Gathering of Fruit & Plants
Selvista · Bona Fide · Ometepe Island, Nicaragua
Mid-November · A day of growing, sharing, learning and tasting.
Come curious. Leave inspired to grow.
What happens when people who love plants come together? A day of sharing what we grow, discovering what the land can offer, and learning from the people who know it best. Join us at Selvista Bona Fide on Ometepe for a gathering centred on tropical fruits, plant diversity, and the connections we build through growing things together.
Explore our permaculture farm with Chris Shanks the dreamer, designer and innovator of Selvista, discover unusual tropical fruits, exchange plants with fellow growers, and taste the fresh harvest straight from the land.
Whether you have a garden full of fruit trees, a few plants on your balcony, or simply a curiosity about the incredible diversity of tropical plants, there is something here for you.
Come to learn something new, share what you know, meet like-minded people, and spend a day immersed in the living landscape of Ometepe.
Bring a plant. Bring your curiosity. Come share in the abundance.
What to expect
Plant exchange
Bring plants, cuttings, seedlings or seeds to exchange with others. Discover new varieties, share what grows well in your part of Nicaragua, and take home something new to grow.
The best exchanges are about more than plants. They are about the stories, experience and knowledge that come with them.
Explore the farm with Chris Shanks
Walk through Selvista Bona Fide with Chris Shanks, a pioneer of exotic plants and tropical permaculture on Ometepe and founder of Living System Solutions.
Discover the food forests, explore the diversity of tropical crops, and learn how thoughtful land design can create productive, interconnected growing systems.
Whether you are an experienced grower or just beginning, there is always something new to notice.
Grafting workshop
Get closer to the practical side of growing fruit trees. Learn about grafting and the possibilities it offers for propagating and cultivating fruit varieties.
A chance to exchange ideas, ask questions and take home knowledge you can put to use in your own garden or growing space.
Taste the harvest
Discover tropical fruits growing right here on the property. Taste fresh harvests, compare flavours and textures, and learn more about the plants that produce them.
From familiar favourites to less commonly encountered tropical fruits, there is a whole world of flavour growing around us.
Meet your plant people
Meet gardeners, farmers, collectors, growers and curious plant lovers from Ometepe and beyond.
Share experiences, exchange growing tips, find new connections and celebrate the simple pleasure of growing things together.
We want this to be a space where local knowledge, international experience and a shared love of plants can meet.
A living landscape, and a place to learn
Selvista Bona Fide is more than a place to visit. It is a working landscape shaped by years of planting, experimenting, observing and learning.
What was once a chemically treated plantain field has developed into a diverse tropical environment of food forests, fruit trees, edible plants, gardens and interconnected farm systems.
We believe that growing food can do more than feed us. It can connect us to the land, help us understand the natural systems around us, and bring people together through shared knowledge and experience.
This gathering is an opportunity to explore those ideas in practice, surrounded by the plants themselves.
Who is it for?
Anyone with an interest in plants is welcome.
You might be a local gardener looking for new varieties, a farmer interested in fruit-tree propagation, a collector of unusual tropical plants, a permaculture enthusiast, or someone who simply wants to discover more about what grows in Nicaragua.
You do not need to be an expert. Curiosity is enough.
Our aim is to bring together people from across Nicaragua, from local communities to the wider international community, and create opportunities to learn from one another.
Join us at Selvista Bona Fide
Spend a day exploring, exchanging, tasting and connecting in the tropical landscape of Ometepe.
Come for the plants, stay for the conversations, and leave with new ideas, new connections and perhaps a new addition to your garden.
Find Your Way to Selvista Bona Fide
A day among tropical fruits, growing plants and good company awaits.
We look forward to welcoming you to Selvista Bona Fide, in Balgüe on the island of Ometepe, Nicaragua.
Our farm is located just beyond Balgüe Bridge, along the main road on the Maderas side of the island. Look out for the wooden signs for Selvista, Bona Fide, La Bambouseraie and Zapote.
Getting here
Coming from Moyogalpa port by car or motorbike:
Leave the port and follow the main road towards Altagracia.
At El Quino, turn right towards Santa Domingo.
At Santa Cruz, turn left towards Balgüe.
Continue through Balgüe and cross Balgüe Bridge.
Take the first right approximately 100 metres after the bridge, following the wooden signs for Selvista and Bona Fide.
Important: Google Maps may direct you to the neighbouring properties, Finca Magdalena or Finca Ometepe. Do not turn off towards either property. Continue across Balgüe Bridge and look for our entrance on the right.
The final section of our driveway is rocky. If you are arriving in a small or low-clearance car, please use the lower parking area rather than attempting the steepest section.
Find the entrance on the map
Open our official Google Maps entrance pin
Please read the directions and look at the entrance photographs on this page before travelling, as the driveway may not be correctly shown on Google Maps.
Need help finding us?
If you have any questions on your journey, contact us and we will help guide you.
WhatsApp or phone: +505 8444 4519
We recommend saving the directions before setting off, particularly if you will be travelling without reliable mobile data.
Come grow with us
Bring a plant to share, an appetite for tropical fruit, and your curiosity. We look forward to welcoming you into our growing community at Selvista Bona Fide.