Iceland Wilderness Management Programme

Volunteer to work, restore and preserve the Þórsmörk Wilderness area in Iceland - a collaboration between BTCV, Iceland's Environmental Agency and WorkingAbroad Projects

Iceland

Iceland is a country filled with legend, sagas, rich history and folkore, and its wild landscape contains mist-filled volcanoes, glaciers, geysers, hot springs, dramatic valleys and waterfalls everywhere you look. The first impression when you come to Iceland is that you are stepping into an unknown landscape, not unlike that of the Moon! The winters provide a spectacle of the Aurora Borealis and in the summers, the sun never goes down and shines at midnight.

Þórsmörk Wilderness area, south Iceland
Þórsmörk is a forested glacial valley in the south of Iceland, named after the Norse god Thor (Þór) and is one of the most beautiful areas in the country. The nature reserve area is managed by Iceland’s Forestry Service (Skógrækt ríkisins) who maintains the area’s network of hiking trails in partnership with the Icelandic touring companies who manage Þórsmörk’s mountain huts. It is situated in the south of Iceland between the glaciers Tindfjallajökull and Eyjafjallajökull. It is a very popular area amongst hikers. A lot of different tours are possible, from hiking on the glaciers to trekking (i.e., Laugavegur up to Landmannalaugar) (which is possibly one of the five best treks in the world) or smaller excursions, such as to the canyon Stakkholtsgjá with its waterfall or five small day treks, to the summits of surrounding peaks, with rewarding views, even in bad weather. The valley is closed in between glaciers, Mýrdalsjökull being at the rear end of the valley. This leads to an especially warm climate, better than in the rest of south Iceland.

Iceland Wilderness Management Volunteer Programme Details

2012 Dates:

1st to 13th July
15th to 27th July
29th July to 10th August
12th to 24th August

For any questions on these dates, please email: Victoria.McNeil@workingabroad.com

The Þórsmörk nature protection area is managed by Iceland’s Forestry Agency and international volunteers have played a very important part in the management of the areas hiking trails since 2006. Despite its remoteness, Þórsmörk is a very popular hiking area due to its spectacular landscape of birch forests and glaciers.

As a volunteer, you will be working in small teams with qualified and experienced team leaders carrying out a variety of wilderness management projects, including all aspects of trail repair work including way-marking, bridge building, step construction and drainage as well as GPS mapping. Well maintained paths enable people to visit these amazing areas without damaging them and this important work also helps to improve safety for visitors. In addition, you will be helping the wardens in the area.

This is a very special area in the south of the country. It does not have national park status but is managed by the forestry service and soil conservation service. Volunteers have been working there for several years and it is ideally suited for those interested to work in a remote, wilderness setting.

No previous experience of this work is necessary as training will be provided by experienced leaders. 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. Many of our worksites are in the mountains which can mean up to 2 hours walking each day. Please note that facilities in Þórsmörk are basic. All volunteers need to bring a sturdy tent and warm clothes (or you can rent a tent when you arrive).

As a team of five volunteers, you will be supervised by experienced long term volunteers and staff from the Iceland Conservation Volunteers (ICV).

Food and accommodation

The conditions will be quite tough! You will be living at a base camp at Básar in Þórsmörk where you will be staying and eating - facilities are basic You will need a tent that is sturdy and can withstand strong winds! Simple cooking facilities will be provided at the base camp, as well as your food supply. So you will cook as a group and live in your individual tents. The base camp has the following facilities: a cooking tent, hot showers, toilets etc. A list of personal items to bring will be given to you with your final package if you are accepted on the project. If you wish to rent a tent, this is possible and the extra cost is 40 GBP - please email victoria.mcneil@workingabroad.com if interested and this will be provided when you arrive.

Transport

The meeting point for the commencement of the programme is on the starting dates: 1st July, 15th July, 29th July and 12th August at 17.00h at the Básar campsite. Buses from Reykjavik's BSÍ Coach Station run daily to Básar in Þórsmörk during the summer and the journey takes approximately 4 hours, the cost is around 70 GBP for a return ticket. It is recommended that you fly into Reykjavik the day before your starting date where you can spend the night at the Youth Hostel (cheapest in Reykjavik) and catch the bus in the morning, please note the bus only runs once a day (leaving around 08:00). Flights to and from Iceland are usually with Icelandair, however, for those volunteers coming from England and Denmark, a budget airline called Iceland Express has daily flights from London Stansted and Copenhagen (www.icelandexpress.co.uk) Please note, you are responsible for all of your bus and airline costs to and from the meeting point. From mainland Europe there is also the possibility to take a Ferry, passing the Faroe Islands.

Type of volunteers needed

You should be between 20 to 50 years old, fit, healthy and capable of carrying out work in all conditions in a cold and wet climate. In addition, you need to be prepared to do a lot of walking and hiking on uneven ground every day, and to be comfortable living in rustic conditions and camping in a tent for two weeks. The area of Þórsmörk is rugged wilderness, so it is important that you have already had some exposure to this type of terrain. This is not the programme for you if you find it difficult to be out in remote areas and cannot hike at least 2 hours every day on uneven terrain, or have no previous wilderness and camping experience. No specific skills are needed, but those with previous experience of manual conservation work, trail work, botany, terrestrial monitoring etc. would be particularly useful, as well as those who are self-motivated, as you will get more out of the project if you are. The project will especially appeal to those with an interest in conservation, restoration, wilderness and low impact camping. Anyone with additional skills is especially welcome!

Costs

The cost for the two week programme is £380, which covers all project costs, including all food for two weeks, camping, equipment provided for the project (not personal), comprehensive insurance cover, lightweight cooking facilities, all training and supervision by project manager and volunteers, WorkingAbroad Projects backup and placement support, and so on. For volunteers wishing to join for more than 2 weeks, discounts are available on 4, 6 or 8 week durations. Please email victoria.mcneil@workingabroad.com for more information.

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