Ride Overview
Looking for a tour longer than a few days – this tour has your name all over it!
We ride along the ancient Sprengisandur route that crosses Iceland, exploring some of the most fascinating and extreme contrasts of the Icelandic landscape. In the South, we ride on soft green paths along the riverbanks of the Thjórsá River and through a lava valley created by an 800-year-old eruption of the volcano Hekla. The spectacular wilderness of Iceland emerges as we follow the sand and rock plains across Sprengisandur between the glaciers Vatnajökull and Hofsjökull.
In stark contrast to this barren landscape, we stop at a hot spring, where we have the opportunity to relax in the geothermal water. During the tour, we pass Arnarfell Mountain, Iceland’s geographical centre. We arrive in North Iceland at the bottom of Eyjafjörður Fjord, one of the longest fjords in Iceland. AND – This tour features a free running herd of horses!
Experience the diversity of the Icelandic horse in its natural environment, far from civilization, and how Icelanders travelled in the old days with a herd of free-running horses. Every rider gets the chance to try 3 or 4 different horses each day!
You ride either from the south to the north of Iceland or the opposite. The riding days are between 5 to 10 hours and close to 300 km is covered in 6 days. We bring up to 70 horses with us on the tour. Sprengisandur is in the middle of Iceland running from the south to the north and is one of the oldest horse trails in Iceland. The Sprengisandur is perfect for experienced riders who want to challenge themselves in one of the most remote places of Iceland.
If you would like the same riding days, but with less kilometers, our Kjölur Route is a good alternative. The Kjölur trail travels from the south to the north between the glaciers Hofsjökull and Langjökull. In the middle of Kjölur is Hveravellir. A natural hot spring that you can bath in and relax the muscles after the riding day. Please check out that tour!
2024 Dates: July 9-15, July 18-24
Rate: $4,740.00 USD per person
Included
- 6 nights accommodation (1 night guesthouse, 5 nights sleeping bag on farms or in simple mountain huts)
- 6 days of guided riding
- Horse and all tack
- All meals as outlined
- Transfer to/from Reykjavik at pre set time and place
Not Included
- Airfare
- Travel and medical Insurance
- Alcoholic beverages
- Airport Transfers
- Gratuities for the guide at the end of the ride
Day 1 - Arrival
The tour starts in the evening. Tour members who arrive the same day in Iceland should take the “Flybus” from the airport to the final bus station BSÍ in Reykjavík. We will greet you at the bus station or at your hotel/guesthouse in Reykjavik between 17:30- 18:00 and drive you to our farm Vellir near Hveragerði.
There you will be lodged at at our Guesthouse. We will get to know each other during dinner at our Hotel. The day will end with a detailed description of the tour (sometimes this occurs in the morning).
Day 2 - Hveragerdi – Fellsmúli – Hólaskógur
From Hveragerdi, in the Ölfus municipality, we drive to the farm Fellsmúli near the Mt. Hekla volcano. The riding tour starts there, and we follow soft paths through a birch forest, to the old farm Skarfanes. Most of the day we ride along the banks of the mighty river Thjórsá (the longest river in Iceland).
On our way to Tröllkonuhlaup, we pass the waterfall Thjófafoss and the striking mountain Búrfell, which was once home to giants and trolls. From there, we drive to the hut Hólaskógur where we spend the night.
Riding time and distance: 25 km, 5 hours.
Day 3: Hólaskógur – Hrauneyjarfoss – Hólaskógur
We continue north-east of the Thjórsá River. The landscape changes steadily into the wilderness. The horses will spend the night in a meadow close Hrauneyjar, near one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in Iceland. Tonight we will spend the night in a hut at Hólaskógur.
Riding time and distance: 35 km, 7 hours
Day 4: Hrauneyjarfoss – Versalir
Today we start early to ride a long distance from Hrauneyjarfoss Falls to Versalir, a resting place at the beginning of Sprengisandur, known from the song “Á Sprengisandur” (Ridum, ridum…). On this route, we see many mountains and the glaciers Vatnajökull and Hofsjökull.
We spend the night in a large, comfortable mountain hut.
Riding time and distance: 50-60 km, 9 hours.
Day 5: Versalir – Nýi Dalur
On this day we also cover a long distance on our way North. The landscape is similar to that of the previous day, but we approach the glaciers and ride between them. East of us we can see Mt. Arnarfell, a green mountain which is known to be the center of Iceland.
At this point, we enter Sprengisandur. We pass the dwellings of some of the most famous Icelandic outlaws, for example, that of Fjalla-Eyvindur.
We spend the night in a big mountain hut in Nýi-Dalur.
Riding time and distance: 60 km, 10 hours.
Day 6: Nýi-Dalur – Laugafell
On our way from Nýi Dalur, we ride on big sand dunes. We have spectacular views of the landscape of North Iceland - it all begins to open before us, and we leave the three biggest glaciers in Iceland behind.
We spend the night in the Laugafell mountain hut where we can bathe in a hot spring.
Riding time and distance: 45 km, 8 hours.
Day 7: Laugafell - Hólsgerði in Eyjafjörður.
We ride from Laugafell in the direction of Eyjafjördur Fjord, where the green natural surroundings, lush with bushes and some woods, start to dominate the landscape more.
We start to glimpse a most beautiful view over Eyjafjördur and Akureyri.
The tour ends at the farm Hólsgerði in Eyjafjörður. From there we will be driven to Akureyri Airport and fly back to Reykjavik. Our planned arrival there is around 18:00 p.m.
Riding time and distance: 35 km, 6 hrs.
