+354 8921340 Petram@simnet.is

 

Highland Ride South Iceland 2025

In the realm of the volcano Hekla

66 days riding with a small group (10-12 participants) 6 days / 6 nights

Arrival August 14 (fully booked)

This year we are organising a ride to the very familiar area around the impressive volcano Hekla. The varied landscape in the South Icelandic highlands, the Thjórsárdalur valley and on the banks of the glacier river Thjórsá is one of our favourite areas. The tour is used with Dúna organised by Húsatóftir Farm. For 30 years she has been offering highland rides under the name of Land og Hestar and we have often worked with her. We charge 2-3 horses per rider and will therefore have a herd of free-roaming horses with us to swap along the way. An unforgettable experience!

Arrival days: August 14 (Pick up from bus terminal BSI in Reykjavík at 6 pm)
Departure days:  August 20  In the evening or the next day with an extra night in Reykjavik. Estimated arrival in Reykjavik on the last evening is approx. 18-19 hrs.

Please inform us about your arrival time!

Tour description

Day 1: Arrival 
Day 2: We ride along beautiful paths along the river Þjórsá (uphill). During the lunch break we take a short bus trip to the Hjálparfoss waterfall in Þjórsárdalur. The ride then continues from Sandártunga through birch forests on sandy paths. The vegetation gradually diminishes as we ride over sand, pumice and ash from the volcano Hekla to the highland hut Klettur, in a sheltered valley in the upper part of the Þjórsárdalur valley.
Day 3: We ride from Klettur to Hólaskógur along an old national route partly marked with very old stone markers. We make a longer stop at the excavation of the Stöng farm. From there we hike to the beautiful oasis of Gjáin, a unique place. From there we continue on sandy paths to Hólaskógur where the horses stay for the night. We spend the night in Hrauneyjar. Before we stop there we visit the waterfall Háifoss (and Glanni) the 3rd highest waterfall in Iceland with 122 meters. From here we have a beautiful view down into the valley from which we have just come.
Day 4: Today we ride a barren highland route to the Helgaskáli mountain hut on the Stóra-Laxá river. If the weather is good, we have an impressive view of the highlands. Little has changed in nature here over the centuries. We cross two rivers, Fossá and Stóra-Laxá. 
Day 5: Today we head a little deeper into the countryside again, but stay in the highlands. The second half of the route has more vegetation and soft trails. We spend the night in Svínárnes, not far from the river Hvítá. The river separates our area from the highland route Kjölur.
Day 6: Today we ride from Svínárnes down from the highlands. In good weather we see the Gullfoss waterfall. We have a beautiful view of the highlands, the mountains Bláfell and Jarlhettur. Then we also see the glacier Langjökull and possibly even Hofsjökull if the visibility is really good. We pass the highest farms in this municipality and further on in inhabited areas. The horses stay at a farm in Hrunamannahreppur but we drive back to the farm for the night.
Day 7: We ride from Hrunamannahreppur, ride through the Kirkjuskarð pass and take a break at the newly restored sheepfold at Hruni, made of basalt columns. Past the Hruni churchyard. We ride along the river Stóra-Laxá (the same one we cross at Helgaskáli above) and ride over it, now in inhabited areas. We finish the ride again along the river Þjórsá, the last stretch back from the farm. A meal awaits us there before we return to Reykajvik.

 

Price: EUR 2,500* - deposit EUR 300

Payment info:

IBAN: IS15 0325387101234902091070,
SWIFT (BIC): ESJAISRE (Arion Bank)

 Payment to: Klettahlid ehf, Klettholt, 803 Selfoss

Please state your name - especially if the transfer is sent from another name!

Included in the price: 

  • Horses with equipment.
  • 6 days of horseback riding.
  • 6 nights (2 nights in a double room, 3 nights sleeping bag accommodation in the common room in 2 mountain huts and 1 farm).
  • Full board (breakfast, dinner and picnic) during the tour (light dinner on the last day).
  • Transfer from and to Reykjavik (airport transfer from airport to Reykjavík is not included).

*Price subject to change due to exchange rate fluctuations or number of participants: We reserve the right to change the price if the EUR / ISK exchange rate falls below 130 (1 EUR = 130 ISK). If this limit is reached, we will inform you and you will have the opportunity to pay early. These measures allow us to lower the price. We also reserve the right to adjust the price if there are fewer than 9 participants.

Please note:  We reserve the right to make changes to the program, e.g. due to unfavourable weather conditions.

 

You can find the packing list and important information here!

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