The leaf

After the heat of the summer and the birth of the new lambs, our sheep are ready to give us their invaluable raw material again. We’ll be using this invaluable milk to start making our delicious cured "Quinta do Carapinhal" cheese again this week. It will be ready to eat after a 45-day maturing process. We hope to have more news on this by the end of the year. 

November is the time for autumn cleaning and we’ve already started work on the fields and the gardens. We’re getting our usual warm welcome ready for you at our Guesthouses.

Aqui, na Quinta do Carapinhal, em São Martinho da Cortiça, uma freguesia do concelho de Arganil, as nossas ovelhas da raça serra da estrela e cabras da raça serrana têm continuado, dia após dia, a produzir o leite que está na origem dos nossos queijos e dos nossos iogurtes. Neste momento difícil, as nossas meninas têm cumprido a sua missão, a missão de alimentar o país. Mas o futuro da agricultura portuguesa também está nas vossas mãos. Ao comprar produtos nacionais estão a proteger o nosso legado, as nossas tradições e a nossa agricultura. Comprem produtos portugueses e ajudem os nossos agricultores.

Today, we welcomed a new herd of goats at Vumba. Soon they’ll join Vumba’s herd and we will be able to increase the production of our tasty and healthy goat yogurts.

At Vumba, we encourage healthy eating by promoting organic farming through the vegetables from our vegetable garden and "Quinta do Carapinhal" yoghurts and cheeses, handmade and organic products, which exclusively use the milk from our own herds of Serra da Estrela sheep and Serrana Transmontana goat .

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At Vumba, spiders 🕷️ are getting ready for Halloween 🕸️👻🎃

#vumbaguesthouses #organicfarm #welovenature #countrylife #halloween

Our first baby sheep this season is born, it's a girl! We are so happy.
Let the season begin!

"We loved everything! Tranquility and communion with nature. Vera was incredible and loving, a fantastic person always ready to help. In terms of services, everything is a little too close to Vumba. Clean clothes and dishes."

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Vumba's site, August 28th to 31st, 2020

"Joana was a lovely host, she went above and beyond to make our stay enjoyable. The yogurt and queijo fresco from her goats are superb! We did not stay long enough to enjoy the pool, but it looked lovely! She is also very dog friendly which was a plus for us and our dog. In this current COVID-19 age of travel it was also very reassuring to see how clean the room and common spaces were. Vumba takes safety seriously! We will be back again soon, and next time we hope to stay longer!"

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Booking, August 16th to 18th, 2020

"Loved everything!!! The space and the environment are incredible, both outside and inside. The hospitality of the hostess is a fantastic familiarity and that leads us to feel at home."

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Booking, June 10th to 12th, 2020

“We really enjoyed the hospitality of Joana and Patrick, as well as all the staff of the farm. They are all so friendly and helpful and very hardworking. We liked the organic goat and sheep yogurts (and other farm products, we recommend visiting the Cheese Shop), the trails, the decoration, the silence in the afternoons, the tranquility of the evenings, and the freshness of the mornings even with the typical sound of the chickens and the village bell. ”

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Booking, May 26th to 29th, 2020

"Vumba is a very relaxed large space with beautiful locations nearby. Very Pet friendly and with fabulous hospitality. To repeat”

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Airbnb, February 21st to 23rd, 2020

“Super séjour de 3 jours avec nos 3 enfants. Super site, très belle déco, piscine très belle et très appréciée des enfants tout comme les poules que l’on peut nourrir soit même ! Je recommande la visite de la bergerie sur le domaine. Et sinon à l’extérieur du domaine les adresses données par Joanna sont top nous avons adoré la ballade et baignade à Foz dEgua ainsi que le resto à Vimieiro (ne pas trop manger avant car c’est très copieux mais super bon). Le site est vraiment super et les installations sont top. Il y a une petite kitchenette bien équipée mais la grande cuisine salon avec grande terrasse est vraiment géniale pour passer du temps en famille. Bref on recommande plus que chaudement !!!”

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Airbnb, August 27th to 30th, 2019

“We loved staying at Vumba, in both places the little house and the suite!! Everything was awesome: the hospitality, the decoration, views, swimming pool...everything!! We love come to be back, fingers crossed for next year! Thank you for everything!!”

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Airbnb, July 20th to 24th, 2019 and The Bue Maria Suite, July 24th to 31st, 2019

"We spent three beautiful days in Vumba! The organic farm is run by Joana and her husband. Their place is wonderful: set in huge wilderness grounds with a swimming pool on top of a hill with views all around, very stylish and thoughtful interiors, between design, shabby chic and most importantly all scaled and selected for the highstes comfort of its guests. We loved the spacious communal areas - in particular the fantastic kitchen and the patio, where we spend the evenings watching the sun go down over the land. Joana is the perfect host, attentive and non-intrusive, charming and cool. In the litte village which the farm is set you find everything you need in short walking distance: bar, simple take-away restaurant and two small supermarkets Within short driving range are lots of "praia fluvial", river beaches, where you can idle the days away.... Our personal recommendation: eat lots of Joana's organic eggs while a Vumba, they are so delicious!”

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Airbnb, July 6th to 9th, 2019

After two years, we received the Superhost status by Airbnb, a recognition for being an outstanding host. Thank you to Airbnb and to all of our guests.

“Adresse charmante et reposante que nous avons adorée. Belle déco, de grandes parties communes très agréables, des lieux fidèles aux photos, une belle piscine, une hôte précise et très sympathique... Bref, nous serions très heureux de revenir.”

"Séjour à l'Alambique: Le logement est tout à fait conforme à la description, au calme et la décoration particulièrement soignée comme tous les gîtes de Vumba. L'accueil de Joana est très chaleureux. Nous avons pu visiter la ferme et nous régaler des légumes du potager. La piscine est un lieu de détente très agréable et elle est bien rafraichissante par les grosses chaleurs! Le matin à la ferme, n'oubliez pas : réveil par le chant du coq.”

“Vumba est un lieu extrêmement accueillant et agréable. Les deux suites que nous avons occupées sont grandes et décorées avec goût. Parfait pour un couple avec deux ou trois enfants autonomes. Les espaces communs sont très agréables Et les attentions nombreuses (eau,café, condiments, légumes et œufs du potager!). La piscine est une belle surprise, et permet de s’y reposer grâce aux nombreux transats et poufs géants! Joanna notre hôte est très agréable et partage sa passion de sa famille pour le travail à la ferme. Enfin la région permet de belles balades entre rivières et vieilles pierres et le paysage post incendie d’octobre 2017 n’entache en rien cette belle découverte... ”

“Very cozy and relaxing place. Secluded in a small town, surrounded by forest. The pool is very nice and with comfortable seating around it. If you're looking for a getaway from city life to relax, this is the place for you.”

“We are very gratefull for the stay at Vumba and thank you, Joana and Patrick, for your excellent hospitallity and welcome. We really enjoyed the house, swimmingpool and the visit to the farm was inspiring. We felt very welcome!!!”

“We (my husband, our three kids between 4 and 8 and myself) had the best time at Vumba! Vumba is such a beautiful farm, a lovely place to enjoy your holiday in every way. Joanna and Patrick are very sweet and gave us valuable information about the surroundings (we went to Bucaco and to Avo, both very beautiful places to visit) and provided us with fruit, vegetables and we also had the possibility to collect more at a low price. Joanna arranged for us so we got bread in the morning and the best yoghurt. The swimmingpool-area was also very tastefully decorated. We took a goatsafari on the farm that was wery appreciated by all of us. We saw sheep, goats and got a little tour in the cheese-factory that is situated on the farm. We would definetely go back, it was perfect!”

We want to thank to all canyoning participants for their good mood throughout the weekend. It was definitely a great experience, hope you had as much fun as we did!

"We had a lovely stay at the Vumba Organic Farm, and would recommend it to anyone visiting Portugal. Our stay included a private tour of the farm land and cheese shop, where we were able to purchase some of the organic sheep cheese! The accommodations and hospitality of Vumba went above and beyond our expectations and we are very grateful to everyone who made our stay such a positive part of our trip! Thank you Vumba."

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Ruby and a friend stayed at the suite Gorongoza

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Mafalda and André stayed at the suite Gorongoza and they loved their stay at Vumba. It is worth reading the testimony they have left us:

House + Love = Home

One night, two glasses of wine
The warmth of a fireplace
We were cozy all night
We felt as good as if it was our nest.

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(Mafalda & André, January 2017)

The pantone of 2017 has been revealed. It's official: Greenery is the color of the year. This green symbolizes "a new beginning" and brings us back to everything natural: an increasingly ecological and sustainable attitude, a more organic diet and a return back to the roots.

Sara, Andy and their two children stayed at the House of the Alembic and they loved their stay at Vumba. It is worth reading the testimony they have left us:

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“We spent a lovely week in the Alembic at Vumba. The Alembic is a tastefully decorated cottage that suited our family of four – it’s compact but well equipped. Vumba is a beautiful, peaceful setting to stay in, set in fragrant pine and eucalyptus woods. It’s possible to walk for miles through the woods and fields on the estate and round the quiet neighboring villages without having to get in the car, especially in the cool of the mornings and evenings.
Joanna gave us delicious eggs from the Vumba chickens; we also enjoyed the Vumba cheese, particularly the soft variety. Joanna was unfailingly helpful and friendly, always available to answer any queries. We enjoyed her tour of the farm and cheese making buildings on the back of the tractor. We’d love to come back to Vumba one day.”

In the early 2000s, part of Vumba's property was coveted by companies who wanted to quarry a valuable mineral called kaolin, used to make sanitary ware. Knowing that the quarrying of kaolin causes irreversible damage to the environment, Vumba joined in the protests of hundreds of locals who successfully opposed the claims of those companies. This struggle - a reprint of the sadly known "War of the Kaolin" - allowed us to preserve the beautiful landscape that we now enjoy, as well as its wonderful flora and fauna.

Tessa was one of the first guests to visit Vumba's Guesthouses using Airbnb. It is worth reading what she wrote about her stay. The Vumba team is very proud. Thank you Tessa.

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“Go 'down-under' in Portugal at Vumba farm if you want to get away from everything that's touristy, want to see a clear sky of stars at night and you like the charm of a rooster/cock waking you up in the early morning :-) We've stayed at Vumba for two nights in August. The room was very pleasant, large and it stayed cool during the day time. Joanna was a great host and she gave us a list with good advice for eating and daytrips to towns and river places. She brought us fresh bread in de morning, and if lucky, fresh eggs from the chickens at Vumba farm.”

Tessa Hartlief from the Netherlands

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Vumba has just launched on Airbnb and, in less than one week, all the rooms in August were fully booked. The reach of this house renting website is truly amazing. Our first guests come from France, England, Netherlands and Spain.

Yesterday, June 24, an organic farming conference was held in Viseu, promoted by AGROBIO - Portuguese Association of Organic Agriculture. Vumba, who participated in the seminar with a presentation by Ruben Gama, congratulates Agrobio for this important initiative!

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Our season is almost over and our sheep will go on vacation (they also deserve it). Towards the end of September, after the birth of the babies, we will be back in full force with our yoghurts and curds.

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Today is Vumba's curd day! As usual, our curd "Quinta do Carapinhal" wil arrive at the shelves of the organic supermarkets BRIO, Miosotis, BIOCOOP, Mercado Biológico Alfazema, AMOR BIO, Biomercado, among others.

Last weekend we had another fantastic weekend at Vumba, full of interesting activities: a canoe trip for adults at Rio Alva, pool games and tractor rides for the kids, all accompanied by great music, gourmet dining and a very good mood ... Thank you to all who attended!