Iceland’s Best of Eldhestar Ride

Day 1

Arrival
The tour starts in the evening. Tour members who arrive the same day to Iceland should take the flight bus from the airport to the ending bus station BSÍ in Reykjavík. We will greet you at the bus station or your hotel/ guesthouse in Reykjavik at 17:30- 18:00 and drive to our farm Vellir in Hveragerði.

Once there you will be lodged at Hotel Eldhestar for the entire tour. We will get to know each other during the dinner at the hotel. The day ends with a detailed description of the tour (the description can also be next morning after breakfast).

Day 2

Vellir – Thorlákshöfn
After breakfast you will be given detailed riding instruction and get to know the horses. We warm-up in the paddock and then head to the mighty Ölfusá River.

The tour takes us through Ölfusforir to the wide delta of Ölfusá river, where we should see birds of various kinds. Far to the east, we see the Eyjafjallajökull volcano as well as the volcano Hekla (weather permitting). We gradually make our way along the western banks of Ölfusá, riding very nice trails. We ride through shallow water before we finally reach the south coast and turn west on the beach, riding on soft black lava sand.

We end the day near the town of Thorlákshöfn and drive back to Vellir. Daily Distance: 24.3 km, 5-6 hrs.

Day 3

Kolviðarhóll – Jórukleif
We start the day at Kolviðarhóll and ride North along the slopes of the Húsmúli and Hengill mountains. We reach Engidalur valley and continue along a narrow path. We dismount and lead the horses through a narrow cleft to the beautiful, hidden Marardalur (Valley of Horses).

We continue through Dyrfjöll (Door-Mountains), and when we reach the mountaintop we enjoy a view over Lake Thingvallavatn. The lake is by the cleft where the American and Eurasian continental plates are drifting apart and the Icelanders had their democratic meetings called Althing for hundreds of years. The track continues down to Jórukleif, where the tour ends.

We finish the day with refreshments and sightseeing at the famous Thingvellir national park before returning to our farm. Daily Distance: 25 km, 5-6 hrs.

Day 4

Skógarhólar- Kringlumýri
Today we ride through Thingvellir National Park, following scenic trails through woods and lava formations. We pass the abandoned farms Hrauntún and Skógarkot, before we reach the shore of lake Thingvallavatn, the largest natural lake in Iceland.

The path continues through fascinating landscape with large cracks created by movements of the continental plates. From Gjábakki farm we have an exceptional view over the large valley between the American and Eurasian continental plates, lake Thingvallavatn, and the volcanic mountains surrounding the lake. This area is a large valley shaped by glacier ice and many volcanic eruptions.

We continue along an old path to the mountain hut Kringlumýri, where we end the tour. Daily Distance: 25 km, 5-6 hrs.

Day 5

Villingavatn- Reykjadalur- Vellir
We start the day riding into the mountains on the east side of the Hengill volcano and along a mountain called Súlufell up to a viewpoint with a beautiful view over Lake Thingvallavatn.

After riding along the mountain range Kattatjarnahryggir, we pass two crater lakes, the big and the small Kattatjörn. We climb up a hill and reach first the lake Álftavatn (Swanlake) and then the green area around Ökuelduháls with its many hot springs. After a while we can see the gorge Klambragíl and follow the steep lava path leading us down into Reykjadalur Valley, the valley of the hot springs.

We take a bath in the valley’s warm river before leaving for Hveragerði. On our way down through the volcanic hills we have a magnificent view over the Ölfus area all the way to the ocean and the Westman Islands, weather permitting. We ride on excellent trails above Hveragerði and through a forest back to our farm Vellir where the tour ends.

After some refreshments, the bus will take you back to Reykjavik (arrival about 17:15). Daily Distance: 23,3 km, 5 -6 hrs.

Please note that dinner on the last evening is not included. Also, there are a few stretches on the trail where riders need to hand walk their horses.