history and archaeology!
We have 2 tents where you can sleep and a lovely space with shade and drinking water available. Also if you come with your campervan we have a good parking spot.
In our house we have wi-fi with unlimited internet connection that you can use.
We will cook and have all meals together at our home.
Vegetarian / vegans are welcome, but please be aware that we are not and we raise our animals for food. As we had a big fire at our doorstep, we are only confortable with receiving non-smokers. Minimum stay is 2 weeks, and work would be 5 days/week, done typically at the morning or split between the beggining and the end of the day, if the weather is really hot.
Keep in mind that if you bring your car, to arrive at our land you will have to drive through about 7km of dirt road which is usually in good condition, a normal car can reach our place. If you come by public transportation we can get you in Gouveia (bus), or in Mangualde, Fornos de Algodres or Guarda if you come by train.
We both love hiking, swimming, seeding and planting trees and spending time with our animals, and seeing our land regenerate! Ana loves also yoga, botany, photography, singing and painting, while André's hobbies are running, football, philosophy, and playing guitar.
There are beautiful surrondings and sites to explore in walking distance (mountains, abandoned hamlets, valleys and rivers...) and other special places nearby (peak of the mountain, glacial valleys, forests, historical villages, natural pools to swim in, forests,...).
The nearest small villages are Folgosinho, Linhares and Videmonte (all +- 13km distance), all have small grocery stores, restaurants and bus, and the nearest towns with supermarket, pharmacies, more buses and other commodities are Gouveia and Celorico da Beira (+-25km)
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Grain farming
Sheep or goat farming
Dairy farming
Forestry
Beekeeping
Wild foraging
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Cheesemaking
Methods or systems
Permaculture
Rotational grazing
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
100
Hectares
|
247.1
Acres
Ana Teresa
Member since 2017
Languages spoken:
English, Portuguese
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 9 days
Guarda
Bus station at Gouveia
Reviews
Johanna
Germany
•
August 2025
I had a lovely stay at Ana’s and Andrés farm. They taught me so much and I had a wonderful and adventurous time with them. Ana taught me for example how to milk a sheep and make cheese and André taught me how to harvest honey from the beehives and showed me the native tree variations they are growing to protect the land from fires and bring more biodiversity. They are also having a small vegetable garden for food and friendly dogs and farm animals. I felt very welcomed and like a part of their family. Will never forget this time :)
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