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Photo from fridheimar.is

Fríðheimar is a visitor-friendly tomato farm in south Iceland, renowned for its fresh produce, horse-breeding programme, and for the horse-shows that it puts on in fourteen languages.

Tomatoes at Fríðheimar

Due to the geothermal activity in south Iceland, there is boiling water just beneath the surface of the ground. This allows for natural hot springs, such as at Reykjadalur, for spa facilities at the nearby towns of Flúðir and Laugarvatn, and for the greenhouses at Fríðheimar flourish throughout the year.

Iceland, for centuries, had access to few fruits and vegetables, and usually only ate them over Christmas. This all changed when geothermal energy was used to power greenhouses. Now, much of the produce sold in stores in homegrown, and many of the tomatoes from Fríðheimar.

Visitors can tour these greenhouses, learning about this ground-breaking agricultural technique whilst tasting the produce available.

Horses at Fríðheimar

Fríðheimar breeds Icelandic horses and has six first-prize broodmares. The horses on site are used to put on shows that are fun for the whole family.

Icelandic horses are famously a very special breed. While most horses in the world only have four gaits – or ways of walking – these have five, being able to perform the tölt. This makes them very popular in dressage.

This breed of horse has other unique qualities, however. It is smaller and sturdier than most others, and also notably more intelligent and social. This is said to be because when early settlers arrived, they could only take their very best animals, and the resulting animals are from their descendants alone.

Sites around Fríðheimar

Fríðheimar’s position in south Iceland means it is surrounded by an array of popular sites. The most famous and significant of these are no doubt those on the Golden Circle.

Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss Waterfall and the Geysir Geothermal Area are all renowned for their beauty, accessibility to Reykjavík, and proximity to each other. Fríðheimar is often visited alongside a sightseeing tour around these, and can be combined with an array of other nearby locations for a full day out.