GROUP RIERA
NORTHERN MTB ADVENTURE – ICELAND 2020

A NEW 6 DAY MTB TOUR THAT TAKE PLACE IN THE NORTH-EAST PART OF ICELAND. STARTING FROM ASKJA CALDERA IN THE MIDDLE OF THE COUNTRY AND BIKING NORTH ALL THE WAY TO THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

THIS SUMMER WILL BE THE FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH RIDERS THAT ARE READY TO PUSH THEMSELF OUTSIDE THEIR COMFORT ZONE IN A TRUE ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT!

A bike tour that goes from Mt Askja, through Lake Myvatn and the Canyon of Jökulsargljufur, all the way to the Tjörnes peninsula.
This is one of the country’s most exceptional areas that offers fantastic outdoor pursuits in its remote mountains. Endless lava fields mixed with vegetation and bubbling muddy hot springs.

Some days we bike in a deserted location, without meeting a single and other days we are passing in more visited areas like the Lake Myvatn.
We have a support of a 4×4 jeep that carries our entire luggage and a comfortable backcountry hut or hostel, awaits us every day with a warm welcome, gourmet meals and friendly chat throughout the everlasting arctic nights.

DAY 1 – JULY 13th

FLIGHT TO ICELAND
We will pick you up at the airport of Keflavik and drive to your hotel in Reykjavik. We can keep your bikes and will bring it with us when we pick you up for the domestic flight. The bikes will be build up in the north.
Night: Hotel in Reykjavik (booked directly by you).

DAY 2 – JULY 14th

FLIGHT TO AKUREYRI – DRIVE TO DREKI – HIKE & BATH IN VITI VOLCANO
Pick up very early in the morning. The domestic flight to Akureyri leaves at 7.10 AM followed by a drive down to Askja Caldera for about 4 hours.
After a good lunch we can go for a hike (45 minutes each way) therefore we are not allowed to bike in this area. Once you reach the rim of Lake Öskjuvatn, you’ll witness one of the most stunning views in all Iceland. If the weather is good, you’ll see the Dyngjufjoll Mountains almost perfectly reflected on the lake. And in the foreground, Víti (Hell) Volcano where we can have an epic bath in the hot lake in the middle of the crater. In the evening we take our time to build up our bikes and get ready for the next 5 days bike adventure.
Drive: Distance 200 km (4 hours)
Bike + hike: Distance 17 km
Elevation: Gain / loss 690 m
Night: Dreki Hut

DAY 3 – JULY 15th

ASKJA – BOTNI
The drive to the north will take all day, so we reccomend a domectic flight to Akureyri at 8.00 AM followed by a drive down to Askja Caldera for about 4 hours.
After a good lunch we can go for a hike (45 minutes each way) therefore we are not allowed to bike in this area. Once you reach the rim of Lake Öskjuvatn, you’ll witness one of the most stunning views in all Iceland. If the weather is good, you’ll see the Dyngjufjoll Mountains almost perfectly reflected on the lake. And in the foreground, Víti (Hell) Volcano where we can have an epic bath in the hot lake in the middle of the crater. In the evening we take our time to build up our bikes and get ready for the next 5 days bike adventure.
Ride: Distance 68 km
Elevation: Gain 670 m /loss -950 m
Night: Botni Hut

DAY 4 – JULY 16th

BOTNI – MÝVATN
On this day we are on a road that leads us straigt up to lake Myvant. This is a unique trail, that is next to an other one much more used. So we will probably be alone this day surrounded by a lunatic desert landscape with a mountains that pups up alone here and there in front of us. We will drop down in between valleys and probably crossing few cold rivers before joining our comfortable hostel by the lake.
Ride: Distance 48 km
Elevation: Gain 670 m /loss -950 m
Night: Dimmuborgir Guesthouse

DAY 5 – JULY 17th

MÝVATN – KRAFLA
Today´s ride is a round trip to and from our hostel at Myvatn. This can be a rest day or possible to take a shorter bike ride. We would like to take you on a bike trip to Krafla, that is one of the country’s most explosive volcanoes, having gone off approximately 29 times since the country was first settled. The trails are mixed of mountain roads and single tracks through lava fields and rocky area. In the afternoon we can visit the surrounding of Myvatn and take a dip in the Blue Lagoon of the north.
Today´s ride is a round trip to and from our hostel at Myvatn. This can be a rest day or possible to take a shorter bike ride. We would like to take you on a bike trip to Krafla, that is one of the country’s most explosive volcanoes, having gone off approximately 29 times since the country was first settled. The trails are mixed of mountain roads and single tracks through lava fields and rocky area. In the afternoon we can visit the surrounding of Myvatn and take a dip in the Blue Lagoon of the north.
Ride: Distance 30 km
Elevation: Gain /loss 800 m
Night: Dimmuborgir Guesthouse

DAY 6 – JULY 18th

DETTIFOSS – JÖKULSÁRGLJÚFUR
We start the day by driving from Myvatn to Dettifoss, on a mountain road that is a quite a traffic. The ride starts at Dettifoss, the biggest waterfall in Europe.
The scenery all along the way is simply incredible, no matter where you look.
The first part of the trail is a rocky single track, technically challenging section on the edge of the canyon of “Jökulsargljufur” the deepest glacial-river-canyon of Iceland. On the second part we change out the single track for a gravel road and some old horse trails in order to comply with the rules on MTB in a national park. We will get some more flowy tracks again with a very short final stretch on asphalt road. Our tour ends at the nature reserve of Ásbyrgi, a horseshoe-shaped garden surrounded by steep cliffs up to 100 meters high.
Drive: Distance 50 km
Ride: Distance 30 km
Elevation: Gain 500 m /loss -800 m
Night: Hotel Skulagardur

DAY 7 – JULY 19th

ÁSBYRGI – HÚSAVÍK – DRIVE BACK TO REYKJAVIK
Our last day is by the Atlantic Ocean sea shore, followed by a climb up a mountain and down on the other side. After the ride we get a good lunch in a local restaurant in the village of Húsavík before hitting the road all the way to Reykjavík
Ride: Distance 30 km
Elevation: Gain 700 m /loss -860 m
Drive: 460 km (5-6 hours)
Night: Hotel in Reykjavik (booked directly by you).

DAY 8 – JULY 20th

FLIGHT BACK TO SPAIN
Transfer to the airport of Keflavík for your flight back home.
Adéu!

There is always possibility of alterations to the itinerary, here above, as weather or terrain conditions dictate. This is for your own good to improve the trip quality and ensure that we choose the best ride that suits each day.