Kayak Tour Reviews

Ed Deal with Nature Adventure Outfitters recently led a very entertaining four hour Kayak tour of the very vast and impressive Sparkleberry Swamp. This was my fourth or fifth trip there, and despite being an experienced paddler and a bit of an adventurous risk taker, the swamp is so vast that an experienced guide is a necessity. Ed's been paddling there for 25 years, and knows every nook and cranny. Ed was great with our group of 8 paddlers, each with varied degrees of interest in flora and fauna. He never tried to dominate the group with lectures on birds, plants, swamp history or lore.

We had a group of 5 do the Shem Creek kayak tour at 2pm. Our tour guide, Kathy, was very knowledgeable about all of the wildlife and even had fun little facts about Charleston. She was super nice and really seemed to enjoy giving the tour. We saw dolphins, crabs and plenty of birds. Some in our group felt that 2 hours was a little too long just because of the blazing sun at 2 in the afternoon. Overall super great experience and definitely would recommend adding this to your to do list while in Charleston.

Thomas and a lovely woman were super at getting me out of the kayak. Thank you, Thank you. Steven was a knowledgeable, amusing, guide. Price was right 🥰

We loved our time on the water kayaking with Nature Adventures! Matt and Hampton were great, so knowledgeable! This trip was equal parts ecology, history and beautiful views. We did the Shem Creek 2 hour kayak and it was the perfect amount of time.

George was a great guide. He found shark teeth for us when we stopped on the island. During our tour, we saw dolphins & cool birds diving for fish.

Learned lots from Craig. Great guide. I had my 14 year old niece, first time kayaking for her. We had dolphins right beside us. Lots of birds. Loved the brown pelican rookery. We beached combed and streatched our legs about half way throw trip. Bring a soft sided cooler, it's easier to store in kayak. Sunscreen and hat, sunglasses a must!

Thomas was an amazing guide! What a way to experience Charleston on the water, seeing nature with beautiful views and a fun and informative tour guide. I was a little nervous about kayaking, but Thomas was super welcoming and made me feel at ease. I ended up feeling really at home on the water by the end. we saw dolphins, tons of beautiful birds and wildlife, and I couldn’t stop smiling the whole tour! it was the perfect mix of active and informative and peaceful and fun.

I’m so happy that we decided to book a tour! Our tour guide, Steve, was super knowledgeable about the area and made the tour more fun than it already was. If you are visiting the area, I would highly recommend :)

Highly recommend the 2-hour kayak tour! We learned so much about the wildlife and history of the Charleston/Mt. Pleasant area from our guide Matt. Although we missed the dolphins, there was tons of bird activity and even a few manatees! We took a Saturday morning tour and the water was pretty calm with a few boats passing by. By the time we returned at noon there was some more boat traffic, but Matt did a great job navigating the group.

Great time kayaking. Dan was a great guide. Extremely knowledgeable on marine life. we saw tons of pelicans and dolphin. Will definitely go again!

beautiful trip up and down Wambaw Creek. Johnny and Matt (?) were helpful, friendly and very open to any questions. Everyone should see 1000 year old trees!

Matt is the best! He is knowledgeable and attentive to make sure our safety all the time. He teaches me how to paddle the right way, but he also gives me time and space to grow (so I can figure out how to do it on my own). It’s a great experience! The other two staff at the booth are also super friendly and supportive. They gave me lots of confidence and made me feel safe all the time!

We did a 2 hour guided tour with Matt. He was great! Very informative and relaxed. We saw dolphins and even caught a glimpse of a sea turtle! Would definitely do again! We had beeb debating about doing a tour vs renting kayaks on our own. I would recommend the tour as Matt was able to give lots of local tidbits making the trip more interesting.

Our guide is a history buff; learned a lot about pirates and oysters from him. Saw a dolphin breaching at the mouth of the creek. The kayaks they have were Wilderness Systems Pungo or Tempest, etc., heavy plastic boat, very stable, you don’t really need to worry about capsizing; and the area of water is protected by a series of sand bars, meaning the big waves of the Atlantic Ocean is dampened. The only dissatisfaction I had is I didn’t realize the area was quite small, and we were done in less than two hours.

My sisters & I stayed down the road from Shem Creek and wanted to have a day on the water. We enjoyed our quick 2-hr guided tour with Jay. He was so knowledgeable and helped us find some neat things on the island. Would highly recommend!

The beauty of the hours on the water was enhanced by the knowledge and kindness of our guide, Josh!

What an amazing experience! I went with my 4 children and mother. As soon as we began the guided tour, we saw dolphins! It was such a breathtaking experience. The tour guide was great. Very patient with one of our kayak groups from my family who were having issues. The tour guide was also very informative of the historical information he gave throughout the tour. I would 100% recommend this to anyone near Mount Pleasant, SC.

easy to book and check in. It was my first time kayaking and by the end I was so comfortable. The two hour tour was perfect. We ended up seeing a dolphin the last 10 minutes! Our guide, Jay, gave us just enough information about what we were seeing throughout the creek but also gave us lots of chances to enjoy the peace and quiet and our surroundings. Very cool experience.

Highly recommend doing the guided kayaking through the Blackwater swamp outside of McClellanville. We saw amazing cypress trees, turtles, a cottonmouth and woodpeckers. Our guide was wonderful as he shared a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm and we thoroughly enjoyed soaking up the swamp atmosphere.

Did the 2 hour tour with Charlie. He was great and so knowledgeable when it came to Charleston history, birds and other wildlife! Saw three dolphins, a bunch of turtles, and soooo many types of birds. Such a great trip.

Excellent tour! Our guide, Matt, was very skillful and informative. I recommend this trip very much.

Charlie provided joyful entertainment and a laid back atmosphere to our enjoyable tour of Charleston Harbor. Would do that again!

Ed was our guide for the Shem Creek and Crab Island Tour. It was a great experience and impressive how Ed made all participants feel good about their trip and effort. Shem Creek is beautiful and Ed shared the ever changing life of the area, from small snails to pelicans. We also had a variety of effort required, starting with relatively still waters of the creek, returning into the wind and then heading out to the Charleston Harbor with the waves from wind and passing boats. I have been on several other kayak tours and this was one of the best! Also, Bob - on the experienced guides of the team was getting married that afternoon. Congratulations!

We went on a guided kayaking trip to Wambaw Creek; one of the Blackwater creeks in the Francis Marion National Forest. Fascinating! The guide met us ay the appointed time and location, the equipment was excellent, and his instructions to novice paddlers was patient and clear. Children above about 10 can do this in a tandem 2 seat kayak with an adult. We had a great time and the guide was superb.