Save Vale Da Lua Off Grid Eco-Tourism

Richard Hodkinson is organizing this fundraiser.

Donation protected

Hello from Vale Da Lua,

The SW Portugal wildfire hit Zambujeira do Baixo hard and we are blessed that from the inside, the houses look almost as they should.. Unfortunately though, from the outside, it's a very different story. All the intricate (and expensive) systems and nature that makes our place tik and charm have burned. We have cancelled all of our bookings for peak season and beyond. Now, meanwhile we need to clean up and replace and replant absolutely everything. As it stands, the project can't survive this blow and Vale da Lua needs some help to stay afloat, so here we are..

We've lost; Our systems shed, tools, almost a kilometer of plumbing and water infrastructure, pumps and pumphouses, our beloved lithium victron Solar System, our boxtruck containing most of our and the kids' possessions, our horse trailer, 100s of meters of electrical cables, internet cables and starlink, all exterior furniture, fences and gutters, computers, a beautiful and unique ecosystem, our peak season income that we use to upgrade and maintain the place every year.

Little by little we have done as much with what we have made every year to arrive where we were just last week, but now it feels we've been ripped back 5yrs. Honestly, we have no idea when we will be able to open our doors once again but we need to start soon. We would love to be back to hosting you again ASAP but we feel hopeless and exhausted, especially after 5 days on the run. The whole area needs a massive cleanup project. All the systems need replacing. Landworks needs to start. So we need help.

As much as the landscape will slowly recover, the area has lost so many vital trees and bushes, so much topsoil. We feel that now's the time to implement a full reforestation and water retention project. We would love to have the funds to begin this journey once again, yet bigger and better. We have learnt so much from 12yrs in these valleys and know that we can make something truly special and valuable to everyone and everything here. It would be amazing to see our slice of the Seixe valley grow back again to it's full potential (alongside Xavi & Rora!).

So, please, if you have stayed with us, or would like to, if Vale Da Lua's ethos and inspiration has resonated with you, please consider helping us out in this difficult moment and investing in us and the future of ecotourism and ecosystem projects.

We really would love to continue to offer this down-to-earth, responsible and inspiring ecotourism to the world.

You can also donate through bank transfer.

Sanne Van Der Maarel

The bank is Credito Agricola

IBAN:

PT50 0045 7020 4026 4618 2812 0