Icelandic Horseback Riding and Whale Watching Tour

Experience the thrill of horseback riding through Icelandic moors and lava fields, then embark on a whale watching cruise in Faxaflói Bay. Suitable for all abilities.

Duration: 5 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

Begin your adventure with a pickup from your Reykjavik hotel and head to the stables located just outside the city. During the drive, discover fascinating facts about Iceland’s native horses, a breed that traces its lineage back to horses brought to the island in the 10th century. These small horses are renowned for their tölt, a four-beat gait that…

What's Included
  • Onboard Wi-Fi
  • Use of warm overalls during the boat tour
  • Free retry ticket for the whale watching tour if no sightings occur
  • Complimentary hot beverages post-horse riding tour
  • Expert guides on all tours
  • Provided gear for horseback riding, including helmet, boots, and all-weather clothing
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks (unless otherwise stated)
  • Gratuities
  • Hotel transfers (available for an additional fee - please contact supplier directly).
Additional Information

Embark on an Icelandic horse riding adventure and whale watching expedition, all in one day trip from Reykjavik. This experience, which is appropriate for any skill level, begins with a serene 1.5-2 hour horse ride through tranquil moors and rugged lava terrains. Take a leisurely lunch break at Reykjavik’s Old Harbour before setting sail across the…

Location
Ishestar Horse Riding Centre
Sörlaskeið
If you would like the optional hotel pick-up for an additional fee (3.500 ISK per person), Íshestar will pick you up starting at 9:00. If you are self-driving we kindly ask that you arrive to the stables no later than 9:30. The stables are a 20 minute drive from the city center.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(41 Ratings)
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Karen_p
Nov 9, 2024
Great time riding and whale watching - Humpback whales right next to the boat. Riding Icelandic horses through a lava field. Absolutely a fabulous day!!
Review provided by Viator
Cynthia_t
Oct 11, 2024
Great tour, highly recommend! - While our plane was on time, there were others in front of us at customs in the airport and it took 1.5 hours to get through customs and security, and to the bus. That caused me to miss the pickup for the horse riding portion of the tour. The staff called me while I was in transport. I expected to be told sorry you missed the pickup, too bad/so sad. But instead, the staff were very accommodating, asking where I was on the road with the bus, and tried to determine best way to let me get the horse riding in. The staff efforts were very kind and appreciated. I expected the tour to be a wash and not to be able to make it, but I took a cab and made it to the stable just in time. The horse riding experience was great! Staff clearly cared about the horses and the people riding them; attentive and aware. They were knowledgeable about the horses and wanted to share that. They treated the horses and the guests both with respect. While it was a bit confusing dealing with two different entities for the pickup, transfer to whale watching then transfer back to the hotel, it worked out. One pickup has you pay when you are picked up, the return ride they wanted confirmed and paid ahead. I had not paid the return ride because I thought it was also paid at the time it occurred, but was able to do so at the desk and they accommodated it thankfully. Very sweet staff as well. The whale watching was great! The captain of the boat tried very hard to find whales and dolphins. The first hour there was a distant siting of dolphins, but no whales. But then the jackpot. The 2nd hour had 3-4 juvenile humpback whales swimming near the boat, in front of the boat, flapping their flippers, diving deep, swimming near each other, swimming near the boats, etc. It was spectacular and amazing. The captain was also excited and took his own pictures which he posted to their website. After an hour of cavorting with these whales, on the ride back to Reykjavik, the Captain gave a talk about whales, their size, that he had seen these whales before and noticed differences between them. He had skeletal parts on the boat to show the size of a whale vertebrae and other parts. It was very interesting. It was clear he cared about and was concerned for the whales as well. He said that if they flap their tails it's a sign to back off, but they didn't flap while we were there. It wasn't clear what the slapping of flippers while floating on their back meant but appeared to be playful and fun since the whale was floating on its back while doing so. You could hear the concern to not annoy the whales or cause them any stress in the Captain's words and tone. It was a great double tour and started my visit to Iceland out with a bang! Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Mansi_p
Sep 27, 2024
Amazing Experience!!! - Both Horse Riding and Whale watching was an amazing experience for us! Truly recommend booking this combo.
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Nancy_v
Jul 7, 2024
Riding and whale watching ! - We had an amazing ride and the landscape was beautiful ! The guides were friendly and helpful. They even split us into groups based on riding experience and ability so I would recommend this to even experienced riders. Icelandic ponies are so much fun to ride! We had four whale sightings on our tour too !
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Martha_r
Apr 19, 2024
Full day - I thoroughly enjoyed riding the horses. I wish we could’ve tried out more gaits than we did. And we found a few humpbacks and spent time with them and the birds. We also saw a porpoise and some puffins.
Review provided by Viator
Juliet_m
Dec 29, 2023
Sunrise horse riding experience-amazing! - The guides on the riding experience….. amazing team effort from the all, even with the most awkwardly inexperienced rider like me…… they were great and very attentive. Watching the sun rise on a horse; beautiful scenery and snow was a memory I’ll never forget.
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Christopher_r
Dec 18, 2023
Horse riding - Whale watching was unfortunately cancelled due to the weather but horse riding in the snow was amazing. Staff were brilliant.
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Srinivas_m
Nov 11, 2023
Great experience - Very good locations and operators were really good in their service! Everything is expensive in Iceland but thinis worth it. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Polly_b
Oct 6, 2023
The boat was very... - The boat was very comfortable, the commentator was fun and knowledgeable. I appreciated the efficiency of your whole operation.
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Vladislav_k
Jan 15, 2024
Horses was great... - Horses was great experience, just a horses I would rate all 5 stars Whale watch was not good due to fog weather and I believe they was supposed to cancell( never saw whales) they said I can reschedule for free next time but I had no availability in my schedule due other activities were scheduled I dont think I will be in Island soon again , disappointed
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
December 2024
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