Terra Frutis

Where

Gualaquiza · Morona-Santiago · Ecuador

What they grow

A tropical food forest — thousands of fruit trees, 14 banana varieties, papaya, plantain, jackfruit

How it's organized

Non-hierarchical, consensus-governed community, vegan by community rule — core principles pair a whole-food plant-based diet with non-violence toward animals and permaculture ethics

Visit, volunteer, or join

Visitors and volunteers welcome: ~20 hrs/week contribution plus ~$25/month utilities; free lodging in rooms, tents, or hammocks

Terra Frutis is a vegan intentional community planting a tropical food forest on 136 hectares along the Río Zamora in southeastern Ecuador, about 18 kilometers from the town of Gualaquiza where the Amazon basin meets the Andean foothills. Founded around 2014, it is one of the region's original vegan land projects — its sister community Fruit Haven took root nearby a year and a half later. Thousands of fruit trees are in the ground on the slopes of "Mount Frutis," including fourteen banana varieties that keep the community in fruit year-round, alongside papaya, plantain, and jackfruit. The culture is strictly vegan and leans raw and fruit-centric, and governance is deliberately flat: no central leader, decisions by consensus, with capacity for roughly fifty members and visitors. Getting involved is concrete and affordable — visitors contribute about twenty hours a week plus roughly $25 a month toward utilities, with free lodging in rooms, tents, or hammocks, hot showers, laundry, and internet on site.

Programs, hours, and visitor policies change — always check the official site or get in touch before you go. Last verified July 8, 2026.

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