ATVs on the Beaches of Mar de Ajó

Some of the seaside towns spread over the Atlantic coast are connected through certain common arteries. That is the case of Mar de Ajó and San Bernardo, which are joined by the Seafront Avenue, thus misleading tourists who are not aware of what city they are in if they do not pay attention.

The good thing about these tourist resorts being so close is that visitors to both cities may enjoy multiple and varied activities, only a few minutes away.

Staying at Mar de Ajó, I wanted to take advantage of this offer and headed for San Bernardo to go on a quad ride across the sandhills located in the northern area of the city. I had heard that the dunes in that area were quite challenging and changed every day. Therefore, I did not want to miss the opportunity to experiment a ride across them on a quad.

With a Cloudless Sky

As it is to be expected in the summer, the day was warm and full of sunshine. I stopped at the San Bernardo Tourist Office to gather some information for our data base and then continued towards the shore in search for the quad rental store. A soft breeze reminded me I was in front of the ocean, crowded with waves and with its characteristic smell of salt water.

I found the Moto Beach store on one of the streets perpendicular to the beach. There were various quad models. I chose a 250 c.c.. As I had some experience in quad riding, there would not be any difficulty in maneuvering it. Moto Beach also has 50 c.c., 80 c.c. and 200 c.c. quads, ideal to be rented by people all ages and with different levels of experience.

Some minutes before departure, other tourists willing to rent quads in order to tour the city coast arrived. I talked to them and we agreed to go out together. It was comforting to know that we could support each other as we enjoyed the vast beaches. It is advisable not to go out into the sandhills alone. Fortunately, I had found a couple of fellow adventurers who d the idea very much.


At Full Speed

We set out along one side street and came out directly opposite the Argentinian sea. Some kelp gulls that were posed on the wet sand quickly soared into the air as soon as they felt our presence. In their audacious flight, they let out their typical squawking. They seemed to go away because we were interrupting their peace and quietness.

We headed for the North at full speed, searching for the dunes we had dreamt of. After a few kilometers, we passed by Costa Azul and, some meters ahead, by the beaches of La Lucila.

We made an abrupt 90º turn and got deep into the countryside along a path from which we could make out the tops of the dunes. Without hesitation, we went towards them to start the conquest.

The new partners did not take long to show off their skills on the quads. Jumps, pirouettes and risky “zero” shapes all around. The steel masses remained suspended in the void at full speed as if it was a motocross competition. Adrenaline multiplied all round the remote nook bringing along satisfaction. We had reached the place we wanted to visit. I took some time to photograph the various maneuvers and, after several shots, we started our way back across the beach towards the city.

I still remember the speed, the wind, the hustle and bustle I felt as I toured the dunes. It was an experience hard to be forgotten, ideal to break with the typical days on the beach and enjoy the large Argentinian coast in a different fashion.