Repeat visitors know to pack their cameras and binoculars, because a stay on the Isle of Palms almost guarantees they’ll spot some fascinating wildlife. Alligators, rare birds, and loggerhead turtles make their homes among the island’s varied ecosystems. The ever-changing vegetation on the island is equally fascinating, from sea oats and wildflowers, to cacti, palmettos, and salt marsh. Visitors can grab a map and head out on their own, or take advantage of a number of guided tours and nature-based enrichment programs offered on the island. Boat cruises, guided kayak tours, fishing clinics, and a variety of kid’s day camps allow visitors to explore the Isle of Palms' rich natural environment.

Barefoot Island Sports
1 Seafood Dr.
Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
(843) 568-3222
Barefoot Island Sports is an expert guide company specializing in family kayak adventures suitable for all experience levels. Barefoot carries a full line of rental kayaks, bikes, and surfboards.

Barrier Island Eco Tours
50 41st Ave.
Isle of Palms, SC 29451
(843) 886-5000
Guided by a local marine biologist on a comfortable excursion vessel, visitors will explore undeveloped Capers Island and its tidal creeks. Tours promise glimpses of dolphin, alligators, migratory birds, and live marine specimens brought onboard. Tours also include stops for swimming, crabbing, fishing, and beachcombing. All Capers Island trips depart from the Isle of Palms Marina.

Bull Island Ferry
Departs from Garris Landing off Hwy. 17.
(843) 884-7684
A leisurely 30-minute passenger ferry ride takes passengers through rich saltwater marsh creeks, home to dolphins, egrets, pelicans, and herons. An on-board naturalist narrates the tour as the ferry winds through the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge, which encompasses 64,000 acres of South Carolina's most pristine maritime wilderness. Bull Island, a 6-mile long island managed for endangered and threatened species, is home to red wolves, wood storks, and loggerhead sea turtles. Passengers can stroll along sixteen miles of footpaths or bask in the sun on "Boneyard Beach." The tour is operated by Coastal Expeditions.

Coastal Eco Tours
(843) 886-8136
Coastal Eco Tours on the Isle of Palms specializes in private boat tours of the Charleston South Carolina coastal waters and barrier islands. Explore the back waters of the Isle of Palms, Dewees Island, Capers Island, and The Cape Romain refuge.

Paddlefish Kayaking
(843) 330-9777
Paddlefish Kayaking offers fascinating guided tours from the unparalleled view of a kayak. With little or no experience, glide through lowcountry marshes, creeks, and rivers on a guided tour to observe dolphin at play, enjoy the sunset, or have a unique fishing adventure. Leaves from Andell Bluff near Bohicket Marina or Downtown Charleston.

Sandlapper Tours
(843) 849-8687
Sandlapper Tours offers guided history tours, nature tours, and sunset cruises aboard their 45-foot USCG certified twin engine catamaran. Accompanied by a naturalist or marine biologist, passengers will spot and learn about Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, dolphins, and other area critters. The company's popular Charleston-based moonlit "Ghost Tour" both terrorizes and delights with tales of the harbor’s colorful history - complete with pirates, hangings, and shipwrecks.