Volunteer with WildMex Surf and Adventure in Sayulita and Punta Mita, Mexico

Volunteer with us!

WildMex is a surf and adventure company based in Sayulita and Punta Mita, in the beautiful Riviera Nayarit area of Mexico. After receiving volunteers through partners like Workaway for a couple of years, WildMex now offers a direct opportunity for volunteers to join our team, and help support our daily chores and activities, in exchange for housing and access to surfboards, mountain bikes, and paddleboard rentals.

Our base staff are young, fun, and into outdoor activities. Our volunteers are an integral part of our team, creating a welcoming atmosphere for our guests. Both store locations are clean and spacious, with a constant flow of guests from all over the world, amplifying the opportunity to meet amazing people from different countries and cultures.

The town has great beginner and intermediate surf breaks, mountain bike trails, great food and a crazy nightlife. Once you get here you will never want to leave - trust us!

Whilst you’re not working, you can take part in activities such as hiking monkey mountain or learning to surf in Punta Mita (La Lancha) - a pristine, white sand beach with long mellow waves or alternatively, have mountain bike experience in Sayulita - which is just as fun!

Type of help

 

  • Trail building and maintenance
  • Customer service / front desk
  • Photography
  • Marketing / Social media
  • General maintenance
  • Gardening
  • Surf instructing
  • Yoga
  • Cleaning
  • Language practice
  • Help with tourists and rentals

Sharing The Lifestyle We Love

Sayulita Volunteer Trailbuilding

Volunteer Help

We are looking for fit and hard-working people to help the team with building and maintaining bicycle trails in the jungle, surrounding Sayulita town in Mexico. These trails are used by the whole community for mounting biking and hiking. As a non-profit activity, this is a volunteer position. Trail building is one of the biggest reasons why we started our volunteer program building and maintaining local trails to add to the local trail network for biking and hiking. Besides this, we are also working on an Environmental Project, developing _ for La Lancha beach which is one of the most consistent surf breaks in town that locals and tourists love. Trail building is very hard and strenuous work in the jungle and it can get pretty hot and humid (from 18-35° Celcius, plus humidity).

The majority of our team for this specific type of work is male-based, but a few female volunteers like and have joined trail building during their stay if they opt for it. The work involves clearing out bushes with a machete, clearing the trails, hiking in and out of trails, and bench cutting into the ground is required as well. You will be part of a great team of avid hikers, bikers, and surfers committed to keeping these trails available for everyone to enjoy. Experience in gardening or labouring of some kind is required. Trail building is mainly done in the mornings to beat the heat, leaving the rest of the day to surf, hike, and enjoy your time here!

 

When the work is directed to the Wildmex shops (Sayulita and Punta Mita) we need help with general cleaning (laundry, sweeping, mopping, dusting, organizing the warehouse, painting walls, beach clean-ups, etc), renting equipment, talking to and helping clients with questions, updating the equipment inventory, driving customers from one shop to the other, taking care of rescue animals and much more! and when you are done with work you can go out and surf or take out a paddleboard, hike to the different mountains and viewpoints, enjoy the sun, beach and warm weather! If you are into nightlife, Sayulita always has something happening every day of the week!

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is absolutely NO SMOKING allowed at either office in Sayulita or Punta de Mita. If smoking is important to you, please do not apply for this experience.

  • Volunteer position (Unpaid) for a non-profit activity
  • Expected work: 5 hours/day, 5 days/week
  • Minimum stay required: 4 weeks

Volunteer Requirements

 

  • Over 18 years old
  • English or Spanish speaker (or both!)
  • No smokers
  • No couples
  • Minimum stay of 1 month.
  • Driving license (not required but a plus if you do!)

Our Volunteer House in Sayulita

Located on the west side of Sayulita, with two big dorm rooms; a woman's dorm room and a men's dorm room. With 3-full and 1-half bathrooms with hot water, camping space for 2-3 tents with mattresses at the garden, a big terrace with a picnic table and a hammock fit for great hangouts and chilling time. There's a full kitchen with basic kitchen utensils (nor food nor cooking basics or condiments are included), drinking water and WI-FI. At the house, there's a hand-washing laundry station, and washing and drying machine at the office in Sayulita which you can use (detergent not included but you can find a cheap one at the store on the corner). The house has a large garden with papaya and banana trees that give plenty of shade, we even have a giraffe! Wait to meet her XP. The house is in a quiet neighborhood away from the hectic and loud part of town, but still super close to it at only 10-minutes' walk away from the surf break, our shop, and town center where all the restaurants and bars are.
 

IMPORTANT NOTE: No Drugs nor Smoking on the entire property (Doing so may result in expulsion) • No Parties (Only under previous and signed permission with the Volunteer's Manager and HR). 

 
• Inclusions:
  • Accommodation in a beautiful share house in Sayulita with other volunteers and members of the team
  • Free access to all board equipment (surfboards, boogie boards, and SUPs).
  • Free access to lessons/coached surf trips and hikes (depends on the availability and that it doesn't affect your schedule).
  • Free Access to surf shuttles (depends on the availability and that it doesn't affect your schedule)
 
• Exclusions:
  • Free access to the bike inventory
  • Food and food condiments
  • Toiletries. Please bring your own.

Apply Now!

In order to apply for our volunteer program in Sayulita and Punta Mita, Mexico, please fill out this form with:

  • Your CV up to date
  • Let us know you! (Upload up to 5 pictures)
  • A little description of yourself and how can you help

    What our volunteers say...

    Eddie F. - Minneapolis, USA

    Volunteering with WildMex was my first time volunteering and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I met so many people from all over the world and the local people you work with are the most amazing people. I’ve made life long friendships. It’s also the perfect place to learn to surf and a variety of surfboards you get to use is amazing. I also enjoyed getting to know the surf instructors and had the pleasure of surfing with them all the time. The town of Sayulita is so charming and there is always some sort of festival or celebration going. The house is comfortable and not all party which I loved because it really has a feeling of home. I went to my next volunteer place in Nicaragua and while I was there I missed WildMex so much I came back to volunteer again if that gives you any indication.

    Chelsey S. - Melbourne, Australia

    My time at WildMex so far has been extremely good! As a 20 year old coming from Australia with only very basic Spanish, I was a little nervous but my mind was instantly put at ease the very first day. Everyone here is so welcoming all the staff and the other volunteers are more than happy to help with anything you need-Spanish, surfing or any recommendations on things to do or how to get around!
    The team at Wildmex are awesome to work with, renting out boards every day you get to talk to and meet lots of travelers and locals, you work about half the day so there is always plenty of time to go surfing or exploring.
    I cannot recommend high enough- no one wants to leave beautiful Sayulita!

    Katje B. - Hamburg, Germany

    Here I get the experience of an exchange program in Mexico, to work with a fabulous and fun team, I am able to go to one of the most beautiful beaches every day to surf and get in contact to Mexican culture through the Mexican staff. Our tasks as volunteers are easy. Always offering the best service to the clients, renting boards and simple maintenance tasks.  If you speak Spanish you have an advantage, but it’s not a must.
    We also can join all the activities WildMex has to offer as a volunteer, like snorkeling tours, boat rides or Mountain bike trips.
    The house offers a shared bedroom or big single tents, washing machine, shower with warm water and drinking water access.

    Everything you need to know

    Adults from all nationalities with abilities that can help our volunteer projects. Smokers, please do not apply
    Not necessarily, however, being able to speak both languages (Spanish and English) does give you points in order for us to select you as a volunteer
    Wildmex is always looking for quality paid staff and volunteers, if you would like to be part of our team, and think your skills and attitude can be useful, please apply
    Male volunteers - Trail building, landscaping, general shop maintenance, driving and if needed help with rentals and board maintenance Female volunteers - Help with board rentals, social media, blog writing, photography, an if the volunteer is interested, trail building and landscaping
    If you have certain inclinations towards a specific job or are definitely NOT into doing another job, please let us know in your application so that there are no surprises and both sides can make a wise decision.
    5 hours a day, 5 days a week, a total of 25 hours a week.
    The Wildmex Volunteer house is located in the quaint Mexican Surf town of Sayulita, only 10 minutes walk from downtown. The house is a relatively old house, nothing fancy, just the basics, yet with a great atmosphere. The house has filtered drinking water, a nice terrace, dining room, living room, kitchen, washing machine, etc… It is set up to fulfil all basic needs, and yeah, you’ll be just 1 block from the beach!
    Minimum stay is 1 month, no maximum stay.
    Sorry, we do not take couples, our house is not set up for it.