If you want to go on a tour to look for ponies and other wildlife, this is the tour group you should 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. read more

Saw many cool things. And the guide was fun and full of information! I will totally go again

I highly recommend picking Mike and Up the Bay tours for your pony sightseeing. 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! read more

Up the Bay Pony Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Chincoteague, Virginia

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We booked out your in a very hot, humid day after a hot, humid week. We went as a special gift for my sisters birthday. She had long wanted to go see the ponies, so this was a major part of our trip. Mike was very honest with us, saying he didn't feel the ponies would be in the open because of the heat. He offered to fit us in on the morning a couple days later so we would have a better chance to see them. It all worked out well. The morning we went ended up cooler than was predicted, and Mike even loaned me his sweatshirt! So sweet. read more

Up the Bay Pony Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Chincoteague, Virginia

AMAZING TOUR, highlight of our trip. Mike was great, beautiful boat and saw lots of ponies!

We went out with Captain Mike on June 12, 2025. We were barely out of the harbor when we saw several dolphins. That never gets old! As we motored on out, it was looking iffy due to some pretty heavy fog, and Mike was debating on whether to hope for the sun to burn it off or head back in and reschedule us for obvious safety reasons since there was very low visibility. He made the call to go a little further out and see what happened. Within 3 minutes we came across Riptide's group of ponies! It was thrilling to see them in the mist and we hung out until the fog lifted and got an even more amazing view of them. Mike is fantastic! He's friendly, personable, fun, and knows so much about the pony herds and other Chincoteague wild life. He's passionate about what he does and it shows! We saw several ponies, including Norm and his current girlfriends. Mike told us poor Norm wasn't hitting it off with the girls for awhile, but now he has a small band of his own mares. We had a small group of four on the boat, me, my boyfriend, and two regulars he's known for awhile. He made us all feel included, asked what we wanted to see and worked hard to make sure we saw it. I will come back again and again. I tried to talk my boyfriend into another tour before leaving on Sunday, I loved it that much. We will be back in September or October and will definitely be booking another visit with Mike and the stunning ponies of Chincoteague. Up the Bay Pony Tours will definitely be a must do for us every visit. read more

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Phenomenal tour. Captain Mike still gets excited about his daily finds despite being a native and running these tours daily. I appreciate his enthusiasm because he really tries to go the extra mile to make the tour as worthwhile as possible. He brings a lot of energy and engages well with little ones. In addition to the ponies - bald eagles, a pelican, string rays and dolphins were spotted during our tour! The boat itself is very clean and comfortable. 10/10 - highly recommend! read more

Up the Bay Pony Tours - Boat Tours Near Me - Chincoteague, Virginia

Great trip with an experienced local who knew the area and the ponies themselves. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Thanks!

Excellent experience for my six year old and I. We were able to see stallions, mares, yearlings, and foals (and dolphins and birds!) at a close but safe distance and hear information about the ponies and the island. The boat was clean and comfortable and everything about the tour was top notch. We made memories that will last a lifetime and I'm very grateful for Up the Bay's hospitality and professionalism. read more

What a great way to spend the morning! My husband Martin and I were the only guests on Mike's boat for a morning tour, and boy, did we get the special treatment. We cruised in and out of the marshes of Assateague island, saw ponies, eagles, dolphins, loads of birds, learned about the Sugar Shack, and heard great stories from Captain Mike. This was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and I would happily recommend it to my friends! read more

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After hiking Assateague Island and driving every inch multiple times without as little as a pony poo sighting we decided to hire the professionals! We were blown away by the results! Not only did I not get one mosquito bite, but I wasn't even out of breath and I saw multiple different pony herds, a BALD EAGLE, dolphins, wild Turkey, Sitka deer, and all kinds of wild life that I can't properly name! It was absolutely incredible!!! This is absolutely the way to view all of the island wildlife and we didn't disturb them from the comfort of Mike's high end newer pontoon style boat. It even handled the waves like a Cadillac and my kids that occasionally get car sick simply giggled when we hit some bigger waves. They loved the ride! The ponies were the highlight, of course. Multiple bands could be observed within feet of the boat. Their manes and tails blowing wildly in the wind as the sun shown on their shiny coats. A few prized babies that will carry on the legacy of the Chincoteague ponies were a pleasant sight. If we get the chance to come back we will definitely contact Mike again for another tour and fun adventure. It exceeded our expectations and this has been the highlight of our nationwide journey! read more

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Excellent tour given by captain Mike , I have no words of criticism, captain Mike was very knowledgeable and made the 2 hours a fun experience read more

Captain Mike was great. we had to reschedule due to weather and he git us in on a day that he had scheduled to be off. it was great. we were about 50 ft from some ponies . he tried to show us both herds but the weather was a bit iffy. we saw 4 bald eagles, osprey, pelicans and tons of egrets and cormorants. it's nice to see a local still get excited to see the ponies cut thru the water and splash around to meet up with the rest of the herd. its a personal tour instead of 30-40 of your closest friends. read more

These guys are top notch. Very personable and knowledgeable about the area. Their equipment is new and well kept. My family enjoyed the private tour and being able to see the famous Chincoteague horses. I would not hesitate to recommend them for your vacation highlight. read more

This was our best experience in Chincoteague. I was on a single mom trip with three young kids (7, 4, and 1.5) - very anxious about managing the kids on a boat for 2 hours but not wanting to miss the wild pony experience. Captain Mike did not disappoint - he was helpful, flexible, patient and kind. We saw multiple herds (with their foals - my kids LOVED the baby ponies!) up close and personal. He also allowed both of my older kids to 'drive' the boat safely and their grins spanned from ear to ear. I don't know how we lucked out in finding this, but it was an amazing experience with Captain Mike. I would recommended it over and over and over again to anyone who might be considering it. You won't regret it. read more

Mike was amazing. He took the time to answer all of the kids million questions lol. He is very knowledgeable and friendly. He got us to where the horses were and took a little extra time to find some dolphins towards the end of the evening. My wife got a beautiful picture of the sunset and a dolphin coming out of the water. Would absolutely recommend anyone to come see mike at up the bay pony tours read more

We had an absolutely incredible experience with Up the Bay Pony Tours. Mike was a tremendous tour guide. Very fair and professional on the business side and extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and enthusiastic on the actual tour. Though you're never guaranteed to see ponies, Mike made every effort possible to find a band that we could see. When we eventually located a band, Mike talked through the tendencies of a few of the different individual ponies. Given that he's a local, he was also able to talk through the history of the island and pony swim as well. If we are ever back down this way again, we'll look up Mike for another tour. It's money very well spent. Thanks again, Mike! Jeff, Jenn and our two little ponies read more

We had the best time last week on our boat tour with Mike! He was so knowledgeable with the island and it was clear he was passionate about the island, the ponies, and his job. Not only could he name all the stallions but many of the mares and could identify them by sight and knew there habits to be able to take us for a great view of the ponies based on where they were likely to be that time of day. He actually took us a round about way that included some lovely sights and beat all the other boat tours to the first pony cluster. Not only was the tour lovely but the boat was very luxurious and probably the nicest tritoon I've ever seen. The company was really great in Mike, we very much enjoyed getting to know him. This is a must-do for anyone visiting Chincoteague and we plan to go back for a tour with Mike every year during our annual trip because we know he will tailor the tours to us and keep it fresh and amazing every time. read more

Up the Bay Pony Tours is hands down the BEST experience of getting up and personal with the Chincoteague ponies!!!! Mike Gellis is a Chincoteague native who knows the island like the back of his hand and his knowledge of the history of Chincoteague is simply fascinating. My husband and I have gone on two tours with Mike and we always have the most wonderful time getting to know the beautiful islands of Chincoteague and Assateaque!!!! Thank you Mike!!!! read more

Oh my gosh! I don't know where to begin. We went out this morning on a pony tour with Captain Mike, and it was an unforgettable experience! My husband and I were with our daughter, son-in-law and twin 5-year old grandchildren. Captain Mike was a wealth of information not only about the ponies, but the town of Chincoteague itself. He was incredibly interesting and a great story teller. We read about the ponies before coming here, but he brought the history of Chincoteague and the ponies of Assateague Island to life. It was my granddaughter's dream to see the ponies but knew ahead of time they still might be farther away than she had hoped. Captain Mike delivered. We saw a small herd from a distance a short time into the tour, but Captain Mike knew the tide would be in soon that would allow us to get closer to see Riptide's band of ponies. Riptide is the son of Surfer Dude, if you happen to read the children's book, "Surfer Dude". We were within 30 feet of some of the ponies once the tide came in. We saw foals that were a few weeks old to the smallest that was only a week old. Riptide was majestic and beautiful. Captain Mike explained the entire process of how the wild ponies on Assateague Island are managed and maintained to keep about 150 ponies on the island year after year. His description of the running of the ponies across the water and through town sealed the deal for us.........we are coming back to Chincoteague for the annual event and will definitely repeat our boat tour with Captain Mike. Much to the delight of the grandkids, they were even able to "steer" the boat for a bit under his supervision. You always have "a best" memory from a vacation, and our tour with "Up the Bay Pony Tours" is our #1. We highly recommend them. Captain Mike will not disappoint you! Check out his FaceBook page for some great photos. read more