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Hestasport - Riding Tours
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Hestasport - Riding Tours

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See all things to do
Hestasport - Riding Tours
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About
Our short riding tours in the Skagafjörður area are ideal to get a first impression of the Icelandic horse. Meet this wonderful 5-gaited breed, try out its specialty, the tölt, and be inspired by its well-balanced character, compliance, strength and endurance! Whether you are a first-time rider, a fanatical horse enthusiast or anything in between, we’ll either have the right tour for you in our program or create a customized experience suited to your individual needs and wishes. We offer short riding tours from one hour up to day tours. With experienced guides at your side, you might be crossing rivers, climbing up and down steep mountains, tölting over smooth fields or visit the scenic waterfall “Reykjafoss”. There is no better way to explore the beautiful landscape of Skagafjörður than on horseback. We also offer multi-day riding holidays for all experience levels. Visit our web site for further details!
Varmahlid, Iceland
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions
5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles193 reviews
Excellent
178
Very good
11
Average
1
Poor
1
Terrible
2
Erin K
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Amazing Christmas Day horse riding tour!
Dec 2019
My mother and I had a wonderful ~1 hour tour with Hestasport on Christmas Day. The girls who ran the tour were so friendly and knowledgeable. My mother was worried about being able to get on and off the horses because of her age, and a recent knee replacement, but they made it so easy for her, and also made her feel very comfortable with the experience. I would recommend Hestasport over and over to anyone who has the opportunity to go.
Written January 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hestasport - Riding Tours and Cottages
Ho ho ho! Sounds like you had a Merry Christmas on horseback. :) We always try to delver a special experience to all our guests and during the holidays "over the fields we go, laughing all the way". Thank you for riding with us!
Written January 4, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Verena F
Zorneding, Germany2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Simply perfekt!
Jun 2022 • Friends
We spend 9 wonderful riding days at Hestasport. We were a group of 10 friends and Gracina and Katja organised a private riding trip only for us. It was amazing, specially the mountains-trip and of course, the Highlight, riding the flying pace! I was several times in Iceland for riding trips, but this was definitly the best! For sure I will come again!
Thank you Gracina, Katja, Magnus and of course Hjalti, our icelandic Guide, for this great holidays😘
Written July 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
frenchiwilson
London, UK309 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
The most amazing experience!
Our favourite tour in Iceland so far (Viking Tour). Everything was perfect. We arrived at the reception and was greeted by the lovely staff who directed us to the stables. It was a short drive to the stables where we met our guide Julia. She was so kind and talked us through everything before showing us the horses. She spoke excellent English throughout the tour and was so lovely to chat too. She answered all our questions and really made us laugh. We were given snow suits as it was winter and riding hats. Our horses were so friendly and had fabulous personalities. We then embarked on our journey which lasted around an hour and a half. We were taken to a beautiful waterfall and got to try out different speeds on the horses. Julia checked in with us regularly to make sure we were okay and if we were too cold etc. Once the tour was finished, we got to spend some time with the horses and gave them some treats. They then offered us hot chocolate back at the office to warm up which was just perfect. Thank you for making our trip so magical!
Review of: The Viking Horse Riding Experience in North Iceland
Written March 16, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hestasport - Riding Tours and Cottages
Thank you very much for your opinion, we are glad to hear you enjoyed our tour :)
Written March 17, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Y W
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Unsafe ride and no interest in taking any accountability
Aug 2022 • Couples
I want to share my review so riders in the future can make an informed decision about whether they want to use this company or not. Overall I would strongly recommend inexperienced riders to think twice before riding with this company. It was very unsafe. The horse I rode was lacking energy the entire ride and suddenly towards the end when we were almost back to the staple the horse went wild and started dashing towards some grassy area without warning. I was thrown off the horse and whiplashed. Luckily I had a helmet on so I avoided serious concussions but my neck took several days to heal from the whiplash and was in great pain the whole time.

We originally were going to do water rafting with another company booked via Hestasport after the horseback riding and due to my injury had to cancel. Hestasport took no responsibilities in helping us cancel the reservation or issuing a refund despite it’s their horse that went wild and injured me. They didn’t apologize and mentioned it’s our responsibility to call the rafting company. When we called the rafting company Vikings Rafting they were very understanding and mentioned they would issue us a refund. However, later on we learned from them Hestasport had the money the whole time and we had to reach out to Hestasport again. After multiple back and forth we finally got the refund for the water rafting and no apology or compensation for the unsafe horseback ride. I wish we never rode horses with them and went water rafting instead.
Written February 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hestasport - Riding Tours and Cottages
Dear Y W, Thank you for taking the time to write about your experience with us. We agree, your tour has not been as we (and you) would have wished for and we are very sorry about that. It is not our aim to see our guests leaving us injured. Whatsoever, no one can ever guarantee for the behaving of living animals and horses can spook. Therefore every guest signs with the booking that he / she is aware that the trip might involve some danger. We remember very well your case, even if it is now already more than ½ a year ago. As you state in your review there was a misunderstanding about the refund. Viking Rafting said they would issue you a refund of 90% of the amount for the rafting. Therefore we thought, this has been done and Viking Rafting will settle this with Hestasport with the monthly payment. After your husband Erik wrote us an e-mail on 3rd of September and reported that the refund was not done, we took immediately action and sent on 4th of September a refund of 100% of the rafting price for 2 persons to your credit card. If this never arrived with you, please contact us as soon as possible. Then it is urgently time to talk to the credit card company! With best regards, Katja Bröker - Hestasport
Written March 4, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
aharel
2 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Bad expirance
May 2021 • Couples
We came tried to the place according to the addrees we got with waze.
We didn’t find anyone from the service.
We asked a guessed there and he told us to look for an office dome Km away…
Nobody was there….
Finely we got a key…
We wanted to use the hot bate according to the publication but it was full with children and others with no knowledge about health during Korona timeftam.
There was no food in the near area and we had fo frive back to the office in the mornning for cheaking out.
We paid 200 Euro for a bad expirance !
Written May 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hestasport - Riding Tours and Cottages
First of all, I'm sorry Aharel, that you had a bad experience with us! However, we always send instructions for check-in in advance so people don't have such troubles as you did. Therefore, you probably haven't read them or I'm not sure where the problem was.
Written August 19, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Tryallofit
12 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
a little underwhelming
Jun 2016 • Couples
My wife and I recently took a two hour riding tour and frankly were a little disappointed. I was hoping to learn a little bit about the Icelandic Horse, and was given very little information in that regard, and then on the ride, the two guides largely rode in the front and talked to each other, interacting very little with the group. The ride was pleasant enough but a little boring. The bulk of the ride was on flat meadows; I was hoping to ride in a little more interesting terrain. If I were to ride in Iceland again, I'd probably study the terrain options a little more. It simply was a dull experience with little interaction with the guides, and just something to get through. Not unpleasant, but on vacation, I'm looking for a higher standard than "not unpleasant", and I expect the guides to interact with their guests as that, "guests".
Written June 10, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AlisonAmeb
Staines, UK33 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sheep Round up 2014
Oct 2014 • Solo
A fantastic experience, a great way to get to know the Icelandic Horse in it's home country. So much fun helping to sort the sheep for the farmers and to help to bring them home.

Thoroughly recommend HestaSport and they make you feel at home.

This was not my first visit and certainly won't be my last.
Written October 11, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Louisquinze
Basel, Switzerland45 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Wilderness expedition
Aug 2019 • Couples
200km on the back of trustful and strong islandic horses through the deserted planes north of Hofsjökull. An unforgettable experience, which demands good riding skills and a fit body though. Perfect organisation by Magnus and his team at Hestasport. An excellent cook accompanied the tour. Short yoga sessions in the morning kept our muscles smooth. So take riding lessons and start working out. This tour is worth any investment!
Written August 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hestasport - Riding Tours and Cottages
Thank you for joining us for this Expedition through the highland deserts of Iceland. Riding with a free running herd in the wilderness is a once in a lifetime experience for most people. We hope you made some lasting memories on this ride and would love to see you again next year! Greetings from the Hestasport Team!
Written August 31, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Zubatac
Liberec, Czech Republic60 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Great guide, horses perfectly chosen for experienced riders
Jul 2019
We asked for forward going horses as we are experienced riders and really got them. Our guide Janin was great, we were often going fast and tried different gates incl. tjölt of course. Janin has also told us a lot about all the interesting places around etc. We can higly recommend Hesta Sport for a riding tour even for experienced riders.
Review of: Horse Riding Tour to the Glacier River Delta with Waterfall
Written August 19, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hestasport - Riding Tours and Cottages
Thank you for sharing your memories from your ride with us and the rest of the wold. It's already time to start planning your riding tour with us for next year. How about a week-long adventure into the Icelandic Highlands with a free running herd? ;)
Written August 21, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Bill C
Mississippi12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Icelandic Horse Riding
my wife and I took the horse riding tour this morning, we loved it, the young ladies that were our guides were wonderful, helpful, knowledgeable, very professional and made the ride not only interesting but such fun. The story of the Champuon Horse and rider was heartwarming and sad to know that once a horse leaves Iceland, it may never return.
Our guides were Giulia and Gracina, if you are luck enough to be placed in the care of these two young ladies. You can rest assured you will be well taken care of.
thank you ladies for your time and a wonderful, if chilly (lol), morning.
Review of: The Viking Horse Riding Experience in North Iceland
Written February 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Hestasport - Riding Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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