Around the Volcano Short Tour

Around the Volcano Short Tour

This shorter break is 3 days riding over the black lava fields of the volcano Hengill into the green hidden Valley of Horses. You will ride along the Jórukleif range of mountains and continue along the largest lake in Iceland, Thingvallavatn. Continuing along two shimmering blue and gray volcanic lakes, the ride follows the lava steppe leading down to the Reykjadalur Valley with its hot springs where you can relax in the geothermal river.

The accomodation is full board at Hotel Eldhestar.

Day 1: Arrival
The tour starts in the evening. Tour members who arrive the same day to Iceland should take the flight bus from the airport to the ending bus station BSÍ in Reykjavík. We will greet you at the bus station or at your hotel/guesthouse in Reykjavik between 17:30- 18:00 and drive you to our farm Vellir in Hveragerði. There you will be lodged in Hotel Eldhestar. We will get to know each other during the dinner at our Hotel Eldhestar. The day will end with a detailed description of the tour.

Day 2: Vellir - Kolvidarhóll
We start the day by getting to know the horses in the paddock. After an early lunch we follow the old route from Hveragerdi to Hellisheidi. After reaching the moor, we continue to the Hengill volcano along the Kristnitökuhraun lava field. This lava came from the eruption of Hengill in the year 1000, the same year Iceland officially became Christian. The old folktales say that the eruption was the revenge of the old gods Thór, Ódinn and Freyr. We continue on the track between lava and hills ("milli hrauns og hlidar"), down to Kolvidarhóll, where people have stopped to rest for hundreds of years. We spend the night at the farm Vellir. 21 km, 4 hrs.

Day 3: Kolvidarhóll - Nesjavellir
We continue north below the Húsmúli and Hengill mountains. We dismount and lead the horses through a narrow cleft to Marardalur (Valley of Horses). We ride through Dyrfjöll (Door-Mountains), and when we reach the mountaintop we have a view over Lake Thingvallavatn. The lake is by the cleft where Icelanders had their democratic meetings called Althing for hundreds of years. The track continues to Nesjavellir, where the tour ends. We leave the horses at the farm Villingavatn, but drive the participants to Vellir for overnight. 30 km, 6-7 hrs.

Day 4: Villingavatn- Reykjadalur- Vellir

We ride into the mountains on the east side of the Hengill volcano and ride first along a mountain called Súlufell and gives away a beautiful view over Lake Thingvallavatn. After riding along side Kattatjarnahryggir, we come to two crater lakes, the big and the small Kattatjörn. We climb up a hill and reach first the lake Álftavatn- the Swanlake- and than the green land of Ökuelduháls with all its Hotsprings. After a while we can see Klambragíl, the steep lava path leading us down into Reykjadalur Valley, with its hot springs. We take a bathe in the valley’s warm rivulet before leaving for Hveragerði. Before we ride down the mountain we have a magnificent view over the sea and the Westman Islands. The tour ends on the new riding path between Hveragerði and Reykjafjall that leads us back to our farm Vellir where the tour ends. After some refreshments, we will go around 16.30 by car back to Reykjavik, where we spend the night in a guesthouse (bed & breakfast).

23,3 km, 5 -6 hrs.

The tour ends after the 4th day with transportation to Reykjavik.

2012 prices:

Low Season -

4 nights, full board, £785pp

High Season -

4 nights, full board, £875pp

Please note: There is a 20% discount for children aged 14 years and under.

2012 dates:

Low season - departing 17th May and 27th May

High Season - departing 14th June, 28th June, 9th July, 28th July, 11th August and 30th August.

Not Included: Flights and Travel Insurance

Single Supplement: £25pppn

Meeting Point: Reykjavik

Transfer: Included from Reykjavik bus station

Hours in the Saddle: 4 - 7

Max Weight: 95kg

Group Size: 2-6

Suitable for Non-Riders: No

Call us on +44 (0)1225 424413 or email contact@redlandsequestrian.com to check the ride availability and dates, once we have confirmed availability you can download and fill in a booking form:

• UK Rides Booking Form
• Worldwide Rides Booking Form

Each rider in the party must also complete a riding ability questionnaire before we can complete the final confirmation of your holiday booking.