Hiking trails near Katla volcano

WORK/PROJECT: SEEDS volunteers will be working with the southernmost municipality of Iceland, in Vík í Mýrdal. Volunteers will mostly be doing environmental work in the area.

The main tasks will be to mark hiking trails around the town and on Hjörleifshöfði island/mountain. Volunteers will also help to prepare tourist destinations for the summer and do some painting in the town. Other tasks will be cleaning and beautifying the area and some vegetation work.  Volunteers might be asked to do some other related tasks.

The work can get physically demanding and might require a good physical condition.

Weather conditions in Iceland are unpredictable, so be prepared to experience all kinds of weather and be sure to bring warm clothing since most of the work will take place outdoors.

ACCOMMODATION: SEEDS volunteers will be hosted in a local house in the town Vík. Volunteers will sleep on mattresses on the floor. Please bring your own sleeping bag.

The house is equipped with a kitchen. Volunteers will share the duties of preparing food, cooking meals and cleaning. There is no shower in the local house, but volunteers will have free access to showers in the local swimming pool.

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

LOCATION: The project takes place in the south of Iceland in a beautiful area surrounded by mountains and glaciers to the north and facing the Atlantic Ocean to the south.

The inhabitants here live in constant threat of volcanic eruptions. The area was hit during the recent eruptions in Eyjafjallajökull 2010 and Vatnajökull 2011 and got covered by ashes, but the natives here are strong minded and ‘folded up their sleeves’ as the Icelanders express it and proved the common believe that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Vík is located in an area called Mýrdalur. Mýrdalur is bordered by the glacial river Jökulsá to the west and the river Blautakvísl to the east. Its northern border is the Mýrdalsjökull glacier, which caps the volcanic Mt. Katla, while its southern limits are black sands and the rolling Atlantic waves. The district lives mainly on agriculture. Although this community of 600 inhabitants faces the open Atlantic, Vík is the only seaside settlement in Iceland left without a harbour due to natural circumstances.

The natural beauty of the area is spectacular. Just east of the village's outskirts lies one of Europe's biggest arctic tern breeding grounds. South of Vík is a beautiful beach, which the international Magazines named one of the world's ten best island beaches in 1991.

A short hike within the close vicinity of Vík is sure to satisfy all serious nature lovers and bird watchers. Vík and its surroundings is one of the main bird life areas in Iceland.

LANGUAGE: English will be the language in the camp; basic conversational skills are needed.

TERMINAL: Closest international Airport: Keflavík/Reykjavík (KEF).

SEEDS organises a “minibus option”, a shared transport from Reykjavík to the camps and back. Apart from being cheap and convenient, it allows volunteers to meet fellow campers and have a relaxed trip, while stopping on the way for interesting sites.

EXTRAS / SPECIAL REMARKS: Participation fee EUR 200 (Euros). Please note that these fees are to be paid to SEEDS on arrival in either Euros or Icelandic krónas.

Our hosting partner will organise some free time activities for SEEDS volunteers, for instance short excursions and hikes in the area.

Age: 18+