Attractions and wilderness

Riding through many different kinds of terrain and landscapes this tour of 9 days offers a glimpse of some of Iceland's most impressive sights. Riding to and through the grounds around Thingvellir one can imagine being a Viking in the year 1000 who has ridden for days and is ready to attend to business and politics. From soft grassy fields, over hard lava, and past waterfalls of immense dimensions. This is one of the most varied tours you can imagine!

First Night
Overnight flight to Iceland
Americans fly out on the night before the tour begins in Iceland. Travelers from Europe can leave on the same day that the tour starts.

Day 1
Welcome to Iceland!

Riders will arrive at Keflavik International Airport and then take the Flybus shuttle to the BSI bus terminal in Reykjavik. Luggage can be left here, you can get some breakfast, and it will be very convenient to explore a bit of Iceland’s capital city. Around 5:30 PM, the outfitter will pick up riders at the BSI bus terminal, and take them to their farm in Hveragerdi, about an hour outside of the capital, where they can check into the comfortable country hotel. The tour group meets over dinner and are given details of the tour ahead.

Day 2
Hveragerdi - Kolvidarholl

After breakfast, you’ll follow the ancient route to the moor on Hellislheidi over to the Hengil volcano along the Kristnitokulhraun lava field. This lava came from the eruption of Hengill in the year I000, the same year Iceland officially became Christian. You’ll ride on the track between lava and hills (“milli hrauns og hlidar”), and rest at Kolvidarholl, a wayside where people have stopped to rest for hundreds of years. This evening you’ll sleep in a hiking club’s mountain hut, after a 4 hour, 21 km ride.

Day 3
Kolvidarholl - Thingvellir

The ride continues north below the Husmuli and Hengill Mountains. Soon everyone will dismount and lead the horses through the narrow cleft to Mararflulur (Valley of Horses). Riding through Dyrfjoll (Door mountains), you will soon reach the mountaintop, with a great view over Lake Thingvallavatn. Here, you will be able to see the old Althing where Iceland’s parliament met for hundreds of years. From here, it is not far to the pretty hut at Skogarholar where the night is spent. 38 km in 6-7 hours.

Day 4
Thingvellir - Geysir

Today’s ride is a grand one across Thingvellir National Park. There is an exceptional view over the park, and Lake Thingvallavatn, the largest lake in Iceland. This is where the North American and European continental plates meet, and then part ways. Crossing the moor Lyngdalsheiði and then making a stop at the caves Laugarvatnshellir. This days ride ends outside the village Laugarvatn, named after the lake nearby. The lake is warmed here by underwater hotsprings. Then it’s a short bus ride to the guesthouse in Haukadalur, near the hot springs of Geysir. Another short bus trip and the group visits Gullfoss, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Europe. 35 km, 6-7 hours.

Day 5
Geysir - Helgaskali

From Geysir you’ll ride up towards the highlands, to a magnificent view over the Hvita River, white with stone dust from the glaciers. The river is busy carving out the mountains, as it has moved deeper and deeper into it over hundreds of years. The night is spent at Helgaskali beside the Litla-Lax-a River.

Day 6
Helgaskali - Holaskogur

Off into the highland, including a stop at Haifoss, the second highest waterfall in Iceland, 122 meters, ending up at Holaskogur hut in a very pretty area. There will be ghost stories about the old hut, which is located a few hundred meters away from the newer one, and the brave can take a bath in the clean, cold Fossa River. 20 km in 4 hours.

Day 7
Holaskogur- Fellsmuli

You’ll ride along Iceland’s longest river, the Thjórsá, passing Mt. Búrfell, which, in the old days, was the home of trolls. Also on the river is a magnificent view over Thjofafoss (the “Waterfall of the Thieves”), about which many stories are told. Iceland’s most active volcano, Mt. Hekla, watches over you as you leave the horses at Fellsmuli Farm and then go on to Laugaland School, with its hot pool! 45 km in 8 hrs.

Day 8
Fellsmuli

You’ll start the last day by riding along the Eystri-Ranga River, with its grassy banks and soft trails. All day long you’ll have a view of Mt. Hekla, which was once believed to be the way from earth down to hell. You’ll bid farewell to the horses at Laugaland, and late in the afternoon, everyone will be taken back to Reykjavik where the night will be spent in a guesthouse or hotel. Often riders all go out to one of Reykjavik’s many good restaurants for a last dinner together, (but it’s not included in the price!).

Day 9
Farewell, perhaps ...

After breakfast the tour officially ends. Travelers returning home will have a few hours to shop, visit museums, or tack shops before the bus returns to Keflavik airport for flights back home. Those lucky enough to be exploring more of Iceland can get underway. 

Download a PDF of the itinerary of theTour of the Golden South

Departure dates for any tours are flexible, but American riders on this tour must leave the US no later than the evening before the ride, while Europeans can arrive in Iceland on the morning that the tour starts.

Dates:
The Golden Highlights Tour runs 6 times in 2008. The first day is always a transfer day, which allows you to rest from the short night of sleep on the flight, before you start riding on the second day. American travelers will have to leave the US on the night prior to the start of the tour.

Accommodations during the Golden Highlights of the South riding tour are traditionally Icelandic. On your first night you are lodged in the Eldhestar Hotel in comfort. On the tour you’ll need a sleeping bag and you’ll stay in farm guesthouses, mountain huts and cabins, which are all warm and clean. Typically there are several beds per room, and in huts there may be one big sleeping room. Most will have shared bathroom facilities. What they lack in creature comforts they make up for in impressive scenery. Your last night in Reykjavik is also upgraded.

We can mail complete itineraries and will talk to you via e-mail or phone if you have any questions.