After breakfast at this charming, valley-perched mountain hut, you’ll prepare for an adventurous day. Leaving the peaceful Galtará and the stillness of the highlands behind, you’ll follow wide riding trails that allow for endless tölting. Depending on the weather, you may even be able to pick crowberries, the aromatic wild thymian, or the healthy Iceland moss. As you descend from Eyvindarstaðaheiði further into the Svartárdalur valley, you will see the corral Stafnsrétt, where the sheep are collected every autumn. This corral is your destination today. Your horses will retreat here for the night and you’ll drive back to the cottages.

(Riding time: four to five hours.)

After being transported back out to Stafnsrétt this morning, you’ll be reunited with the herd and begin the journey towards home. The paths alternate between soft riding trails that are perfect for tölting and more challenging, rugged terrain. You’ll gasp in amazement at the horses’ strength and stamina as they climb uphill on rocky mountainsides. From the mountain pass Kiðaskarð you’ll be able to catch one last glimpse of the faraway highlands and the majestic glaciers – just a glimpse into the stunning natural wonderland this country has on offer.

You’ll continue your descent towards the pen Mælifellrétt, which you might remember from the lunch break on the second day. It’s here that you’ll leave the horses and retire back to your comfortable cottages to wait in anticipation for the last exciting riding day to come.

(Riding time: five hours.)

It’s time for a good dose of history, Globetrotters, because after breakfast you’ll visit Glaumbær, where you’ll see how Icelanders lived in years gone by. Afterwards, on your way to your horses, you’ll stop in at Varmilækur to meet Bjössi (a close friend of your guide Magnus), who has a reputation for breeding some of the best Icelandic horses in the country and around the world. His team of horses will wow you with their fantastic gaits and easy personalities. Then it’s time to saddle your own horses for the last ride.

With their heads turned for home, it will be a fast and exciting ride towards the stables at Vindheimamelar. Here you’ll say a VERY SAD farewell to the trusty horses that have carried you safely across the raw and rugged beauty of Iceland. Then it’s back to the cottages, where a final feast awaits. To finish the ride off in true Icelandic style, you can jump into the stone hot tub, while reminiscing about the once-in-a-lifetime memories you’ve made in the Icelandic Highlands.

(Riding time: approximately three hours.)

After breakfast, you’ll say goodbye to your wonderful guides and hosts, who will undoubtedly become lifelong friends. Your group will be driven to Akureyri, where you’ll take a domestic flight back to Reykjavík (included in the ride price).

The Icelandic horse is a unique breed of smallish horse that came to Iceland with the first settlers from Norway 1,100 years ago. Archeological digs in Europe have revealed that the breed is a descendant of an ancient breed that is now extinct outside of Iceland.

The Icelandic, as it is commonly referred to, is known for being sure-footed and able to navigate rough terrain with ease. It displays two gaits in addition to the typical walk, trot, and canter/gallop commonly displayed by other breeds. The first additional gait is a four-beat lateral ambling gait called the tölt. The tölt is known for its explosive acceleration and speed; it is also comfortable and ground-covering. The breed also performs a pace called skeið, or “flying pace”. Skeið is used in pacing races, and is fast and smooth, with some horses able to reach speeds of up to 50 kilometres per hour. It is not a gait for long-distance travel. The Icelandic horse comes in almost every imaginable colour, and the Icelandic language includes more than 100 names for the various coat colours and patterns.

The Icelandic breed is extremely popular internationally, and for good reason: you need to ride these horses to understand. A sizeable population exists in Europe and North America, but NOTHING beats riding Icelandic horses in their natural habitat, Iceland. In their native country they have few diseases, and as a result Icelandic law prevents horses from being imported, and exported animals are not allowed to return. In Iceland, the breed continues to be used for farm work in addition to showing, racing and recreational riding.