If you haven’t already gotten around it, volunteering while travelling will completely change your travel experience! Check out these ten cool volunteer opportunities to travel Argentina on the cheap (while exploring off the beaten track and forming lifelong connections with the local community).
Why is travel volunteering so great?!
My first volunteering opportunity was for 2 weeks in the mountains in Canada back in 2018, and it changed the way I have traveled ever since. I spent two weeks without spending my savings and was provided a bed and 3 delicious meals a day.
However, the exchange of work for food and a bed is not the things that keeps me coming back. It’s the ability to slow down; to connect with your hosts and the locals; to learn about their lives, their culture and challenges their community faces; and to learn new skills.
Volunteering has taken me around the world and allowed me to go off the beaten track. Without access to a platform that provides these opportunities, I would never have known about places like Amaicha del Valle (Argentina), Quetzaltenango (Guatemala) and Harrop (British Colombia) to visit.
This article includes a list of 10 cool volunteering opportunities that you can do across Argentina, giving you a taste of different types of work and different parts of the country.
As a disclaimer, I have not personally done every volunteering opportunity that I’ve listed (marked with an *). However, the following recommendations I had previously searched up or been recommended by people I’ve met.
Some of these recommendations are hosted on the Workaway platform. I have been a member of this platform as a workawayer, long before other platforms such as Worldpackers was on the scene (and offering the best affiliate marketing rates). I’m not an affiliate, I just love their platform and have found some amazing experiences on there. Also, I will get an extra 3 months free if you do sign up using my invite link. 𖹭
1. Patagonia – El Bolson Hostel Volunteering
Where: El Bolsón, Río Negro Province (Patagonia)
Minimum stay: 2 weeks
Type of work: Cleaning, helping guests, a little maintenance.
Requirements: Basic Spanish would be helpful but it is not necessary. A subscription to Workaway.info.
El Bolsón was stunning and this hostel is the BEST in the region! Everyone I’ve met that’s travelled to El Bolsón has stayed there and loved it. The town is located two hours south of Bariloche and is a small town surrounded by mountains and incredibly scenic hikes. I was there for 2 weeks at the end of the season and was allocated the night shift. Every day I woke up, joined the other travellers for hikes or exploring around the town, and then started a 4-5 hour shift after dinner. The latest I went to bed was 1:30am so I was fresh for the hikes the next day.
You can find more information here.
2. Ibera Wetlands – Volunteering in tourism while hanging out with capybaras
Where: Northern Ibera Wetlands (near Ituzaingó), Corrientes Province
Minimum stay: 2 weeks
Type of work: Cleaning, gardening, helping guests, tourism, sometimes wildlife and bird related tasks
Requirements: A can do attitude.
I visited here for one only night because it was a bit out of my budget, but after 20 minutes of chatting to the owners of the Don Luis Natural Reserve, they invited me back to volunteer. I ended up spending 3 weeks volunteering, mostly cleaning the cabañas, engaging with the guests (and getting to join them on tours). The best parts were hanging with the birds and capybaras, watching the most beautiful sunsets and being under the bright night sky. I’m sure I’ll be back soon.
You can contact them through their instagram or on Whatsapp.
3. Surf town – Learn bio-construction at a surf eco-hostel*
Where: Chapadmalal (near Mar del Plata), Buenos Aires Province
Minimum stay: 1 month
Type of work: Eco-projects (bio-construction), gardening, cleaning, organising.
Requirements: “A positive attitude, open to learn and a good predisposition”. To enjoy the beach. A subscription to Workaway.info.
While I haven’t personally done this volunteering experience, I met some people who had, and could not recommend it highly enough. They were Australians and so thoroughly enjoyed being by the ocean everyday.
You can check out their profile here.
4. Mendoza’s wine country – Join an organic vineyard’s harvest*
Where: San Rafael, Mendoza Province
Minimum stay: 15 days
Type of work: All year – maintenance, gardening, bio-construction. Aug-Sept – pruning of the vines. Feb-Apr – harvesting and winemaking.
Requirements: Basic Spanish. A subscription to Workaway.info.
Imagine going to the state of Mendoza without tasting some wine! This way you can be part of its creation. This volunteering opportunity is on an organic vineyard and artisanal winery in the countryside of Mendoza. Their reviews are very positive; people spoke highly of the hosts and the huge amount of skills they learnt during their time there.
You can find more information here.
5. Iguazu Falls – Volunteering with birds*
Where: Comandante Andresito (near Iguazu Falls), Misiones Province
Minimum stay: 2 months
Type of work: Wildlife monitoring, field data collection, trail, nursery and house maintenance
Requirements: Passionate about nature, conservation and community work. While related studies are valued, they are not a requirement. Decent Spanish.
Okay this is huge for us fellow birders and wildlife lovers! You’d be volunteering near Iguazu Falls, in an area that boasts over 240 species. And most importantly you’d be working with Aves Argentinas, the country’s national birding organisation. But El Puente Verde is not the only volunteer opportunity that they offer. You can work with the endangered Vinaceous-breasted Amazon Parakeet (Loro Vinoso) in San Pedro, their Illegal Wildlife Trafficking Program, or scroll through their other opportunities here. I have not done any of these volunteering opportunities because I go and write articles like this instead of applying (I need to focus!)
You can apply for it here or contact them at [email protected]
6. Iguazu Falls – Restoration and maintenance volunteering*
Where: Comandante Andresito (near Iguazu Falls), Misiones Province
Minimum stay: Flexible if you contact them. Likely 2-3 weeks.
Type of work: Restoration, gardening, cooking and cleaning, trail maintenance, wildlife monitoring.
Requirements: Decent Spanish. “Ability to coexist in harmony with spiders, wasps, bees, caterpillars, snakes, stinging plants, ticks, mosquitoes, among others.”
If birds are not your thing, or you don’t have the ability to stay as long as 2 months, you can volunteer for the same reserve in a role more related to maintenance. This is at the Natural Reserve of El Puente Verde.
You can apply for it here, or contact them at [email protected]
7. The Andes – Help an Indigenous man with his tourism project, B&B and farm
Where: Amaicha del Valle, Tucuman Province
Minimum stay: 1 week
Type of work: Gardening, helping around the house and cleaning, farm work like building fences, interacting with tourists.
Requirements: Decent Spanish is recommended. A subscription to Workaway.info.
My 2 weeks in Amaicha del Valle with Sebastian was wonderful. There was a great balance of work, getting to connect with the community and Elders, and visiting important Indigenous cultural sites. Read about my experience and the community’s land ownership challenges using the links above.
You can read more about the opportunity here.
8. Rewilding wild species – Monitoring Argentinian animals and restoring their habitats*
Where: Patagonia (Santa Cruz Province’s steppe), Corrientes Province, Chaco Province, Salta Province
Minimum stay: 1-2 months, depending on the project
Type of work: Wildlife monitoring, habitat observation, care of individual species
Requirements: Decent Spanish. Ability to live remotely and amongst “potentially dangerous and annoying animals, such as mosquitoes, spiders, ticks, frogs, snakes, and vipers.” They also recommend vaccinations against rabies, hepatitis B, and tetanus.
Rewilding Argentina is a NGO that is working to reverse the species extinction crisis. They have many projects across Argentina, which are currently looking for volunteers. Examples include:
- Setting up the Yungas Project (jaguars) in Salta Province
- Working with jaguars, giant otters, scarlet macaws (the list goes on) in the Ibera Wetlands in Corrientes Province
- Wildlife monitoring in Santa Cruz Province, Patagonia
- Conserving, monitoring and management of giant otters, jaguars, turtles and marsh deer in the Impenetrable, Chaco Province
More information on these projects, the requirements and contact details can be found on their website’s volunteering page. Also check out their blog.
9. Buenos Aires – Hostel work in the City Centre*
Where: In the heart of Buenos Aires City
Minimum stay: 1 month
Type of work: Cleaning, painting, reception, hosting events, socialising with guests.
Requirements: Just to stay the whole month. A subscription to Workaway.info.
This volunteering opportunity is very highly rated, with 40 people giving it 5 stars. The owners of the hostel are ex-Workawayers themselves, so know exactly what it’s like to be a volunteer. Past volunteers described their experience as being a “big family of like minded people” and “unforgettable”, and the hosts themselves leave heart warming reviews (which I think is always a good indication of a great host).
You can find more info from their page here.
10. Ushuaia, Patagonia – Horse riding excursions at the end of the world*
Where: Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego Province
Minimum stay: 1 month
Type of work: Daily tasks with the horses, cleaning and tourism.
Requirements: Basic Spanish and you have to be an experienced horse rider.
Ushuaia is described as the end of the world and is apparently the most incredible place. This is the perfect location to slow down and enjoy your surroundings; the nature and the sunsets. You’ll be able to learn about the Argentina gaucho culture and ride amongst the mountains and forests.
You can find more information here.
A reminder: If you are planning on signing up to Workaway, please use my invite link. I’m not an affiliate, I just love their platform and will get an extra 3 months free if you do. 𖹭