Rio Muchacho Organic Farm & Ecolodge

We spent 5 days at Rio Muchacho as part of a project on a school trip. Dario was incredibly helpful and accommodating during our stay and all the staff were happy to help. We took part in some volunteering projects to help develop the facilities at the farm; these we're broken up with educational talks and visits to learn more about the running of farm as well as chocolate and jewellery making. The food was exceptional and catered for the dietary requirements of all members of the group. I would highly recommend visiting during your stay in Ecuador.

I visited Rio Muchacho for quite a long time and it was such a wonderful experience. It is a beautiful sanctuary surrounded with so much biodiversity! The staff is so friendly and they always made me feel like I was part of the family. Nicola and Dario really care about empowering people with knowledge and are thorough and comprehensive in explaining their expertise. It was a real treat to be able to be surrounded with people that have consistently making a difference in the community for decades. The food is also incredible! It was arguably some of the best food I have ever eaten! When I was there, a Swiss guy that was visiting said it was some of the best food he had ever eaten! I would love to come back and visit the farm soon! Thank you Nicola and Dario for everything you have done for your community and for the guests that have visited you!

It’s hard to sum up what a good experience we had here. Nicola and Dario have made a great place there. We volunteered for 3 weeks so we did some vacation stuff and some work both were good. Don’t expect luxury but do expect great food, friendly people, and an amazing model for living a sustainable, healthy life in harmony with nature. “Healthy soil, healthy plants, healthy people.”

We did a very interesting day-tour to get to know the Organic Farm. It is impressive how they changed a piece of desert into this organic paradise for people and also for animals. We can highly recommend to visit this farm and see what is impossible even in Ecudor. We had dinner there and it was just delicious: all the food come directly from the farm and was freshly cooked.
Great work!

Our family of 10 had a wonderful 6-day stay at Rio Muchacho. We participated in the three-day tour, volunteered at a local school, and learned about farm life/permaculture. Coming from city/suburban life to this peaceful, rustic setting was an inspirational, transformative experience. We made meaningful connections with Nicola, Dario, and the staff, who were very attentive and accommodating to the needs of our large family (children ranging from 2-18). Our kids enjoyed feeding the animals, riding horses to watch monkeys, harvesting from the gardens, and much more. There were many charming qualities of the farm, like how they play classical music in the morning while feeding the pigs:) The food was wholesome and delicious--the best we had during our 2 week stay in Ecuador. One of our sons had a birthday the day we left, and the staff had decorated his place with flowers and leaves and even made him a special birthday cake! Though it was nice to get back to warm showers and certain other conveniences, we will miss the special simplicity and connection to nature we experienced at Rio Muchacho. We hope to be able to apply some of the ideas relating to sustainability as we return home--composting and perhaps some chickens to add to our backyard garden! We cherish the memories we made here and would highly recommend the experience!

It was a wonderful stay at Finca rio Muchacho. I worked there for 5 months and due the time it became like my second family. Because of the location and also because there is no internet, the farm is the perfect place to get out of your stressful everyday life and take a look at it from a different angle. Rio Muchacho is still in the process of rebuilding because of the earthquake in 2016. That’s why there are a few spots that look like construction site on the farm, but the guest rooms are really lovely.
The food is very tasty because the cooks know how to create real feasts from the home-grown fruits and vegetables.
Stuff and family are very nice and they try to integrate your strengths and experiences into the daily work. I think such a break is good for everyone from time to time to reduce the stress level, therefore I can honestly recommend everyone to stay on the farm.

Love visiting Rio Machacho!
The vegan lunch was once again amazing.
The chocolate making experience, horceback riding, and other activities are all great!

The best experience and ecolodge in Ecuador! Fun working on the farm. Fantastic and creative healthy food. Very enjoyable hiking trails and lots of birds. Beautiful trees and uplifting people. A truly magical place.

I lived here and took permaculture courses with Dario and Nicola several years ago. Still to this day, I think of the time at Finca Rio Muchacho as some some of the most enjoyable and informative times of my life. I am truly grateful to Nicola and Dario for everything that they gave to me. I couldn't recommend a stay at their farm more.

I stayed there for 5 days and got really nice experience and knowledge from this farm. I did tKe a short course for permaculture and organic farm which gave me a lot of knowledge and encouragement for my own farm in the future.
The food here was amazing and it’s vegan. I can say it’s the best food I’ve ever try in South America.
Really enjoy my time there.

I was with Río Muchacho for a permaculture course and it was a great experience. Nicola does so much to promote sustainable agriculture in Ecuador. It's really inspiring!

So chilled. Great people, great ethos.

Just go....words cannot do this place justice 🙏🏾
Thank you Dario and Nicola 🤗🤗

En camino de ingreso es de segundo orden, de tierra, con lluvia se puede poner un poco lodoso pero transitable. La finca agroecológica es completa. Desde la calidad de la comida que es vegana y deliciosa, la calidad de su personal, siempre atento a ayudar, guianzas muy didácticas, y sus instalaciones en medio de un bosque tropical lleno de vida y canto de aves, ardillas, y depende la época hasta monos.

Nous sommes allés pour un séjour de 9 jours avec nos enfants de 3 et 5 ans pour relaxer. Nous avons adoré et le fait de vivre au rythme de la ferme sans Internet ni téléphone à été très enrichissant pour les enfants. Notre cabane près de l'eau était très agréable. La ferme se remet encore difficilement du tremblement de terre de 2016 mais vous serez somme toute très bien avec Dario et Nicholas ainsi que leur famille. La nourriture est très bien.

Vine hace unos 6 meses y aún pienso en este lugar y todo lo que brinda. Belleza para todos los sentidos. Da esperanza venir a un lugar así!

J'ai passé 2 mois la bas, j'ai beaucoup appris sur l'agriculture, perma culture. Les gens sont super sympa, l'ambiance et l'environnement sont géniaux. On est au milieu de la forêt humide, on s'endort au son de la nature. Le travail est parfois dur mais on est récompensé avec de la nourriture 100% bio et des supers jus 😋

Rio Muchacho es un santurio de la permacultura, la humildad y el buen trabajo. Las personas que trabajan y residen ahí son generosas y agradables. Proyecto revolucionario e innovador

Hermosa finca agroecologica casi autosustentable, muy valiosa por la labor que hace de cuidado de semillas, cuidado del suelo y de la alimentación de tod@s.
Completamente recomendada la visita.

Excelente lugar.