BEST.TOUR.EVER. Captain Shane was at the helm of the boat and when I tell you he was fantastic, he was that and more! Kind, funny and the kids loved him because he was so patient with them and answered their 865468 questions without getting annoyed once. Captain Shane brought us to the dolphins and they put on a show. There were dolphins everywhere and it was a sight to see. We wanted to extend our tour as we had only booked a one hour tour and Captain Shane was able to get us booked for another hour in order to see the wild ponies. We not only saw wild ponies, but a bald eagle as well and so many pelicans. Captain Shane took us around the whole island and was just an overall great tour guide. 100% book this tour! read more

We did a 2-hr 5pm tour this evening, and it was fantastic! Even my tour-skeptical husband who has visited Chincoteague several times enjoyed seeing the islands - CHQ and Assateague- from a different perspective. The boat was comfortable, the tour info interesting (great storytellers!), and we loved the natural beauty all around. Plus lots of ponies. Definitely recommend! read more

We went and had a blast. The 2 hour tour was everything we hoped for. We saw the dolphins jumping out of the water...the wild horses on the beach and learned a little about he history of the place. read more

Still great! This is our third year with this company and we have had great luck every time. This time, the southern herd wasn't close but we saw a band that was part of the northern herd up close! Thanks again to Captain Henry and Captain Brad and the team for a great evening. read more

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Captain Jake was very personable and had great knowledge of the island. We got to see the infamous "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! read more

Salt Water Pony Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Chincoteague, Virginia

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My family of six booked the private pony tour and had a terrific time. Our captain was Jake and he is 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. read more

Captain Henry made the trip! Fun road trip to the East Shore and to see the ponies We arranged for the Salt water Pony Tour and didn't realize how good our plan was. Our boat was a smooth quiet ride making it relaxing and entertaining. He limits the group to 6 and it was great asking questions and hearing all about the ponies and the area. I sat in the sun by choice the rest of the group chose shade. I think on a windy day or choppy water any other boat would be miserable We went close to high tide and Captain Henry maneuvered his boat back in the grassland inlets to get closer to the ponies and eagle We watched a pod of dolphins play around the boat and followed them from a far for a bit. I hope we can visit again and we'd choose Saltwater Pony Tours again read more

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This was an awesome boat tour around Chincoteague and Assateague! Our Captain Henry and Amber were great and very knowledgeable. They were also super excited to give us the information about Chincoteague and the wild horses. Would definitely go again with their crew! read more

Salt Water Pony Tours - Wild Horses - Boat Tours Near Me - Chincoteague, Virginia

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The most wonderful experience! We were so fortunate to see dolphins, shore birds, a juvenile bald eagle, and Chincoteague ponies! Henry was so knowledgeable and gracious. The boat was extra comfy and immaculate. This was something we've wanted to do since childhood! Thank you, Salt Water Pony Tours and Henry! 3 sisters, from London, NYC & CA, whose mother grew up on the Eastern Shore read more

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Wonderful boat trip with our captain, Spencer! Saw lots of ponies (identifiable with the book he had on board), bald eagles in the air and on the beach, and lots of dolphins! Spencer, who has lived his life on the island, was a fantastic tour guide - nice, friendly, and full of interesting facts about the islands and the wildlife. Highly recommend!!! read more

Henry was amazing! We were on our honeymoon and he went above and beyond to make our experience a great one! HIGHLY RECOMMEND you use Henry for your pony tour!! Thank you again Henry -Travis & Jessica read more

We had an excellent experience on our Salt Water Pony Tour this past weekend! Our Captain, Jake, was great; the boat was very nice; and the sights were amazing. We took a 4:30 pm tour on a Sunday in early October, and saw dolphins, bald eagles, great blue herons, and, most amazingly, wild ponies, up close! I highly recommend this tour! read more

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We have taken boat ride with them before as well. Very good boats and nice tour. Saw lots os ponies. Went into channel to see ponies. A word of caution. If there are less than 3 or 4 people in your party, make sure to confirm with them that there is no problem with the booking. We were only 2. The captain took us, but said they have a minimum of 3 or 4. He thought their website stated that minimum. It did not. He will fix the website. But in the meantime just confirm if you are just a couple. read more

Fantastic cruise with Captain Casey on July 12, 2023. Beautiful day for a boat tour! Great weather, calm waters & nice breeze. Of course the main attraction was the ponies. We were able to get up close to a herd and take many many pictures! Captain Casey explained all about the ponies' history, the three separate herds and many more interesting details. Captain Casey was very knowledgeable about Assateague & Chincoteague Islands and answered any questions thoroughly. He showed us the Pony Swim route and provided details of the swim & auction. And we also got to see a pod of dolphins with a baby dolphin!! Other main attractions such as the light house & NASA research facility were also highlighted. It was a wonderful cruise & I would recommend them for all ages. Go make a lasting memory for just you or your family! read more

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Great tour with Captain Spencer! We got to see the trifecta! Ponies, dolphins and an eagle! Captain Spencer shared lots of information about the island and pony penning day, recommended some delicious restaurants, it was a wonderful time! The boat was clean and comfortable! Definitely recommend this tour! read more

Salt Water Pony Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Chincoteague, Virginia

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Jake went out of his way to get us close to the ponies with crazy maneuvers in the shallows! So, we got the trifecta - eagles, dolphins and ponies! read more

Highly recommend Captain Henry and Salt Water Pony tours. Very nice boat, friendly and knowledgeable captain and fantastic communication all made for an excellent experience. The tour was jam-packed with gorgeous views, amazing wildlife (ponies, bald eagles, fox and more!) and Captain Henry's personable style made for a fun, friendly tour of the entire island. read more

Just incredible!! 9 a.m. tour gave us a bald eagle, numerous pony herds, and a bonus free added ride to the bay to swim with many, many dolphins. One of the best days of my 68 year old life! We were escorted by an awesome real sea captain named Captain Jack. He and Captain Henry are super pros!! Karen gave an appropriate huge tip. read more

What fun best day and a great captain! We saw wild ponies dolphins and a bald eagle. Was relaxing out on the water and the breeze was great since It was hot and humid outside! Upon boarding the boat the captain frowned with our small cooler lol informed us eating was not allowed on his boat but he would make an exception lol - his boat was spotless and he was fearful of crumbs. I get that and assured him not one crumb was left behind nor an empty water bottle. His reply was everyone says that lol. At the end since I'm not everyone there was not a crumb to be found anyway and his boat was just as pristine when we got off as it was when we boarded. Rest assured I pointed that all out to him as I gave him a generous tip. He was very informative and made for a very smooth fun day and I was not offended in the least about his fear of crumbs it just showed me he had a lot of pride in his vessel and that was greatly appreciated. We opted for the private cruise and it was worth the price! Have great pictures and videos that will last a lifetime best part was the peaceful still ess on the water looking at the ponies and wildlife/ it was all just perfect read more

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We took a tour with Captain Jake He was very knowledgeable about the island and wildlife He persisted until we saw the horses close up...very nice man nice boat too It was a great tour but a little chilly read more

Excellent tour for the family. We enjoyed the personal attention and safety protocols.

Captain Jack was a great host! We saw so many ponies! This far exceeded our expectations! We would highly recommend this trip! read more

Salt Water Pony Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Chincoteague, Virginia

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Excellent! Saw ponies up close, bald eagle, lighthouse, fishermen. The guide, Henry, had a great sense of humor and had good stories and insights. Lovely trip! We got lots of great pictures. read more

We booked the 3 pm tour with Captain Mike. The boat was SO comfortable! It was 4 of us, and my daughter and I were able to lay out on the seats and enjoy the breeze & sun as we learned about the history of Chincoteague and life on the island. While we didn't see any ponies, the boat ride itself was a treat. We did see someone's "pet" pony running around and that was a pretty cool site in itself! Captain Mike was awesome. He explained the ponies usually hang out in the wooded areas during the hot parts of the day because of bugs and heat. But he didn't give up trying to find them:) He took us across the bay to various points and then even to the ocean so we could try to catch some dolphin views. Captain Mike was so fun to hang out with and he took good care of us. For example, he even provided sweatshirts for the kids when he noticed they were feeling cold because of the ocean breeze. If you ride with him, make sure you ask about how he ended up on the island! We enjoyed chatting with him, enjoying the views, and learning about island history and the locals during our 2 hour boat ride...and when we got back from the boat ride, we ended up just hanging out and fishing off the dock. We were out there enjoying the water and fishing for about one hour when we ended up seeing a dolphin, 6 turtles and a manta ray!!! So it all came together at the end:) I would highly recommend you book the early morning tour. We loved everything about our tour, but I do understand why the ponies wanted to hang out in the shade:) read more

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Our tour was excellent. We were impressed with the immaculately clean pontoon boat. Our guide, Jake, was really great with our kids and made sure to point out all the interesting wildlife. We saw stingrays, osprey, bald eagles, and even a mom and baby pony. He also gave us a lot of info on the region. read more

One of the best wildlife tours I've been on. Captain Henry patiently searched for wild ponies and not only found them but then found an even better angle for viewing and photography. Friendly, informative and professional. I will do this again. Thanks for the ride!! read more

Capt Henry, thank you for a wonderful, fun tour and for placing us so close to the beautiful herds. You are awesome!

Jack was a wonderful tour guide I highly recommend this tour.He took his time and explained everything. The ride was nice and smooth. I will be doing this tour again read more

Wonderful private tour with Captain Jake on a beautiful and very comfortable boat! We got to see the ponies close to the shore, eagle and nest and a whole bunch of frolicking dolphins! Highly recommend this company! read more

Purchased tickets @ online website easily done . Tickets are not available through trip advisor. Tour was amazing and our guide did an excellent job steering us to the "right " spots Knowledgeable and easy to ask questions as we were a small boat of 6. We felt we picked well read more

Salt Water Pony Tours - Chincoteague ponies - Boat Tours Near Me - Chincoteague, Virginia

Our family had a great time this morning- we did the 9:00 tour and got to see dolphins, Riptide's band of ponies as well as bald eagles and several other birds. My kids are 12 & 15 and they were not bored as our captain talked about the nature conservancy and history of the island. We enjoyed hitting some waves as we were chasing the dolphins but our guide made sure none of it was too rough for us. We were worried about being out in the sun but didn't need to because the boat had an awning providing ample shade for our entire family. read more

Excellent tour, comfortable boat. We were able to help my 94 year old father on and off the boat. The captain pulled the boat up close to a group of ponies that seemed unfazed by our presence. We also saw an eagle, a couple of loons and lots of other birds. read more

Captain Henry was completely rude, and I wouldn't pay him a dime to ride anywhere with him. We booked a tour and he couldn't fill the tour so he tried to extort us for more money instead of just honoring our reservation. When we told him that was unacceptable, he acted like we didn't have enough money to be on vacation. The fact is we just weren't given that guy another dime so we asked for a refund if he wasn't going to honor his commitment. Find a different tour guide. Use a different company! read more

My family and I decided that the best way to see chincoteague was from the water. So, we called Captain Henry from salt water pony tours. We got more than we bargained for.... Wow did we see some amazing things. Captain Henry's flat bottom skiff is perfect to get right up close to the wildlife. He is an excellent captain... I felt very safe. He's also a pretty good story teller and we learned a lot about the area. My favorite story was when he explained how the pony swim works each July... While we were at the spot. We saw lots of horses, including a young foal. We saw him stand and drink his mothers milk. We also saw osprey in their nest. Then, we went Over to the ocean and rode with a group of dolphins. There were also lots of pelicans. What is so nice about this tour is that it is small and intimate for your group or family. We had 4 people including 2 kids and the boat holds up to 6. I highly recommend this experience! read more

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I took my 9 yr old daughter on this excursion and could not have been more pleased! We chose the 6pm sunset tour. Captain Henry made this trip one to remember-so much so that we already booked another tour before we leave! He took us to look for animals. We found dolphins! The sunset tour was incredible and one we will never forget. read more

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I'm of the opinion that, if you don't enjoy this boat tour, it's not because of the Captain; it's a reflection on you, as a person. My girlfriend and I had a lovely time, and would recommend it to anyone wanting to see wildlife and garner insights about Chincoteague and it's rich history. Book your tour, bring a camera, some sun screen and maybe a bottle of water. Then, shut up and enjoy yourself. read more

What a great tour! Captain Jake was a perfect guide. This tour exceeded our expectations. We encountered dolphins, eagles, turtles, and of course beautiful ponies. read more

We took a 5pm tour with Captain Henry. It was an incredible experience for myself and my two kids. Amazing dolphin sightings while we headed out to Assateague. Then beautiful, peaceful sightings of several herds of ponies. Beautiful sunset views on the way back. Henry shares some history and a few stories with us but also let us sit back and enjoy the ride as a family. He wore a mask the whole time, as did we. While I imagine this is a very low risk activity given the outdoor nature, the extra care was still appreciated. Highly recommend for an experience we won't forget. read more

Phenomenal...just took a tour with Jake. Had a family of 3 adults and 2 wild kids (under 8). The boat was clean and comfy. Captain Jake was very informative and was happy to ask the plethora of questions from a curious 4 year old. Saw the ponies up close and even saw some dolphins. Highly recommend. Would do it again! read more

Fantastic company. Our Captain was very friendly, knowledgeable and went out of his way to make it a great trip! We got up close and personal (relatively speaking) with the ponies, dolphins, eagles, etc. Overall, not a bad thing to say about the company! read more