New Partner on the Black Sand Coast: Welcome Icelandic Mountain Guides

I am pleased to announce that Iceland Mountain Guides have joined my family of partners — and they are bringing a 10% discount for Stuck in Iceland subscribers along with them.

If you have been reading this magazine for a while, you know I do not hand out partner spots casually. Iceland Mountain Guides have been guiding visitors around this country since 1994. Their slogan, “Á fjöllum frá 1994” — “In the mountains since 1994” — is not marketing fluff. They genuinely have been at it longer than most of their competitors have been in business.

What they are offering us now is a set of Icelandic Mountain Guides five tours from their base camp near Mýrdalsjökull glacier on the south coast: two ATV tours, two buggy tours, and a brand-new electric fat-bike adventure. All of them visit one of the strangest, most photographed spots in the country — the Sólheimasandur plane wreck.

Let me walk you through it.

What makes Sólheimasandur Special

Before I get into the tours, a bit of context. The south coast between Vík and Skógar is a flat, otherworldly stretch of black volcanic sand that runs all the way to the sea. On one side, you have the Atlantic. On the other hand, you have Mýrdalsjökull — a glacier sitting on top of Katla, one of Iceland’s most powerful volcanoes. The whole landscape here was shaped by Katla’s outburst floods, which is why everything looks like the surface of a planet that has not quite settled down yet. And that is what excactly what is going on. The next time Katla erupts, the whole landscape will change.

Sólheimasandur itself is the sand plain just east of Skógafoss waterfall. In November 1973, a United States Navy Douglas Super DC-3 made an emergency landing here after running out of fuel. Everyone on board walked away. The fuselage has been resting in the sand ever since — slowly stripped, photographed by every traveler and music video director who has visited Iceland in the last fifteen years, and now an icon in its own right.

Here is the bit that catches people out: the walk from the parking area to the wreck is roughly four kilometers each way across flat black sand with zero shelter. In the bad weather, it is a miserable two-hour round trip. This is exactly why the tours below are worth a second look. You arrive at the wreck the fun way, you do not get sandblasted on a featureless walk, and you see a lot more of the surrounding coast in the process.

The Five Tours at a Glance

The Five Tours, One by One

Black Sand Beach ATV Express (1 hour)

The shortest and most affordable way to do this. You meet your guide at base camp, get geared up, sit through the safety briefing, and then ride down to the coast on a quad bike. You see the black sand beach, you see Dyrhólaey on the horizon, you see Mýrdalsjökull behind you, you cross a few small rivers, you stop at the plane wreck, and you ride back. Done in roughly an hour of riding time, plus the prep at the start.

Best for: travelers passing through on the south coast who want a real off-road experience without losing half a day. Couples, in particular, get good value here because two people share one ATV.
Book the Black Sand Beach ATV Express →

Black Sand Beach & Plane Wreck ATV Tour (2 hours)

The same idea, but with twice the riding time and a wider loop. After the beach and the plane wreck, you also drive up to the Jökulsá river and along the foot of the mountain. If the one-hour version sounds rushed to you, this is the one to pick. You get more landscape, more time off the bike for photos, and a proper sense of how big and strange this part of the country actually is.
Best for: people who came to Iceland specifically for the adventure, not the airport stopover crowd.
Book the Black Sand Beach & Plane Wreck ATV Tour →

1-Hour Buggy Express on Sólheimasandur (1 hour)

Same route as the express ATV, but in a buggy instead of a quad. The difference matters more than you would think. A buggy has a roll cage, seatbelts, and a steering wheel. It feels closer to driving a small off-road car than riding a motorcycle on four wheels. It is also a touch warmer because you are slightly more shielded from the wind.

Two practical things: the minimum age is 6 (younger than on the ATV tours, where it is 8), and the surcharge for a single rider is something to ask about if you are traveling alone.

Best for: families with children aged 6 to 8, anyone who would rather drive than ride, and travelers who do not love the idea of straddling a quad in Icelandic weather.
Book the 1-Hour Buggy Express →

2-Hour Buggy Experience to Mýrdalsjökull (2 hours)

This is the one I would book if I were a visitor. In summer, the route runs all the way up to the edge of Mýrdalsjökull glacier itself, where the white ice meets the black desert. In winter, you get as close as conditions safely allow. Then you come back down through the rivers, onto the black beach, and stop at the plane wreck. It is the most complete picture of this corner of Iceland you can get in a single morning.

It is also the most expensive of the five at $277 per person before the discount, so the 10% off is the most worthwhile here in absolute terms.

Best for: people who want to see the glacier, the beach, and the plane wreck in one go, without a tour bus or a long walk.
Book the 2-Hour Buggy Experience →

E-Bike Black Beach Adventure & the Plane Wreck (2 hours)

The newest of the five and the one I am most curious about. You ride an electric fat bike — the kind with the very wide tires designed for sand and snow — out across Sólheimasandur to the plane wreck. The motor does most of the heavy lifting, so the difficulty stays Easy. You are powered by Iceland’s renewable electricity, which is a nice detail to mention if you care about your carbon footprint while traveling.

No driver’s license required, which is the big practical difference. The minimum age is 10, group sizes are kept small, and you get more time for storytelling with the guide because you move slowly and quietly enough to actually have a conversation.

Best for: travelers without a driver’s license, anyone who prefers their adventures quiet, and visitors who want to feel virtuous about their emissions while still getting to the wreck the easy way.
Book the E-Bike Black Beach Adventure →

Which Tour Should You Book?

• Cheapest option, Black Sand Beach ATV Express
• Best st mix of riding time, scenery, and value, Black Sand Beach & Plane Wreck ATV Tour (2 hours).
• If you have small children or you would rather drive than straddle a quad: 1-Hour Buggy Express.
• If you want the full picture — glacier, black beach, plane wreck — in one go: 2-Hour Buggy Experience.
• For those who don’t have a driver’s license, or who want a quieter, greener ride, E-Bike Black Beach Adventure.

What to Know Before You Go on Icelandic Mountain Guides Tours

Driver’s licenses are non-negotiable for ATVs and buggies. Icelandic law requires a full, valid license. A learner’s permit, motorcycle license, or tractor license will not work, and the guides cannot make exceptions even if you ask very nicely. The e-bike tour has no license requirement.

Single riders pay extra. All four motorized tours pair two riders per vehicle by default.

If you are traveling alone or your group has an odd number of people, you will need to book a single ride at an additional cost. This is mandatory, not a sales tactic.

The tour includes an insulated overall, a helmet, and a balaclava. It does not include warm undergarments. Wear ool or thermal base layers, warm socks, and gloves of your own are the difference between “fun morning out” and “I am never coming back to this country.” Waterproof boots are also a good idea — the rivers are, well, wet.

Book ahead in summer, not just for the discount. July and August fill up early, especially the buggy tours. The 10% subscriber code is great, but it won’t help if the tour is sold out.

Cancellation is flexible. You can change or cancel up to 24 hours before departure with no penalty.

About Iceland Mountain Guides Tours

Iceland Mountain Guides have been operating since 1994, which makes them one of the oldest specialized adventure tour companies in the country.

Their base camp setup at Mýrdalsjökull is purpose-built for these tours, which is why they can run year-round in conditions that would shut down a less experienced operator. If something on the south coast happens to involve a glacier, a black beach, or a quad bike, they have probably been doing it longer than most of the people guiding it elsewhere.

Get the Discount Code for the Icelandic Mountain Guides Tours

If you are not yet a subscriber, you are leaving real money on the table. Newsletter subscribers get exclusive discount codes from Iceland Mountain Guides and 50+ other Icelandic tour operators, hotels, restaurants, and rental companies. One signup pays for itself many times over on a single trip.

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Welcome to the family, Iceland Mountain Guides. Looking forward to hearing from readers about how the tours go.