📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
SEEDS
💼 What the programme involves
In this project SEEDS volunteers will be mostly doing construction, repair and marking of hiking trails and walking paths in the beautiful fjords of the easternmost area of Iceland, in the Fjarðabyggð district, the area known as a hiking paradise characterised by high mountains surrounding deep fjords.
SEEDS volunteers will be working under the supervision and with a group from The Environment Agency of Iceland. The main tasks will be to mark and repair hiking trails or walking paths in the protected area of Hólmaness and Neskaupstaður. The path maintenance will be done using manual labour, since machinery is not allowed in the protected area, and using natural materials available on the site.
Well maintained paths enable people to visit these amazing areas without damaging them and this important work also helps to improve safety for visitors. Additional tasks may be cleaning or beautifying the area, like hand-picking garbage or collecting trash blown by the wind or brought by the sea to the shores and surrounds.
The working day normally runs from 09:00 - 17:00 with breaks for lunch and coffee; however, please be prepared for some flexibility due to the nature of Iceland’s changeable weather. Volunteers need to be prepared for working and walking in a wild landscape and sometimes cold weather. Be prepared to experience all kinds of weather and bring warm winter clothes as the tasks take place outside and it can get cold. Bring warm under-layers, waterproofs, walk
🏠 Accommodation on site
SEEDS participants will be hosted in a local mountain hut in the municipality, away from the towns. Volunteers will sleep on mattresses on the floor sharing rooms. Please bring your own sleeping bag.
The hut is equipped with a kitchen. Volunteers will be provided food supplies and will share the duties of cooking and cleaning. Do not forget some traditional/typical food or drinks from home for the international evening. There is no shower in the house, but the volunteers will have free access to showers in the local swimming pool.
📍 About the location
The project takes place in the municipality of Fjarðabyggð, East of Iceland in a beautiful area surrounded by magnificent mountains, picturesque fjords and the sea. Fjarðabyggð is comprised of six fjords, Mjóifjörður, Eskifjörður, Reyðarfjörður, Norðfjörður, Fáskrúðsfjörður and Stöðvafjörður. The name of the municipality, which is the most easterly one in Iceland, has a strong fjord connection, meaning the people/or the settlement of the fjords. Of the municipality’s six villages the most populous one, is Neskaupstaður, with about 1,400 residents. The attractions are a combination of landscape, history and easy going attitude towards life.
ℹ️ Additional information
Participation fee EUR 250 (Euros). Please note that these fees are to be paid to SEEDS on arrival in either Euros or Icelandic krónas. The participation fee does not include the transportation from Reykjavík to the camp and back but we estimate the costs about EUR 75 each way.