Nature Boat Tour with Certified Naturalist in Charleston
4.9
73 Ratings
Charleston
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
What's Included
  • Boat
  • Guide
What's Not Included
  • Food and drinks
Additional Information

Join a certified naturalist on a 2-hour nature boat tour throughout Charleston’s waterways. The small group will discover Charleston’s abundant coastal wildlife, while cruising Charleston Harbor as well as landing on Morris Island where you will be able to explore on foot and look for shells and hopefully, find some shark’s teeth. On the excursion, get a glimpse of Bottlenose dolphins and pull your crab pots to see how many crabs you caught that day. You will also see the amazing picturesque views of the skyline of Charleston and the Atlantic Ocean.  

  • Paid parking is available in the SC Aquarium Parking Garage (5 minute walk) or at the parking meters on Concord Street. Please keep in mind that street parking can sometimes be difficult to find. The Charleston Maritime Center (owned by the City of Charleston) sadly does not offer parking to the public. However, passengers are allowed to be dropped off. As you get closer to the water look for the blue & white Sandlapper Tours ticket booth on the left dock. Feel free to call if you have questions or need help.
Location
Charleston Maritime Center
Wharfside Street
1/2 block from the SC Aquarium
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(73 Ratings)
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Leahs957
Jul 10, 2023
Fun Family Excursion - Great time on the water learning about the city of Charleston and the wildlife native to the area. The stop on Morris Island allowed time to look for shells and shark teeth. When leaving the island we saw several dolphins. All in all a pleasant experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dirtysouth72
Jun 7, 2023
Amazing Relaxation - My favorite part of the tour was being able to get off the boat, hop off on Morris Island, and explore. For so future travelers, be prepared to enjoy the breeze, see the dolphins, and just relax.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tosatwo
May 14, 2023
An Enjoyable Tour for All Ages - A nice boat tour through the harbor to Morris Island. Our guide was very knowledgeable, sharing the history of the area and her observations of the marine animals and birds we saw during the trip. Dolphins and pelicans were active along they way to and back from Morris Island, and she explained their behaviors and seasonal activity in the context of what we witnessed. Beachcombing on Morris Island was fun with finding shells and shark teeth along the sand. A fun, interesting, and worthwhile trip for all ages.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
47curtisw
May 6, 2023
Nature Adventure in Charleston Harbor - We took a Nature trip with Sandlapper and were totally happy with the tour. Capitan Mike made the cruise smooth and relaxing.Rachel provided wonderful information about the local plants animals and fish. I highly recommend booking your Charleston Harbor Adventure with this guide service.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Maryellen_z
Apr 27, 2023
Perfect informative harbor cruise - This was a fascinating tour and especially so with a naturalist on board and a charming and knowledgeable captain. I did not realize when I booked this that we would have a chance to disembark at the island. Other tours seemed too long for us and this one was a perfect length - and gave us adequate time to explore the island. The boat went out even though we were not completely full so we all had plenty of room.
Review provided by Viator
860barbarau
Apr 17, 2023
Great time. - We had a great time and highly recommend! We went on a pontoon boat across the water to an island where we got off and explored . The guide Crystal I believe was her name was very knowledgeable about not only the vessels along the shore but also history about the area. She was very good with children on the tour and pointed out the dolphins to everyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
777sonyac
Sep 15, 2022
Church Family trip. - I booked private tour for my church family. We had a wonderful time. Booking was simple. All the staff was super friendly. The ecologists was knowledgeable. The kids enjoyed her show-and-tell. We saw several dolphins on the way to the private island. The boat held 49 people comfortably and you can buy drinks and snacks on board. This was one of the main highlights of our church vacation. We are considering booking this again next year. Love it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dana_l
Sep 4, 2022
Phenomenal experience - Absolutely phenomenal experience! As a solo tourist in her early 30s from Ontario Canada, I found this tour to be the ideal balance of educational, culturally eye-opening, informative about the local wildlife, and just a joy to be a part of. Thank you for a wonderful time! Highly recommend this intentionally family-friendly tour. 5/5 stars ⭐️
Review provided by Viator
Donnam2928
Aug 16, 2022
Dolphin tour - Captain J P and Rachel were awesome. My granddaughter loved the boat ride. She got to see a blue crab and baby stone crab on the boat and dolphins in the water
Review provided by Tripadvisor
937stacis
Aug 5, 2022
Beautiful - I really am grateful I attended this tour. I enjoyed many different aspects of the trip, including the boat ride itself, waving to people, being able to spend time on an undeveloped beach and island, as well as listening to our naturalist, Rachel, share. She was so enthusiastic and it seemed like she really enjoyed her job (thank you Rachel!) (I attended as a group of four adults)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
May 2024
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