Welcome to the Nauteyri Project!
Welcome to Nauteyri in Iceland’s stunning Westfjords region. Please read on if you are interested in helping the environment, if you have ever visited Iceland, if you want to visit Iceland, if you are Icelandic or if you have any interest in tourism, water sports, the great outdoors or sustainable development.
We think that just about covers everyone; but if not – you should also read on if you want to win a trip to Iceland, just by doing your bit for charity.
If you’re still reading, here goes: Nauteyri is a 5,500 hectare plot of land in the Strandabyggð municipality. It is currently owned by the local government and they are trying to sell it.
They recently took the admirable decision to decline an offer from a local fishing company for around 90% below its market price and therefore the land is still for sale.
Now, as you probably know, 5,500 hectares is a huge slab of land. It’s bigger than anyone could possibly need. It’s 13,590 acres. 55 square kilometres. 21.2 square miles. Or 6.1448798202e-25 square light years, if you prefer.
And that’s why we are proposing turning a very large part of it into a legally-protected nature reserve. But here’s the fun part: a nature reserve which is also a centre for sustainable tourism which becomes financially self-sustaining and benefits the local economy in a sustainable and non-exploitative manner.
It will make money by using a small part of the land as a sustainable tourism centre with a campsite, a dormitory and chalets for accommodation and enough things to do to keep anyone busy for weeks. Nauteyri is a long way from the nearest civilisation, so we need to make sure people have enough to do.
As well as the obvious benefits of long walks in the beautiful countryside, people will also be able to bathe in the abundant hot water which flows naturally from the ground in an almost unlimited and totally green supply.
In addition to this we will offer activities as diverse as sailing, fishing, yoga, watercolour classes, kayaking, snowmobiling and cooking with local ingredients – to name just a few.
All of this will be carried out with nature in mind – making sure we do not damage the land or sea, do not cause undue waste or pollution and are as close to carbon neutral as possible at the same time as making sure the vast majority of the land is left in its natural state for all the plants, birds and animals to enjoy.
At this stage all we are asking you to do is keep checking back to this blog and sending the odd message of support. We hope to develop the blog quickly and also get our own “real” website and a Facebook page. Your support will be invaluable.
In the coming days and weeks we will publish more details here about who we are (for the record, we’re Alex and Brad…nice to meet you!), what our exact plan is for Nauteyri and how you can help.
Eventually, we also want to give you the option to chip in financially. All donations of any size will be gratefully received from any individuals and organisations interested in protecting nature and giving tourism an opportunity to be a force for good.
Furthermore, if you donate to The Nauteyri Project, you could be the lucky winner of a trip to come and stay with us; transport, accommodation, activities and food included! And even if you don’t win, you will be welcome to visit at any time – at a discounted rate. All members will also receive our monthly newsletter if they choose to.
As a non-profit organisation, we are not going to be greedy. We hope that once everything is up and running The Nauteyri Project can become self supporting. That way, all future contributions and profits can be ploughed into other worthwhile projects we run in the future and/or invested in other environmental charities, including the Travel Foundation, the Icelandic Nature Protection Foundation and the Arctic Fox Centre.
This way, we feel everybody wins.
Fundraising will begin as soon as we receive confirmation from Strandabyggð that they would be willing in principle to sell the land to The Nauteyri Project. Stay tuned!!
Hope to see you here at nauteyri.com again very soon!
Remember, the “DONATE TO THE NAUTEYRI PROJECT” link is now active again!
This part of the Westfjords is so extremely beautiful, your project is very exciting! It is important to find the balance between people’s access to stunning nature and the protection/conservation aspect, I hope you succeed!
Wow guys! This is really ambitious, and brilliant! Absolutely fantastic. I can’t wait to see how it turns out
Sounds like a great idea guys. I look forward to hearing more detail on how it will work……extremely exciting project!!
Count me in, I will be there on opening day.
Good luck………..
This beautiful place is perfect for thousunds of travelers…..
Keep it in minde that there is a crasy guy in the next area and he will propably be very helpfull.
Good luck
vill taka þátt í æfíntýrinu
Takk fyrir það Bergsveinn. Hvernig villtu taka þátt? T.d. ertu staddur í Hólmavík/á Vestfjörðum? Endilega sendu okkur póst í nauteyri@gmail.com!
Maybe I’m the only one ..but I’m not excited about this “great” projet. This area is one of the remotest and still intouched area of Iceland….one of the most beautiful!!! why build a touristic area with chalets and ctivities like sailing, fishing, yoga, watercolour classes, kayaking, snowmobiling…
are you crazy?? why make a protect area in a place where nature is already wild and protected..( i don’t think there are many people there) just WILD NATURE..
sorry guys leave that amazing place intouched please..
Hi Janis,
I agree that unpopulated areas of the Highlands need no protection and would not benefit from tourist activities; but Nauteyri is not exactly pristine. There are already a few summerhouses, a church and a couple of farms in the area and the land is for sale and will be developed for something whether by us or not.
We have it on good authority from a concerned public agent in the municipality that our project is considerably more ‘suitable’ than any of the others on the table.
And I would like to point out that there are three major aspects to the project. The land and the nature are certainly a very important one, but diversifying the local economy with the protection of the land and nature in mind is another one. The final one is to educate and encourage visitors to become knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the environment wherever they come from. We hope The Nauteyri Project can eventually become as much of a knowledge centre as it is a tourist centre.
We’d love to hear back from you again to find out if the above goes any way at all to changing you mind?!
Thanks for visiting our website.
Feel free to correct me, if I’m wrong.
Dear, janis!
Are you a latvian by nationality? You seem to be very latvian for me (I’am Latvian myself). There are two reasons, why I think that you’re latvian. The first reason is quite positive. Maybe your real name is Jānis – one of the most beautiful, most popular and most Latvian male names. The second reason is absolutely negative. The thing that you have written about the Nauteyri Project seems to me so very latvian (not Latvian) with all letters small. There is a widespread commenting culture on Latvian websites, that unfortunately reveals the dark sides of our mentality. It seems latvian people are clever to criticize others, instead of seeking more information in order to form their opinion in more tolerant way and instead of investing their own creative energy and everyday effort to build a better world around them and for their communities.
janis, even if you are not latvian or Latvian, or whatever, can you present us your own project that is better and more feasible than the Nauteyri Project?
Please accept my apologies, if I’m wrong!
Great project, I am very interested in helping in any way I can.
Keep me posted
Good Luck from a fellow Brit in love with Iceland
You two have some balls! Good luck, let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
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