Our Community

Perhaps the most special and memorable part of Punta Mona is the beautiful, ever-changing community of humans who call this land home. Thousands of people have visited Punta Mona from all over the world, shared meals, planted seeds, held hands in a  circle, sang, danced, swam, laughed and loved here. Our family is huge, global, and forever.

Though we are closed and our community has disbanded, our network and family remains strong. We someday hope to recreate our community at Punta Mona. Until then we leave this page up to share how we lived up until we closed in 2021.

Who We Are

Our community generally ranges from 15-20 residents from all over the world. Currently, our community is made up of 22 people, representing 12 different countries and 5 continents. Another big part of our community is our neighbors from the small town of Gandoca. We employ about a dozen people and many have been with us far longer than anyone in the residential community.

We thrive on a shared passion for caring for the earth and finding better ways to live in the world.  Every day is an opportunity to learn, share, experiment, and grow.  We seek to build regenerative relationships with the land, the animals, and the people of Punta Mona.  We hold space for many types of groups from college students, to aspiring witches, to yogi’s as well as host our own groups to share our knowledge and perspectives.

You’ll often find us with sweaty backs and dirty hands, but we’re also more than just farmers.  We are a diverse blend of interests and passions stemming from the roots of permaculture and regenerative living. We are fruit nerds, seed savers, compost fanatics, organic chefs, builders, dreamers, tree lovers, ferment freaks, campfire musicians, herbal witches, natural artists, and animal lovers.  We also have lots of interests in other realms too.  We are dancers, bodyworkers, game players, tarot readers, musicians, surfers, yogis, and so much more.

Healing, spiritual exploration and personal growth are often a big part of one’s experience at Punta Mona, but it is important to note they’re not the primary focus of our community. We love having healers, artists, and activists in our community and there is time to explore those interests.  Above all else, our common bond is built around cultivating and embodying a harmonious and regenerative relationship with our environment, and sharing this vision with the world.  

We Are a Living Farm

It starts with the land. We experience the full cycle of what we grow; from soil care, to cultivation, to cooking, to medicine making, to people care.  We’re far from perfect, but we keep moving towards further alignment with our regenerative values. We strive to move away from a dualistic structure of “work time” and “free time”; it’s all just part of living. We work hard, but when you love what you do, it doesn’t feel heavy. We have a strong work ethic coupled with a compassionate structure that seeks harmony with the energy and needs of the land, the project and the people in it.  By working from a place of empowerment we seek to give our energy from a place of connection, joy, and passion. We have fun and we get a lot done. Browse our social media to get a deeper sense of the many, many things we do at Punta Mona.

We are also continuing to step into our identity as an educational center. We are increasing our educational offerings as we continue to cultivate teachers within the community. We thrive on sharing knowledge.

What We Expect from Each Other

We’re grateful that we don’t have too many rigid rules, and instead find our structure from holding each other accountable to our values, our responsibilities, and our agreements. We promote mindfulness and people advocating for their needs. We expect each other to:

• Honor our commitments and do our best.

• Act with respect and mindfulness towards the land, people, spaces, and tools.  

• Be our own advocates.  This means knowing our limits, our bodies, our energy levels, and our emotions and communicating them in an open and honest way.

• To be kind, supportive, and welcoming to our guests.

• Take care of our stuff.  This means taking responsibility for our things, our projects, and our emotional and physical well being.

• To consider the impact of our choices on the community, the land, and the development of Punta Mona.

• To communicate directly.

• Not to take things personally.

• Look for solutions, and seek understanding over judgement.  

• To treat each other like family.

 How we Spend our Time

We balance our community driven projects with individual responsibilities.  We encourage everyone in the community to find their niche that is in alignment with both their passions and the needs of Punta Mona.  For some that means a culinary focus with time spent developing new recipes and experimenting with the food on the land.  For others this might mean creating ferments, caring for the chickens, making medicine, creative arts, hospitality support, saving seeds, caring for the greenhouse, creating new regenerative systems and infrastructure, or helping with maintenance of existing infrastructure.  

We still find time to enjoy ourselves by connecting with each other and the natural beauty around us and by the evening most of us are ready for an early bed time after a long day.  We enjoy playing volleyball, fishing and diving in the ocean, playing games, dancing, massage, movie nights, and more.  As people get settled in they generally find themselves heading to bed by 9 or 10pm and wake up with the sun and the howler monkeys.

Joining our Community

We are humbled by the outpouring of support we’ve been receiving and the interest in joining us.  We are not currently recruiting for community roles, and encourage you to find ways to get involved at your local level.  Plant seeds, cultivate love, and stand up for what you believe in. We love sharing with people of all skill levels and backgrounds. Though volunteer roles have had a lot less turnover, we have expanded our scholarship opportunities. We have partial scholarships for international guests and full scholarships for Costa Ricans for most of our programs.

Additionally, we’ve been adding more programs to impact our local communities. Check out our project in Gandoca, our closest neighbors to the south.

We’re a lucky group that get to call Punta Mona home, and we meet the process of bringing in new people with great intention.  We very rarely welcome in outside people directly into community roles. We’ve found that bringing people directly into roles with high expectations can create tension. It’s a lot to get used to at Punta Mona and most often fill spots with people who already familiar with us such as guests, workshop participants, or returning community members.

For long term opportunities, we aren’t looking for people to work at Punta Mona in exchange for their stay, we’re looking for people with passions that align with the work that we’re doing who want to be a part of teaching skills, igniting passion, and sharing knowledge.

The Community Culture we are Cultivating

When we do recruit we look for people who share our values and want to take initiative in co-creating a regenerative ecosystem and a thriving community.  When we are recruiting we look for people who have:

• Desire to be in the land.  We all get our hands in the dirt and we look for people excited to do the same.

• Interest in the full cycle of Punta Mona.

• Enthusiasm for learning and sharing knowledge.

• Positive attitude and strong work ethic.

• Good communication skills.

• The ability to speak Spanish and English or the desire to learn.

• Passion for healthy and tasty food.

• Desire to live in community and create family with those around you.

• Adventurous, creative, playful, joyful humans.

• Diversity of perspectives, nationalities, cultures, backgrounds, ages, and interests.

• Interesting skills to add to our community.

• Previous experience in tropical climates and jungles are a plus.

Thriving at Punta Mona

Our hope is that everyone finds their place to thrive and have a positive experience during their time at Punta Mona. While life here can often feel like paradise, it also comes with a fair share of challenges.  We have noticed a few key ingredients that tend to correspond with people’s long term success at Punta Mona.  We are delighted to share them with you.

• Self motivation and willingness to learn.  Those who take initiative and look for ways to get involved tend to integrate most quickly. We love people who ask questions and want to learn how we do things.  Because we give space for people to work at their natural pace, people with an internal motivation to be involved do best here.

• Emotional clarity.  When you’re living and working with the same people day in and day out, it’s normal to project your inner world onto the people around you.  People who’re able to take responsibility for their thoughts and emotions have the best chance of successfully navigating community life in the long term.

• Adaptability. There’s not only a lot to adapt to when you live at Punta Mona, and on top of that things are constantly changing.  The weather, the people, the needs of the land, the vibes of the community, the creatures of the jungle; they’re all constantly in flux.  As soon as you find your balance point, another wave of change roles through.  While this can be disorienting and stir up emotions, for those who embrace the change it builds resilience and keeps us growing and learning.

• Physical Resilience.  Acclimating to the climate and conditions of the region has proven to be one of the biggest factors for people’s long term success at Punta Mona.  It is common for some sort of issue to pop up in the first few months: sometimes it’s bug bites, sometimes it’s skin allergies or digestive problems, sometimes it’s the dampness, or sometimes the dry heat.  Most people’s bodies adjust, but some don’t.  If you have a compromised immune system or have struggled in long term exposure to similar climates, you might consider a shorter term stay with us such as a workshop or immersion course.

We’re not currently recruiting, but to be the first to hear about the next opportunities please join our mailing list

OUR PILLARS