In the hopes that you read this review Hörður, thank you for such an amazing experience that is your farm, your way of life, and your story; but above-all thank you for sharing this with me and my partner as well as all your other guests.
Now that I have said that I must write an honest review, and it is so difficult to put into words the experience that I had at Efri-Úlfsstaðir but I will do my best.
If you are coming to Iceland for an authentic experience, book an experience here.
If you are coming to Iceland to learn about Icelandic culture, book an experience here.
If you are coming to Iceland to get in touch with nature, book an experience here.
If you are coming to Iceland for a spiritual experience, book an experience here.
My partner and I arrived in Iceland as a gift for her birthday. We saved time and money to make this trip unforgettable and to really get the most out of our stay. While initially researching activities and attractions across the country I came across Mr. Iceland and I thought I would book a night here. My partner is an animal lover and works in the veterinary field, so it was an easy decision for me to book a cabin that allowed us to wake up with beautiful Icelandic horses at our door.
My partner has never been riding before, I had very little experience, and by that I mean I rode as a child and not much of the lessons stuck with me into adulthood. I have had some riding tour experiences previously but it was truly nothing like this.
I decided that this would be a fun gift to my partner for her birthday and after talking it over we booked a ride and dinner experience in addition to the nights we booked staying on the farm. Initially we figured we would be using the cabin as a little home base in south Iceland to explore the area, and had no intention of riding, but I eventually convinced her it might be fun.
Upon arrival you are deep into the south Iceland countryside, beautiful mountains and vistas outline your drive there along the flat steppes that are dotted with farms and homesteads. You will find Mr. Iceland's farm nestled there along the steppes, between the mountain range and volcanos' shadows, and an idyllic black sand beach.
Through the drift wood gates you will see the stables and overnight cabins, and of course so many horses all throughout the flat terrain.
When we first arrived we were a little lost having booked through a third party site initially that only told us what cabin we would be in, no really booking information provided beyond that by the third party, but I see that as an issue with their platform and not Mr. Iceland to be very clear.
Quickly though we were met by two staff on horse back who asked if we needed help and they checked us in from their saddles and had us ferry ourselves off to our cabin.
Check in is very easy, quite literally go to the cabin that you were assigned in your booking, there will be a key in the door and go on in, nothing more to it. Check out is the same, just leave the key where you found it in the door, pack up your car and leave by 11:00.
The cabin is an absolute delight. You have a mini fridge, single electric stove top, mini dishwasher, sink, some decent quality dishes and cookware to use, as well as a large bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink and provided toiletries and amenities that you might find standard in a decent hotel.
I would add if you plan to stay here overnight it would be wise to purchase some groceries nearby in Hvolsvöllur, which also has restaurants available. The only provided food would be for guests who book the dinner experience, otherwise breakfast and lunch are on you.
The real attraction in the cabin was the bed that faced out to the paddock, you quite literally fall asleep with some of their horses grazing outside, and behind the bed was a couch that faced the mountains and looming volcanoes in all their glory. The paddock is available for guests to step into and visit with the horses there, which as we learned are incredibly friendly and have amazing temperament.
After stopping in the cabin for quick refresh we decided to swing by the stable since we were invited to do so by the staff on horseback when we first arrived.
We got to the barn and it was almost like seeing a celebrity, there he was Mr. Iceland himself Hörður. After my partner and I had researched this place and watched videos, and looked at pictures and other reviews we had become a little familiar with what to expect, but seeing him in person was quite exciting.
He invited us in and told us we could go right into the stalls with the horses. This genuinely surprised me. I had grown up around horses, my partner had studied horse husbandry and veterinarian care and his suggestion to just enter the stalls with these 380 kilogram (840 pound) animal flew in the face of what we knew about horse care and safety, but as we would come to learn, Icelandic horses are not like the horses we know.
These horses have such a lovely temperament it amazed me and my partner. These horses do not kick, they do not bite (well unless they think you have a treat for them, just make sure to hold your hand out flat with your palm up). If you enter the stalls confidently and gently these horses would react so positively to you.
Immediately my partner happily enters a stall with the biggest horse in the barn and Mr. Iceland hands her a brush and she begins brushing this big beautiful horse with a huge smile on her face. We could tell the horse was enjoying itself based on its body language and it was being so gentle with my partner.
This continued for a long time as she went down the whole line of horses brushing each one, giving them scratches, pets, and affection, which was returned to her with nuzzles and gentle nose touches.
I have met gentle and kind horses before but this already felt different as these horses just had such a calm and gentle demeanor which we would learn more about later from Mr. Iceland.
We also met Hörður's farm dog and farm cat who were just as delightful. The dog was shy but had a lot of energy, and the cat while typically happy to sleep somewhere soft and warm was equally happy to sneak into our cabin the next morning to meow and beg us for pets and affection.
Waking up the following day was quite the experience, not only did the barn cat realize that my partner and I were cat people who would happily pet it, but the horses were right outside our cabin's backdoor.
My partner immediately threw on some clothes and ran outside to join them in the paddock and after a brief look from the horses they eventually moseyed over to greet her. If this is what you are looking for to wake up with some beautiful animals who want to get some attention from you, then please book the overnight. My partner was smitten, I had to remind her we had a schedule to keep to get her out of the paddock, but she just had to pet each horse equally. It was really just such a beautiful moment.
Later in the day we met at the barn with the other guests for our riding event. The dinner experience starts at 1 and is advertised for beginners where Hörður introduces you to a horse, and discusses how to ride, riding equipment, safety, etc. But the real magic is when he teaches you to ride.
I want to start this section off by stating, I am not a spiritual person by nature, and I am not really into a zen lifestyle. I respect it for what it is, but I have my doubts and own views, but this experience definitely changed my perspective. Hörður’s method of working with horses at its core is very spiritual and involves a lot of energy and you can see the difference. He makes it very clear to our group that whatever energy you put into your ride you will get out of it. If you become tense and nervous so does your horse, if you become relaxed and at ease so does your horse. You mount this animal thinking “I know what it means to be relaxed, I know how to be at ease” but once you are up there you realize you have no clue what it means.
Hörður’s lesson with you is firm but fair. He is looking out for your safety and the horse, the feedback he gives you during your lesson in the riding hall is what you need to hear to get comfortable on the horse.
The ride itself was actually pretty intense! The day before was a lovely sunny day, partially cloudy, a slight ocean breeze, but our day to ride was rainy, with howling winds. It was honestly a little scary especially for beginners, but Mr. Iceland confidently led us up the river on the farm and calmly and firmly provided feedback to us as we rode. Our group quickly got the hang of our mounts and you could see each one of us becoming a bit more confident and taking charge of our horses much like he instructed us.
I want to detail what was going through my mind. Back to my comment on energy and spirituality, you will simply need to experience what it is at his farm, but once I began understanding how to communicate to my horde using my body, my tension, my core, the reigns it became easier to get the results I was looking for from my horse. Simply put I followed Mr. Iceland’s advice and on that cold, rainy, windy day, I breathed. It was meditative in a way just breathing in and out on the horse. I felt my shoulders drop, my thighs and calves, became less tense and rigid, and I eased back into the saddle. With each howl of the wind I wanted to react, but I knew if I reacted so would my horse, so simply I led with my body, and with a calm and clear mind, and my horse stayed on the trail all around the river back to the farm.
When we returned there was a bit of drama as one of the riders fell during her dismount which caused some of the horses to spook a bit, but I remembered his words, I remained calm, I soothed my horse, and we came to a nice stop. When I looked around I could see other riders doing the same and my partner, who has never rode before got her horse to stop near mine and perform a relaxed dismount.
The guest who fell was perfectly fine, and she stood up again without worry. At this time though we had learned that there had been another employee who joined us for our ride to act as a rear guide, but whose horse had got spooked by the howling winds so she actually never made it to the trail with us. She was able to safely get the horse back into the barn, and get herself inside, but this is an expert rider with so much more experience than our little group. To me this really showed the professionalism and confidence in Mr. Iceland’s experience because the one thing he never did was react in a way that would spook us beginner riders. We learned this all after our ride, and he congratulated us for managing to work with these horses under such conditions.
Now I am sure you are wondering, how is the meal itself? Because right after the ride we head inside for dinner with a Viking. It was phenomenal, our host roasted two legs of lamb, potatoes, prepared a salad, and a bottle of red wine for what was a truly lovely meal.
The lamb was raised and butchered by Mr. Iceland himself, which made for a fresh farm experience, and honestly the most disappointing thing about this lamb is I live 3,914 kilometers away from here so it is not like I can stop in for lamb any time.
But the best part of the meal was bonding with the other guests. We all took photos together, shared videos of the ride, and stories over the dinner table. We got to know our host who has such a fascinating personal story to tell, and we bonded with people who we may never see again in such a unique and special way.
I can say for certain I truly look forward to my next Mr. Iceland experience, and if you are wondering, yes we did end up purchasing the sweaters, and yes I can say they were worth it for the comfort and warmth but more importantly the memories crocheted into each yarn.
Hörður, if you see this, thank you again for an amazing time, and I wanted to add that your website had a lot of great suggestions of things to do around your farm, which made for some great photo opportunities and memories.
