Iceland Wilderness Management Programme

More details on the work involved

Volunteers will help with all practical nature conservation work in the Þórsmörk area. This includes trail maintenance and improved trail marking for visitors. Well marked trails help to protect fragile areas from the affects of trampling by encouraging hikers to keep to the paths. Good trails also improve safety for visitors to the area. Other tasks may include the removal of invasive plant species and GPS trail mapping. The teams work closely with local staff in the area and our teams now play a very important role in the practical management of the Þórsmörk area .

Valahnúkur is a 458m peak close to the camp at Langidalur and has been the focus of a large part of our volunteer work in recent years. The steep mountain trails are susceptible to erosion because of a combination of the areas fragile vegetation and high rainfall. Maintenance work in the area has included building stone steps, digging drainage and adding grass seeds to eroded areas in encourage restoration.

Work in recent years has also focused on the Landmannalaugar to Þórsmörk trail where a variety of projects have been organised to help maintain the busy footpath. In most years the trail is in use from July to September although early in the season there is a possibility of snow in the area. Our work has included placing way-markers and improving drainage on the trail. Much of the low lying area around Þórsmörk is birth and willow woodland so where possible local timber is used to construct steps and repair sections of the trails. In upland areas stone is used for trail repairs. These are gathered from close to the work sites and as they are moved by hand the work can be quite physically demanding.

Health, weather, facilities

The gulf stream and the south-westerly winds from the Atlantic give Iceland a mild temperature. However, the unfortunate side is that this warm air creates condensation which in turn brings lots of rain! Summers in Iceland can be very erratic - be prepared for mostly rainy, damp conditions, with occasional sunny spells. In July, one fine day is the norm! But the next day can be worse with very strong wind driven rain and thick fog! Temperatures in the summer average about 10 degrees celsius, but remember that it will be mostly light whilst you are there due to the midnight sun phenomenon. If the sun does come out, the beauty is breathtaking!

Feedback from Previous Volunteers

If you're interested to read more about ex-volunteers feedback on the Iceland Wilderness Management Programme, click here. We will be happy to provide you with further details if you want to get in touch with some of them.

How to get involved?

If you are interested in joining this project, you will need to fill out the online application form (you can also print it out and send it to us by post) – to secure a placement on the project, please complete and submit the form including two references and your deposit of £110. If for some reason, your application is declined, we would reimburse this deposit fully. However for those who are accepted, the full amount needs to be paid one month before departure. Once the full sum is paid, you will receive a pre-departure package with all detailed information on your project, Iceland, suggested items to bring etc.