Family farm

Ecuador

9 reviews • Updated 2 years ago

Finca El Aullador (The Howler Farm) is a 10-hectare conservation and multiple use area. The farm is located near Mompiche on the coast of Esmeraldas Province in Ecuador, a premier surfing and tourism destination. The farm is 2 kilometers from one of the best "left point-break"in Ecuador. The farm is managed by a father and son team (João and Ivan). Pichi and his family are responsible for day-to-day tasks. Our goal is to combine production and conservation to save the biodiversity of the coastal Chocó region of Ecuador. Out of the 10 hectares, 7.5 are under primary and secondary forest. Two-and-a-half hectares are dedicated to organic shade grown cacao (criollo and fino de aroma) fruit trees, and interspersed short-cycle crops. At the farm we are trying different ways of integrating conservation and agriculture. The owners do not live in the property but nearby. Your day-to-day supervisor will be Francisco (Pichi). The work can be hard and being inmersed in a tropical forest, you will have to contend with bugs and other inconveniences. This is a life changing experience but not for those that expect comfort. Accommodations are spartan, there is no regular road access, no electricity. You will ahve to do most of your own cooking, albeit most often people joing forces with Pichi. We are flexible given the unique characteristics of our farm. Organic methods: The Howler Farm is an experimental conservationa and multiple use zone. Besides not using any chemicals, we work with natural vegetation processes to integrate agroforestry and conservation. Our focus on organic shade grown cacao allows us to maintain a high level of biodiversity while producing enough for basic food and cash needs of the family. Our actions are relatively recent, so many of our initiatives are only now beginning to take shape. Certifications: We are not commercial, too small. We are organic by deep conviction Current projects: Currently our goa is to enhance cacao and food production and make of our farm a research base for both biologists and agroecologists. We are currently developing our first management plan as required by the porvincial government. Specifically, in June 2020 we will initiate research on the howler monkey in partnership with the the University of San Francisco de Quito. WE continue to plant fruit trees, prune our cacao trees, harvest, ferment, dry. Soon we need to graft some trees that due to disease have become unproductive. Our projects are ongoing. Internet access available

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Poultry farming

Raising of other farm animals

Forestry

Beekeeping

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Meat processing

Methods or systems

Holistic management

Host type

Self-sufficiency property

4.1 Hectares | 10 Acres

Accommodation

2 WWOOFers

Cabin / Mobile-home

Children accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Length of stay

1-2 weeks

3-4 weeks

Over a month

Joao

Member since 2019

Languages spoken: English, French, Portuguese, Spanish Response rate: 100% Response time: typically within 1 day

November 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

MapLibre | Protomaps | © OpenStreetMap

Ecuador

Reviews

Luise

Austria • October 2025

I spend a month at the Joao`s farm and really enjoyed my time there! The location is amazing, if you like nature, animals (monkeys, dogs,...), trying all kinds of fruits (growing on the farm). the cabin is rustic but sweet, i enjoyed having space for myself which is rather rare while traveling i guess... joao is a super fun, helpful and respectful guy, communicates clearly and is super flexible and supportive in all belongings. the work was straight forward and physical most of the days. I learned a lot about new plants and got a strong schoulder from using the machete. i also had a good time in mompiche (the next town: 45 min walking/5 min bus ride. you only work in the mornings so there is enough time to visit). people are very welcoming, you can do surfing, best corviche i had in all ecuador,... i had a problem with the clothes that i wasn`t wearing, they started to mold a little bit because it is so humid in the forest. maybe bring a plastic bag or something to put them in...

Reply from Joao

Hi Luise, thanks for the freed back. I will get a container to put food in and buy a couple fo chairs and table!!!! All the best, Joao

Jakob

Netherlands • February 2024

I stayed 2 weeks at the finca of Joao. It was an inspiring experience for me. Living on the finca means going back to the basic. No running water, get your food from the land, no internet so a lot of spare time. And howler monkeys and tucans just near the cabin. I loved it! The work I did was pruning the cacao and removing parasitic plants, expanding the hen house, cutting down trees that were giving too much shade, and cutting away bottom crawlers around young plants. It could get quite hot and humid (it's the rainforest..) but no pressure to bust your butt off. Joao is a really nice and interesting dude who has seen a lot and knows even more. Glad that I got to know him.

Reply from Joao

Thanks for your visit Jakob. Glad you had a positive experience. Best of luck!

Paul

France • December 2023

Je recommande l’expérience que j’ai vécu dans la ferme de Cacao de Joao: bien plus riche que de rester dans un hôtel à mompiche. Joâo est quelqu’un de bienveillant et cultivé qui apprend bien des choses sur le lieu dans lequel il vit. Les autres personnes travaillant à plein temps sont également de bonnes rencontres, rendant le woofing ici très riche d’apprentissage. Le village est largement accessible (2km), on n’en est pas coupé ! Mompiche m’est apparu bien différent entre la première semaine que j’y ai passée (dans un hostel du village) et les 2 semaines qui suivirent (woofing chez Joao) Bien plus vrai, bien plus humain

Matthew

United Kingdom • December 2022

I really enjoyed my experience at Finca Aullador. Joao is a great person and has a beautiful piece of land in the jungle. The work was physical but that's what I was looking for. I also thought the accommodation was really good. Thanks Joao

Nate

United States • September 2022

The howler farm is truly a jungle lovers dream. My girlfriend and I were there for a little over 2 months and had an amazing experience. The owner is very nice and easy to get along with. He knows almost everyone in the main town of mompiche and is incredibly knowledgeable about his land and what he has growing. You will get the basics for food, rice, lentils, pasta, tomatoes, that kind of thing. No fridge where you live so it will all be fresh eating. There is food on the farm you can help yourself to, bananas, plantains, passion fruit, cacao, and many others as well as chickens and plenty of eggs. The walk from the owners house to the farm is a 15 minute hike down a mud slide if it’s been wet at all out (it’s the jungle it’s always wet) so don’t plan on carrying any huge bags down there. You do have electricity down at the farm now they just recently ran the lines through the jungle. The work is not very challenging. They will find jobs that suit your abilities. Most of what we did was machete weeds and pick certain fruiting plants. Overall it was in incredible experience. If you are ok not being taken care of hand an foot and you want to do your own thing while exploring this is perfect. If you want someone to show you around and bring you places, or let you use a car, maybe look for another farm. It is a 45 minute walk, after climbing the farm trail, down to mompiche town. It is a very safe place compared to the rest of Ecuador and I highly recommend this farm!

Daniel

Germany • March 2021

We spent 4 amazing and unforgettable weeks at the finca. Coming from a city we were looking for a closer connection to nature and a simpler lifestyle. What we found was a cozy cabaña in the middle of the jungle. There we had more than we could have asked for (yes, even without electricity). Besides a comfortable bed with a mosquito net, an outdoor shower and a well equipped kitchen we always had plenty of fresh eggs, fruits and vegetables produced by the farm. There we worked together with Pichi who lives on the farm with his two kids. He is a local who grew up in nature and has a great knowledge about (medicinal) plants. During our stay on the farm we learned a lot about the usage, the preparation and the cultivation of local plants. Our daily work consisted of feeding the chicken, planting, harvesting, weeding, construction work and maintenance of the cabaña. We loved working outdoors and getting our hands dirty. The work was very rewarding and never too exhausting since João is a very caring host. From the first moment on he was very open, kind & introduced us to the local community. It was always wonderful hanging out with him since he is a very charismatic and smart person who has seen a lot in his life and is open to share his experiences. We also enjoyed spending time with Ivan who lives in Mompiche but loves nature and being on the farm. We are very thankful for the great experience and all the lovely people we met. We are sure we’ll come back one day. :-)