Trail | Fire & Ice Ride
Riding tour in the highlands between Sprengisandur and Kjölur: deserts, hot springs and icy glaciers (7 days)
Trail | Fire & Ice Ride
Riding tour in the highlands between Sprengisandur and Kjölur: deserts, hot springs and icy glaciers (7 days)
Kurzinformation
Webcode: DES009
Programmart: Trail
Reisezeit: Jul - Aug
Unterkunft: Guesthouse, huts
Verpflegung: Full board
Zimmer: Dorm
Sprache: English
Nichtreiter: no
Kinder: upon request
Eigenes Pferd: no
Gruppengrösse / Mitreiter
Min: 10
Max: 18
Beschreibung & Reiseverlauf
This tour combines the two tours across the sandy deserts of Kjölur and Sprengisandur. You ride through the area south of the glacier Hofsjökull. You start at Myrkholt Farm, from where you ride northwards to Bláfjöll Mountain, past the huge waterfall Gulfoss. The ride continues towards Hofsjökull, the third largest glacier in Iceland. At Kerlingarfjöll, the Altweibergebirge, you will find hot springs between the icy glaciers. What a contrast! The glacier is one of the best skiing areas in Iceland. The tour then continues eastwards towards Sprengisandur and Thjórsá, the longest river in Iceland. You will end the tour of a farm near the volcano Hekla. Daily riding stages between 25 and 40 km.
Reiseverlauf
Day 1: Arrival
Arrival and transfer to the riding school. At the common dinner you have the possibility to get to know each other and to discuss the coming days. Overnight stay in the guest house.
Day 2: Myrkholt - Fremstaver
You start the first day´s stage in Myrkholt. From here you follow the river Hvitá and make your first stop at the famous waterfall Gullfoss! Then you ride on through a desert with black stones and black sand. Here you can enjoy the wonderful view over the Kjölur area. You will see the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull, Langjökull and Hofsjökull, the volcano Hekla and the mountain Hlödufell. The overnight stay takes place south of Bláfell mountain in the simple mountain hut Fremstaver. Riding time about 6- 7 hours, 25 km.
Day 3: Fremstaver - Árbúdir
You continue your ride along the eastern side of the Bláfell. You cross the river Hvitá and ride over soft, sandy meadows. Here, at 700 m above sea level, the Kjölur begins, the oldest connecting route in Iceland from south to north. You will have a beautiful view of the mountains Kerlingarfjöll, which are considered Kjölur´s landmark. Further you follow the river Svartá to Árbúdir and stay overnight. Riding time about 7-8 hours, 30 km.
Day 4: Árbúðir - Kerlingafjöll
First you follow the course of the Svartá River in a northerly direction and get closer to Hofsjökull, the third largest glacier in Iceland. The tour ends at Kerlingafjöll (Altweibergebierge). Here, where the rivers Hvítá and Thjórsá separate, you will encounter both cold glaciers and hot springs. You can enjoy a bath in a hot pot with a view of the unforgettable wilderness. Riding time about 6-7 hours, 30 km.
Day 5: Kerlingafjöll - Svinárnes
Today you continue your tour further south. You ride along Hvítá and can see Bláfjöll mountain on your right. At the same time you have a great view of the whole area until you reach the Svinárnes cabin. Svinárnes is a simple but cosy hut, which has served the farmers of the region for a long time as a place to spend the night on the sheep drive. Riding time about 7-8 hours, 36 km.
Day 6: Svinárnes - Helgaskáli
In the morning you ride south along the Hvíta and enjoy the great view. Later you ride east and over the highlands to the Helgaskáli cabin where you will stay overnight. Riding time about 6-7 hours, 30 km.
Day 7: Helgaskáli - Kaldbak
You ride over the highlands and reach the impressive Laxárgljúfur gorge, which leads through beautiful heath landscape in a south-westerly direction down to the green hills of the Hrunamannahreppur district. There the tour ends at Kaldbak Farm. You will return to Reykjavik with a short stop at the horseback riding hotel, where you will arrive in the late afternoon. Riding time about 6-7 hours, 25 km.
Unterkunft
On the first day you will stay overnight in 2 to 4 bedded rooms in the comfortable guesthouse at the riding stable. Dinner and breakfast are served in the beautiful hotel restaurant.
In the often very remote areas through which you will ride, there are no hotels available on the way. Sometimes you will stay in guesthouses with 4 to 6 bedded rooms, but mostly you will be accommodated in dormitories or hikers´ cabins where all guests stay together. Usually hot showers are available, but it may be that in between an accommodation only has washing facilities and toilets. There are also power sockets not available every night.
Pferde, Reiten & Zaumzeug
Pferde:
You ride Icelandic horses, of course. Hardly any other horse offers more ideal conditions for these riding tours: they are robust, extremely sure-footed, comfortable, tireless and reliable. Surely you will learn to love the breed after a very short time.
Sattel & Zaum:
Water snaffle and Icelandic (ribbed seat) riding saddles.
Reiterfahrung: You should have ridden regularly for at least 3 years and be able to handle new horses without instruction in all gaits. The pace is usually quite fast in tolt (No experience in tolt riding required). For each rider there are 2-3 riding horses available, which are in a free running herd during the trail.
Kundenmeinungen & weitere Informationen
Kundenmeinungen, Informationen zum Land (wie z.B. Visabestimmungen) und Wetterinfos finden Sie bei und nur online, da sich diese täglich ändern können. Gehen Sie dafür bitte online auf www.equitour.com/des009.htm
Preise & Termine
2025
Dates, prices, prestations
Fire & Ice Ride |
Dates |
Services and notations |
|
Included: 7 Tage/ 6 Üb. in Gästehäusern und Berghütten, 6 Reittage, VP, Englisch oder Deutsch sprechende Tourenführung, Transfer ab/an Reykjavik Stadt. Arrival / departure: gemäss Termin Reykjavík (KEF), Ankunt bis ca. 16 Uhr, Rückflug ab ca. 21 Uhr. Not included in package: Fahrt mit dem Flughafenbus nach Reykjavik und zurück (ca. 25 EUR pro Weg), letztes AE in Reykjavik. |
Prices
Code | Euro | UK £ | US$ | |
IED7D | Between the deserts,7 d., AP,share | coming soon | coming soon | coming soon |
|
2025 Prices per person, not including travel |
|
EZ nicht möglich. |
2024
Dates, prices, prestations
Fire & Ice Ride
|
|
Dates |
|
Services and notations |
|
Included: 9 days/ 8 nights, 1x in hotel, 7 riding days, full board, english and german speaking guide, transfer from/to Reykjavik city |
Prices
Code | Euro | UK £ | US$ | |
IED7D | Between the deserts,7 d., AP,share | 2750.- | 2371.- | 2865.- |
|
Prices per person, not including travel |
|
Notes: Single room not possible. |
Accomodation
On the first day you will stay overnight in 2 to 4 bedded rooms in the comfortable guesthouse at the riding stable. Dinner and breakfast are served in the beautiful hotel restaurant.
In the often very remote areas through which you will ride, there are no hotels available on the way. Sometimes you will stay in guesthouses with 4 to 6 bedded rooms, but mostly you will be accommodated in dormitories or hikers´ cabins where all guests stay together. Usually hot showers are available, but it may be that in between an accommodation only has washing facilities and toilets. There are also power sockets not available every night.
2025
Dates, prices, prestations
Fire & Ice Ride |
Dates |
Services and notations |
|
Included: 7 Tage/ 6 Üb. in Gästehäusern und Berghütten, 6 Reittage, VP, Englisch oder Deutsch sprechende Tourenführung, Transfer ab/an Reykjavik Stadt. Arrival / departure: gemäss Termin Reykjavík (KEF), Ankunt bis ca. 16 Uhr, Rückflug ab ca. 21 Uhr. Not included in package: Fahrt mit dem Flughafenbus nach Reykjavik und zurück (ca. 25 EUR pro Weg), letztes AE in Reykjavik. |
Prices
Code | Euro | UK £ | US$ | |
IED7D | Between the deserts,7 d., AP,share | coming soon | coming soon | coming soon |
|
2025 Prices per person, not including travel |
|
EZ nicht möglich. |
2024
Dates, prices, prestations
Fire & Ice Ride
|
|
Dates |
|
Services and notations |
|
Included: 9 days/ 8 nights, 1x in hotel, 7 riding days, full board, english and german speaking guide, transfer from/to Reykjavik city |
Prices
Code | Euro | UK £ | US$ | |
IED7D | Between the deserts,7 d., AP,share | 2750.- | 2371.- | 2865.- |
|
Prices per person, not including travel |
|
Notes: Single room not possible. |
In a nutshell
Webcode: DES009
Program Type: Trail
Travel Time: Jul - Aug
Lodging: Guesthouse, huts
Catering: Full board
Accomodation: Dorm
Language: English
Non Riders: no
Kids: upon request
Own Horse: no
Group Size
Min: 10
Max: 18
This tour combines the two tours across the sandy deserts of Kjölur and Sprengisandur. You ride through the area south of the glacier Hofsjökull. You start at Myrkholt Farm, from where you ride northwards to Bláfjöll Mountain, past the huge waterfall Gulfoss. The ride continues towards Hofsjökull, the third largest glacier in Iceland. At Kerlingarfjöll, the Altweibergebirge, you will find hot springs between the icy glaciers. What a contrast! The glacier is one of the best skiing areas in Iceland. The tour then continues eastwards towards Sprengisandur and Thjórsá, the longest river in Iceland. You will end the tour of a farm near the volcano Hekla. Daily riding stages between 25 and 40 km.
Itinerary
Day 1: ArrivalArrival and transfer to the riding school. At the common dinner you have the possibility to get to know each other and to discuss the coming days. Overnight stay in the guest house.
Day 2: Myrkholt - Fremstaver
You start the first day´s stage in Myrkholt. From here you follow the river Hvitá and make your first stop at the famous waterfall Gullfoss! Then you ride on through a desert with black stones and black sand. Here you can enjoy the wonderful view over the Kjölur area. You will see the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull, Langjökull and Hofsjökull, the volcano Hekla and the mountain Hlödufell. The overnight stay takes place south of Bláfell mountain in the simple mountain hut Fremstaver. Riding time about 6- 7 hours, 25 km.
Day 3: Fremstaver - Árbúdir
You continue your ride along the eastern side of the Bláfell. You cross the river Hvitá and ride over soft, sandy meadows. Here, at 700 m above sea level, the Kjölur begins, the oldest connecting route in Iceland from south to north. You will have a beautiful view of the mountains Kerlingarfjöll, which are considered Kjölur´s landmark. Further you follow the river Svartá to Árbúdir and stay overnight. Riding time about 7-8 hours, 30 km.
Day 4: Árbúðir - Kerlingafjöll
First you follow the course of the Svartá River in a northerly direction and get closer to Hofsjökull, the third largest glacier in Iceland. The tour ends at Kerlingafjöll (Altweibergebierge). Here, where the rivers Hvítá and Thjórsá separate, you will encounter both cold glaciers and hot springs. You can enjoy a bath in a hot pot with a view of the unforgettable wilderness. Riding time about 6-7 hours, 30 km.
Day 5: Kerlingafjöll - Svinárnes
Today you continue your tour further south. You ride along Hvítá and can see Bláfjöll mountain on your right. At the same time you have a great view of the whole area until you reach the Svinárnes cabin. Svinárnes is a simple but cosy hut, which has served the farmers of the region for a long time as a place to spend the night on the sheep drive. Riding time about 7-8 hours, 36 km.
Day 6: Svinárnes - Helgaskáli
In the morning you ride south along the Hvíta and enjoy the great view. Later you ride east and over the highlands to the Helgaskáli cabin where you will stay overnight. Riding time about 6-7 hours, 30 km.
Day 7: Helgaskáli - Kaldbak
You ride over the highlands and reach the impressive Laxárgljúfur gorge, which leads through beautiful heath landscape in a south-westerly direction down to the green hills of the Hrunamannahreppur district. There the tour ends at Kaldbak Farm. You will return to Reykjavik with a short stop at the horseback riding hotel, where you will arrive in the late afternoon. Riding time about 6-7 hours, 25 km.
Accomodation
On the first day you will stay overnight in 2 to 4 bedded rooms in the comfortable guesthouse at the riding stable. Dinner and breakfast are served in the beautiful hotel restaurant.
In the often very remote areas through which you will ride, there are no hotels available on the way. Sometimes you will stay in guesthouses with 4 to 6 bedded rooms, but mostly you will be accommodated in dormitories or hikers´ cabins where all guests stay together. Usually hot showers are available, but it may be that in between an accommodation only has washing facilities and toilets. There are also power sockets not available every night.
Saddle & Tack: Water snaffle and Icelandic (ribbed seat) riding saddles.
Experience: You should have ridden regularly for at least 3 years and be able to handle new horses without instruction in all gaits. The pace is usually quite fast in tolt (No experience in tolt riding required). For each rider there are 2-3 riding horses available, which are in a free running herd during the trail.
Horses: You ride Icelandic horses, of course. Hardly any other horse offers more ideal conditions for these riding tours: they are robust, extremely sure-footed, comfortable, tireless and reliable. Surely you will learn to love the breed after a very short time.
In a nutshell
Webcode: DES009
Program Type: Trail
Travel Time: Jul - Aug
Lodging: Guesthouse, huts
Catering: Full board
Accomodation: Dorm
Language: English
Non Riders: no
Kids: upon request
Own Horse: no
Group Size
Min: 10
Max: 18
All itineraries, prices & dates subject to changes © EQUITOUR International Riding Vacations, Switzerland