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Horseback riding tours
Rides in Iceland
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Black Lava and White Sand
West
Iceland
This tour in West Iceland gives us an opportunity to experience the wide range of Icelandic colors - through green valleys, across black lava fields and along yellow sands beside the dark blue sea. We begin in the green Lundareykjadalur Valley and cross Grimsá, one of Iceland's most famous salmon rivers.
We proceed into the wilderness and then ride through unique lava fields into a beautiful valley of lava, before climbing up to the volcano crater Eldborg á Mýrum. We ride alongside the sea at Löngufjörur, one of the longest beaches in Iceland. The view is panoramic, with the sea on one side and mountains on the other. The last three days of the journey, days 5-7, have in common a spectacular and contrasting view to the south of the Atlantic ocean, which lay calm on a still day and raging on a stormy day. To the north, the mountains of Snæfellsnes Peninsula with myriads of colours and shapes, with the perfectly formed volcano Snæfellsnesjökull glacier and its icecap peak. On the last day, we have the magical Snæfellsjökull Glacier right before us and we spend the night at Lýsuhóll with a mineral spring and a hot swimming pool.
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Meeting:
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Reykjavik
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Airport:
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Keflavik Airport
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Transfer:
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Reykjavik BSI central bus station on Day 1 between 5:30-6 PM.
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Riders:
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Min
6 riders
Max
16 riders
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Trip Rating
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Rates and Dates for 2010
Rates include:
Sleeping bag accommodations, all meals (except dinner last night), 6 riding days
| A | 2010 | 8 day trip, AP except dinner last night | 8d / 7n | $1985 |
Transfer Option:
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2010
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Transfer from Reykjavik BSI is included
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From the airport, you take the official airport shuttle bus called FlyBus to the Reykjavik BSI central bus station for meeting between 17:30-18:00 hrs. The FlyBus transfer is not included, for details please see www.flybus.is .
Rates do not include:
Airport transfer into town - take the Flybus !
Dinner last evening.
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.

Meeting:
Reykjavik
Airport:
Keflavik Airport
Transfer:
Reykjavik BSI central bus station on Day 1 between 5:30-6 PM.
From the airport, you take the official airport shuttle bus called FlyBus to the Reykjavik BSI central bus station for meeting between 17:30-18:00 hrs. The FlyBus transfer is not included, for details please see www.flybus.is .
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Tack:
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Icelandic
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Horses:
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Icelandic Horses
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Pace:
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Daily rides are between 4-8 hours (20 - 40 km).
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Walk |
Trot |
Canter |
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Level:
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(3
to
3
out of 5) Intermediate
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Riders:
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Min
6 riders
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Max
16 riders
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Passport and Visa Requirements:
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, Luxembour. more
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.
It is not yet legally mandatory that riders need to wear riding helmets. Never-the-less 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.
| this list is only a guideline for you |
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| Hidden Trails Travel Documents and TripVoucher (contains important local tour contact info.) |
| Flight tickets |
| Passport |
| Visa (check with your consulate) |
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| RIDING GEAR |
| Riding pants or Jodhpurs |
| Riding boots (rubber is best) |
| Riding helmet (provided, but bring your own if you like) |
| Riding gloves |
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| PERSONAL CLOTHING |
| Jacket or sweater for cool evenings, long underwear, scarf |
| Comfortable T-Shirts/Shirts |
| Jeans |
| Underwear and warm socks |
| Pyjamas and slippers (Icelanders take off their shoes when entering a house) |
| Bag for dirty clothes |
| Comfortable shoes |
| Swimsuit and towel |
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| For Camping trips: |
| Sleeping Bag and Pillow!! (not provided) |
| Towel and small bar of soap |
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| ADDITIONAL THINGS TO BRING |
| Personal Toiletries |
| Insect protection |
| Personal medications |
| Sore cream and bandaids/ second skin plasters for chaffing |
| Sewing kit |
| Handkerchiefs |
| Adapter for electric appliances |
| Camera and extra film or batteries |
| Waist pack |
| Address book and pen (for postcards!) |
| Sun glasses with strap |
| Sun tan lotion and lip balm |
Sorry, no video is currently available for this tour.
*Important Notice: The following ratings have been submitted by guests and do not necessarily represent the views of Hidden Trails, its partners or employees.
Every care is taken to ensure accuracy but Hidden Trails is not liable for any errors or omissions.
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Sleeping bag accommodation (bring your own sleeping bag or pillow) with full board is included (apart from dinner the last evening). Lodging is in mountain huts, community centres and guesthouses.
You can choose to stay the first night in our hotel with private rooms instead of in sleeping bag accommodation (addition al charge).
Bed & Breakfast accommodation in Reykjavík is inclued the night after the tour. On departure day breakfast is included.
The chefs try and provide a nice variety of foods. Specialities include fish, kjötsúpa (an icelandic soup, with meat, vedgetable and rice) and BBQ.
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Tack:
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|
Icelandic
|
|
Horses:
|
|
Icelandic Horses
|
|
Pace:
|
|
Daily rides are between 4-8 hours (20 - 40 km).
|
Walk |
Trot |
Canter |
|
|
Level:
|
|
(3
to
3
out of 5) Intermediate
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Riders:
|
|
Min
6 riders
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Max
16 riders
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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.
| Passport Required? |
| British |
Yes |
| Australian |
Yes |
| Canadian |
Yes |
| USA |
Yes |
| Other EU |
Yes/1 |
| Visa Required? |
| British |
No |
| Australian |
No |
| Canadian |
No |
| USA |
No |
| Other EU |
No |
| Return Ticket Required? |
| British |
No |
| Australian |
Yes |
| Canadian |
Yes |
| USA |
Yes |
| Other EU |
No |
This information is not being updated on a regular basis. Hidden Trails does not
take any responsibility for the accuracy of the above information. Please, consult
the embassy or consulate for updated info.
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Black Lava and White Sand
Tour Code: IT-ICRT-E14
8 days /
7 nights
~$1,985.00
Difficulty :
Lodging:
Introduction
Day to Day Itinerary
Rates |
Dates
Accomodation
Tack:
Icelandic
Horses:
Icelandic Horses
Pace:
Daily rides are between 4-8 hours (20 ...
Walk, Trot, Canter,
Airport:
Keflavik Airport
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