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The Kjölur route is an ancient riding trail,
intimately associated with many dramatic events in
Icelandic history. We visit the popular attractions
of Gullfoss and Geysir as well as uninhabited tracts
of land, glaciers, wilderness and hot springs. We
ride north between glaciers and spend a night close
to a sliding glacier. At Hveravellir, hot springs
await us, like an oasis in the desert. We continue
to wend our way across many of Northern Iceland's
rivers until we reach Blöndudalur, our final
destination.
Itinerary
Day 1:
Arrival
Tour members arrive at
Keflavik Airport, Iceland. They take the bus
from Keflavik to Reykjavik (BSÍ).
Our representatives will greet you at 17:30 - 18:00,
and arrange further transportation to the farm
Vellir near Hveragerdi. In Hveragerdi
the tour members will be lodged in guesthouses. The
first evening, we dine together, and Eldhestar
provides details about the next few days.
Day 2:
Hveragerdi – Reykholt - Geysir
We go by car to a
place near the farm Reykholt in the beautiful area
Biskupstúngur. We ride on soft paths until we reach
a river which we cross. We end our tour at the farm
Kjarnholt, just south of the hot springs at Geysir..
20 km, 4 hrs.
Day 3:
Kjarnholt - Fremstaver.
We start the
riding from Kjarnholt and our first stop will be at
Gullfoss. From Gullfoss we ride into the
wilderness, in a black desert of stones and sand. We
follow the river Hvítá west until we come to
the Mt. Bláfell, 1160 m above sea
level, which gives us a beautiful view over
Kjölur. We see the glaciers Eyjafjallajökull
and Hofsjökull and the volcano Hekla
and, on the right, Mt. Hlödufell and
the Langjökull Glacier . We spend the night
south of Bláfell in the mountain hut,
Fremstaver. 35 km, 7 hrs.
Day 4:
Fremstaver - Árbúdir
We continue east along
Bláfell. We cross the Hvítá Rver
over a bridge, pass the waterfall Ábóta,
and there Kjölur starts. Kjölur is the
oldest road between South and North Iceland. It is
mostly even and is about 700 m above sea level. We
have a view over the Langjökull and
Hofsjökull glaciers and the Kerlingafjöll
mountains - Kjölur's flagship. We follow the
Svartá River to Árbúdir, where
we spend the night. 40 km, 8 hrs.
Day 5:
Árbúdir - Hveravellir
The tour starts toward
Hvítárnes, a grass-rich area changing its
character in the summer when the green flower
Fifa gets white and fluffy. We come to the lava
field, Kjalhraun, which many people think
gave Kjölur its name. It looks like the keel
of a ship. West of Kjalhraun we ride through
a narrow cleft to the valley Thjófadalur (the
Valley of Thieves). The valley is circular and
hidden behind the mountains. It is one of the few
places along Kjölur rich with grass. From the
valley, we ride over a little mountain comb called
Thröskuldur, and from there, we follow a
smooth path to Hveravellir, where we can
bathe in the hot springs.
40 km, 8 hrs.
Day 6:
Hveravellir - Áfangi
Today we have enough
time to explore the beautiful nature surrounding
Hveravellir before we saddle the horses.
Hveravellir is one of the biggest geothermal
areas in Iceland. There was an outlaw hideout here
in the old days, and south of the area we pass the
ruin of the hut of the outlaw Fjalla-Eyvindur.
We continue north over the river Seydisá and along
the mountains Sandkúlufell, Hanskafell and
Saudafell and spend the night in a mountain hut.
28 km, 5-6 hrs.
Day 7: Áfangi – Vatnsdalur
We continue north
over the Eyvindarstadaheidi Moor . We are now
not very far from civilization in North Iceland. We
ride with the mountains behind us and the glaciers
all around us. On our right we have the big lake,
Blöndulón, which was made by the power plant by
the Blanda River. We continue on soft riding
paths and mountain roads and end up in the green
valley Vatnsdalur. From there we return to
Reykjavik and spend the evening together.
Day
8:Departure
The tour members take
the Fly bus on their own to Keflavik airport.
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