Transfer and Other Options:

Day 1: Arrival
Arrive at Keflavík Airport, Iceland and take the bus from to Reykjavík (BSÍ).You will be greeted by our representative at 17.30 - 18.00, who will arrange further transportation to the farm Vellir in the neighborhood of Hveragerði. In Hveragerði the tour riders will be lodged in guesthouses. The first evening we all have dinner together and we provide details about the next few days.

Day 2: Hveragerði - Oddsstaðir - Báreksstaðir
Transport by bus over the highlands from Hveragerði to the farm Oddsstaðir in west part of Iceland. The riding-tour starts at Oddsstaðir and proceeds down Lundarreykjadalur valley, along the green banks of river Grimsá, one of Iceland´s best salmon rivers. The horses have to vade the river several times. The route is taken over Hestháls, which gives a good view over the Borgarfjörður-district. We spend the night at Báreksstaðir, a prominent farm in Icelandic horse breeding, specially known for the progeny of Skeifa 2799, Ófeigur 818 and Borgfjörð 909. The farm is located by the Agricultural College of Hvanneyri, with 150 inhabitants. 25 km, 4 hours.

Day 3: Báreksstaðir - Grimsstaðir
From the farm Báreksstaðir the route goes by the main road towards the river Gufná. We follow old paths and tracks along Gufuá, cross the river Langá and proceed the old road to the abandoned farm Grimsstaðir. From there we have a beautiful view over the west part of Snæfellsnes. 31 km, 5 hours.

Day 4: Grimsstaðir - Snorrastaðir
From Grimsstaðir we ride along the mountains Grimsstaðamúli. We continue west and by the opening of the valley Hítardalur we pass through the lava by narrow paths. The river Hítará is crossed by the palagonite mountain Grettisbæli and the route continues along the mountain Fagraskógarfjall with a view over the Mýrar district and the coastline at Löngufjörur. We spend the night at Lindarbrekku, an old community center, close to the picturresque crater Elborg á Mýrum which last erupted 1100 years ago. The old community center is equipped with showers and hot and cold tap water. 36 km, 5-6 hours.

Day 5: Snorrastaðir - Skógarnes
The ride is mainly along the sandy beaches of Löngufjörur and by in the morning we must depart before the low tide. The mouth of the river Haffjarðará is vaded near the farm Stóra-Hraun and a break taken on a small island in the delta. The route is then taken inland and the horses left. We go back to Lindarbrekku by bus. 22-25 km, 4 hours.

Day 6: Skógarnes - Lýsuhóll
From Skógarnes the sandy beaches of Löngufjörur continue all the way to the farm Stakkhamar. From there towards the river Staðará the route proceed by the sea, along the shore or up shore banks. The last leg of the days journey is taken along the main road at Snæfellsnes peninsula. 40-42 km, 7 hours.

Day 7: Lýsuhóll - Arnarstapi
We continue the ride out Snæfellsnes peninsula, cross the Búðarós delta and slowly we find our way through the Búðarhraun lava along the narrow path Klettisgata. The lava at Búðarhraun is known for its beauty and vegetation richness - 11 out of 16 icelandic ferns are found in Búðarhraun. As we proceed westwards the ride passes the opening of Breiðarvíkur bay, along sea banks towards Arnarstapi, where the tour ends. In the afternoon we take the bus back to Reykjavík where we spend the evening together. 20-23 km, 4 hours.

Day 8: Departure
You take the bus to Keflavík Airport on your own.

We provide the following:
·         Safety helmets
·         Rainwear
·         During the wintertime we also provide winter overalls
·         Rubber boots

You should bring:
·         A waist bag is useful when riding. (A backpack is not good because it bumps around when you are riding and it may hurt you if you fall off).
·         Please note, sleeping bags are not provided. Please bring your own with a pillow. 
·         Please bring your Travel Insurance Card information.
·         Normal street-clothes are not necessary except for your stay in Reykjavik the last night.

Cameras:  
We recommend to bring a small camera that can be taken in a pocket, a waist/hip bag or in the saddle bag.
Large camera equipment we can not allow on the horses for security reasons. Tours are operated with a free running herd - at speed of tölt or trot for most of the day. We take breaks to relax the horses and then it is possible to take pictures. While on the horse taking pictures is rather difficult since the horses are constantly moving. Because of the herd instinct it is not possible to stop an individual horse, they all will follow each other.
You can leave larger Digital SLR with your luggage at the farm or put it in their luggage that will be transferred to the new accommodation.
  

It is not yet legally mandatory that riders need to wear riding helmets. Nevertheless we strongly recommend clients wear one. Clients will be experiencing a new breed of horses in new terrain, involving gravel, stones and rocks. Therefore it is in the clients best interest to take precautions. If they feel they do not want to wear a helmet after the first few days it is up to them. However, some insurance companies in Europe refuse to pay in case of an accident if the client has not been wearing a riding helmet. We provide helmets here in Iceland which clients are welcome to use but if you want to bring your own it is fine with us. If you bring your own it has to be sterilized before bringing it into Iceland.

Regarding the sterilization: What can be washed in a washing machine at medium temperature or dry cleaned is fine (even riding trousers). But what can not be washed or dry-cleaned or is a full leather garment needs to be sterilized.
You should be ready for all kinds of weather as it can change very quickly. We provide you with good rain-clothes, a riding helmet and at winter time a thermo overall, gloves and rubber boots. 
Luggage that is not needed on the tour can be left at the office and recovered at the end of the tour.

Caution: Used boots, riding wear, saddlebags etc. must be disinfected before arrival to Iceland. That is because infectious diseases can easily be brought into the country, which pose a great danger for the horses. Riding wear is normally washed and shoes and cleaned with iodine or some other fluid disinfectant. All used leather articles are prohibited.

Passports
Passport valid for at least three months beyond length of stay required by all except:
(a) 1. nationals of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden who are only required to produce national identity cards issued by the competent authorities in their countries of origin.
Passport Note
Iceland is a signatory to the 1995 Schengen Agreement.

Visas
Not required by all nationals of referred to in the chart above for stays of up to 90 days.
2. EU nationals staying longer than 90 days will need to apply for a residence permit from the directorate of immigration in Iceland.
Note: Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).
Visa Note
A stay in another Schengen-Zone country counts as the same as a stay in Iceland.