Mountains, Glaciers, and Waterfalls of the Southern Highlands
2025 Dates:
June 14-20
June 25-July 1
July 8-14
July 20-26
August 15-21
Duration:
7 days / 6 nights
Difficulty:
Intermediate / Advanced
Waterfalls, mountains, caves, lava fields, lupins and lush green grass: There is nothing you don’t see on this tour that leads South of Tindfjallajökull into the Southern Highlands.
This unique tour combines guesthouse accommodations with remote mountain huts, allowing riders to experience both Icelandic hospitality and the tranquility of the remote wilderness.
Horses
The Icelandic horse is a symbol of national pride and cultural heritage. They are known for their surefootedness and gentle nature, and they are famous for the Tölt, a gait unique to the breed, which makes them incredibly comfortable over great distances and rugged terrain.
Riders will be accompanied by a loose herd, which adds a unique and exciting dynamic to the ride! Riders will change horses 1-2 times per day, giving them the opportunity to get to know a variety of horses over the course of the week.
Riding
Intermediate to Advanced
Riders should be capable of spending long hours in the saddle, tacking and untacking their own horse, and controlling the horse at all paces, even though rides will mainly consist of the walk and tölt.
Distance: 10-20 miles/15-30 km per day
Ride Time: 5-7 hours/day
Tack
Horses will be in saddles developed specifically for the Icelandic horse, closely resembling Dressage saddles. Saddle bags will be provided.
Terrain
This tour encompasses remote areas only accessible on foot or by horseback, riding on mainly soft riding tracks, ideal for riding the tölt. The ride will travel through farmland, across rivers, winding through hills and mountains to alpine lakes, and across black sand deserts.
Accommodation
Riders are accommodated in shared rooms (2-4 people per room) in a cozy farmhouse for the first 3 nights. The next 3 nights will be spent in a remote mountain hut in a shared bunkroom with sleeping bags.
Bring your own sleeping bag!
Dining
Breakfasts and dinners are served family-style at the guesthouse. Home-cooked meals consist heavily of lamb and fish. Traditional Icelandic breakfasts include porridge, toast, cold cuts, and cheese. Riders make their own sandwiches in the morning to pack on the trail each day.
*We recommend bringing your own snacks for the trail, and any packets or condiments for adding to your sandwich (peanut or almond butter, mustard, mayonnaise, etc.)
Itinerary
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Afternoon pick up in Reykjavik, drive to the guesthouse (app. 1,5 hours away). We will have a welcoming dinner where we get to know each other and go through the program of your riding holiday.
Accommodation: Double room with shared bathroom and other facilities
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Bakkakot – Stóra-Hof app. 20 km
After breakfast we pick you up and head to our farm Bakkakot, where we saddle up and prepare for the tour. We start in the paddock to get to know the horses and have basic riding instructions. Then we and the herd of loose horses will head off across the bridge over Þverá and ride through green fields Northwards. We will be surrounded by magnificent views, with the volcano Hekla ahead of us and Eyjafjallajökull to our right. Our first riding day ends at the farm Stóra-Hof, where our horses will be staying until the next morning. On our way back we will stop at one of the most famous and photographed waterfall in Iceland: Seljalandsfoss. You get to walk behind it and see it in the most amazing afternoon light, before we return to our guest house and enjoy dinner there.
Accommodation: Double room with shared bathroom and other facilities
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Our second riding day will take us closer to the highlands. Riding on ancient Viking paths surrounded by old lava and purple lupin fields; we follow gravel roads and soft grass paths up and have a stop close to Keldur, the largest preserved turf farm in South Iceland, that dates back to the 12./13. century. After that we will ascend further until we reach our our mountain cottage by the river Eystri-Rangá. This is where we will spend the next three nights.
Stóra-Hof - Foss, app. 20 km
Accommodation: Mountain cottage Foss
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Today we explore the area around our hut further. We will go on two different rides in the morning and the afternoon and take only one horse on each ride. We leave the herd behind to venture into the beautiful landscape around Foss. We can enjoy amazing views over the mountains, lava fields, rivers and canyons. We will pass an abandoned farm and visit a man-made cave that used to be a sheepfold.
Around Foss, app. 2 x 15 km
Accommodation: Mountain cottage Foss
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Like the day before, we will go for two rides from our hut. We will ride up the hills south of Foss, where we will meet beautiful waterfalls, and enter a small cave called Thieves' Cave. If the sky is clear we’ll get a great view over the lowlands and the mountains. For our farewell dinner, we serve traditional Icelandic lamb from the barbecue and spend the evening in the midnight sun at the river.
Around Foss, app. 2 x 15 km
Accommodation: Mountain cottage Foss
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Time to leave Foss and head back to the lowlands. You will feel the spirit and growing excitement of the horses who know they are on the way back home! Tölting on a joyful horse, on soft grounds, in their natural environment surrounded by mountains and glacier views, is an unforgettable experience! You’ll feel invincible! Finally, we arrive back in Bakkakot where we enjoy coffee and cake and dinner later.
Foss - Bakkakot, app. 35 km
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Driving back to Reykjavik after the breakfast
Planning and Packing
Rider Resources:
Stories from the Saddle:
Dates
Book This Trip
Price Includes:
All accommodations
All meals
All riding activities, including tack and equipment, riding helmet, rain gear, water bottle, and saddle bags
Transfer from Reykjavik to the farm
Does not include:
Airfare to and from Iceland
Accommodation in Reykjavik
Transportation to/from the airport
Travel Insurance
Visas
Gratuities and personal expenses
Additional excursions or activities not included in itinerary