DAY FIVE
What to do?
Before your afternoon flight, you’ll have just enough time for one more must-do activity in Iceland: ride an Icelandic horse. This breed is unique in the horse world. Icelandic horses have five natural gaits as opposed to other breeds and their four gaits. The gaits are walk, trot, canter, tölt, and flying pace, which can only be done by very accomplished horsemen. The breed also is unique because of its short stature, but don’t make the mistake of calling them “ponies.” They’re not. In fact, there’s not even a word for “pony” in the Icelandic language. Icelandic horses are a pure breed; any horse that leaves the island can’t return.
Fortunately, you don’t have to go far from Reykjavík to ride. We choose Viking Horses just 15 minutes from downtown. We appreciated the stables’ commitment to personalized attention. Unlike other companies that we saw on the trail, Viking Horses limits most groups to eight people with a rider-to-guide ratio of 4:1. Our wrangler was Friedereka, a friendly 20-something from Germany who’s working in Iceland for the summer. On the 90 minute-long ride, you’re able to try all the gaits (with the exception of the flying pace), if you’re comfortable. While my son was happy to practice tölting on the back of his horse, I was a little less comfortable with the speed, so my horse, Olin, and I went at our own pace.
After the ride, Friedereka invited us to the wranglers’ home for a light Icelandic snack that I think is better described as a meal. Cost of the tour including transportation to stable and snack: Youth (8-18) about $158; Adult about $158, depending on the exchange rate. If your kids are younger than 8 years old, Viking Horses offers a meet-and-greet option with the horses and a ride around the corral where the wrangler holds the lead.
Getting home
If you don’t have a rental car, make sure to book the airport shuttle back to Keflavik Airport with plenty of time for check-in and security. Again, the ride takes about 45 minutes.
KidTripster Tip: Look for the small play area at the airport inside the terminal.
This writer received some complimentary activities for the purpose of this review. However, all opinions expressed are solely her own.
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