Community Immersion
Community Learning
Join us in the remote, beautiful mountainside of Biliran Island — live, work, and grow with our family in Cabucgayan.
Live With Us
A living community in the Biliran mountains
Kalinawan is a family-run permaculture haven tucked into the remote mountainside of Balaquid, Cabucgayan, on the island of Biliran. Here, life moves with the sun and the seasons. Community members join our daily rhythm — working the land, sharing meals, learning skills, and discovering the Filipino way of intentional living. You don't need experience, only curiosity and a willingness to pitch in.
Days are a blend of meaningful work, free time to explore the island, and evenings of connection — food, music, and conversation under the stars. What you give, you receive back many times over in skills, stillness, and friendships.
Contribution
We ask for a contribution of $15 per day per person, which covers your accommodation, three shared meals a day, and full access to the community's daily life, workshops, and equipment.
How You Can Help & Learn
Ways to be part of the haven
Organic Farming & Gardening
Planting, composting, mulching, harvesting, seed saving, and tending our food forest alongside Napoleon, our organic farmer. Learn Filipino indigenous farming practices passed down through generations.
Natural Building
Bamboo carpentry, earth-bag and natural building, repairs, and creative construction. Help us grow the haven one structure at a time — no experience needed, only willingness.
Cooking & Kitchen Life
Preparing shared plant-forward meals from the garden, preserving food, baking, and learning Filipino home cooking. Our kitchen is the heart of the community.
Water & Wellness
Join freediving, breathwork, yoga, and meditation sessions. Help care for guests, maintain gear, or simply practice stillness by the water.
Community & Kids' Projects
Playing with and teaching the local children, language exchange, community outreach, and sharing whatever skills you carry — music, art, crafts, or stories.
Daily Life & Caretaking
Cleaning communal spaces, caring for the dogs and farm animals, water systems, solar maintenance, and the everyday rhythm that keeps the haven alive.
The Rhythm
A day in the haven
Our days balance focused work with deep rest. Around 3 hours of contribution in the morning, then afternoons free — swim at nearby waterfalls, explore the island, join a workshop, or do nothing at all.
The rhythm shifts with the seasons and the needs of the land — flexibility is part of the practice.
Accommodation & What Else
Life on the mountain
Where you'll sleep
Community members stay in our bamboo dormitory or a tent on the farm (bring your own, or use ours). Living is simple and off-grid — solar electricity, spring water, bucket showers, and the sounds of the forest at night.
What to bring
Light, quick-drying clothes, sturdy shoes, a headlamp, rain jacket, natural sunscreen and mosquito repellent, and an open mind. The nearest town is a habal-habal ride away — pack for simplicity.
Getting here
We're in Sitio Tagaytay, Balaquid, Cabucgayan, Biliran — reachable from Tacloban or Naval, then a scenic habal-habal ride up the mountain. We'll guide you step by step once you're confirmed.
Who we welcome
Solo travelers, couples, and small groups of any background. Stays from two weeks up to a month or more. If you have skills to share like building, teaching, cooking, healing — tell us; there's always room for exchange.
Join the Community
Come live the Kalinawan way
$15 per day · accommodation and meals included. Tell us who you are, when you'd like to come, and how long you'd like to stay.
