New Year's photography, environment and Aurora hunting workshop
Reykjavik, Iceland December 27, 2025 - January 5, 2026
Volunteer project: Celebrate the New Year in a vibrant city with new friends from around the world! Watch the large fireworks display illuminate the sky, celebrate around a bonfire and party into the night!
In this project, participants can learn more about and share their passion for global and local environmental issues, as well as photography. If you are interested in topics such as climate change, waste management and sustainability, and you also love taking photos, then this project is for you!
While developing artistic and technical photography skills, you will be focusing on environmental and sustainability issues through non-formal activities such as workshops, discussions, presentations and visits facilitated by the project coordinators. One of our aims is to help create more environmentally aware consumers and travellers!
You will visit local projects focused on the environment and conservation. These may include hands-on activities or guided visits, such as outdoor cleanup tasks, a local fauna and/or flora exhibition or an Icelandic culture museum. Some of these activities are dependent on weather conditions, as well as availability of our partners.
You will also have time to put the theory about photography into practice while exploring the city. At the end of the project, the best photographs from each participant are selected for an online exhibition. Participants should bring their own digital cameras, lenses, tripods and laptops if possible.
The program combines learning, sharing, hands-on activities, getting to know Iceland, its culture, having fun, exploring the city and its attractions, as well as some stunning natural sites in possible excursions. Participants should prepare to share environmental issues from their countries and should be ready to spend time outdoors walking medium distances (up to 1.5 hours) during activities and sightseeing.
Please note that this project is a learning/sharing camp and not a standard workcamp. This project has a smaller volunteer work part and puts a bigger emphasis on the personal learning process than on the community impact.
In this project, we will organize a Night photography and Aurora hunting (Northern lights) workshop in the city or in the vicinity of Reykjavík. This will take place during late evening and possibly into the night. The Northern lights are a natural phenomenon depending on solar activity and meteorological conditions, so we cannot guarantee you will see the Northern lights, but the night photography workshop will be organised anyway.
Language: English
Leisure time: Some excursions (e.g. to the Golden Circle, Hot River hike and/or South Shore) can be arranged at discount fares.
Accommodation: The group will stay in a house in Reykjavík. The facilities are basic with an equipped kitchen, dining and living room, bathrooms, showers and a washing machine. As participants sleep in shared rooms with up to 6 people, everyone is expected to behave considerately. Please note, the food provided is vegetarian.
Location: Reykjavik is a dynamic, modern city which lives in harmony with nature, using renewable energy sources. The world’s northernmost capital bridges the Atlantic between Europe and North America. Reykjavík is spread across a peninsula with a panoramic view of the mountains and the Atlantic. It is an international city with a lively cosmopolitan cultural scene surrounded by beautiful nature.
Terminal: Closest international Airport: Keflavík/Reykjavík (KEF). Bus station: Central Reykjavík (BSÍ).
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 450 Euro
The fee includes transportation from the meeting point to the project site on the first day and the Night photography workshop.
The extra fee is intended to support the local host of the project. It can either be transferred in advance via bank transfer, or paid in cash on arrival.
School renovation and teaching in Daman
Daman, Makwanpur, Nepal December 20, 2025 - January 3, 2026
Volunteer project: We have been operating in Daman since 2012. Daman is quite isolated and most people are farmers, living a traditional life, as they have done for generations. However, times are changing and the community has a severe lack of funds to keep up with the rapid changes that Nepal is undergoing.
Knowledge of other cultures and the ability to speak English are vital skills for young Nepalese people. Many look forward to a future in the tourism business, and therefore the ability to communicate effectively with foreigners will increase their chances of having a better life once they leave the village.
We also believe that our volunteers benefit a lot from staying in Daman. Living in a completely different culture with local hosts and adjusting to their conditions is an unforgettable experience. Teaching locals to think in new and different ways is to their benefit, learning from their unique way of life is yours.
Our main aim is therefore to make life easier and more enjoyable particularly for the youth in Daman by giving them better prospects for the future through improving the facilities and the teaching at the local high school, where volunteers will mainly paint and decorate classrooms. Besides the educational and manual work in the school, the volunteers will also help with some construction and agriculture tasks in the community.
Language: English
Free time activities: Daman offers beautiful nature, inviting you to take a hike for some spectacular views. While trekking the Daman Hill (about 2500 m), you can see more than 10 peaks of the Himalayan range. Volunteers can go hiking to the local hilltop Patal or to Markhu to enjoy the Himalayan panorama. They can visit neighboring villages and temples, the historical Chitlang palace, or Chitwan national park (150 km from Palung).
Accommodation: In Daman, the volunteers have the unique opportunity to stay with a local family. This is great way to gain an insight into the Nepalese culture and enjoy the friendliness of the people here. Please bring your own sleeping bag. Volunteers will have three traditional meals a day, mostly the Nepalese national dish Dhal Bhat and Tarkari. Showers with cold water are available. You can enjoy probably the finest view of the Himalayas extending on a good day from Dhaulagiri in the west to Mount Everest in the east.
Arrival and orientation: Volunteers are requested to arrive in Kathmandu one day before the project starts. Details about the local host, the project and the travel arrangements will be provided. Volunteers will travel together from Kathmandu to the project site in Daman by bus.
Location: Daman is a small village in the Thaha Municipality, Makwanpur District, Bagmati Province in central Nepal. It lies about 100 km southwest of Kathmandu, at an elevation of about 2,322 meters (7,620 feet) above sea level. Daman is renowned for its panoramic views of the Himalayan Mountain range, providing visitors with stunning vistas of peaks like Annapurna, Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Langtang, Dorje Lakpa, and others on clear days.
Age range: 18 and over
Extra fee: 275 Euro
Airport pick-up and transportation from Kathmandu to the project site by bus is included.
The extra fee is intended to support the local host of the project who does not have sufficient funds. It is due upon arrival.