Grýtubakki Special, Fascinating North Iceland, Hidden Treasures

Grýtubakki Special June

 

Day 1: Arrival, Dinner and Overnight at Grýtubakki.

In the late afternoon, our guests are picked up from Akureyri airport or the Bus station HOF located close to the center of the town. They will be lodged in our guesthouses in 2–bedrooms with made-up beds. In the evening, we will have our welcome dinner, where the itinerary will be presented in detail.

Day 2: Without the herd. Ride around Höfði and Whalewatching.

After breakfast, we will saddle up the horses and go for our first 3 – 4 hours ride. We ride alongside the river Gljúfurá towards Fjord Eyjafjörður, which is the longest fjord in Iceland. After an hour we will reach the hill Höfði, a remnant of the ice age, which we will circuit on our ride. We enjoy amazing views from different perspectives and during our breaks we look out for the diverse birdlife. Surrounding the hill we will also see Hrísey, the second-biggest island of Iceland, which gave the fjord its name: The fjord of the island. The fjord Eyjafjörður is one of the best places to spot whales in Iceland, in particular the huge humpback whales, harbour porpoises, minke whales and northern bottle nose whales. After the ride, you will have the possibility to get in touch with them as we leave for a Whale Watching Tour in Eyjafjörður.

Dinner and overnight at Grýtubakki.

Day 3: Without the herd. Ride along the coast of Látrarströnd and Forest Lagoon.

Today we will go for a 4 - 5 hours lasting day ride out to the coast of Látrastönd. We ride above steep cliffs, across clear brooks and through wonderful green valleys. We make a short detour to the enchanting small lake of Finnastaðir. We spend our lunch break close to the ruins of the old farmhouse Svínárnes. Inhabited until the middle of the last century, they are witnesses of former life. We enjoy the amazing view to the island Hrísey, over the fjord Eyjafjörður and the open sea. Maybe we get another chance to see some whales or even a few of the shy seals living there. On our way back we ride up to the heath of Leirdalsheiði, from where we have a breathtaking view in all directions.

At the farm coffee and cakes are waiting for you.

In the late afternoon you are most welcome to play minigolf at our homemade course. Each one of the six self-made lanes represents a part of the surroundings of our farm or the Icelandic nature. After dinner we will drive you to the Forest Lagoon which is nestled between birch and pine trees. Yes – you read correctly. We do have trees in Iceland:) The Forest Lagoon offers a truly unique experience that combines the beauty of nature with relaxation and tranquility.

Overnight at Grýtubakki.

Day 4: With the herd from Grýtubakki to Hallgílsstaðir.

After breakfast we saddle our horses and make ourself ready for riding with the herd. An adventure of its own. We ride direction south into the valley of Fnjóská, the longest freshwater river in Iceland. The valley is rather narrow but offers a big variety of different landscapes. It is a popular location for fishing, particularly for salmon, and it provides a habitat for a variety of wildlife, including birds. The herd determines the speed we ride today and you will experience the power of 60-70 horses running freely. We ride to the farm Hallgilsstaðir where we will leave the horses for the night.

We drive back and make a stop at the turfhouses of Laufás. It has been the home of priests since the year 1047 and is today a museum which gives a great insight of the life in formal times in Iceland. A little country church also invites you for a visit. Coffee and cakes await you at Grýtubakki.

Dinner and overnight at Grýtubakki

Day 5: With the herd from Hallgílsstaðir to Fremstafell. Waterfall Goðafoss.

Today is our second day with the herd. After breakfast we drive back to Hallgilsstaðir, where we left our horses the day before. Our destination will be Fremstafell, a farmhouse close to the waterfall of Goðafoss. We make a turn out of the valley of Fnjóskárdalur into Ljósavatnsskarð. We follow the slopes of the mountains that lead us to lake Ljósavatn – the lake of the light. We come closer to the historical place where the lawspeaker Þorgeir lived, who was responsible of christianisation of Iceland around the year 1000. Once again we take a turn into another valley called Kaldakinn, where we reach farm Fremstafell. Here we leave the horses and visit Goðafoss – the waterfall of the Gods. Then we drive back to Grýtubakki.

After coffee we drive to the swimming pool of Grenivík. Enjoying the warm water, we have a wonderful view over the fjord and the surrounding mountains.

Dinner and overnight at Grýtubakki.

Day 6: Without the herd. 2 different rides in the surroundings of Fremstafell.

This is our last riding day. We drive to farm Fremstafell where we saddle the horses for our morning ride. We ride towards Goðafoss into the valley of Bárðardalur, which is the longest still inhabited valley of Iceland. The southend of the valley is the entrance to the highland route Sprengisandur. River Skjálfandafljót is to our left. We ride on the same tracks where Þorgeir, the mentioned lawspeaker, rode when he went with his wooden statues of the heathen Gods to throw them into the waterfall Goðafoss. We ride on soft riding paths that lead us through the diversified landscape. Around noon we make our lunch break and change horses for the afternoon ride. This time we ride towards north, through the forest Fellskógur, alongside the river Skjálfandafljót and by the waterfalls Ullarfoss and Barnafoss. After 1,5 hours of riding we turn back towards Fremstafell and bid our horses goodbye.

Dinner and overnight at Grýtubakki

Day 7: Good-bye and transfer to Akureyri.

After breakfast, we will drive you back to Akureyri.

 

 

 

 

Fascinating North Iceland

Day 1: Arrival, dinner and overnight at Grýtubakki.

Day 2: Ride with the herd from Fremstafell, down Fellsskógur to Akrar. Overnight in Breiðarmýri.

Day 3: Ride with the herd from Akrar to Stöng. Overnight at Breiðarmýri.

Day 4: Ride with the herd from Stöng to Stóratunga. Overnight at Stóratunga.

Day 5: Without the herd: 2 different rides in the surroundings of Stóratunga.

Day 6: Ride with the herd from Stóratunga to Kiðagíl. Overnight at Kiðagíl.

Day 7: Ride with the herd from Kiðagíl to Fremstafell. Overnight at Grýtubakki.

Day 8: Good-bye and transfer to Akureyri after breakfast.

 

 

 

Hidden Treasures

Day 1: Arrival, Dinner and overnight at Grýtubakki.

Day 2: Ride with the herd from Fremstafell to Sandur (Húsvík). Overnight at Sandur.

Day 3: Without the herd: 2 different rides in the surroundings of Sandur. Overnight in Sandur.

Day 4: With the herd from Sandur, through river Laxá to Akrar. Overnight in Breiðarmýri.

Day 5: With the herd from Akrar to Stöng. Overnight in Breiðarmýri.

Day 6: With the herd from Stöng to Kiðagíl. Overnight in Kiðagíl.

Day 7. With the herd from Kiðagíl to Fremstafell. Overnight in Grýtubakki.

Day 8: Good-bye and transfer to Akureyri.