5 days and 6 nights 215 kilometers, riding between 4 and 7 hours a day.

This tour is unusual in that it is a short tour, BUT, the riders on this tour go along with a herd of loose horse that serve as remounts during the 5 days of riding. This the tradition in Iceland; the horses are always fresh and willing because they know they're not going to be ridden for the whole day. The experience of riding along with this herd of loose horses may be one of the greatest riding experiences many of us will know!
Whether you’ve ridden for years or are just learning your way around horses, the broad valleys, steep canyons and raging rivers of Thórsmörk are marvelous places to enjoy the Icelandic horse in Iceland’s nature. The Thórsmörk tour has always been popular with Horses North riders. It takes riders through one of the loveliest spots in a beautiful country - a large wooded valley, sacred, considered the "woods of Thor," which has been dedicated to this God since ancient times. Worth a visit by anyone travelling to Iceland, it’s particularly fascinating to ride into this area on horseback.

Do you want to experience Iceland without riding horses?

Guided coach Tours

Self guided Driving Touring

First Night
Overnight flight to Iceland

Americans fly out on the night before the tour begins in Iceland. Travelers from Europe can leave on the same day that the tour starts.

Day 1

Welcome to Iceland!

Riders will arrive at Keflavik International Airport and then take the Flybus shuttle to the BSI bus terminal in Reykjavik. Luggage can be left here, you can get some breakfast, and it will be very convenient to explore a bit of Iceland’s capital city. Around 5:30 PM, your outfitter will pick up riders at the bus terminal, and take them to their farm in Hveragerdi, about an hour outside of the capital. where they can check into the comfortable country hotel. The tour group meets over dinner and is given details of the tour ahead.

Day 2
Hveragerði - Skálakot

After breakfast, riders are taken south to Skálakot to meet the horses and begin riding. The first day’s ride goes to the delta of the Markarfljót river, where seals are often seen, and then the route turns inland, where the view of mountains and glaciers await. The night is spent in a community center.

Day 3
Skálakot - Thórsmörk

It’s a day for great sights starting with Paradise Cave, famous during outlaw times. Then there is a walk behind the waterfall at Seljalandsfoss which rises some 70 meters high. Then a ride up the valley along the river Markarfljot, known from Njals saga. The first glacier in sight is Eyjafjallajökull, which produces many little rivers, and culminates in the glacial torrent called Krossa. You’ve arrived at Thorsmork national park, wild and beautiful, and held dear by Icelanders. The next two nights are spent in a mountain hut here.

Day 4
Thórsmörk

The whole day is spent riding through this huge national park. Thorsmork offers unforgettable scenery, with its broad valleys, real forests, plenty of canyons, caves and waterfalls. The highlight is a ride into the deep green canyon Stakkholtsgja, which feels like the heart of Thorsmork. Where else can you ride in the shadow of three glaciers - Eyjafjallajökull, Tindafjallajökull and Mydalsjokull?

Day 5
Thórsmörk - Heimaland

The last day gets started with more riding through Thorsmork. Then it’s time to ride back through the fine broad valleys approaching Thorsmork and over the moors of Hamragardaheidi. Around 2 pm you’ll leave the horses and go back to Vellir and after a short stop are driven further to Reykjavík, where the group often goes out to dinner together (not included in the price, though!) You are booked into a nice tourist class hotel.

Day 6

Home again!

The tour officially ends this morning after breakfast. You can continue exploring Iceland or, if your trip is over you can can take the Flybus shuttle out to the airport later in the day. (You could take a bus that will give you a few hours visit to the Blue Lagoon on the trip to the airport.)

Accommodations during the Thorsmork riding tour are traditionally Icelandic. On your first night you are upgraded to the Eldhestar Hotel in a very comfortable room. On the tour you’ll need a sleeping bag and you’ll stay in farm guesthouses, mountain huts and cabins, which are all warm and clean. Typically there are several beds per room, and in huts there may be one big sleeping room. Most will have shared bathroom facilities. What they lack in creature comforts they make up for in impressive scenery. Your last night, in Reykjavik, is also upgraded.

Download a PDF of the itinerary of thie Thorsmork Riding Tour

The Thórsmörk Riding Tour runs 9 times in 2009. The first day is always a transfer day, which allows you to rest from the short night of sleep on the flight, before you start riding on the second day. Below are the dates in Iceland for the tour.

Start	End	Price
Sun, May 30	Sat, June 5	$2585
Thurs, June 10	Wed, June 16	2727
Sat, June 19	Fri, June 25	2727
Sat, July 3	Fri, July 9	2727
Tues, July 27	Mon, August 2	2727
Sat, August 14	Fri, August 20	2727
Wed, August 25	Tues, August 31	2727
Mon, September 6	Sun, September 12	2585
Tues, September 14	Mon, September 20	2585

Ask for single rates on upgrades on the pre- and post-tour (included) nights.

Price
The price includes round trip airfare,including fuel surcharge and departuretaxes from Boston, New York, Minneapolis, or Orlando - ask about prices from Toronto, Halifax and Europe. Price also includes all transfers while in Iceland, hotel accommodations for your first and last night with private bath and breakfast for pre- and post-ride nights, sleeping bag accommodations during the ride in mountain huts and guest houses with shared facilities, all meals during the ride, as well as safety helmets and rain gear. Not included in the price are breakfastand lunch on your arrival day, dinner on your last riding day back in Reykjavik, lunch on the day of departure and the cost of any additional travel.

On your first night you are upgraded to a double room at the comfortable Hotel Eldhestar. Accommodations during the ride are traditionally Icelandic. You’ll need a sleeping bag , for which the outfitter will provide a good mattress, and you’ll stay in farm guesthouses, mountain huts and cabins, which are all warm and clean. Typically there are several beds per room, and in huts there may be one big sleeping room. Most will have shared bathroom facilities, many will have showers. What they lack in creature comforts they make up for in impressive scenery. On your last night in Reykjavik you’ll be upgraded to a hotel for a bit of post-ride comfort. You’ll be provided with rain gear and approved safety helmets.