Combine the highlights of Iceland's south coast with a horseback riding adventure on this combination tour from Reykjavik. The first part of your tour takes you to sites including Thingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and Geysir geothermal area. Afterward, you embark upon a scenic ride through the Icelandic countryside on a unique Icelandic horse, which lets you experience their special tölt gait. Includes hotel pickup and drop-off.

Combine sightseeing around the Golden Circle with a countryside ride on an Icelandic horse
Includes hassle-free Reykjavik hotel pickup and drop-off
Travel aboard a comfortable bus with free Wi-Fi: Upload and share photos throughout the day
Deepen your understanding of the sites you visit via the audio guide

What's Included

In-bus audio guide with a choice of 10 languages (English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Finnish)
English-speaking local guide
Free WiFi on board
USB charging port in every seat
All necessary equipment for the horseback riding

Food and drinks
Headphones / earbuds for the on-board audio guide (please bring your own; or, they are available for purchase on site)
Hotel pickup is not included with your purchase. SmartBus™ hotel pickup is available at extra cost.

Meeting And Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Reykjavik Terminal
Skógarhlíð 10, 105 Reykjavík, Iceland
The tour will start from Reykjavik Terminal, Skógarhlíð 10, 105 Reykjavik. Please be there at least 15 minutes before your chosen departure time.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

Because of traffic limitations, customers staying in postcode 101 might have to make their way to the closest pick-up spot. Your hotel receptionist can help you find out which one that is. If you are staying in a private accommodation, please contact the local supplier to know Please note: pickup is not available from Airbnb or private housing. Please contact the operator for information information on the nearest pick up location to your accommodation Pick up is also available from the following hotels: - Apartment K - Ingólfsstræti 1a - AR Central Apartments - Best Western Hotel Reykjavík - Black Pearl Hotel - Domus Guesthouse - Flying Viking Guesthouse - Grettisborg Apartments - Guesthouse 101 - Guesthouse Aurora - Guesthouse Summerday - Laugavegur Apartments - Reykjavik Domestic Airport - Villa Guesthouse - Black Tower - Gray Tower - Stay Apartments Einholt - Stay Apartments Laugavegur - Stay Brilliant - Skarfabakki cruise terminal - Reykjavík Terminal - Elding Whale watching center - Frakkastígur Apartments - BSÍ Bus terminal - Thomsen - Brilliant apartments - Apartment K - Lindargata 60 - Reykjavik 4you Apartments - Laugavegur 85 - Bergstaðarstræti Aparments - Hotel Reykjavik Center - Sandhotel - Apartment K - Skólastræti 1 - Apartment K - Laugavegur 74 - Apartment K - Laugavegur 85-86 - Apartment K - Laugarvegur 46 - Apartment K - Hverfisgata 37 - Apartment K - Thingholtsstraeti 2-4 - Apartment K - Hverfisgata 14 - Phoenix Hotel - 1912 Guesthouse - Pávi Apartments - B14 - Rooms and Apartments - Konsulate Hotel by Hilton

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Dress according to weather: In Iceland it is always wise to dress in warm, waterproof clothes. Weather changes can be sudden so expect the unexpected. Bring a waterproof jacket and pants, headwear and gloves. Good outdoor shoes are recommended
It is recommended that you bring your own headphones for the on board audio guide simply because they will fit you best. It is also great for the environment. If you don’t have your headphones or forgot to bring them, earphones are available to purchase on board (own expense)
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Because of traffic limitations, customers staying in postcode 101 might have to make their way to the closest pick-up spot. Your hotel receptionist can help you find out which one that is. If you are staying in a private accommodation, please contact the local supplier

Please note: pickup is not available from Airbnb or private housing. Please contact the operator for information information on the nearest pick up location to your accommodation
Audio-guide languages available: English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Finnish
Near public transportation
Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.0

12 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 12 reviews

A Clusterfck

Sheri_T, Nov 2022

The tour neglected to confirm pick up so we drove to the meeting point. We were told the parking lot was full at the meeting point and if we left the car it would be towed so we would be stranded in a foreign country. We had to follow behind the tour bus in the car, on our own gas expense. We did not experience the guided tour part, or any part woth the tour. The tour neglected to inform me that the horseback riding location emailed them that they were full 2 months before my trip. So when I drove myself there, there was no tour, no riding. I was thoroughly disappointed and will be requesting a refund for a service not provided.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Thank you Sheri for taking the time in writing us this review. We feel like this does not speak the truth about how the day went. We are sorry to see that you did not find a parking spot and that it was full. We can only recommend our customers to come in time to the Terminal to make sure they secure a spot. Public transport is also an alternative with few bus stops close to our Terminal. We cannot take liability for your decision to driver your own car instead of joining the tour bus. Regarding the horseback ride I can see our team informed you with 2 weeks ahead that the activity is fully booked, but we did not receive any answer from you. We hope that despite this you still had a nice day!

Great tour and amazing ride

Tara_D, Oct 2022

The trip was organized well! The sights were amazing and the bus was comfortable. The guide was informative and great! We decided not to do the Blue Lagoon and rode the Icelandic horses instead. The stables are beautiful and the horses were easy for a beginner but the gaiting was great for a seasoned rider as well. Highly recommend!!

Response from Host, Oct 2022

We hope that the Icelandic horses charmed you enough to repeat this experience in the future. Thank you for taking the time in writing us about your tour.

Not worth the money

Charlotte_C, Nov 2021

The golden circle is definitely a must see, but I would definitely not use this tour again. First of all, we went to the national park at 9am, when it was pitch black so we couldn’t see anything. We didn’t really understand the reasoning for this, the weather can’t be controlled but we know what time is sunrise- if the tour had been the full day as it was advertised then fair enough, the national park would’ve had to be squeezed in, but it wasn’t. We were back in Reykjavik by 4pm, and it was still light. The tour was advertised as 10-11 hours, but in fact it was 8 hours, which is quite a big difference. It also wasn’t really a tour, it was more of a drop off and it felt like a bit of a cop out using the tablets as the guide, because the actual guide didn’t really engage with us very much. I’ve been on some tours where the guide is amazing and tells us all these extra things about Iceland as a local that really make the day, but this was not one of them. The horse riding was definitely the highlight, the horses were lovely and our guide was amazing, really knowledgeable and really chatty. I would recommend trying to do the horse riding separate to the golden circle tour as it would work out an awful lot cheaper. We paid £120 each for this day and it was incredibly overpriced and not worth that much money

Response from Host, Dec 2021

Dear Charlotte, thank you for taking time in writing us this very detailed review. We are sorry to hear you feel this way about this tour. Your review was for the Golden Circle tour, which is advertised as 7,5h long, but I see you have actually booked a Golden Circle and Horseback riding tour. This activity is 11h long, including 1h horseback ride. It is an audio guided tour, meaning you will be handled out tablets to learn more about each stop along the way, but our guides are there to provide you with extra information. Regarding the stop at Thingvellir National Park while it's dark, I hope that this experience gave you a glimpse of how life in Iceland during winter season is on a daily basis. Since we only get 4-5h of light, some attractions will be visited while still dark. I am afraid our operations do not stop due to the lack of light and we try to offer our customers the best experience of how an Icelander lives everyday. We hope that despite this you had a pleasant stay in Iceland!

Decent transportation option. Horseback riding was certainly the highlight.

Mankwong_Y, Oct 2021

The highlight was certainly the horseback riding. They were very gentle and suitable suitable for riders of all types. The Golden Circle portion was pretty much self guided. Your driven to see the waterfall and geyser with a android device to give you information. The guide is with you for the first sight, Thingvellir National Park. The other two is more of a drop-off and you have plenty of time to see it on your own.

Response from Host, Oct 2021

Thank you for taking time in writing us this review. We are happy to see the horseback riding and Golden Circle tour did not disappoint you. We do have audio guided in 10 languages tours, but the guide is there to provide extra information, local stories and make sure the tour goes well. We hope you had a great time in Iceland and you will visit us again soon.

Great experience

Shaelie_L, Aug 2021

We really enjoyed our driver "Bo." He is very knowledgeable and made sure to time each stop so it wasn't so crowded. The tour was good. The horse stable was nice and the horses were beautiful. The guides were very kind. You stay pretty close to stable, but it was pretty.

Response from Host, Sep 2021

Hello! Thank you for taking time in writing us a review. We are glad that you enjoyed the company on our guide and you had a great time while on Golden Circle tour. The horses are waiting for you to come back and visit them again!

Not as advertised

Samuel_I, Mar 2019

BEWARE: I was looking forward to going through the lava fields on horseback, however all we did was walk around in a big circle around the barn. I would have booked another place if I knew the truth of what we were going to do.

The morning starts with the Golden...

john_g, Apr 2018

The morning starts with the Golden Circle tour. This hits a lot a lot of the beautiful sites you expect to see in Iceland. You are given plenty of time at each location to explore and experience the surroundings. In the afternoon you are dropped off for horseback riding at a local horse farm. For us the horseback ride was about 1 hour and was really amazing. The staff at the farm were all very friendly and walked us through the history of the the Icelandic horse which was interesting to learn. We did not have any previous experience riding horses which was not a problem. Would definitely recommend this combo tour for trips to Iceland! This was probably our favorite day of the trip.

Sooo... cold. But so beautiful. Ride...

arsonor7, Mar 2018

Sooo... cold. But so beautiful. Ride horses used on Game of Thrones on a leisurely country ride. Great horses.

Was a great experience I would...

Harolyn_L, Mar 2018

Was a great experience I would Highly Recommend it for everyone! Breath taking views of everything and the guides were very knowledgeable and mentioned interesting facts about the scenery and Iceland. riding the horses was awesome.

Bonne prestation

Remi_T, Nov 2022

Bonne prestation de visites dans le cercle d’or. Guide intéressant. Volcano Horses est très bien. Bon personnel, très didactique. Ouvert à ceux qui n’ont jamais monté à cheval. Ils sont petits mais très dynamiques !