Borgarfjörður Eystri - Hikers' Paradise

WORK/PROJECT:

Volunteers will be part of a collective project to create a walkers/hikers paradise in the local environment of Borgarfjörður Eystri, a remote community in the Eastern fjords of Iceland. Creating the hikers paradise idea of the place is the main purpose of the project, when visitors come they feel that this place is ideal for hiking both in the town and in the surrounding area.

We will be based at a local guesthouse, which is visited by many travellers in the summer. The work will be creating the environment this area. Volunteers will be building walking paths, cleaning up the area, creating walls from stone and turf and other projects in the environment.

Volunteers will be given a chance to share some of their ideas for the area and developing them further if they wish.

ACCOMMODATION:

SEEDS volunteers will stay in a hotel/guesthouse, in shared rooms with a bathroom in each room. Please bring your own sleeping bag.

Volunteers will receive food and be in charge of the cooking and cleaning activities.

Do not forget some traditional/typical food from your home country for the international evening.

LOCATION:

According to locals this is the most beautiful place on earth. The work camp will take place in a hidden treasure called Borgarfjörður Eystri, in the East fjords, 70 km northeast of Egilsstaðir, in a small community of 130 people. It is a charming location overlooking a wide fjord and backed by mountains.  Inland from the fjord lays a beautiful grown valley, reaching about 10 km into the Eastern Mountains. Along it runs Fjarðará, a beautiful river with quite a few waterfalls. 

Not only does the area boast a spectacular landscape, a dream for every outdoor enthusiast, but the area is also the capital of puffins, elves and hiking. Borgarfjörður is by some called a hiking haven, with a good number of marked trails in an area of extreme beauty. Every summer about 10.000 pairs of puffins nest in Borgarfjörður, between 20^th of April to mid August. The area is also home to an extensive population of elves – judging by the 172 local folk tales involving elves.

In Borgarfjörður Eystri the beautiful mountain scenery stops your breath, mountains such as Dyrfjöll, Staðarfjall, Geitfell and Svartfell to name a few.            

The area is located in beautiful landscape with mountains and valleys. It is close to Hallormsstaðaskógur, the largest wooded area of the country that spreads over 30 ha. The tree collection keeps an extensive variety of foreign trees and is renowned among professionals and travellers. The oldest part of the woodland is accessible with good hiking trails and signs.

One of Iceland’s most beloved artists grew up there, Jóhannes Kjarval. In Kjarvalsstofa in community house Fjarðarborg you can see a show on Kjarval. The artist spent most of his summers in the East painting the colourful landscape of Borgarfjörður and the cove. He also painted the altar piece in the church, which is a must see for all visitors.

LANGUAGE:

English will be the official language in the camp; high proficiency is not a requirement.

TERMINAL:

Closest International Airport: Keflavík/Reykjavík (KEF). Domestic airport Egilsstaðir (EGS).

SEEDS organises the “minibus option”, a shared transport from Reykjavík to the camps and vice-versa, which apart from being cheaper and more convenient, allows volunteers to meet fellow campers and have a relaxed trip, while stopping on the way for interesting and tourist sites.

EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS:

Participation fee EUR 150 (Euros).

Volunteers should have a motivation for working outdoors and getting to know ways of living in rural areas in Iceland.

Leisure time activities for SEEDS volunteers include hikes, looking at newborn lambs with the local farmers, bird watching, and playing soccer and other sports in a sporting venue close by.

Age: 18+