Tour 5A – The Hot Springs Tour to Reykjadalur Valley

Vistas and Volcanoes

This tour offers spectacular views and a surprising variety of magnificent Icelandic nature. We first ride along the slopes of Reykjafjall mountain and continue on nice riding trails surrounding the small village Hveragerði. The path then takes us through a green forest to a colourful geothermal valley with hot springs, an area which expanded dramatically during an earthquake in 2008. On our way towards the green hills surrounding the volcano Hengill we have good opportunity to try the “tölt”, the special gait of the Icelandic horse. The horses then take us on a leisurely pace following narrow trails up into the valley Reykjadalur. We pass the beautiful waterfall Djúpagilsfoss and some hot springs before we reach Reykjadalur valley and will have the opportunity to take a relaxing bath in a warm stream. During the ride down the valley we enjoy fascinating panoramas over the surroundings, the village Hveragerði, picturesque farmland and all the way down to the coastline, where we might see the Westman Islands, weather permitting. We continue along the mountain slopes again back to the farm, where coffee and home-baked cake are waiting for us.

Availability

20th of May – 15th of September

Duration

5 – 6 hours incl. riding, breaks and bathing

Departure times

Daily at 09:00. Pick-up in Reykjavík at 08:00. The pick-up in Hafnarfjörður, Mosfellsbær and Kópavogur starts at 7:45.

Return to Reykjavík around 17:15.

Included

English speaking guide, riding and safety equipment, raingear if the weather calls for it, hotel pick-up.

Duration in total 5-6 hours with stops, bathing and about 30 minutes hiking (four short walks, about 10 minutes on a steep slope), lunch box (sandwich, cookies, water bottle – special sandwiches available on request) and coffee/tea/hot chocolate and home baked cake after the tour.

Riding distance ca. 17 km.

BOOT

What to bring

Sturdy shoes, good sneakers or hiking boots that are not very broad are fine.

Comfortable pants (riding pants are not necessary).

Gloves and a thin hat under the helmet (“buff” is well suited). You can buy a “buff” at Eldhestar.

Warm clothes in layers (long underwear, woollen socks, scarf, gloves, woollen sweater or fleece, wind- and waterproof jacket). Eldhestar provides good rain gear.

If you would like to bring small items such as a camera you should bring a small waist bag, backpacks cannot be taken on horseback.

For summer days, we recommend sun lotion, sunglasses and a fly net. You can buy a fly net at Eldhestar.

On rainy days and during the winter season, we recommend bringing extra clothing such as socks, gloves and hat in case you get wet during the ride.

You might experience temperatures close to 0°C as well as”T-shirt weather”, please be prepared! You find more information about climate in Iceland here.

Swimwear and towel

Notes

The weight limit for participants is 110 kg(242lbs).

The age limit for this tour is 10 years.

This tour is for everyone but participants should be in good physical condition and must be able to mount a horse with little assistance. We ride quite a lot of “tölt” during this tour (about trot speed).

If the weather does not allow us to go into the mountains, the tour will be changed. There are no changing rooms in the valley.