📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Worldwide Friends (WF) is a non-profit organization founded in 2001 with the mission to promote nature conservation, intercultural understanding, and peace through volunteer activities in Iceland.
In 2026, our focus will be on climate action, community resilience, and sustainable lifestyles â empowering participants to take meaningful action in their daily lives and local communities.
WF organizes a variety of programs, including international workcamps, seminars, local community projects, and exchange programs, open to both young people and adults who wish to make a positive impact while experiencing Iceland's unique culture and natural beauty.
Hveragerði:
Our host is a non-profit organization called the NLFI Rehabilitation and Health Clinic, which is a part of the Natural Health Association of Iceland.
Sólheimar:
Sólheimar is an eco-village in Iceland and is renowned for its ecological, artistic, and international community ethics. Its current population size is about 100 people.
Now powered with thermal and solar energy, the village is fully sustainable, boasting greenhouses, an arboretum, egg-laying facilities and forestry programmes.
💼 What the programme involves
Placement in the field: Art, Environmental & Renovation Work / Group Management.
Duration: 12 weeks
2 Locations: Hveragerdi & Solheimar Eco-Village
Participants will have the opportunity to visit one or two projects. During this project, the placements will be based on availability and Organization needs. Both projects are within 30 min distance.
Please note that this project is a learning/exchange project where everyone is expected to contribute their own knowledge and experience, and not a standard work camp.
Tasks: Coordinate the work, organize house schedule, and leisure activities, shop, supervise cooking sessions and plan excursions. Organize Workshops. Apart from these additional responsibilities, you will participate in general activities as a volunteer. Projects are organized with international volunteers.
Main Project Activities: Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry, Gardening & Renovation. Improve the environmental education and consciousness of the project's participants.
Hveragerði:
The work in this camp is coordinated by The Natural Health Association. They have a Horticultural and Environmental Department, including Forestry, Gardening, and Agriculture (Greenhouse), which is where Worldwide Friends volunteers work most of the time. The work will be in the greenhouses planting and harvesting vegetables, doing weed control and sometimes you will also be gardening. The agriculture that is practiced in the center is organic/bio.
The workcamp leaders will work as a team under the supervision of the Project Manager of the organization, and the Manager from the NHAI.
Sólheimar:
The main work in this camp will be in forestry called í–lur and also in the greenhouses which are called Sunna.
The main activities, but not limited to are; Forestry; managing, planting, using, conserving, and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Agriculture: cultivating soil; planting; raising, and harvesting crops. Horticulture: growing fruits, vegetables, and plants. Environmental work on the property (Renovation when needed)
*During winter the work might include snowplowing. Participants might be required to help in the workshops in Solheimar.
🏠 Accommodation on site
Hveragerði:
House operated by The Natural Health Association in Hveragerði. Located within the medical compound, the house features 9 single rooms, a fully equipped kitchen, 2 bathrooms, and a shared common area for relaxation and group activities.
House Capacity: 9 participants total
Sólheimar:
The house is across the village and has 4 double rooms with a private bathroom each, a fully equipped kitchen, and common areas. The common areas are shared with some of the local workers.
House Capacity: 8 participants total
Food is provided and everyone is expected to do their fair share of the cooking and cleaning. We provide a well-balanced and healthy variety of food products that includes a wide variety of whole grains, seasonal fruits & vegetables, pantry staples, dairy products, vegetarian/vegan options.
Since it is always nice to try new and different dishes, volunteers are encouraged to bring along their favorite recipes from home! Wireless internet access is provided free of charge.
We encourage our volunteers to try vegan and vegetarian food during their stay with us.
📍 About the location
Hveragerði:
There's plenty to enjoy in Hveragerði, a charming town known as the hot spring capital of Iceland.
Surrounded by geothermal activity and stunning landscapes, it's a perfect place for both outdoor
adventures and relaxation. You'll find scenic hiking trails, greenhouses warmed by natural hot
springs, a geothermal park, a swimming pool, cozy cafés, and local art galleries.
Sólheimar:
A number of interesting attractions are located within the Sólheimar village itself, such as the
charming coffee shop GrÞna Kannan, Vala Market & Art Boutique: to shop for beautifully hand-
crafted pieces, visit Skalholt Cathedral, and workshops run by local businesses like candle-
making, carpentry, weaving, and soap-making. Surrounded by geothermal activity and stunning
landscapes, it's a perfect place for both outdoor adventures and relaxation in the local swimming
pool and gym.
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WF Iceland organizes affordable weekend and one-day excursions to Iceland's most stunning
natural sites â including waterfalls, glaciers, volcanic and geothermal areas, lava fields, hot
springs, and more.
Explore available trips at: wf.is/excursions
(A minimum number of participants is required to run excursions.)
Nature is always within reach here â go hiking, play golf, try ocean swimming, or even skiing.
Remember to plan your hikes safely, respect nature, stay on marked trails, and never climb
steep mountains without a professional guide.
The Northern Lights can be seen from September to April, when the skies are dark and clear.
⚠️ Requirements
An Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate level of English is required. Other languages are seen as an advantage.
During the application process we require an Online Interview with the participant.
Leaders should bring clothes appropriate for outdoor work, but also clothes for working inside the warm greenhouses.
ℹ️ Additional information
Please note!!! This is only open for participants with good knowledge or education in the field of Agriculture or Environmental Science.
Salary per month: No salaries or pocket money are paid
- Local travels: You will have the opportunity to travel all around Iceland free of charge with the scheduled minibus trips organized by WF Iceland. Please note that travels during your free time are not paid for
- Int. travels: Not paid
-Insurance: Not provided. You need Medical Insurance for your stay in Iceland.
