Tour Info
- 7 riding days (approx 250 km / 30-50 km pr day)
- 21.8 – 28.8.2025
- Price: 3790 EUR (incl. 11% VAT)
Part 4 Highlands of the North
Mýri – Fossgilsmosar – Laugafell – Þorljótsstaðir – Sveinstaðir – Galtará – Öndvegi – Flaga
This tour takes us through the northern parts of Iceland´s most famous highland trails Sprengisandur, Kjölur and Arnarvatnsheiði all in one tour! We‘ll ride from Mýri farm and follow the old trail along Íshólsvatn and Mjóidalur to Fossgilsmosar close to the original Kiðagil canyon, well known from our song „Á Sprengisandi“. We‘ll follow the old trail of Sprengisandur with the huge glacier Vatnajökull in sight all day to the oasis of Laugafell with a hot natural pool aside. Then we ride down to Vesturdalur in Skagafjörður and then the next day straight back to the highlands; up to the Kjölur trail where we stay overnight at the mountain cabin at Galtará. We‘ll keep on riding to the west towards Auðkúluheiði and Grímstunguheiði at the start of the old Arnarvatnsheiði trail. We‘ll spend another night in a cozy mountain cabin before we head down to Vatnsdalur in the north-west where the tour ends.
Accomodation: 4 nights in remote but cosy mountain cabins and 3 nights at nice guesthouses in Bárðardalur, Skagafjörður and Vatnsdalur
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Itinerary
We Start part 4 at farm Mýri, which through time has served as a gate to the highland trail of Sprengisandur, connecting the north and south of Iceland´s farmlands. We ride to lake Íshólsvatn and in to valley Mjóidalur following trail marked by “stonemen”; old waypoints made of rocks to guide the way through the highlands. We arrive at Fossgilsmosar in late afternoon near the old camping place at kiðagil, well know from our riders national song “Á Sprengisandi”. We leave the horses at Fossgilsmosar, feed them well with hay and drive back to a nice guesthouse in Bárðardalur for the night.
We follow the old trail of Sprengisandur all day with the magnificent view to the mighty glaciers Vatnajökull and Hofsjökull as the day goes by. We arrive in the afternoon at the “oasis” Laugafell. Very special place in the middle of nowhere with a hot spring and green grass surrounded by the black desert of Sprengisandur. In the evening we enjoy the natural hot pool for relaxing after 2 long days in the saddle.
We leave Laugafell in the morning and ride down to Skagafjörður , nice trails and easy ride along rivers and through moorlands all the way. Our destination Þorljótsstaðir is an abandoned farm deep in the valleys of Skagafjörður.
Easy day in the countryside of Skagafjörður when we move our herd to the edge of the next highland trail of the journey.
We head back up to the highlands following the valley Gilhagadalur up to Aðalsmannsvatn on the old Kjölur trail across the highlands. We end our ride at Galtará mountain cabin where we spend the night with the horses nearby.
We ride across the dam of Blöndulón and then through rough terrains of the highlands. No real trails this day but adventure figuring out the best ways to cross rivers and swamplands! At the end of the day we reach Öndvegi, a big and well equipped mountain cabin in the highlands of the west.
Our last day on part 4 takes us down to the countryside of Vatnsdalur valley, nice trails starting in the highlands and ending at farm Flaga in Vatnsdalur. We leave our horses there and drive to Laugarbakki Community centre where we have our farewell party celebrating this longest and toughest part of the whole 2025 Dream tour!
