Every September, Icelandic farming communities head into the highlands to gather the sheep that have been roaming free since spring. The réttir — the round-up — is one of the oldest continuous agricultural practices in Iceland and one of the few that visitors can genuinely participate in, not just watch.
What the Réttir Is
In early spring, Icelandic farmers release their sheep — sometimes thousands of animals per farm — into the highland pastures to graze freely over the summer. The animals spread across vast areas with no fencing. By September, before the first serious frost, all those sheep need to come back down.
Rounding them up requires teams of people on horseback and on foot moving across the highlands together, driving the flocks towards a central gathering pen (the rétt). At the rétt, the animals are sorted into individual farm pens by ear tag and marking, a process that can take an entire day and involves the whole farming community. It is noisy, physical, occasionally chaotic, and the kind of genuine working event that happens whether or not anyone is watching.
When It Happens
The réttir takes place across different highland areas throughout September and into early October. The exact dates vary by district — farmers coordinate within each farming community and set the date based on weather and flock condition. The first roundups typically happen in the first week of September in the southern highlands; later dates extend through the month for more northerly areas.
Landmannalaugar, accessible from Reykjavik in the summer months, sits within a region that has some of the most dramatic backdrop for the sheep drives. The coloured rhyolite mountains make the annual event particularly photogenic, though the practical experience matters more than the aesthetics — it is hard physical work.
How to Participate
Some Icelandic farms and guesthouses in highland areas accept volunteer helpers for the roundup. This is not a tourist product — you are expected to work, and the work involves walking significant distances (often 10–15 kilometres or more) across uneven terrain in weather that can change from clear to heavy rain within an hour. Strong waterproofs, hiking boots, and layers are not optional.
The best route to finding a réttir to join is through Iceland’s agricultural community networks or local guesthouses in the South Highland and Westfjords regions. A few Iceland tour operators offer organised réttir experiences with transport from Reykjavik — these are more structured but take some of the uncertainty out of logistics.
Why September Is Worth Considering
The réttir is one of the reasons we recommend September as a strong travel month in our Iceland in September guide. It combines with the improving northern lights window, lower prices than August, and the beginning of the autumn colour change across the highland heathlands.
For a full picture of what each month offers and when to plan around Iceland’s seasonal rhythm, see our best time to visit Iceland guide.