Horse riding in Iceland: 1 hour or 2 hours?
Short rides cost €81 to €124 and last 30 to 60 minutes. A two-hour ride is €115 to €119. Per minute, the longer one is the better deal.
The short version
- Short rides run €81 (30 minutes, Vík) to €124 (one hour, Hafnarfjörður).
- Íshestar's two-hour Lava Tour is €115, so you get twice the time for less than the one-hour Horses and Waffles.
- Sólhestar's Red Lava ride is €119 for two and a half hours.
- A private one-hour ride is €228, which is for people who want the guide to themselves.
Take the two-hour ride if you can. A two-hour lava-field ride from Reykjavík is €115. A one-hour ride at a similar stable is €124. That is not a typo, and it is the reason the short rides are hard to recommend.
The exception is a short ride that is somewhere you want to be.
The short rides
Family Beach Ride (from €81, 30 minutes, Vik Horse Adventure) is on the black sand beaches by Vík. It is the best argument for a short ride, because the setting is doing the work. You are already in Vík for the South Coast, and half an hour is easy to fit in. It is also the gentlest option for a child or a nervous first-timer.
Date the Icelandic Horse (from €88, 45 minutes, Hestasport) is in Varmahlíð in the north, on the Ring Road. It runs all year. It suits you if you are driving through Skagafjörður and want a break from the car.
Horses and Waffles (from €124, one hour, Íshestar) starts from Hafnarfjörður. The operator describes about 50 minutes in the saddle through lava fields and a stop for waffles. It is the pricey one per minute. People like it as a treat, not as a serious ride.
The two-hour rides
Lava Tour – Horseback Riding through the Lava Fields (from €115, two hours, Íshestar) is just outside Reykjavík. You can meet there or be picked up. It is the one most visitors should book. Two hours is long enough to settle in, try the Icelandic horse’s smooth tölt gait, and feel you rode properly.
Red Lava Horse Riding Tour (from €119, two and a half hours, Sólhestar) runs all year, for all levels, with or without pickup. You pay about €4 more for an extra half hour. Free parking at the stable is a minor plus if you have a car.
The private option
Private Horseback Riding Tour (from €228, one hour, Íshestar) is the same stable with your own group. It costs about twice the shared rate for half the time. It makes sense if you have a nervous rider, a family that wants to go at one pace, or a proposal to plan. Otherwise, you pay a lot for little.
How to decide
Time in the saddle, not setting. If you want to ride and you are near Reykjavík, pick two hours. The first twenty minutes of a ride is spent getting on, getting set and learning the horse. A one-hour ride leaves less of the ride.
If you want a short taste in a place you are going anyway, pick the short ride. Vík and Varmahlíð both fit.
Weight and age limits apply on all of them. Check them on the tour page, because they differ by operator.
Our honest take
Íshestar’s Lava Tour at €115 is the default. It is cheaper than the one-hour option and it is long enough to enjoy. If you want an extra half hour and have a car, Sólhestar at €119 is almost the same price.
Take the Vík beach ride only if you are in Vík and want something short. Skip the private ride unless you have a reason. And do not expect any of them to be fast. These are calm horses, in a line, on a set route. That is the point.
