ATV and buggy tours near Vík
Quads and buggies start from the Mýrdalur valley west of Vík and ride over black sand, through rivers and up towards the glacier. You need a driving licence to take the handlebars or the wheel.
Quad bikes on Sólheimasandur
Self-drive quad, licence needed · 1 or 2 hours
✓ Free cancellation
from €138
Book on GetYourGuide
Two-seater buggy towards Mýrdalsjökull
Buggy, shared or single · 2 hours (10 hours from Reykjavík)
✓ Free cancellation
from €254
Book on GetYourGuide
West of Vík, between the Mýrdalsjökull ice cap and the sea, lies Sólheimasandur, a wide plain of black sand. It is the ground the quad and buggy tours use. Icelandic Mountain Guides runs the motorised tours from the valley of Mýrdalur, with a base off Road 222, also called the Mýrdalsjökull Road, and its main base at Ytri-Sólheimar, about 25 kilometres west of Vík and 11 kilometres east of Skógar. There is no hotel pickup, so you drive to the base yourself.
The quad safari on Sólheimasandur
The quad tour lasts one or two hours. The longer option crosses the black sand to the wreck of the DC-3 that crashed on Sólheimasandur in November 1973, a US Navy aircraft whose crew all survived. From there the route heads to the coast, with a view of Dyrhólaey, and returns along the Jökulsá river, with a river crossing into the valley. Cars have not been allowed to drive to the wreck since 2016, so the quad saves you the walk of about four kilometres each way.
The operator lends an insulated overall, a helmet, a balaclava and, depending on the weather, boots. Coffee and tea are served at the base, which also has toilets. Children under 8 and pregnant travellers cannot join.
Driving needs a valid driving licence. If you travel alone, or your group has an odd number of people, you must book the single-rider quad. Reviewers who did not know this in advance were surprised by the extra cost at the base.
What reviewers mention
Families with teenagers praise the quad tour often, and the river crossings and the beach stop come up again and again. The criticism is about time and group size. One reviewer in October 2025 counted 55 minutes of riding on the two-hour option and 45 minutes standing still, in a group of about 50 people, and another remembered around 30 quads in a row. Some reviewers found the briefing short for complete beginners, and a few mentioned stiff steering on individual machines. Controlling a quad over bumpy sand also takes some strength in the hands, which one reviewer with small hands found tiring.
If the idea is to cover ground at your own pace, the one-hour option with a smaller group on a quiet day may suit you better than the two-hour ride in high season.
The buggy towards Mýrdalsjökull
The buggy tour starts at the Ytri-Sólheimar base. Two people share a two-seater buggy and can swap at the wheel, or you book a single-rider buggy. The two-hour route climbs towards Mýrdalsjökull. The driver needs a licence, and passengers can come along from 6 years. Pregnant travellers are excluded. An insulated overall, helmet and balaclava are provided, with tea and coffee at the base.
In winter, weather and road conditions can stop the buggies before the glacier. In that case the operator switches to a route to the black sand beach with a visit to the plane wreck. Weather can cut a ride short in autumn too: in October 2026 reviewers described a tour that turned back after the first hour without reaching the ice. Groups can be large, with up to 36 people on the operator's own listing.
A Reykjavík version of the buggy tour also exists, with a bus and waterfall stops along the way. It takes about ten hours in total, so if you are staying in or near Vík, book the version that meets at the base.
The wreck without a vehicle tour
The quad is not the only way to the DC-3. The car park for the wreck lies on Road 1, 6 kilometres east of Skógar and 27 kilometres west of Vík. From there it is about 4 kilometres each way across open sand, close to two hours on foot there and back. A shuttle bus run by Icelandic Mountain Guides covers the same distance in 10 to 15 minutes; the operator says it runs all year, every day between 10:00 and 17:00, with the last trips depending on daylight. If you mainly want to see the aircraft, the shuttle is the shorter outing. If you want the ride over sand and rivers as well, the quad route includes the stop.
Season, light and weather
Reviews of the quad safari come from every month, and the quad and the buggy run in winter, with the buggy's route adapted to the conditions. What changes is the light. On 21 December the sun rises in Vík at 10:59 and sets at 15:29, so a midday departure gives the best view of the sand. In June the sun sets after 23:00 and the evenings stay bright.
The coast here is wet. At the old Vík weather station, average rainfall was well over 2,000 millimetres a year in the 1990s, and in winter monthly mean temperatures stayed around 1 to 2 degrees. Under the overall you will want warm layers, and gloves of your own help on cold days. Our what to wear page has a fuller list.
For a longer day in an off-road vehicle with a driver, the Super Jeep tours from Vík go to the highlands and up Eyjafjallajökull. On foot, the plane wreck is a walk of nearly two hours there and back from the car park on Road 1, 27 kilometres west of Vík; see Sólheimajökull and the plane wreck for the walk and the shuttle bus.
All tours side by side
The quad safari and the glacier buggy, run from bases in Mýrdalur west of Vík. Look at the duration column: the long times include the transfer from Reykjavík.
| Tour | Format | Duration | Age | Rating | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quad bikes on SólheimasandurIcelandic Mountain GuidesYou ride across the black sand of Sólheimasandur with a stop at the 1973 DC-3 wreck, then to the coast facing Dyrhólaey and through a river into a valley. | Self-drive quad, licence neededInsulated overall, helmet, balaclava, coffee and tea | 1 or 2 hoursIcelandic Mountain Guides base off Road 222 | From 8 years; drivers need a licence | 4.9 (541 reviews) | From €138Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide |
| Two-seater buggy towards MýrdalsjökullIcelandic Mountain GuidesTwo people share a buggy and swap at the wheel; in winter the route can switch to the black sand beach and the plane wreck. | Buggy, shared or singleOverall, helmet, balaclava, tea and coffee | 2 hours (10 hours from Reykjavík)Ytri-Sólheimar base in Mýrdalur, or Reykjavík transfer | From 6 years; drivers need a licence | 4.7 (33 reviews) | From €254Free cancellationBook on GetYourGuide |
Prices and ratings come from the booking platform and are shown in euros per person. If you book through these links we earn a commission. Your price stays the same. Sorted by number of reviews.
What travellers say about the quad safari on Sólheimasandur
4.9 (541 reviews) · Reviews from GetYourGuide, shortened, names abbreviated
★★★★★ Christie (United States) · September 2026
The stop in the beach was breathtaking, the quick history at the plane was very interesting and we loved getting to explore the plane. Most of all, the ATVing was fun!!! Up and down the black sand dunes, through rivers, etc.
★★★★★ Tracy (United Kingdom) · June 2026
Our often sulky teenage son said this was a 10/10 activity - praise indeed! We all drove a quad and glad we did. It was great fun - across rivers, along the beach and the rough tracks.
★★★★★ Zhengqiu (China) · September 2026 Translated
Great, the scenery was very different. The round trip took 2 hours in total and is quite tiring because you need strength to control the vehicle, which shakes a bit; the throttle is pressed with the thumb, and with my small hands that was a bit hard.
★★★★★ Rick (Netherlands) · October 2025
It was described as a 2-hour tour. We actually only drove 55 minutes on the quad and we spent 45 minutes just standing still. … The group was also around 50 people
★★★★★ Sabine (Denmark) · August 2024 Translated
In addition I had to pay ISK 8,000 extra to drive myself (I am travelling solo), which was not stated anywhere when I booked. It became an expensive trip for 45 minutes of driving
A hit with families who have teenagers. On the 2-hour option the actual riding time is shorter, large groups slow things down, and solo travellers have to book the single-quad option according to the product page.
Questions travellers ask
Do I need a driving licence?
Yes, to drive. A valid driving licence is required for the quad and for the buggy. Children and passengers without a licence ride as passengers.
Can I ride alone?
Yes, but on the quad you must book the single-rider option, and that also applies to groups with an odd number of people. On the buggy you choose between a shared and a single-rider buggy when you book.
Does the quad tour stop at the plane wreck?
Yes. The route on Sólheimasandur stops at the DC-3 that crashed on the sands in 1973, then goes to the coast with a view of Dyrhólaey. Cars have not been allowed to drive to the wreck since 2016.
What should I wear?
Warm layers under the insulated overall that is provided, plus gloves. Boots are lent on wet days.
Will the buggy reach the glacier in winter?
Not always. In winter, weather and road conditions can block access to Mýrdalsjökull, and the tour then drives to the black sand beach and the plane wreck instead.
Where these facts come from
Dates, opening hours and rules change. We checked these pages in October 2026; the official source has the final word.
