What Eldhestar Volcano Horses does

Eldhestar Volcano Horses is a privately held Icelandic horse-riding tour operator founded in 1986 and headquartered in Ölfus, approximately 30 minutes' drive from Reykjavík. The company offers the largest variety of horse-riding tours in Iceland across six product categories — half-day tours (1-3 hours), day tours (4-6 hours), combo tours pairing riding with whale watching, rafting, Golden Circle sightseeing, and puffin watching, 2-5 day tours, 6-8 day extended wilderness expeditions covering South Iceland, Snæfellsnes, Westfjords, and highland routes including Landmannalaugar, Sprengisandur, and Kjölur, plus winter tours featuring Northern Lights viewing from October through April. The operation is asset-heavy: 350 Icelandic horses, an on-site breeding programme started in 2007, stables, riding center, Hotel Eldhestar, and a 19-bed Guesthouse Eldhestar. Tours center on the tölt, the unique smooth gait of the Icelandic horse, and are led by an international team of trained English-speaking guides with Scandinavian and German-language availability.

The revenue model is anchored in direct-to-consumer tour sales through the company's eldhestar.is website, with online booking, hotel pickup from Reykjavík, and bundled accommodation and meals for multi-day tours. Pricing is denominated in Icelandic Króna for short tours and in Euro for multi-day itineraries; a 20% children's discount applies on multi-day tours for guests aged 14 and under. Secondary revenue comes from Hotel Eldhestar and Guesthouse accommodation, listed on Booking.com, and the sale of Icelandic horses bred through the in-house programme. Distribution channels include the company website, Booking.com, the Reykjavik Excursions Flybus transfer partnership, and reseller relationships with verified operators for combo tours. Customer segments span individual tourists, families with children aged 7+, pre-organized groups (clubs and corporate), experienced riders seeking highland wilderness itineraries, and winter visitors seeking Northern Lights experiences.

Operations are led by Managing Director Hróðmar Bjarnason, who has directed the company since 1990, supported by a small permanent team including hotel management, equestrian training (Hólar University graduate), stable management, culinary, housekeeping, accounting, and tour-guide functions drawn from multiple European countries. The company holds Vakinn certification from the Icelandic Tourist Board and the Nordic Swan Ecolabel for sustainable tourism, and was designated Horses of Iceland Valued Partner in 2025. Eldhestar celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2026 and operates as a private, founder/owner-led business with no disclosed external funding, institutional investors, or parent company.

Name

Eldhestar Volcano Horses

Legal name

Eldhestar

Website

https://eldhestar.is

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Eldhestar Volcano Horses is a privately held Icelandic horse-riding tour operator, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Ölfus, offering the largest variety of guided riding tours in Iceland — from one-hour to eight-day itineraries — using a herd of 350 Icelandic horses and on-site hotel and guesthouse accommodation, serving leisure travelers and organized groups through direct online booking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Equestrian Tourism Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520), Horses and Other Equine Production (11292), Horses and Other Equine Production (112920)

akta.pro primary industry

Equestrian & Horse Trekking Centers (THAAAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sport/Show Horse Training & Performance Programs (AFAEAGAF)

Keywords

• Horse riding tours
• Icelandic horse experiences
• Guided equestrian tours
• Multi-day wilderness rides
• Horse farm accommodation

Headquarters

HQ city

Ölfus

HQ country

Iceland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Horse-riding tours: Half-day, day, combo, and multi-day horse-riding tours ranging from 1 hour to 8 days with accommodation and meals included at Hotel Eldhestar or guesthouses
2. Accommodation services: Hotel Eldhestar offers single, twin, double, triple and family rooms. Guesthouse Eldhestar offers 19 beds in twin, triple or quad rooms with shared facilities
3. Horse sales: Sale of Icelandic horses bred through their breeding programme, including youngsters trained for riding

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Eldhestar Volcano Horses is an Icelandic equestrian tourism operator founded in 1986 that offers guided horseback riding tours ranging from half-day rides to multi-day wilderness expeditions. The company runs its own on-site lodging (Hotel Eldhestar and Eldhestar Guesthouse) and maintains an Icelandic horse breeding program from which horses are sold.

Product overview

Eldhestar Volcano Horses operates as a horse-riding tour company offering the largest variety of Icelandic horse-riding tours since 1986. The product portfolio spans multiple tour categories: Half-day Tours (1-3 hours), Day Tours (4-6 hours), Combo Tours (horse riding combined with whale watching, rafting, or sightseeing), 2-5 Day Multi-Day Tours, 6-8 Day Extended Wilderness Tours, and Winter Tours (including Northern Lights experiences). The company also operates a breeding program featuring mares, youngsters, and horses for sale. Lodging is provided through Hotel Eldhestar (private bathroom rooms) and Eldhestar Guesthouse (shared facilities), both on-site. Located 30 minutes from Reykjavík with 350 horses, the operation maintains high service standards with English-speaking guides trained to guide tours.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Half-Day Horse Riding Tours Short guided horseback riding excursions on Icelandic horses, suitable for riders seeking a brief introduction to the Icelandic horse and countryside.
• Day Tours Full-day guided horseback riding experiences in the Icelandic countryside.
• Combo Tours Combined-format riding tours (such as two-day combinations) that pair shorter ride options into a single packaged experience.
• 2–5 Day Multi-Day Tours Multi-day guided wilderness horseback riding expeditions of two to five days across the Icelandic countryside.
• 6–8 Day Multi-Day Tours Extended multi-day guided horseback riding expeditions of six to eight days for riders seeking deeper wilderness immersion.
• Winter Tours Seasonal winter horseback riding tours tailored to the colder Icelandic months.
• Tailor-Made Tours and Group Activities Custom riding experiences designed for families, groups, schools, and clubs, with itineraries tailored to the group's needs.
• Hotel Eldhestar On-site countryside hotel accommodation for guests of the riding tours and outside visitors.
• Eldhestar Guesthouse Smaller-scale guesthouse lodging offered alongside Hotel Eldhestar on the farm property.
• Horses for Sale Sales of Icelandic horses from the company's own breeding program, including mares and youngsters, to outside buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 years of continuous operation since 1986
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Horses of IcelandcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Valued Partner designation for 2025, promoting Icelandic horse tourism internationally through the Horses of Iceland platform
• Vakinn (Icelandic Tourist Board)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial certification programme for Icelandic tourism companies ensuring quality and safety standards
• Ferdaskrifstofa (Icelandic Tourist Board)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Icelandic tourism board providing marketing support and regulatory guidance for tourism operators
• Reykjavik Excursions (Flybus)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAirport transfer service connecting Keflavik airport to Reykjavik, allowing guests to reach tour departure points
• Nordic Swan EcolabelcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNordic environmental certification requiring adherence to strict sustainability criteria for tourism operations
• SAF (Icelandic Safety Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafety certification and standards organization for Icelandic tourism operators
• Verified tour companies for combo toursminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with verified tour operators to create combo tours combining horse riding with whale watching, rafting, and other activities

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• The Ranch at Rock Creek: US luxury dude ranch offering premium horseback riding vacations with on-property lodging; comparable to Eldhestar's integrated hotel-plus-multi-day-riding experience as a benchmark for premium horseback tourism globally.

Direct peers

• Íshestar: Long-established Icelandic horse-riding tour operator based near Reykjavík, offering a comparable mix of short and multi-day tours using Icelandic horses — directly competing for the same tourist segments as Eldhestar.
• Skagafjörður Horse Tours (Hestasmarður): Icelandic horse tour operator based in the Skagafjörður region offering multi-day riding trips and horse-focused experiences; directly comparable to Eldhestar's longer riding tours in a different Icelandic region.
• Hestasport / Viking Horses: Icelandic horse tour operator offering riding tours in multiple regions of Iceland, including multi-day highland and volcano-themed itineraries that overlap directly with Eldhestar's 2-8 day catalog.

Broad incumbents

• Reykjavík Excursions: Major Icelandic tour operator offering sightseeing and activity tours (including Flybus airport transfers with which Eldhestar partners); competes indirectly for in-destination tourist time and wallet share while also serving as a distribution partner.
• Arctic Adventures: Iceland-based adventure tour operator offering a broad portfolio of activities (snowmobile, glacier hikes, rafting, combo tours) that overlaps with Eldhestar's combo-tour category and competes for the same international leisure traveler.
• Gray Line Iceland: International tour brand operating in Iceland with a wide sightseeing and activity catalog; comparable as a competing distributor and indirect competitor for in-destination activity bookings.
• IcelandTours: Large inbound tour operator selling package holidays and self-drive tours across Iceland; relevant as both a potential distribution partner for Eldhestar and a competitor for tourist itineraries.
• Mountaineers of Iceland: Icelandic adventure tour company focused on hiking, glacier and volcano experiences; overlaps with Eldhestar's volcano and highland-themed riding tours as part of broader Iceland adventure itineraries.
• Blue Lagoon Iceland: Iconic Icelandic tourism brand offering on-site hospitality and curated experiences; comparable as a flagship Icelandic experiential tourism operator with similar sustainability positioning and on-site accommodation model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Eldhestar
• Facebookfacebook.com/Eldhestar
• Instagraminstagram.com/hotel_eldhestar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eldhestar-volcano-horses

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eldhestar Volcano Horses