Ride into Icelandic Tradition – Autumn Sheep Round-Up Tour
Experience one of the oldest countryside traditions in Iceland from the saddle on this special autumn riding adventure. Each September, farmers and riders head into the mountains to gather the sheep that have spent the summer roaming freely across the highlands. On this tour, you’ll have the opportunity to become part of this authentic Icelandic tradition while exploring the spectacular landscapes of South Iceland on horseback.
Ride with a herd of Icelandic horses through open countryside, lava fields, rivers and mountains, with impressive views of Hekla, Eyjafjallajökull and the surrounding glaciers. From our remote mountain cottage at Foss, we’ll explore hidden waterfalls and caves before joining the local Fjallmenn to help herd sheep down from the mountains. You’ll also experience the lively atmosphere of the traditional sheep sorting at Reyðarvatnsréttir, where farmers, families and friends come together to sort the sheep and celebrate the end of the gathering season.
Combined with exhilarating tölting, beautiful horses and Icelandic farm life, this tour offers much more than a riding holiday. It is a chance to experience rural Iceland from the inside and take part in a tradition that has been at the heart of Icelandic farming life for generations.
We reccomend that you bring warm gloves and a thin hat that can fit under the riding helmet. Included in the price is that you can borrow a helmet, warm overall or rain coat and rain pants as well as rubber boots.
Maximum weight for a rider is 110kg/242lb.
Riding clothes. Riding gear (riding trousers, jackets, etc.) needs to be washed (40°C) or dry cleaned. Items which can not be washed or dry cleaned (riding boots, riding hats) need to be cleaned and disinfected at least five days prior to arriving in Iceland. The Icelandic Veterinary Authority recommends the broad-spectrum disinfectant Virkon S for disinfection. Used riding gloves, whips, saddles, bridles, chaps and other used leather gear may not be brought into the country.
Kindly note that these precautions are necessary because there are no contagious animal diseases in Iceland. Horses are not vaccinated and are therefore susceptible to infectious agents from abroad. Please help us to protect Iceland’s fragile nature! For further information please take a look at: Import of riding equipment | Matvælastofnun
You can book online on our website or by contacting Ishestar by email [email protected] or by phone +354 555 7000
We recommend booking a couple of days in advance just to make sure that we have free spaces on the day you wish to arrive.
Included in all Day Tours:
Day 1: 15.9 – Transfer from Reykjavík & Sightseeing
Pick-up in Reykjavík at 1 PM and drive south. Enjoy stops in Hveragerði, browse handmade wool products and visit the beautiful Urriðafoss waterfall before arriving at Grímstaðir farmhouse for dinner.
Day 2: 16.9 – Stóra-Hof to Foss
Drive to Stóra-Hof, meet the horses and begin the ride north through beautiful landscapes, with views of Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull. Finish at Foss, our home for the next three nights.
Accommodation: Mountain cottage Foss
Day 3: 17.9 – Chasing Waterfalls
Explore the area around Foss on two rides through mountains, lava fields, rivers and canyons. Visit an abandoned farm, a historic sheep cave, waterfalls and Thieves’ Cave.
Accommodation in Foss mountain hut
Day 4: 18.9. Today we meet with the farmers who gathered the sheep down from the mountains and accompany the for the last stretch to the round up point on our last riding day.
Accommodation in Foss Mountain hut
Day 5: 19.9. Today is the day! We join for the event of the autumn: sorting the sheep according to century old traditions.
Accommodation at Grimstadir farm house
Day 6: 20.9. Return to Reykjavik in the morning
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