Tour 2 – In the shadow of the volcano Hekla
6 Day Small Group Riding Tour
On this tour, we spend 6 days on horseback, and the riding days are a shorter than on tour 1. We ride along Three Rivers, Rangá, þjórsá, and Stóra-Laxá. In clear weather, we will have a view of the famous volcano Hekla on most of the tour days.
For this tour, we provide 2-3 horses per rider. This means that your small group will be accompanied by about 40 additional free running herd horses. Our riders have the opportunity to experience different horses throughout their tour, providing for an unforgettable riding experience!
Each day, we will ride in 4 to 7-hour stages including breaks. We ride in a small group with a maximum of 10 guests.
Date: 5th – 11th July 2017
Arrival: July 5. Departure: 11 July (evening) or 12 July (with an extra night in Reykjavík).
Tour description
5.7. Reykjavík – Skeið
The journey to Iceland is individual. We will pick up the participants at 18.00 from the BSI bus terminal in Reykjavik.
06.07. Ölvisholt – Skarð
The tour starts at Hof Ölvisholt in the agricultural area of Flóahreppur. We first ride across the wide plains of Brúnastaðir, where the water for the drainage ditches "Flóaáveita" is taken from the Hvítá River. The drainage plant connected to the irrigation system was changed in 1927 and was then the largest man-made "building" north of the Alps.
12,000 ha changed agriculture a lot, was put into operation in 1927 and was at that time the largest man-made "structure" north of the Alps. The trail leads us first upstream along the Hvitá and then past the horse farms Vesturkot and and Húsatóftum to Skarð farm. We leave the horses at Skarð and go to the overnight stay. Approx. 27 km.
07.07. Skarð – Hallarmúli
We ride over the Stóru-Laxá River continuing along a beautiful path that leads past the basalt pillars Hólahnjúkar and the mountain Sólheimafjall. At Sólheimanes we ride over the Stóru-Laxa to the east and continue along the river into the picturesque green valley of Laxárdalur. From there we follow a gravel road into the mountains until we reach the hut Hallarmúli. We stay overnight in the simple but comfortable sheep herder’s hut. Approx. 30 km.
08.07. Hallarmúli – Hólaskógur
The ride begins on beautiful meadow paths in the southern highlands, where we hardly meet any people. We ride through
green hills in an easterly direction to Mount Heljarkinn. From the rim of the mountain we have a beautiful view over the Þjórsárdalur valley, volcanic mountains and the glaciers to the east, weather permitting. We ride down the mountainside to the Klettur hut and after a short break continue via Reykholt to Stöng, a Viking farm excavated from volcanic ash. We visit the farm and ride on through barren landscape to a waterfall in the unique natural oasis of Gjáin. We continue on somewhat stony but adventurous trails through the highlands until we reach the beautiful hut Hólaskógur, where showers are available. At approx. 30 km.
09.07. Hólaskógur – Áfangagil
Today we ride most of the time on very good trails through a landscape strongly marked by volcanism with lava formations and wide, black sandy areas. The trail leads past the Sultartanga hydroelectric power station and from there onto the bridge over the
mighty Glescher River Þjórsá. We reach the mountain Stóra-Melfelli and ride on soft paths along the mountain Vaðlafell to our destination for the day, the cosy hut Áfangagíl at the shepherds' pen. There are showers today. Approx. 30 km.
10.07. Áfangagil – Galtalækur
From Áfangagil we follow beautiful trails over black volcanic sand from the many eruptions of the nearby volcano Hekla. We leave the southern highlands and ride past the source of the river Rangá and downstream towards the south, where we reach inhabited territory again. We spend the night in a comfortable hut on the farm Galtalækur, where showers are available. Approx. 28 km.
07. Galtalækur – Hrólfsstaðahellir
We continue riding in a southerly direction and come to the charming surroundings of the river Rangá. Here we find the old sheep pen of the countrymen, still traditionally built of stones, where we take a leisurely break. The last stage leads us
on soft paths along the river Rangá to the extensive pastures around Hrólfsstaðahellir farm, where we end the tour.
We are happy to help with booking for those who would like to stay an extra night in Reykjavík.
Price: 2,460 EUR *
Included in the price:
- Horses with equipment.
- 8 Nights (sleeping bag accommodation), 7 days riding.
- Full Board (breakfast, dinner and picnic) during the tour.
- Transfer from and to Reykjavik (airport transfer from airport to Reykjavík is not included).
Changes in the program, for example, due to adverse weather conditions are reserved.
* Prices are subject to change due to price fluctuations or number of participants
We reserve the right to change the price if the EUR/ISK exchange rate drops below 115 (1 EUR = 115 isk). If this limit is reached, we will inform you and you will have the opportunity to pay at an early stage. These measures allow us to lower the price. The turnover of the ISK has caused a 30% increase in Euro prices over the last two years. We also reserve the right to adjust the price for less than 8 participants.