Icelandic Horseback Riding Tour with Pickup Option from Reykjavik
Recommended by 96% of travelers
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Reykjavik, Iceland
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Get out of the city and swap the car for the fresh air while riding an Icelandic horse—a breed originally brought to the country by the Vikings—on this equestrian excursion. Enjoy a relaxing ride through lava-laden scenery, rolling green hills, and mountain views. Your excursion is designed based on your experience level and is led by an instructor.
- Perfect for travelers who love nature and horseback riding
- Choose between morning and afternoon rides
- Hotel pickup option available for added convenience
- Refuel with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate after your ride
What's Included
- Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate
- Helmets, rubber boots, rain gear and warm overall
- Pre-booked pick-up and drop-off from pick up points in Reykjavik, unless specified with tour option
- Please connect with your operator to confirm pickup location, as it might be from a nearby bus stop.
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
What To Expect
On arrival, meet your instructor to adivse of your ability level—beginner, intermediate, or experienced.
Get up-close to the Icelandic horses, learning about this gentle breed. Descendants of Viking horses brought here in the 10th century, these sturdy, good-nature steeds are known for their tölt, a four-beat gait that makes riding on rugged terrain smooth and comfortable.
Next, watch a short instructional video, don your provided riding gear, and hop into the saddle. Learn to ease your horse into the tölt, and set out behind your instructor. Soon afterward, having watched you riding, your instructor splits you into three groups—beginners, intermediates, and experienced.
Beginners ride slowly over easy terrain, with intermediate and experienced riders tackling more challenging routes at different paces. Just advise your instructor if you want to go slower or faster.
As you ride, soak in the beautiful scenery. Weave through lava fields and moorland, passing volcanic mountains and lakes.
After your trek, savor coffee, tea, or hot chocolate at the stables.
Get up-close to the Icelandic horses, learning about this gentle breed. Descendants of Viking horses brought here in the 10th century, these sturdy, good-nature steeds are known for their tölt, a four-beat gait that makes riding on rugged terrain smooth and comfortable.
Next, watch a short instructional video, don your provided riding gear, and hop into the saddle. Learn to ease your horse into the tölt, and set out behind your instructor. Soon afterward, having watched you riding, your instructor splits you into three groups—beginners, intermediates, and experienced.
Beginners ride slowly over easy terrain, with intermediate and experienced riders tackling more challenging routes at different paces. Just advise your instructor if you want to go slower or faster.
As you ride, soak in the beautiful scenery. Weave through lava fields and moorland, passing volcanic mountains and lakes.
After your trek, savor coffee, tea, or hot chocolate at the stables.
1
Ishestar Horse Riding Tours
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult
- Age limit is 7 years old
- Weight limit is 110kg/240lbs
- Used riding gear is not allowed on the tour or near the horses
- If you arrive in your own car please be at the stables 30 minutes before your tour starts
- Due to possible harm to unborn children, pregnant women cannot ride on our tours
- All riders must be able to mount the horse by their own strength from the ground
- In our tours up to two children or youth may travel with each adult, paying full fare
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Jenny_D
Great experience and very beginner friendly! From the pick-up to arriving at the stables, everything was very smooth and seamless. The driver was great and very try efficient in taking us to the stables (which was 15-20ish mins away from Reykjavík).
The horse handlers were knowledgeable, kind, patient and understanding. Perfect both novice and experienced riders. The lava fields were stunning and I’m so glad we did this tour. Definitely a highlight and highly recommend!!!
Reviews
4.8
based on 1,186 reviews
Barbara_C, Apr 2026
A glorious day with beautiful horses and kind, helpful people. I am a first-time rider and I thoroughly enjoyed myself for the whole 2 hours. The horses are gorgeous and so sweet and friendly and the scenery is spectacular.
Susan_C, Apr 2026
The horses were sweet and kind at ishestar. It was very safe even for people without experience. You do have to mount from the ground which my friend and I found difficult as we are in our seventies. We ride regularly in UK but mount from a block at home.
XuanGiang_T, Apr 2026
One of the best horse riding tours I’ve been on. The group was small so we were able to talk with our guides more. Marie and Sophie were fantastic guides! The horses were very well trained and sweet so our ride went smoothly!
Joanne_B, Apr 2026
Amazing experience went with my non riding husband the pick up was easy and on time.
When we arrived at the centre we were asked about out riding experience and given a suitable horse.
I went with the experienced group and we did tolt and had some lovey fast canters.
Husband went with the slower group and just walked and admired the scenery.
Had a nice drink when we got back and were then dropped back off at the pick up point.
Very friendly staff would go there again.
Holly_L, Apr 2026
We got super lucky and had a sunny but snowy day to enjoy a trail ride on Icelandic horses! Our family of 4 has various levels of riding experience and they accommodate people of different levels within the group. Three of us got to try a faster pace of riding called tölting. They have layers you can wear for added warmth such as overalls as well as rain gear available. The guides were very friendly and helpful. Excellent experience for horse lovers and newbies alike! This was a quick drive from central Rekjavik.
Laura_M, Mar 2026
This is a great experience and the ladies did a wonderful job of making everyone comfortable and keeping families together.
mfrusteri, Mar 2026
It was fun and they are super organized. I only wished I had gone into the more adventurous group. I would have liked to trot and maybe canter.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Hi,
Thank you for your lovely feedback. We are happy to hear you had a fun and well organised experience. Next time, feel free to let our guides know that you would like a bit more speed, we will always do our best to match you with the right group.
We love seeing guest photos, feel free to tag @ishestarriding or #ishestarriding.
Best regards,
Team Íshestar
Nick_D, Mar 2026
my girlfriend and i absolutely loved this experience. the staff was extremely helpful and friendly and i would highly recommend this to anyone considering. we got extra time to spend with the horses afterwords and didn’t feel rushed at all. so much fun, thank you guys!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Nick,
Thank you for your lovely feedback. We are so happy to hear you both had such a great experience and enjoyed spending extra time with the horses. We always try to give our guests as much time as possible with them, even though it may vary depending on the schedule.
We love seeing guest photos, feel free to tag @ishestarriding or #ishestarriding.
Best regards,
Team Íshestar
Amy_S, Mar 2026
Such a fun experience! We learned so much about these very special and majestic horses. The staff was quite friendly and incredibly knowledgeable, especially Maria.
We went riding on a path through the lava fields. The scenery and landscape was incredible.
The horses were friendly and patient. Our overall group was about 20 people I think. Then we broke into two smaller groups. More experienced riders in one group so they could ride faster and then we had a group that rode as a walking group. So not matter your experience and comfort level, there was something for everyone.
The pickup and drop off was super easy. And the horse farm was only a 20-minute ride from the city. The tour description is accurate. I highly recommend this adventure!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Amy,
Thank you for your lovely feedback. We are so happy to hear you had such a fun and informative experience and enjoyed the ride through the lava fields. It is great to know you appreciated how we accommodate different riding levels so everyone can feel comfortable. We will be sure to pass your kind words on to Maria.
We love seeing guest photos, feel free to tag @ishestarriding or #ishestarriding.
Best regards,
Team Íshestar
Natalie_S, Mar 2026
Excellent from start to finish! The staff was all excellent, the horses are amazing and the ride was the perfect amount of time. Would highly recommend this activity
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Hi Natalie,
Thank you for your heart warming feedback. We are so happy to hear you had such a great experience from start to finish and that you enjoyed our horses, team, and the length of the ride. It means a lot to us that you would recommend this activity.
We love seeing guest photos, feel free to tag @ishestarriding or #ishestarriding.
Best regards,
Team Íshestar
Ryan_S, Mar 2026
This was one of the best things I’ve ever done. I went with my very experienced equestrian friend (I’m also experienced just less so) and we had an absolute ball. The guides were so lovely and very knowledgeable, and it’s evident the horses are super well taken care of. Me and my friend went in the faster/more experienced group of riders, and we got to tölt!!! (which was awesome). I seriously had the best time and can not recommend this enough!!
Catherine_I, Mar 2026
This tour was so fun and I was grinning the entire time. The group was large but they split us off into a slower and faster group to match your experience level. The fast group was able to trot and also attempt a tölt, and although I used to ride and so have a bit more experience, my partner who has never ridden was still able to choose the faster group and had a wonderful time while easily keeping up. The horses are adorable and the staff lovely, highly recommend.
Robyn_F, Mar 2026
Everything about this trip was fabulous! The staff were very friendly and the event was well organized. All of the horses were beautiful! My daughter and her friends were able to ride faster because they are experienced riders. I highly recommend this tour
Joseph_F, Feb 2026
Highly recommend this tour. It was my first time horseback riding and it could not have been any better. The staff was very professional and friendly. The horses were smooth and the tour, honestly could not have been any better. Highly recommend!
Jocelyn_J, Feb 2026
Dress appropriately for the weather. The people who work there are very nice! A wonderful way to spend the morning.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi Jocelyn,
thank you for your lovely feedback. You are absolutely right, dressing for the weather makes the adventure even better. The Icelandic weather can be wild, but that is part of the experience. Luckily we provide proper gear for all kinds of weather. We are happy you enjoyed your morning ride and hope to welcome you back someday.
Best regards, Team Íshestar 🐎🌦️
Alisa_L, Jan 2026
Booking and hotel pick-up worked smoothly. The location for the horseback riding was also very beautiful.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the way guests were treated. Out of four staff members, two were very friendly (and luckily they were the ones guiding the ride). The other two seemed annoyed, unfriendly, and simply recited their script in an unenthusiastic way.
As a respectful and friendly attitude is very important to me, I would not visit this stable again for that reason.
Response from Host, Feb 2026
Hi Alisa,
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback.
We’re glad to hear that the booking, hotel pick-up, and riding location worked smoothly for you, and we appreciate your positive comments about the guides during the ride.
At the same time, we are very sorry to hear that some interactions with our team did not meet your expectations. A respectful and welcoming attitude is very important to us, and we regret that this was not your experience throughout your visit. Your feedback has been shared internally, and we will use them as a reminder to ensure that all guests feel equally welcomed and valued at every point of their experience, not only during the tour itself.
Thank you again for riding with us and for sharing your thoughts.
Best regards,
Jenny on behalf of the Íshestar team
aquilalambert17, Jan 2026
Awesome horse tour with friendly guides. Would definitely come back! Many picturesque stops and cute horses.
Isabella_P, Jan 2026
This excursion was incredible. If you are looking for an opportunity to connect with Iceland’s beautiful landscape and the incredible Icelandic horses, this is the excursion for you! You are able to learn about the horses, their different temperaments and personalities, through a beautiful guided tour. The staff was very enthusiastic to share the history of the area and the horses. Would 10/10 book again!
Nancy_C, Dec 2025
We had an amazing time riding the horses the staff was super friendly and welcoming. The horses were amazing and well trained. Overall amazing experience!
Kathryn_A, Dec 2025
I was given a horse for a beginner (like me) and my daughter who knows how to ride had a horse suited for her ability. It was organized and well run. We were lucky that the time we were in Iceland it was clear and in the 40’s !
Lien_H, Dec 2025
I loved this. We had done ours at 10 am and it was the perfect to ride to the sunrise. The guides were great and I had such a fun time on this.
Stacey_S, Dec 2025
First day in iceland and was a magical experience, was great to be a longer ride. Tour guide was helpful with instructions and information on the horses and area. Had a great time
H_L, Nov 2025
This was a really great tour. Easy pick up in the city with a short drive. The horses were really nice...gentle and well trained. The ride was scenic with nice places for pictures. The best part, a few minutes into the ride they split the group up and you had an option of a more advanced ride where you had multipel opportunities to tolt. So fun! Nice warm drinks available before and after the ride. I would give it 6 stars if possible. Really great
Joseph_C, Nov 2025
The ride was quite nice and we were able to ride fast as well! The family loved the opportunity to get back on a horse. It was fun for me as well as I haven’t been on a horse in 50 years. Everything comes back quickly though!
Camila_R, Nov 2025
A must if you want to see an amazing sunrise over the snowy flat mountains. The pines and the lava fields are breathtaking. Thank you so much
Renee_L, Nov 2025
If I ever get back to Iceland again I would take this horseback riding trip! The guides were amazing. The horses were beautiful and well trained. Exploring Iceland on an Icelandic horse is a great experience. The fresh air and beautiful surroundings make it exceptional.
Jeffrey_F, Nov 2025
Amazing. Perfect. One of the best excursions I did! Wouldn’t change a thing. The horses are beautiful and very gentle!
Chad_L, Nov 2025
Our guides were incredibly nice and knowledgeable. The horses were beautiful and well behaved and had great personalities. It was a great option for both beginners and intermediate because the team was split off into two groups and more advanced riders were able to trot their horses while the other group took a more leisurely ride. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it as well
Lisa_S, Nov 2025
Great time! Trail ride was great guides were friendly, informative and helpful! Highly recommend for your visit!
Anne_G, Nov 2025
Such a fun experience! Convenient to Reykjavik and I enjoyed learning about the Icelandic Horses and the area. As a rider, I loved being able to ride in the faster group.
From $141.13
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Icelandic Horseback Riding Tour with Pickup Option from Reykjavik
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