Where to ride in East Iceland?
Finnsstaðir or Stóra-Sandfell

Finnsstaðir offers flexibility, not simply the longest ride

Finnsstaðir is a family-farm experience about a five-minute drive from Egilsstaðir. If you want a close look at Icelandic horses, you can book a 45-minute stable visit, which suits non-riders and families with young children; if you want to ride, the Explorer, Discovery and Adventure durations let you fit the activity around that day’s driving. The farm information says riders are matched with horses whose temperaments suit them and that necessary equipment is provided.

The one-hour ride costs approximately HK$1,080 / NT$4,550, the 1.5-hour ride about HK$1,370 / NT$5,740, and the 2.5-hour ride about HK$1,940 / NT$8,140; exchange rates are estimates only. A private group keeps the pace more focused, but two adults already cost about 37,800 ISK, so this is not a free add-on from town. The farm also lists a minimum riding age of 6; check the product for your dates if you are bringing children.

Stóra-Sandfell is an activity on a transfer day

Stóra-Sandfell is in Skriðdalur, 17 km south along Route 95. Local information lists the riding season as 1 June to 15 September, accommodation as 15 May to 15 September, and the campsite as 1 June to 31 August; this seasonal window does not exactly match every other East Iceland activity. If your ring-road route runs from Egilsstaðir towards Höfn, placing the ride in the morning or before lunch is more sensible than driving back from town after the rest of the day.

Each ride includes a guide, a safety briefing before departure and practice inside an enclosed area, with a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 10 people. There is no fixed timetable; confirm the time for your booking. That limits anyone who needs a guaranteed morning slot, while allowing the activity to sit close to a road-transfer day. If you are travelling alone or are the only rider, Stóra-Sandfell’s minimum group size changes whether it is feasible; Finnsstaðir’s private products are easier to arrange.

The map shows which day should carry the activity

The map below marks Egilsstaðir, Finnsstaðir, Stóra-Sandfell, Vök Baths and Seyðisfjörður. It uses a real OpenStreetMap base map so you can see how the farms relate to Routes 1 and 95; it does not replace navigation on the day. If you have just returned from Stuðlagil Canyon, Finnsstaðir is a short detour before going back to your room; if you are heading south the following day, Stóra-Sandfell can save a return drive.

ICENAVI · EAST HORSE ROUTESee which side of the route each farm is on

Egilsstaðir
EgilsstaðirFinnsstaðir
FinnsstaðirStóra-Sandfell
Stóra-SandfellSeyðisfjörður
Seyðisfjörður

Do not add a long-distance sight to your riding day

The problem with East Iceland sights is often not one driving leg, but how every stop pushes the next one later. Finnsstaðir and Vök Baths can fit on the same day if you ride in the morning, bathe in the evening and stay in Egilsstaðir; adding Stuðlagil as well means removing one of them. Stóra-Sandfell and the Eastfjords coastal road depend on your southbound direction, and a fixed-entry activity is a poor choice after the ride.

For a one-hour short ride, Finnsstaðir’s Discovery or Explorer is easier to fit in; if you want a longer rural rhythm, the 2.5-hour Adventure is the one worth giving half a day. Stóra-Sandfell’s timing is arranged individually, so it suits people who can leave the morning open. Both require closed-toe shoes and long trousers that can get dirty; confirm what equipment the farm supplies for your product rather than treating city shoes as riding footwear.

Season and weather change what “comfortable” means

East Iceland has long summer daylight, and June to September is the more practical window for adding riding to a ring-road itinerary; wind and rain can still change how the day feels, so do not schedule photographs and stops as tightly as an indoor exhibition. Winter snow makes the farms, mountain roads and Route 95 more dependent on same-day conditions; Finnsstaðir has information about winter products, but check the date directly, while local information for Stóra-Sandfell gives a June-to-September window.

If you are travelling north from Höfn, confirm that Route 95 is genuinely on your day’s route rather than changing course because the map looks shorter. East Iceland’s mountain passes can lengthen the drive, so put the riding booking on a day when the roads are more predictable. The Eastfjords transport guide explains why travellers without a car have a harder time connecting with farms like these; without a rental car, ask the farm directly about transfers and do not treat an ordinary bus timetable as a guarantee.

How to choose in the end

Stay in Egilsstaðir and want the least repositioning? Choose Finnsstaðir; if you want to meet Icelandic horses without riding, the stable visit is enough. If your route already runs south and at least two people are travelling together, choose Stóra-Sandfell; treat it as an activity beside Route 95, not a sight worth a special return drive from town. Confirm opening dates, rider numbers and the activity time before paying.

For most ring-road travellers, I would put the ride on the East Iceland accommodation day rather than on a transfer day rushing from Lake Mývatn into the Eastfjords. One extra night may add a room cost, but it reduces the risk of changing the route or missing the booking; if the weather turns, the town swimming pool, Vök Baths or an East Iceland museum still give you alternatives. The activity should support the eastern leg, not force the whole day to revolve around one time slot.

Leave 15–30 minutes after riding to sort your shoes and brush mud from the car, especially if wet outerwear and cameras are sharing the vehicle. That time will not appear on the product page, but it affects whether you feel able to stop at another viewpoint. A small buffer is preferable to discovering at dinner that your trouser hems are covered in grass.

One easily missed detail before meeting the farm: this is not a city-centre café, and arriving early does not mean you can start immediately. Allow time before the meeting for GPS checks, shoes and trousers, the toilet and photographs, and save the farm address offline on your phone. Along Route 95, petrol stations and food are less frequent than in town, so buy water and a simple meal first. If you still have a mountain pass to drive after the ride, give the driver time to rest and settle muddy gear in the car; that is more practical than racing to the next waterfall. These details do not make the ride ceremonial, but they protect the rhythm of an East Iceland transfer day.

If you connect this day with the Eastfjords, direction matters too. Returning from the farm towards Reykjavík and then driving on to Seyðisfjörður repeats part of the road; handling the farm from Egilsstaðir first and leaving along the coast the following day is easier on both your energy and the inside of the car. You can reserve a cancellable room for one night and confirm it after the farm replies with a time. If a companion has no interest in riding, arrange a stable visit or a nearby break rather than turning the whole activity into waiting. Learning about Icelandic horses’ five gaits is interesting, but a first ride does not require mastering all of them; listening to the guide and controlling your pace is enough.

If you want a hot bath afterwards, put Vök Baths on another evening; riding and bathing both require a change of clothes, and doing them back to back leaves an extra wet outfit in the car. The East Iceland base guide can also help you compare town dinners, parking and the next-day exit, which may affect the decision more than the farm’s distance alone.

When booking, ask about the meeting point and cancellation terms at the same time, save the reply offline, and you will still have the information when the signal is weak in the mountains.

This small amount of preparation also reduces the last-minute return drives that are common in the East.

Check road conditions once more before setting out, then you can get on the horse with a clear plan.