Volunteer Groups

Group Volunteer Opportunities at Las Casas de la Selva

For nearly two decades, Las Casas de la Selva has welcomed schools, universities, and youth groups from around the world to take part in unforgettable service experiences in the Puerto Rican rainforest. These aren’t just trips—they’re journeys that combine hands-on conservation, cultural immersion, and deep personal growth.

When your group joins us, you’ll step into a living forest project where sustainable forestry, biodiversity conservation, and alternative ways of living all come together. The work is real, the conditions are rustic, and the impact—on both the forest and your group—is lasting.

Why Bring Your Group Here?

• Fall in love with the forest. Living and working among towering trees and tropical rivers changes the way people see the natural world.
• Experience sustainability first-hand. From composting and wastewater gardens to forest conservation tasks, participants learn by doing.
• Step outside the comfort zone. Groups live simply, work hard, and discover strength and resilience they didn’t know they had.
• Shape future leaders. Students often return home empowered, with a renewed vision of what they want to study, create, or fight for in their own communities.

Many volunteers describe their time at Las Casas de la Selva as life-changing, sparking new directions in studies, careers, and personal commitments.

What to Expect on a Service Trip

Most trips are 5 to 7 days and up to 10 days, though shorter stays (1-3 days), and 1 day trips can be arranged. A typical day includes:

• Breakfast together, followed by hands-on work in the forest.
• Packed lunch or at homestead at 2pm.
• Reflection and free time for group activities—journaling, river and waterfall exploration, discussion circles, or simply resting under the canopy.
• Community life at the homestead: cooking, eating, cleaning, and living together sustainably.
• Special experiences such as a day off for island exploration, an afternoon off to relax, and even a salsa dance class, or any other class!

Safety is always a priority. Your first day begins with a comprehensive safety briefing and a group agreement on ground rules. Flexibility is essential—rainforest weather can shift quickly, and when storms roll in, we adjust tasks and often bring the fun indoors until it clears.

What Kind of Work Will You Do?

Since Hurricanes María (2017) and Fiona (2022), much of our work has focused on recovery:

• Clearing, pruning, and re-establishing forest trails, ethnobotanical trail, and access paths, and steps.
• Supporting reforestation efforts by planting and tending rare and endangered endemic trees.
• Maintaining nurseries, gardens, and ethnobotanical plantings.
• Assisting in homestead projects such as gardens, homestead pruning, composting, water systems, and land restoration.

Every group makes a visible difference. Whether it’s uncovering a lost trail, planting trees that will stand for generations, or helping keep our homestead and forest systems strong and resilient, your work matters. Though our homestead is not friendly for physically disabled people, we are happy to discuss any way that we can accommodate children or adults with disabilities. Talk to us.

Who Comes Here?

We regularly host:

• Universities (Alternative Spring Breaks, field courses, research trips)
• High schools and youth groups (service learning, outdoor education, leadership training)
• Community organizations and clubs (conservation work, cultural immersion, team-building retreats)

Groups can stay for a few days and nights, or even join us for a day trip that includes service work, forest immersion, and shared meals at the homestead.

Join Us in the Rainforest

Las Casas de la Selva is not just a project—it is a living classroom, a working forest, and a place where people come to learn, serve, and grow. By bringing your group here, you are helping to heal the forest, support Puerto Rico’s ecological recovery, and train the next generation of stewards who will protect our biosphere.

Sign up your school, university, or organization today for an unforgettable service experience. Spend a few days—or even just a day—with us in the rainforest, and leave with knowledge, resilience, and inspiration that will last a lifetime. Many hands make light work, and there are all kinds of tasks at this forest project that we need help with. We welcome groups to be in touch with us to facilitate and create a life changing service work-experience. We will plan with you to tailor an unforgettable service trip for your group. If there is a task that you feel your group is particularly skilled at and could start or accomplish a project in the time here please let us know.

For more info on bringing a volunteer team or to discuss any other collaborations, please email: Thrity ‘3t’ Vakil
Please see the blog page for an indepth look at groups who have stayed here. https://eyeontherainforest.org/blog/