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Tours by ATV and boat provide out-of-this world experience in Iceland

Touring Iceland by boat and by ATV provides an out-of-this-world experience.

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By
Kat Campbell
, WRAL meteorologist

The black sand and spectacular views make it seem like you’re on another planet even though you’re still in Iceland. Team WRAL suited up to take a tour of the beach and off-road terrain on ATVs. The trip takes two hours on foot, but riding an ATV was a more rugged experience riding through flowing streams, tunnels, and rough terrain. Sunglasses, towels, and beach chairs were not needed for this trip to the coast.

As North Carolinians we’re very familiar with the beach but here in Iceland their beaches are a little different. Boiling hot lava cooled and the fragments and volcanic minerals formed the black sand you see on the beaches. It’s truly a surreal experience you best experienced in person. At the halfway point of the tour, we stopped to see wreckage from a military plane that crashed on the beach back in 1973. The U.S. Navy DC plane ran out of fuel, crashing into the beach. Thankfully, no one was injured in that crash. What was left of the aircraft was moved further inland and remains a very “instagrammable” spot in Iceland and tourist attraction.

We moved from ATVs to boats for a tour of the Glacial Lagoon. Large ice glaciers tower over the boat. Some of the glaciers have stripes from hardened lava layers forming in between the ice layers, giving them a unique look. The glaciers melt and move, occasionally bumping into one another. Seals and birds were seen resting on glaciers and swimming in the water. The blue water and stunning glacier formations resemble a scene from a science- fiction movie.

Touring Iceland by foot, land vehicle or by boat is an unforgettable experience.

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