Project and location: To truly sense the remote beauty of the north-east, the charming little fishing village of Þórshöfn on the north-eastern coast is the right place to go. The town of Þórshöfn with its 388 inhabitants lies at the very tip of the Langanes peninsula. There are plenty of outdoor activities to choose from: hiking, salmon and trout fishing, as well as horse trekking in Iceland‘s most astonishing landscape. The Langanes Peninsula is also one of the best areas to spot Iceland‘s rich and varied birdlife. Þórshöfn is within driving distance of some of Iceland‘s most prized natural pearls, such as Myvatn, renowned for its geothermal activity, and Dettifoss, one of Europe‘s highest and most spectacular waterfalls. This village has a beautiful natural harbour and the inhabitants’ livelihood depends mostly on fishing, fish processing and commerce.
For additional information, visit: http://www.langanesbyggd.is/category.php?catID=17.
Work: Most of the work will consist of cleaning and beautifying the towns and the surrounding area. We will also do some other environmental tasks for example clean the coastline, plant trees or build hiking paths. Our work will also depend on weather conditions and that’s why we have to be flexible. Please keep in mind that the work might be physically hard and you should be prepared for unfriendly weather, even though, hopefully, it will be nice most of the time. This is a perfect camp for people who like outdoor work and physical challenges.
Leisure time: Worldwide Friends volunteers have free access to the local geothermal-heated swimming pool in Eskifjörður. Traditionally, natural pools have played an important social role in Icelandic culture. Most Icelandic pools offer indoor and outdoor swimming, as well as hot tubs and saunas or steam rooms. WF Iceland will organise reasonably-priced weekend excursions to some of the most popular, beautiful areas and natural wonders that Iceland has to offer. Excursions include unique Icelandic sights such as waterfalls, volcanic and geothermal areas, glaciers, lava forests, hot-springs, rhyolite mountain ranges, steam-vents, or even icebergs. The area in the East is also good for hiking so please bring your hiking shoes.
Accommodation and food: The volunteers will stay In the WF house in Eskifjordur. Beds and sheets will be provided and everyone is asked to bring his/her own warm sleeping bags and towels. The food will be supplied for the duration of the work camp and everyone is expected to do his/her fair share of the cooking/cleaning. It would be nice to try new and different dishes, so please remember to bring along recipes and specialities from your own countries.
Language: The language of the camp is English.
Terminal: Intl. Airport: Keflavík (KEF), Reykjavík. The closest national airport to the camp site is Egilsstaðir airport which is 40 km away from the project’s site. Flights arrive at Keflavik International Airport (KEF), just south of Reykjavik. WF Iceland will offer a minibus trip from Reykjavik to the East for a fair price (150 € for the round trip which is almost 1.400 km in total). On the way to the camp we will go through the South to the East of the island. After the camp we will go through the North and west to Reykjavik if the road conditions are good enough. This trip includes unique Icelandic sights such as glacial lagoons, waterfalls, volcanic and geothermal areas, glaciers, lava fields, hot-springs, rhyolite mountain ranges, steam-vents, or even icebergs.
Additional Information: There is an extra participation fee of 200,- Euro for this workcamp.