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This tour in West Iceland gives us the opportunity to
experience the wide range of Iceland's colors -through green valleys,
across black lava fields and along yellow sand beside the dark sea. We
begin in the green Lundareykjadalur Valley and cross Grimsá, one of
Iceland's most famous salmon rivers.
We proceed into the wilderness and then ride through lava fields into a
beautiful valley of lava before climbing up to the volcano crater
Eldborg á Mýrum. We ride alongside the sea at Löngufjörur, one of the
longest beaches in Iceland. The view is panoramic with the sea on one
side and mountains on the other. On the last day, we have the magical
Snæfellsjökull Glacier before us.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival
Arrival at Keflavík Airport, Iceland. You take the bus from
Keflavík to Reykjavík (BSÍ).You will be greeted by our representatives
at 17.30 - 18.00, who will arrange further transportation to the farm
Vellir in the neighborhood of the town Hveragerði. There the tour
members will be lodged in guesthouses. The first evening we will all
have dinner together and we provide details about the next few days.
Day 2: Hveragerði - Oddsstaðir - Báreksstaðir
Transport by bus over the highlands from Hveragerði to the farm
Oddsstaðir in west part of Iceland. The riding-tour starts at Oddsstaðir
and proceeds down Lundarreykjadalur valley, along the green banks of
river Grimsá, one of Iceland´s best salmon rivers. The horses have to
vade the river several times. The route is taken over Hestháls, which
gives a good view over the Borgarfjörður-district. We spend the night at
Báreksstaðir, a prominent farm in Icelandic horse breeding, specially
known for the progeny of Skeifa 2799, Ófeigur 818 and Borgfjörð 909. The
farm is located by the Agricultural College of Hvanneyri, with 150
inhabitants. 25 km, 4 hours.
Day 3: Báreksstaðir - Grimsstaðir
From the farm Báreksstaðir the route goes by the main road
towards the river Gufná. We follow old paths and tracks along Gufuá,
cross the river Langá and proceed the old road to the abandoned farm
Grimsstaðir. From there we have a beautiful view over the west part of
Snæfellsnes. 31 km, 5 hours.
Day 4: Grimsstaðir - Snorrastaðir
From Grimsstaðir we ride along the mountains Grimsstaðamúli. We
continue west and by the opening of the valley Hítardalur we pass
through the lava by narrow paths. The river Hítará is crossed by the
palagonite mountain Grettisbæli and the route continues along the
mountain Fagraskógarfjall with a view over the Mýrar district and the
coastline at Löngufjörur. We spend the night at Lindarbrekku, an old
community center, close to the picturresque crater Elborg á Mýrum which
last erupted 1100 years ago. The old community center is equipped with
showers and hot and cold tap water. 36 km, 5-6 hours.
Day 5: Snorrastaðir - Skógarnes
The ride is mainly along the sandy beaches of Löngufjörur and
by in the morning we must depart before the low tide. The mouth of the
river Haffjarðará is vaded near the farm Stóra-Hraun and a break taken
on a small island in the delta. The route is then taken inland and the
horses left. We go back to Lindarbrekku by bus. 22-25 km, 4 hours.
Day 6: Skógarnes - Lýsuhóll
From Skógarnes the sandy beaches of Löngufjörur continue all
the way to the farm Stakkhamar. From there towards the river Staðará the
route proceed by the sea, along the shore or up shore banks. The last
leg of the days journey is taken along the main road at Snæfellsnes
peninsula. 40-42 km, 7 hours.
Day 7: Lýsuhóll - Arnarstapi
We continue the ride out Snæfellsnes peninsula, cross the
Búðarós delta and slowly we find our way through the Búðarhraun lava
along the narrow path Klettisgata. The lava at Búðarhraun is known for
its beauty and vegetation richness - 11 out of 16 icelandic ferns are
found in Búðarhraun. As we proceed westwards the ride passes the opening
of Breiðarvíkur bay, along sea banks towards Arnarstapi, where the tour
ends. In the afternoon we take the bus back to Reykjavík where we spend
the evening together. 20-23 km, 4 hours.
Day 8: Departure
You take the bus to Keflavík Airport (not included).
The last three days of the journey, days 5-7, have in common a
spectacular and contrasting view to the south of the Atlantic ocean ,
calm on a still day, while raging on a stormy day. To the north, the
mountains of Snæfellsnes peninsula with myriads of colours, shapes and
sizes and the perfectly formed volcano Snæfellsnesjökull glacier, with
its icecap peak. We spend the night at Lýsuhóll with a mineral spring
and a hot swimming pool.
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IT-ICRT-E14
