Mission of La Joya del Sol (Jewel of the Sun)
To work together to co-create a tropical sanctuary for us to heal, strengthen, and help reclaim our true essence and connection to Creator and Nature, and to return to Earth the era of peace and awareness. The need is greater now than ever before for a sustainable haven where the intimate pureness of nature can rejuvenate our bodies, move us emotionally, touch the very core of our souls, and fill us with tremendous inspiration - as we reveal the enormous creative power within ourselves.

– Founder, Master Chef/Educator Eric Rivkin

Join our evolving permaculture farm for a unique eco-experience in an optimal healthy, tropical environment. For the period of your participation, your personal goals are integrated with shared goals to foster a rewarding and co-creative experience for all.

Imagine going to sleep to the tranquil symphony of crickets, night birds, and mating frogs under a milky way starry night. Wake up naturally to the circadian rhythm of sun and moon with the sound of birds and monkeys.

Work begins at 6 am a little after sunrise when it’s cooler (and more sunny in rainy season), leaving afternoons for personal activities. Getting into the natural ways is refreshing and great for your body, mind, and spirit. Personal activities can include walks to our waterfalls and pools, rainforest hikes, social gatherings, or day trips (with gas share) to nearby breathtaking local natural sites like Nauyaca falls, Diamante falls, or a quiet Pacific beach as time off permits.

For those who want to use their experience for maximum body building and health, work here can be more physically challenging. We look at co-creating, tending and building as a natural and essential activity of a healthy, meaningful life contributing to the betterment of self, Man, and Earth.

You may also have the opportunity to work with our beloved Tico hired-help Ramiro and his sons Gregory and Byron, whose strength and knowledge of the land and its people will make a big impression. Working with inventor and designer Eric Rivkin is a delight as his problem-solving and design skills and creative mind achieve beautiful “Eco-Chic” solutions to anything that needs to be built on the farm.

Minimum stay for Participants is 30 Days at $400 per month. 
Includes:

Daily basic whole food, plant-based meals and fresh fruit snacks. Dehydrated snacks are available at a nominal cost. Bring your own nuts and seeds for extra calories, and personal teas and supplements. We have only a healthy whole food plant-based meals, mostly raw. No cheap rice and bean meals here!
A sheltered and raised bamboo tent platform, camping style tent, mattress, sheets, blanket, towel. You may bring your own towel or bedding if you wish.
Learning experiences with making healthy, plant-based recipes, permaculture farm lifestyle, gardening, eco-building, furniture or other projects that benefit La Joya del Sol, Vivalaraw Project, or the local community.

Participants work a 30 hour week, beginning at 6 am for a 6 hour day, which includes the main projects as well as regular household and farm chores. Tuesdays and Thursdays are near-full days off because they are market days, but can be traded ONLY with prior authorization. Mealtime prep and cleanup is not included in the 30 hours because we all eat anyway and is the time you gain hands-on raw cuisine education. After lunchtime is open for personal activities, dinner resumes at 5:30pm. Â Participants are responsible for keeping honest track of their hours. Cell phones are not permitted in use during work hours.