The project
Love being outdoors and don’t mind getting your hands dirty? This volunteer project takes you right into the heart of Reykjavík’s beautiful Botanical Gardens – a peaceful space bursting with over 5,000 plant species from the northern temperate zone.
You’ll work alongside the local horticultural team on a range of gardening and conservation tasks. Expect general park maintenance, helping with planting, weeding, composting and supporting events like guided tours and summer festivals. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn about plant conservation, support green spaces, and enjoy a real sense of calm and connection with nature.
Working hours: Monday to Thursday, 8:00–15:00. On Fridays, you’ll finish at 12:00 – part of the garden’s ongoing experiment with shorter working weeks. That means long afternoons free to explore!
Accommodation & food
You’ll live in a volunteer house inside the Botanical Gardens:
Shared rooms (up to 6 people)
Equipped kitchen, dining room, living room
Bathrooms, showers and washing machine
Bring your own towel, and be considerate of shared spaces – you’ll be living with volunteers from other projects too!
You’ll receive food supplies to prepare vegetarian meals as a group. Cooking and cleaning duties are shared – it’s a great way to bond with other volunteers.
Don’t forget to bring something from home – a recipe, snack, or game – to share at intercultural evenings!
Please note: Ingredients and treats can be expensive in Iceland, so bring favourites from home if you can.
Location & leisure
Reykjavík is unlike any city you’ve ever visited – where geothermal energy heats the homes, mountains line the horizon, and puffins are regular neighbours.
In your free time, you’ll be just 4km from the city centre. Explore local cafés, try an Icelandic hot dog, or soak in a geothermal pool. On weekends, gather some friends and chase waterfalls, hike volcanoes or visit black sand beaches.
This placement is great for anyone looking to reconnect with nature, experience life in one of the world’s greenest cities, and join a warm international volunteer community.
Project host
This is the fifthteenth year in a row that the Botanical Gardens in Reykjavík has been running. The Botanical Gardens are an outdoor collection of living plants, founded in 1961 and it will celebrate its 65th anniversary in 2026. The gardens’ main role is to conserve plants for education, research and delight. They conserve about 5000 plant species in eight plant collections, which give an idea of the enormous diversity of vegetation in the northern temperate zone. The garden is open to the public and free of charge.
You will be doing general park maintenance and assisting the horticultural staff tending to the collection of perennials, alpine trees and shrubs in the garden. The garden organises guided tours and events throughout the summer, with which the volunteers may assist in their preparation. These special events are all related to the general aim and work of the garden and some of them are carried out at short notice.
Interested?
Thinking about joining this project but not sure if it’s right for you? Or maybe a parent looking for more details?
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