Below the Mountains

On this day tour we discover the beautiful landscape opening up between the volcanic mountains and the Atlantic ocean in southern Iceland. We begin the tour on nice riding trails along our meadows which are ideal for trying the special gait of the Icelandic horse, “tölt”. We follow the river Gljúfurá to an old cemetery close to the mighty glacial river Ölusá, where we enjoy the panoramic view of the river delta and the famous volcanoes Hekla and Eyjafjallajökull, weather permitting. A grassy path takes us further down to the soft, black lava sand on the river banks and through shallow water to the green island Lambey. On our way we have good chances of seeing various kinds of birds living in the wetlands of the nearby bird sanctuary. We stop for a lunch break out in nature before continuing through farmland towards Mount Ingólfsfjall, a table mountain named after the first settler of Iceland, Ingólfur Arnarson. An old Viking path takes us along the mountain Reykjafjall, where both sheep and horses graze in the summer. On the way back to our farm Vellir we have a nice view over the surrounding area and the village of Hveragerði. Awaiting us back at our farm are coffee and home-baked cake.

During the winter season, the tour is slightly changed. We ride all the way down to the river banks and then return to our hotel for steaming bowls of traditional Icelandic meat soup before continuing our ride towards the mountains.