Leave behind the crowds—and the world as you know it—to escape to the untouched coastal wilderness on South Carolina’s sea islands. Many of these barrier islands can be reached only by boat, and small tours are available to experience the remote beaches, pristine salt marshes and shady tangles of maritime forests.
From kayak tours to beach drops, Coastal Expeditions offers numerous excursions to South Carolina’s barrier islands. On the dolphin sightseeing cruise, which departs from Russ Point Boat Landing in Beaufort, you’ll learn about natural history while spotting pods of bottlenose dolphins that play and leap from the waters around Hunting Island State Park. Or venture to the Hunting Island State Park Nature Center to catch the ferry to St. Phillips Island. You’ll glide along the winding Story River surrounded by rippling marsh grasses, ultimately arriving at a remote paradise of ancient dunes, live oaks and Southern magnolia. Another option? Hop on the Bulls Island Ferry from Garris Landing in Awendaw for an ecotour through Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge—rife with sunbathing alligators, soaring bald eagles and cresting dolphins—before docking at Bulls Island to explore on your own. There, you can hike the nature trails and keep an eye out for hundreds of species of birds.
