ATV – Quad bikes

An all-terrain vehicle ATV, is also known as a quad bike, four-wheeler or a quadricycle. As the name of the ATV indicates, the vehicle is able to handle a wider variety of terrain than most other vehicles. By standards the ATV is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, the operator straddles the seat and steers with the controls in the handlebars.

The first three-wheeler on the market was manufactured by the American company Sperry-Rand. However, it was Japan’s Honda that made 3-wheelers a household name and set the path for today's ATV.

In 1970, Honda introduced their All Terrain Cycle. The movie Diamonds Are Forever and the TV shows Magnum, P.I. and Hart to Hart helped to increase its popularity fast. The ATC’s were for recreation only. Suzuki is the leader of the four-wheelers today. They sold the first model, the 1982 QuadRunner LT125, which was a recreational machine for beginners.

A Canadian, John Gower, built the first so called ATV. He had become tired of travelling through thick snow to cut his firewood and wanted a machine to help out with this and other difficult tasks. His invention was named Jiger was able to travel outdoors over rugged terrain. After several tries the first design was born. The Jiger looked like a small boat made of fiberglass with six balloon tires that also acted as the suspension for the machine. Boasting to be able to go 30 mph on land and 8 mph in the water, traversing any terrain and giving a full 11 horsepower, the Jiger sold with such rapid success that the demand was higher than the production, and the company went out of business!

Arcanum Glacier Tours have been offering quad bike tours for many years. The quad tours begin at the ARCANUM base. On the way down to Sólheimasandur black sand beach, we cross over small rivers and creeks.

Down by the black beach we enjoy the amazing view up to the Mýrdalsjökull glacier and along the coast to the southernmost part of Iceland, the small peninsula Dyrhólaey. We then head along the coast, we stop by the famous aircraft wreck that has been resting on the sand since the year 1973.

From there we drive to the river Jökulsá and up to the foot of the mountain. Upon our return we follow the mountain back to the base.

On this tour you can get in touch with the raw black lava sand landscape by the south coast. Unforgettable experience of conflicting landscapes where the nature envelops the traveler in its warm embrace.

Sólheimasandur is a vast area of sand and gravel along the south coast of Iceland. It was built up by the melt water rush of the glacier bursts from volcano Katla.

The volcanic water would rush from under the glacier into the glacial river Jökulsá á Sólheimasandi which runs towards the sea forming the black sand beach on its way. Sólheimasandur beach is an astonishing place and famous for its rare and beautiful coloring.

It got pebbles and coarse sand but the colour stands out. Sometimes dark greenish, sometimes reddish grey, turning pure black when it turns wet with the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.