Regenerative Living Apprenticeship
Is This Apprenticeship Right for You?
The Regenerative Living Apprenticeship at Sol y Valle is a 9-month immersive educational experience for people who want to learn how to live, work, and lead in a more regenerative way.
This is not a vacation, a retreat, or a gap year focused on travel and entertainment. It is a hands-on learning journey that combines regenerative agriculture, permaculture, community living, personal development, ecological restoration, food systems, natural building, and holistic wellbeing.
Through real projects, mentorship, workshops, fieldwork, and community life, apprentices gain practical skills while exploring what it means to create a life aligned with their values.
Many participants join us during a period of transition. Some have recently finished high school and are looking for an alternative to traditional higher education. Others are university graduates, professionals seeking a career change, or individuals who want to reconnect with nature, purpose, and meaningful work.
Whatever your background, this program is designed for people who are ready to actively engage in their own learning process and contribute to a living, regenerative community.
Our past apprentices say
Nikita from Sweden
This Program Is For You If...
✓ You are motivated to learn, take responsibility for your own growth, and actively engage in your educational journey.
✓ You are curious, proactive, and eager to learn through direct experience, hands-on projects, physical work, and real-world challenges.
✓ You want practical skills and knowledge in regenerative agriculture, permaculture, agroforestry, natural building, ecological restoration, food production, and sustainable living.
✓ You value community, collaboration, shared responsibility, and are open to feedback, self-reflection, and personal growth.
✓ You are seeking a transformative experience that combines outer sustainability (caring for the Earth and regenerating ecosystems) with inner sustainability (developing wellbeing, resilience, healthy relationships, and a clear sense of purpose).
This Program May Not Be For You If...
✗ You are primarily looking for a vacation, a gap-year adventure, or an inexpensive way to spend time in Costa Rica.
✗ You are not willing to take responsibility for your own learning, personal growth, and active participation in the apprenticeship experience.
✗ You are unwilling to contribute to community life through shared responsibilities, collaboration, service, and respectful engagement with others.
✗ You dislike physical work, spending time outdoors, or learning through hands-on practical experience.
✗ You are seeking comfort, convenience, or purely academic learning rather than challenge, contribution, self-reflection, and transformation.
A Different Kind of Education
Our modern world faces environmental, social, and personal challenges that cannot be solved through technical knowledge alone.
At Sol y Valle, we believe true sustainability has two dimensions.
Outer Sustainability is learning how to regenerate ecosystems, grow healthy food, steward natural resources, design resilient systems, and create thriving communities.
Inner Sustainability is developing the self-awareness, communication skills, emotional intelligence, adaptability, and resilience needed to navigate an ever-changing world.
Both are essential.
A regenerative future requires people who can care for the land while also learning to care for themselves, their relationships, and their communities.
This apprenticeship integrates both dimensions through an experiential learning model that combines practical skills, mentorship, personal development, and community living.
Rather than simply studying regenerative living, you will practice it every day.
The 9-month Regenerative Living Apprenticeship program at Sol y Valle is designed for enthusiastic individuals who want to take their learning experience to the next level. Apprentices finish the program with a Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) and an understanding of all important areas of regenerative living.
Our program includes
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Plant propagation techniques
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Organic fertilizer production
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Bio-controllers in organic agriculture and around the house
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Organic agriculture principles and practices
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Rainwater management systems
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Food preparation and preservation
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Recycling and nearing zero waste
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Sustainable Technologies
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Permaculture design principals
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Bamboo harvesting, curing, and building
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Bio-construction with wood, rock, clay, and vetiver grass
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Medicinal plants and their applications
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Reforestation and trail creation/maintenance
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Social sustainability (community living, non-violent communication, non-hierarchical decision-making)
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Food forestry systems (syntropic forests, biodynamic gardening
Within the first 3 months of arriving, the apprentice will choose a project to work on for the remainder of their stay. Options could include designing and building structures, completing biodiversity studies, creating an educational program, designing for permaculture or syntropic forestry, or community service. As an apprentice, you will ultimately choose the project you think is most interesting and fits within our vision, mission and values.
The Regenerative Living Apprenticeship will prepare you to lead local, sustainable environmental projects, teach you how to apply the principles, practice, and design strategies of permaculture, empower you to reach your potential through experiential learning, and ultimately create the values-based lifestyle you want.
This program is for the most motivated individuals and is limited to only three apprentices.
Dates and contribution
The Regenerative Living Apprenticeship costs a total of $8,082 USD
The price includes room and board, all organic plant-based food, guided daily work, weekly workshops/wellness activities, and monthly trips to local attractions such as rivers, waterfalls, and hot springs. Our farm has bus transportation to the biggest cities like San Jose, Cartago and Turrialba which means you can easily explore Costa Rica throughout your stay.
Our next Regenerative Living Apprenticeship will run from 7 September 2026 to 7 June 2027.
More Than a Program
For many apprentices, these nine months become far more than a course or internship.
They become a period of discovery, growth, challenge, friendship, and transformation.
A time to develop practical skills, gain confidence, explore new possibilities, and clarify how you want to contribute to the world.
If you are ready to learn, contribute, challenge yourself, and become part of a regenerative community, we invite you to apply.
The world needs people who can turn values into action.
This apprenticeship is designed to help you become one of them.