Saving Iceland Camp - Starts 12 July 2008

A summer of International dissent and action against Heavy Industry - swarming around Iceland from the 12th of July 2008! Watch this space for new updates on the next direct action camp to save the largest remaining wilderness in Europe.

Updated April 4th, 2008.

Date:
The camp program starts July 12th with a program of skill and information sharing workshops, so be there by Friday the 11th, from which date camping and food will be available.
If you are a foreigner and planning to come to Iceland, we suggest you arrive on the Smyril Line ferry on the 3rd or 10th of July. If you need accomation before the 10th, this will be arranged - please get in touch.

Location:
The location of the camp will be made available when the camp starts through this website, infopoints in Reykjavik and Egilsstadir and an info-phone.
Please know that this year we will not pre-organise any Seydisfjordur - Reykjavik transport.
However, if you are coming on the ferry, do let us know that you are coming and on which dates.

Practicalities

Food:

Vegan meals will be provided throughout the camp by the new Icelandic mobile field kitchen that was setup last year. Food will be free/donation for those coming from other countries and served on a donation basis to others.
If you are an Icelander, we very much welcome food donations, preferably rice, pasta, potatoes, vegetables, fruit and bread.
If you are interested in joining the cooking crew and becoming a fully trained to cook for large groups of people, please email us: resources [at] savingiceland.org or knock on the kitchen tent's door.

Money:

Iceland is a famously expensive place to visit but at the camp you will not need to spend any money. Also, if you hitch-hike, use a tent and shop well at stores like Bónus you can live cheaply. When entering Iceland you legally must be able to prove that you have enough money to fund your stay, otherwise the border cops might not let you enter the country. For this you can either point to some cash on you or just show a credit/debit card. This shouldn't be a problem, dont worry.

Travelling to Iceland:

Boat:

Smyril Line sails from Denmark (Hanstholm), Norway (Bergen) and Scotland (Scrabster) to Iceland (Seyðisfjörður, in the East of Iceland). Prices tend to be cheapest if you book with their Danish office (they speak English). Paying in Danish Krona is supposedly cheapest.
If you remind Smyril Line that you are a "student" then you will get a good discount. You can usually easily change your ticket without any extra cost.
If you are able to bring a car, this is well worth it and does not usually cost much more then four foot passenger returns).
You are encouraged to arrive the 3rd or the 10th of July.
Whilst sailing look out for whales and dolphins...
Smyril-line - Ferry from Scotland, Denmark and Norway to Seydisfjordur.

Plane:

International flights usually land in Iceland's main airport, Keflavik. An airport transfer bus service (called the FlyBus) runs between the airport and Reykjavik bus terminal via various hotels (1100 Kr [1200Kr from 01 Jan 07], 45 minutes). A return is 300 Kr cheaper than 2 singles.

Iceland Express - Flights from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, France, Spain, Netherlands, Germany and UK - This is usually the cheapest airline to Iceland.

IcelandAir

British Airways - Flights from the UK - even cheaper than Iceland Express currently

SAS Scandinavian Airlines - Flights from Oslo

Travelling inside Iceland:

We will of course aim to coordinate any necessary camp related transport but there may be times when this is logistically impossible. Also, you may want to travel apart from the camp within Iceland. Like other Nordic countries you can legally pitch your tent on any patch of land that is not fenced off and is not in sight of someones house, for one night, apart from around Myvatn. Many villages have campsites you can pay to pitch at, and you can also stay at mountain huts and emergency shelters which are spread across the country (for info on these check a map). Check the weather report here or in the tourist information centre before you leave on a big journey

Commercial Transport:

Iceland's long distance bus system is slow and extremely expensive, so you might want to consider other means of travelling.
Bus Seydisfjordur - Egilsstadir: http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/bus_stop_seydisfiord_egilsstadir.htm
More busroutes and other practical info:
http://www.nat.is/travelguideeng/transportation1.htm

Internal flights are cheaper than buses but they obviously produce huge amounts of planet killing fumes [Air Iceland - Internal flights]

Renting a car is also very expensive for extended periods of time.

Hitch-hiking:

It is generally safe to hitch-hike and this kind of travel has lead to lots of exciting road-trips. Iceland has only one highway, Route 1, and it circles the island. Whether you should head along the North or South Route 1 is a matter of raging opinion which will never be settled. Hitching from Egilstadir to Reykjavik will usually take anything between one and four days. Make sure you stock up on supplies before you set off on a long journey, as you will not pass many shops. Try to travel in pairs if possible and be prepared to be unlucky and not get a ride for possibly a day or two. Make sure you have a tent if you hitch-hike.

By Bike:

Many people cycle around Iceland. It is 800km from Seydisfjordur to Reykjavik along the south route of Route 1, and it is mostly flat with a few insane hills. You should judge for yourself how long this will take you but we estimate that it will take you about 10 days to cross the country. The north Route of Route 1 is longer and crosses through the mountaneous interior highlands of Iceland. There are not many opportunities to buy food along the way so make sure you are well stocked and equiped.

Icebike.net - Very Useful general information of cycling in Iceland

By Car:

Cars of all kinds are extreemly useful: 4x4s, mini buses and vans especially, though small cars that don't use much fuel are too. The cheapest way to travel on the Smyril-Line Norona ship is to fill your car up with people. If you email us in advance, we may be able to organise people to share your seats and cost.

You can circle the country in the summer in a usual road car without a problem. But, entering the central-highlands in something other than a 4x4 can be highly problematic. Most of the Central-Highlands roads are just mud tracks, meaning that they are extremely potholed and can have rivers running through them. We say this as a caution, but many people do take these sorts of vehicles through 4x4 tracks... The higher your vehicle is off the ground the better. Most mountain roads and roads in the interior of Iceland have a surface of loose gravel. The same applies to large sections of the national highway, but which also has long stretches of asphalt. The surface on the gravel roads is often loose, especially along the sides of the roads, so one should drive carefully and slow down whenever approaching an oncoming car. Always observe speed limits, they are there for very valid reasons. The mountain roads are also often very narrow, and are not made for speeding. The same goes for bridges, most are only wide enough for one car at a time. In addition to not having an asphalt surface, the mountain roads are often very windy. Journeys therefore often take longer than might be expected.
For information on road conditions, Tel.: +354-1777, daily 8:00-16:00. or click here

According to the law everyone must drive with their headlights on, even in daytime. The general speed limit is 50 km/h in urban areas, 80 km/h on gravel roads in rural areas, and 90 km/h on asphalt roads. Always slow greatly down before approaching a bridge. Even relatively smooth roads have nasty potholes on either side of bridges. Asphalt roads tend to change suddenly and even without warning into gravel roads. That can be very dangerous if you are not driving at a sensible speed and has often caused terrible accidents. Traffic sign posting in Iceland is to put it mildly, sloppy. Don't trust maps just because they show drivable tracks. Mountain tracks can suddenly vanish or become unusable. Be extreemly cautious when crossing rivers. Small streams tend to swell into forcefull rivers in the afternoons, so are best crossed early in the morning. Always make sure another vehicle is present when crossing a river. Expect roaming herds of sheep and cows on roads when driving anywhere in the countryside, and if you knock a sheep over then you legally have to contact the relevant farmer immediately. Petrol stations are few and far between around Iceland and are non-existent in the highlands, so make sure you always fill up when possible,and have spare cans. STICK ONLY TO THE ROADS AS OFF-ROAD DRIVING in the summer IS VERY DESTRUCTIVE TO THE FRAGILE SUB-ARCTIC ICELANDIC VEGETATION, and is also illegal.

What to Bring:

Absolute essentials:

* Waterproof clothing (Coat and trousers), it can rain horrendously.
* Good hiking shoes (trainers can be very dangerous in the highlands.)
* Thermal underwear (it can get very cold!)
* Other warm clothing (eg wool jumpers, gloves, etc.)
* Summertime clothing - it's not always cold!
* Double skinned tent (or find someone to share with.)
* At least a two season sleeping bag, three season highly recommended but not essential.

Highly recommended:

* Camera / video-camera. Especially digital equipment (these are invaluable at the camp). Lots of DV tapes are also very useful.
* Your own cutlery (knife/fork/spoon),
* Plate or bowl and a cup
* Camping cooking equipment (especially if you go travelling on your own)
* Torch
* Maps
* Compass
* GPS
* Medical equipment
* If you are sensitive to light when trying to sleep then you should bring an eye mask because the sun will be in the sky all night.
* Cars of all kinds, 4x4s, mini buses and vans especially, though small cars that don't use much fuel are also useful. These are incredibly useful for the camp functioning.
* Mobile phones, especially NMT phones that are more useful the highlands.
* An Icelandic sim card. These are free with Siminn if you buy credit. A good place to get them is the Siminn shop in Egilsstadir near the Bonus or in Keflavik airport. Highly recommended.
* Suncream.

For actions:

(The police might try to confiscate these when you enter, think of a reason why you might need them that's not connected to the camp)
* Climbing harness
* Climbing clips
* Bicycle locks
* Paints and brushes.
* Banners

For the camp:

* Your driving licence, so you can drive a camp car.
* Food for the camp kitchen. In particular please bring special vegan products. This is a country whose biggest supermarket puts milk into its humus!! You can bring in 3kg of food per person. Half/whole Kilo bags of spices (turmeric, pepper, curry etc) are useful.
* Is there an environmental/social struggle in your area? Why not bring some fliers or a film?
* Do not bring ANY drugs to the camp!

Other

* You can legally bring in 2 liters of alcohol. Alcohol is very expensive in Iceland.

Other links

Icelandic Diplomatic Missions

Icelandic Directorate of Immigration - VISAS etc.

Underestimating Mother Nature May Cost Your Life - Article in Grapevine about the dangers of traveling in the Icelandic highlands without the necessary precautions.

Icetourist

LonelyPlanet

The National Land Survey of Iceland

The Icelandic Meteorological office