Captain Doug is from the area, and was thus was full of information, and gave me the ongoing…read morenarration I was looking for, throughout the tour. He He was helpful in answering questions as well. I will say that is way colder than you can imagine on the VERY windy water, and my 3 layers of clothing were not enough to keep me warm. No matter how tough you think you are, wear at minimum 2 *heavy* layers of clothing, and a thick windbreaker (my think raincoat did not hold up) and a hat to keep your head and ears warm. It's not just that it's 10 degrees colder on the water -- it's a constant cold wind blowing at you... and that's on a day when there wasn't a strong wind on the island itself. If you're not properly dressed, you won't find it relaxing. Although this tour company does warn you about the colder weather on the boat, it does not sufficiently warn you about the constant unrelenting wind.

The entire time was visually beautiful and Captain Dan was a wealth of information…read more We would highly recommend this tour.

What an amazing trip! My mom waited 70 years for this! We booked our trip for a Saturday 2pm and…read morethere were only 2 others on the boat. We went in with the idea that we will have a great trip on the water and learn a little about the area. Fingers crossed to see the horses, that is what mom waited all these years for! We saw part of the heard on the way out from a distance and were happy with that. Then we saw a pair of eagles and dolphins and a group of pelicans and leaned about wallops island. On the way back the heard was closer and we got the experience of a lifetime. They came closer and closer and we were in awe. Captain John was great and the rest of the staff were very friendly and the boat was very clean. We also got a special shell from a little entrepreneur!

We took an early Sunday morning boat tour around the Chincoteague Wildlife refuge with Captain…read moreJohn. Although it was cloudy and raining, John reassured us that we would have better chance of seeing wildlife in such a weather. He took us to interesting places around the island including the lighthouse, oyster beds, mariner's cross, and popular bird nesting grounds (egrets, pelicans, laughing gulls, black backed gulls, ducks). We also saw the ponies from afar. Overall, this was a great memorable exprience! P.S. only suggestion: could rain coats be provided to customers in a rainy weather?

A delightful real life experience of the famous Chincoteague Island and ponies. Storybook boat ride…read morearound the island at 6am spoiled us with ponies right off dock. Ours tour was chock-a-block full of personal stories from our husband and wife Captain and tour guide duo extraordinaire. Our eye candy consisted of a sting ray enjoying a clam breakfast, flopping around in the shallow waters like a happy kid in the candy shop. It was topped by a crane slurping down an eel then a bald eagle. We spied a few more ponies then made our way around the other side of the island for a full grand tour. Appreciated the excellent service and comfortable boat.

The best part of our trip! The sunset tour was perfect for our ten year anniversary! The staff was…read morevery great from start to finish. Our tour guide, Aiden was awesome. He was very knowledgable about the ponies and history of the island. We got a great view of the ponies and dolphins, as well as a great tour of the island.

My family of six booked the private pony tour and had a terrific time. Our captain was Jake and he…read moreis 10 out of 10!! He was very informative, answered all of our questions, even the ones from our inquisitive grandchildren. Jake is an excellent captain and found all of the dolphins, wildlife, and ponies. We will definitely book another tour with Saltwater Pony Tours and will request Jake as our captain. A fun day on the water and great memories of our trip to Chincoteague Island. Thank you, Jake.

Captain Jake was very personable and had great knowledge of the island. We got to see the infamous…read more"Riptide" with his mares and their foals and two bald eagles, and enjoyed some laughs along the way. A super fun and beautiful experience. Highly recommend!

captain left was great highly recommend…read more Entertain entertaining great stories Very knowledgeable

Captain Mark was excellent! We saw the ponies (3 babies) and a bald eagle! Highly recommendread more

We had a wonderful boat ride with Randy as he gave a lot of information about the island, the…read moreponies and how the area has changed over the years. Very personable. A worthwhile tour.

Captain Randy is the best! Extremely knowledgeable of the area and provided lots of information…read moreabout all of the hidden gems. Friendly, kind, and helpful. Highly recommend!!!

To say this was our daughters favorite part of our vacation may be an understatement!!…read more My wife and daughter squeezed into a last minute opening for the time of their lives!! Our daughter learned so much, had a blast, and carried some fish! Captain Barry really made them feel important and special! I'm sure he makes every trip the best ever; but we really enjoyed the time/effort he put into pointing wildlife out and explaining marine life!! Our nature obsessed kid wanted to go again as soon as they docked! If you're looking for a fun adventure (not pony watching) then this is the place for you!!! Captain Barry also has the coolest Jeep in the parking lot! We forgot our water bottle and saw him the next morning getting gas and he hopped out to return the water bottle (we didn't even know we left behind!)

Captain Barry's has become our family tradition with all the generations in our family. We never…read morestop learning something new with Captain Barry and we could not imagine our family vacation without this experience.

If you want to go on a tour to look for ponies and other wildlife, this is the tour group you…read moreshould book. Captain Mike was great. He not only got us so close to the ponies, he pointed out bald eagles, the different birds that were flying around. I was amazed at how he could recognize what horse was there by sight. From hundreds of meters away while in the middle of the bay. He also had some fantastic and funny stories about Chincoteague (wait for the Sugar Shack story) what is was like growing up in the area. You can tell he loves his home very much. The pontoons were brand new and stable and very comfortable. It was windy when we went out but I never felt nervous because the pontoon was so sturdy and stable. We got some great photos. And Captain Mike was awesome. I would go again.

I highly recommend picking Mike and Up the Bay tours for your pony sightseeing…read more Mike is a native to the area, and thus very knowledgeable, but also extremely enthusiastic about the ponies. Thanks to Mike's knowledge of the area, the ponies, and the waterways, we were able to boat right up to the ponies in a manner that was clearly comfortable for them and not intrusive. He was happy to chill there watching them graze and swim, never rushing our tour. But we watched as many tours stayed outside of the marshes and never came close to ponies because the captains were not comfortable navigating the shallow marshes. We would have been quite sad if we were in one of those tours!!! Lastly, the boat is shaded fully shaded and the most comfortable tour boat I have ever been in. Recommend 10/10 - worth every penny!

This business also goes by Snug Harbor. Fantastic off-season experience! We went with them because…read morethey could guarantee us a guided tour in late Oct. for milestone birthday trip. We are beginning kayakers and new to the area. We were also closing on our first home and they were extremely flexible about needing a last minute change. We paid for a 90 min private tour (2 adults, single kayaks) because that's what available, and we certainly got our money's worth. Basia met us on time and got us settled right away. She offered us the choice of a private tour, or for less money we could go on our own - we opted to have her as a guide. She knew the channels and tide like the back of her hand, giving us excellent instruction before we set off. Our kayaks were padded and in great condition. She was mindful of how much stamina we had crossing the channel and offered breaks. We were very glad we arranged for a guide because at one point I went the wrong way and got a bit stuck on an oyster bed - she told me exactly what to do and what not to do. We saw lots of rare wildlife which Basia knew lots of information about each species, plus had extensive knowledge of island history. She showed us where we could choose a souvenir shell and even offered to take a picture of us with the lighthouse. We didn't see any ponies because we opted to go later in the day after they had moved inland, but luckily Basia told us where to look on the island later when we went hiking in the wildlife preserve. She explained how to tell where people's private oyster beds were, and also where the huge mussels are that are fair game at low tide. We can't wait to go kayaking with them again, highly recommend! Tips: Do wear water shoes and bring a windbreaker, sunscreen is a must. Don't stick your hands on the oyster beds - you will get torn up. And DON'T give your business to any competitors who can't guarantee your experience - or who chew you out over the phone when you decide not to go with them.

Do NOT use this your company, or any tour company for pony swim week. It is price gouging to an…read moreextreme and they take advantage of people who have never been there before. They wanted us to pay $95 to park at a little gravel road and also wanted to charge us $75 per kayak to put our OWN kayaks in at a PUBLIC boat ramp. They use fear and intimidation to try to get you to pay it, claiming the water is dangerous. It is not at all. Then on swim day, they were using the public boat launch for their own customers when they should have their own. We also witnessed the tour guide leave a member of the group back at the ramp while she sat there sobbing because she had no clue what to do and wasn't even holding the paddles correctly. Other people helped her out and they told the tour guide but he said she could just go on the next group. But what if she had friends in that group? Absolutely horrendous way to treat your customers when they pay $250 per kayak. We also witnessed a tour guide trying to cross the channel on Friday and the coast guard yelled at him multiple times to get back. He stated he 'knew someone over there' but they continued to yell at him and he finally got back. These people only care about the money, not their customers and clearly do not know what they're doing. Do not recommend. You can easily park at East Side public boat launch ramp with a $20 launch permit from the town hall. Don't be intimidated by these people.

Amazing! Our tour guide knew so much and knew great areas to see horses. He got us so close to the…read morehorses. The tour started on time. I had two kids with me (5 and 1), they loved it. Such an amazing experience!

We had an awesome two hour cruise with Aiden this morning. We loved the fact that it was a smaller…read moregroup allowing for a more personal experience. He was able to get us in pretty close to the marsh where the ponies were grazing. He provided the history of the ponies and the island. He was able to name the various ponies and their offspring. Aidan shared information regarding the oyster and clamming industry in the area as well. He was a wealth information. It was wonderful to see how proud he is of his family heritage and his hometown. It was a great cruise and passed by way too quickly. We saw Bald Eagles, frolicking dolphins, lots of birds, and a few of the various herds that inhabit Assategue Island. It was all around a great experience. I would highly suggest this tour if you will be in the area.