Kjölur Route - Iceland

Arrival Tour members arrive at Keflavik Airport, Iceland. They take the bus from Keflavik to Reykjavik (BSÍ). Representatives of Eldhestar will greet them 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 will dine together, and Eldhestar will provide details about the next few days.

Hveragerdi - Torfastaðir- Geysir We go by car to a place near the farm Torfastaðir in the beautiful area Biskupstúngur. uWe ride on soft paths until we reach a river which we cross many times. We take a look at the hot springs at Geysir and the golden waterfall, Gullfoss. 20 km, 4 hrs.

Geysir - Fremstaver nAfter a soak in the hot pools at Geysir, nwe turn into the wilderness. We pass Gullfoss nand then ride in a black deser 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 theLangjökull Glacier . We spend the night south of Bláfell in the mountain hut, Fremstaver. 35 km, 7 hrs.

Fremstaver - Árbúdir We continue east along Bláfell. We cross the Hvítá River over a bridge, pass the waterfall Ábóta, and there Kjölur starts. Kjölur is the oldest road between South and North iceland. It is mostly eben 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.

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.

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.

Áfangi - Blöndudalur 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 aon soft riding paths and mountain roads and end up in the green valley Blöndudalur. From there we return to Reykjavik and spend the evening together.

Departure Tour members take the bus to Keflavik Airport on their own.