Day 1: Arrival:
Pick up at 17:30 in Reykjavik and then drive to the farm Grimstaðir. We will get to know each other and go through the program of your riding holiday.
Day 2: Crossing the creeks: (Bakkakot – Stóra-Hof app. 17 km):
After breakfast we saddle up and prepare for the tour. We start in the paddock to get to know the horses. Then we will head off across the bridge over Þverá and ride on riding paths through green fields and along the road 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 farm house and enjoy dinner there.
Accommodation: Made up beds in shared rooms with shared bathroom and other facilities
Day 3: On the trail of the Vikings (Stóra-Hof - Foss, app. 18 km)
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 two nights.
Accommodation: Mountain cottage Foss
Day 4: Chasing Waterfalls (Around Foss):
Today we take one horse each and explore the area around our hut further. We leave the herd behind to venture into the beautiful landscape around Foss. We ride off trail and 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. Like the day before, we will go for a 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.
Accommodation: Mountain cottage Foss
Day 5: Winding down (Foss - Bakkakot, app. 35 km):
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.
Day 6 Let the sea set you free (Bakkakot - Grimstaðir - Beach)
Today we will be riding on a black sand beach. In the morning we ride alongside a river down to Grimstaðir,where we have lunch. In the afternoon we ride to the beach, with the sea on one side and mountain panorama with the spectacular Eyjafjallajoekull on the other side. We tölt through the dunes (if the deep sand allows) and cross tidal rivers, and enjoy the company of curious seals or the abundant bird wildlife.
Day 7: Driving back to Reykjavik after the breakfast