Explore your roots under the midnight sun in 2027 with Snorri
Snorri West is a unique opportunity for Icelanders ages 20-30 to explore Icelandic settlement areas across North America and connect with relatives.
Don’t miss the deadline to apply: Monday, March 15, 2027
What is Snorri West?
With Snorri West, you'll spend 2-4 weeks of the summer exploring Canada and the US. During this unique experience, you will:
Discover communities that Icelandic emigrants built
Learn how Vestur-Íslendingar are keeping their Icelandic heritage alive today
Experience the local culture, stories, and nature of each place you visit
Meet your Icelandic cousins
Improve your English
Make lifelong friends
And much more!
Tentative program dates for 2027 are July 25 to August 8, to correspond with the Icelandic festivals celebrated in Gimli, Manitoba and Mountain, North Dakota. Exact dates will be confirmed in early 2027.
“This trip is the most fun thing I have done and I owe that to all the great people I met.”
A participant from Verzlunarskóli Íslands
What’s included?
Your program fee covers:
> Round-trip airfare from Keflavík (KEF).
*Note: Domestic travel within Iceland is not included
> Accommodations and most meals
> Travel costs within North America
> Assistance from genealogists to identify, locate, contact, and meet relatives, especially within the traveled corridor
> 3-month access to the Icelandic Roots genealogy database and a virtual training session to help you get the most out of it
> Culture and history programs
> Sightseeing and recreational activities
> And so much more!
*Travel and Medical insurance is not included but is required for all participants!
How much does Snorri West cost?
The 2027 participation fee is: $3500 CAD per person (approximately 300.000 ISK)
(This includes round-trip airfare from Keflavík (KEF) to the North American gateway cities and domestic travel within North America.)
This low rate is made possible by the generosity of individuals and organizations within the North American Icelandic community.
Applications for our 2027 program are open!
Deadline to apply: Monday, March 15, 2027
Online interviews are tentatively scheduled for Friday, March 19, 2027.
Snorri West Grants & Scholarships
The Icelandic National League of North America (INLNA) and Icelandic Roots offer scholarships to Snorri West participants.
Vesturheimur - vináttufélag (formerly Þjóðræknisfélag Íslendinga, ÞFÍ) will automatically provide a grant of 75.000 ISK to each accepted participant. (There’s no need to apply!)
Did you or your family host a Snorri Program participant in Iceland? If so, you are eligible for a $275 CAD discount on your Snorri West trip! Just let us know, and we'll credit your account!
“The program is very well organized and well taken care of. It takes a lot of work to do what everyone in the program did and I appreciate it very much.”
A participant from the University of IcelandFollow in the footsteps of your ancestors
Did you know that approximately 15% of Iceland's population emigrated to North America between 1850 and 1915?
As a result, there are over a hundred thousand people of Icelandic descent in Canada and the US, including some you’re related to!
Get ready to see how Canadians and Americans preserve and celebrate their Icelandic heritage, while experiencing the natural beauty of the designated region.
“It was great to stay with all the host families. They were quite welcoming. Thank you all for making this trip a wonderful experience that I wouldn't have missed for the world.”
A participant from Menntaskólinn við Hamrahlíð Where will you go?
In 2027, you will travel the Central Corridor, with visits to Winnipeg, Gimli, and the historic Icelandic communities of Manitoba’s Interlake region, as well as Mountain, North Dakota.
Due to the vastness of Canada and the US, for the purposes of the Snorri West program, the continent is divided into four corridors: Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific, with one corridor visited each summer on a rotating basis. (To read more about the different corridors, click here.) Program organizers make a great effort to identify, locate, and contact your relatives in North America.
(View the 2027 itinerary here)
Read about Snorri West in the Summer 2025 edition of Sæmundur digital magazine. (Available in English and Icelandic)
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![Snorri West participants with BC volunteers]()
Pacific Corridor
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![Snorri West participant in West coast forest]()
Pacific Corridor
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![Snorri West participants at Lake Louise - green mountain lake in background]()
Mountain Corridor
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![Snorri West participants at Wynyard United Church]()
Mountain Corridor
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![Snorri West participants with volunteers]()
Mountain Corridor
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![Snorri West participants on gravel road North Dakota]()
Central Corridor
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![Snorri West participants]()
Central Corridor
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![Snorri Participants in Washington DC]()
Eastern Corridor
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![Snorri West in Washington DC]()
Eastern Corridor
“I had a really enjoyable trip and am really thankful for the kindness, hospitality and generosity we experienced everywhere we went. I will certainly come again to Canada and visit all the great people we met.”
A participant from AkureyriFrequently Asked Questions
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The Snorri West program typically runs 2-4 weeks during the summer. The exact start and end date changes year to year.
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The exact program fees are confirmed each year due to location and itinerary changes. We do our best to keep participant costs minimal, thanks to our generous sponsors and volunteers. For a close estimate, see the price of last year's program listed above.
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Icelanders between the ages of 20 and 30 can apply to Snorri West.
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All Icelanders have some relatives in North America! The Snorri West coordinators work with volunteer genealogists at Icelandic Roots to identify, locate, contact, and, when possible, facilitate in-person meetings with your relatives in North America. Once you are confirmed as a participant for Snorri West, you will meet with a genealogist to learn more about your ancestors and any family you may be aware of in North America.
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Snorri West is organized and operated by a group of generous volunteers from the Icelandic National League of North America (INLNA) and the Icelandic National League of the US (INLUS), with support from Icelandic Roots and Vesturheimur - vináttufélag (formerly INL-Iceland), and in cooperation with the Snorri Foundation in Iceland. Like its sister programs, Snorri and Snorri Plus, the primary purpose of Snorri West is to strengthen the bonds between the people of Iceland and people of Icelandic descent in North America.