Horse Riding in East Iceland | Ride into the Wild

A horse riding tour in East Iceland that leaves straight from the Wilderness Center at Skjöldólfsstaðir. You ride out to the abandoned farm at Kleif, with the option to cross the Jökulsá river on an old-style cableway on the way back.

• A calm, guided ride on Icelandic horses through East Iceland's wilderness
• A visit to the abandoned farmhouse at Kleif
• The chance to cross the Jökulsá river on a traditional cableway
• Runs from the Wilderness Center, a working farm and cultural museum
• An optional buffet meal after the ride

Your day, stop by stop

2Ride out to KleifA guided ride through open countryside to an abandoned farm.

A guided ride at a walk and light trot through open countryside to Kleif, a farm abandoned long ago, standing alone in the East Iceland landscape. The ride out gives a feel for how remote farm life here once was. It is suitable for beginners.

Pace · guided walk and light trot, suitable for beginners

3Jökulsá river cablewayAn optional crossing of the river on an old hand-hauled cableway.

A small basket strung on a cable once let isolated farms cross the river without a bridge. Riders can try the old hand-hauled cableway if they want to, or skip the crossing and continue riding.

Optional · you can skip the crossing and continue riding

About the horse riding in East Iceland

East Iceland gets far fewer visitors than the south or the Golden Circle, and this ride shows why it is worth the detour. You set off on Icelandic horses from the Wilderness Center at Skjöldólfsstaðir and follow a route out to Kleif, an abandoned farm in open, empty countryside.

For those who want it, the route includes the option to cross the Jökulsá river using an old-style cableway, a small hand-hauled basket strung across the water, which was once how remote farms kept in touch with each other. It is optional, so riders who would rather stay in the saddle can skip it.

Icelandic horses are small, steady and used to riders of all levels, and the ride is guided at an easy pace, so no experience is needed. The tour runs daily through the summer season, with departures mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and can sometimes be arranged outside these dates on request.

Afterwards there is the option of a buffet meal back at the Wilderness Center, which also has cultural exhibits on farming and wilderness life in East Iceland if you want to make a longer stop of it.

• Lamb soup for lunch
• Breakfast
• Vegetable soup for lunch

Questions people ask