The North of Iceland is known for its great natural sights and varied landscape. Our tour leads from Saltvík Farm near Húsavík to the Lake Mývatn area, known for its volcanic features and countless numbers of breeding ducks. An optional whale watching tour concludes the circle of natural highlights on and off shore.

Your hosts on this tour are Bjarni Páll, Elsa and Sævar Freyr. Bjarni Páll or Sævar Freyr will lead most of the tours. They both take special interest in geology so you can expect to learn a lot about Icelandic nature! A visit to picturesque Goðafoss Waterfall is just one of the highlights on your first day in the north. We ride along soft riding tracks ideal for “tölt”, the unique gait of the Icelandic horse. From fertile farm land we turn towards the Gæsafjöll Table Mountains and spend a night in a mountain cabin at Theistareykir, a mystic place with bubbling mud pools and white clouds from steam vents rising to the sky.

Through an area covered with cracks and fissures from earthquakes and volcanic activity the route leads towards Lake Mývatn where boiling sulphur pits and eerie lava formations remind you of the volcanic energy hidden beneath. We can take a relaxing bath in an outdoor bathing facility with hot geothermal water in the Mývatn Nature Baths. The next riding day will take us across the black sand deserts of Hólssandur to the forested hillsides at Vatnshlíðarskógur. Our last riding day over Hvammsheiði Heath towards the shore offers a terrific view of Skjálfandi Bay before we get back to Saltvík Farm. After this amazing tour in an ever changing landscape we can relax in outdoor hot tubs with a great view over to the ocean and the Kinnarfjöll Mountain Range.

Accommodation on this tour is in sleeping bags. One night in a remote mountain cabin is an adventure, while the other nights are spent at holiday farms or guesthouses with outdoor hot tubs nearby. Two nights in a guesthouse with shared facilities in Reykjavík are included, one at the beginning and one at the end of this tour.

Tour Photos in Album here to the left !

Day-by-Day Itinerary:

Sunday: Arrival in Iceland - Keflavík Airport - Reykjavík
Transfer from Keflavík Airport to a guesthouse in Reykjavík. We invite you to a Welcome Meeting including traditional Icelandic soup. Receive details of your tour and meet your fellow riders.

Monday: Reykjavík - Akureyri - Goðafoss - Hvammsheiði - Saltvík Holiday Farm
Domestic Flight in the morning to Akureyri and transfer to Saltvík Farm. On the way we stop at majestic Goðafoss waterfall. At Saltvík, we start our ride after a short introduction to the Icelandic horse and its special gaits. We cross the mountain plateau Hvammsheiði towards the Reykjahverfi area with its white steaming hot springs. Surely you will enjoy the relaxing outdoor hot tubs before dinner at Saltvík farm and overnight stay. (20 km)

Tuesday: Heiðabær - Theistareykir Mountain Cabin
Through the Geldingadalur valley and over the plateau Reykjaheiði heath our trail leads us to the geothermal area of Theistareykir. At one point we will practically cross over from one continental plate to another as we ride across the Mid-Atlantic ridge! It is a fascinating area with deep earthquake fissures, multi-coloured mountains and geothermal energy. With all this volcanic activity going on here, it is easy to understand that Iceland is still under “natural construction”! (40 km)

Wednesday: Theistareykir – Mývatn Nature Baths – Hraunbrún Guesthouse
Enjoy today’s ride from the Theistareykir area past the Gæsafjöll Table Mountains and Hrafnabjörg cliffs. We follow good riding tracks through the mountains, past lakes and through bushy vegetation. Enjoy the magnificent view over the Lake Mývatn area, surrounded by mighty volcanoes, before riding down towards our guesthouse Hraunbrún, located near the lake. Before dinner we relax and enjoy a nice hot bath in Mývatn Nature Baths, an outdoor lagoon with geothermal water. (40 km)

Thursday: Laxárdalur – Reykjadalur – Saltvík Holiday Farm
We start the day with an exciting sightseeing tour by bus. Visit Dimmuborgir, a mystic black lava formation with rich vegetation and is believed to be occupied by elves and trolls. Our next highlight is the geothermal area of Hverarönd with boiling mud pools and steam vents. We saddle up again and head out of the Mývatn area. Through a black sand desert we ride into colourful Laxárdalur valley with glittering salmon river Laxá in the middle. A true day of contrasts in the ever changing Icelandic nature. Overnight stay at Saltvík Farm for the last two nights. (40 km)

Friday: Reykjadalur – Saltvík Farm
Today we cross Laxá river on our way to Hraunsréttir, a place used by the farmers for their annual sheep round-up every autumn Our ride continues over Hvammsheiði heath. We visit Æðarfossar waterfalls and finish our ride on the shore of Skjálfandi bay before returning back to Saltvík Farm where the warm outdoor tub is waiting. (30 km)

Saturday: Saltvík – Akureyri – Reykjavík
In the morning return to Akureyri by bus and flight back to Reykjavík Domestic Airport with arrival at approx. 13:30. Last night in a guesthouse in Reykjavík.