Wild Pony Watching Boat Tour from Chincoteague to Assateague
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Virginia, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
See the wild ponies of Assateague Island without having to navigate the barrier island on this boat tour from Chincoteague. Board your vessel and enjoy panoramic views of the ponies in their natural habitat as you sail along Assateague Island. Enjoy live narration on board and keep your eyes peeled for other wildlife like dolphins, eagles, and bird species.
- See the wild ponies of Assateague on a boat tour
- Learn about the natural habitat of the ponies
- Take in the scenic views of the Delmarva Peninsula
- Choose from several tour times to fit your schedule
What's Included
- Narration (local knowledge of the island and its wildlife)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Assateague Explorer Pony Watching Cruise & Kayaking2246 Curtis Merritt Harbor Dr, Chincoteague, VA 23336, USA
The Assateague Explorer captain and the crew will meet you at farthest left side of the harbor at dock #3. After you enter the harbor, stay left, past the restrooms/harbor master building, and go to the very end of the road. Look for the dock #3 sign and the "Assateague Explorer" sign.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Assateague Island NS-VA Unit
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Bring binoculars for best views of wildlife. Dress warmly. Be friendly and inquisitive your captain loves to answer questions
Reviews
4.5
based on 511 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
We had a great sunset tour after coordinating a reservation change with Captain Mark of Assateague Exporers. Captain Mark took us on a great cruise of the bay where the waters were calmer and we were entertained by numerous dolphins, flocks of terns and a Bald Eagle sighting. Captain Mark was very entertaining and knowledgable having grown up on Chincoteague Island.
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for the wonderful review and for being so nice. We’re glad you enjoyed it and hope to see you again soon.
The cruise was great, and Captain Shane was extremely knowledgeable about both the wildlife and history of the island. Highly recommended!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for coming along. We’re delighted you enjoyed the experience and hope you’ll have the opportunity to visit again soon.
What an incredible trip! Captain Lefty was really knowledgeable about the area! We weren’t able to see the ponies very close but we saw them far away! The best was the last 5 minutes when we ended up SURROUNDED by dolphins! Our whole family of 11 had an incredible time!
Response from Host, Sep 2026
It’s great to know you had such an enjoyable vacation here along the area. Glad to hear you had an incredible time.
Didn’t see any horses but saw the most amazingly epic dolphin show ! Loved this tour ! Would book again
Response from Host, Sep 2026
Thank you for such positive feedback. We’re happy you were able to see this area on your vacation.
Such a fun way to experience Chincoteague! 🐴🐬🦅 We didn’t get lucky enough to spot the wild ponies from the boat, but we saw dolphins, eagles, tons of birds, and some absolutely beautiful scenery along the way.
Captain Lefty was a great captain and made the ride enjoyable from start to finish. You never know what wildlife will decide to show up that’s part of the adventure!
We had such a great time and would absolutely book this tour again. Maybe next time the ponies will cooperate! 😂🐴❤️
Response from Host, Sep 2026
We’re happy the tour was a memorable part of your vacation. Thank you for coming aboard and enjoying a great time on the water with us.
This was a nice experience for my husband and I. Captain Mark kept the tour very interesting with information about the areas involved in the pony swim and knowledge of many of the birds we saw. It was interesting to hear stories about the legendary Chincoteague stallion Surfer Dude. Although we were not able to see many horses on this trip, I would highly recommend this activity. Thank you for showing us this lovely area.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We’re grateful you chose us for your vacation. Thank you for your wonderful recommendation.
The day we went there was a large group so we split into two groups. We had a semi private boat ride. The captain was great and he gave us the history of the island and how the horses ended up there.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you so much for the wonderful review. We’re delighted that your time with us became such a memorable part of your trip.
Very organized and friendly people .lots of history and information shared on the boat trip.Quite e joyible.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thank you for the kind words! We hope the ponies, wildlife, and waterways gave you plenty of moments to remember.
The tour showed absolutely nothing of the island. The captain was extremely kind, but it was just not worth the price. Especially marketing itself as a pony tour. I would not recommend this tour if you actually want to see anything or hear any history of the island.
It was wet fun - my granddaughter loved the bouncing of the boat and the water spray! Of course she loved seeing the ponies and learning about their history. The only thing she wished she could have done, was sit in the very front of the boat (for more water spray)!
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Your thoughtful review is greatly appreciated. We hope the vacation here was everything you had hoped it would be.
I expected a little more narrative instead of just answering questions. The seating could have been better the cushions were hard foam about 1 in thick
Captain Lefty was awesome! Not only did we see the ponies up close, but dolfin as well. I would take this again.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Thanks for joining us! You are so kind.
The name is very misleading. THERE WERE NO PONIES TO SEE!!! We were first time to the pony crossing so not familiar with the time line. Basically the boat left the dock (late!!) and we tootled around the bay. Managed to see a mama and baby dolphin. THAT WAS IT!
However, I can tell you where the skipper grew up, went to school, how long his family has lived in Chincoteague, where he lived in Hawaii, what he did while working for the National Park Service on the USS ARIZONA MEMORIAL, how much his cousin recently sold some land for that's now a mobile home park; BUT HE FAILED TO GIVE US ANY PONY HISTORY OR ANYTHING RELEVANT TO WHY WE WERE THERE! He never told us what body of water we were on. He showed us an island "where there used to be a house but it collapsed". Seriously????? There was a red blinking light tower and I had to ask him if that was Wallops Island? He said yep! Again no history or relevant comments.
Very frustrating experience that I would never recommend.
Although we didn’t see any ponys, likely dude to the wild fire. Caption Shane took his time explaining and exploring the island with us. We saw dolphins up close and did some bird watching. I’ve been coming to the island my whole life and was still able to learn and see new things
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We sincerely appreciate your thoughtful review.
The only thing we seen were seagulls. The guild was terrible. He gave us his life story, on how his mom could've bought land, but didn't in 1950.. he went on and on about his life. Nothing to do with wild horses or dolphins.
It’s a beautiful boat ride. It has a little history, a little wildlife, and a lot of fun. Captain Lefty was great.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Your feedback made our day. Thank you for coming aboard!
Guide was very knowledgeable and gave a lot of info on the flora and fauna, sadly horses aren't guaranteed, we still got to see a small pod of dolphins, a pelican, and a bald eagle
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We're delighted you enjoyed the trip. Thanks for choosing it.
Capt Lefty made the experience great. Took extra time to make sure tour group had a unforgettable trip.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We hope you enjoyed having you see the local wildlife as much as we enjoyed showing it to you.
Our highlights were seeing the beautiful horses, the rocket launch which was amazing and our fun captain!!!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We're grateful you chose to explore the area.
Captain Mark was great! Great stories along the way and worked hard to take us to nature sites and where the ponies were.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We truly enjoyed having you as our guest. Thanks again!
Captain Mark was cool. The Misty was great. Unfortunately, we didn't see any dolphins or horses, but we got to see pelicans. My family enjoyed the ride. We would go back.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thanks for the kind words. We hope you'll visit again soon.
Great time, first time kayaking and the guides were extremely helpful. Would recommend and do again!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you! We hope the photos and memories bring you back one day.
A lot of fun and wildlife. Captain Lefty was great. He really wanted us to see the wildlife and he shared facts and history, etc.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thanks for making our day with your wonderful review.
No guarantee that you will see any wildlife. Especially going midday. It was our anniversary, I surprised my wife with this boat tour ,because shile loves horses and ponies. So not seeing any was a little disappointing. The boat ride was nice.
The boat was too full for the number of people on it. It was a rough ride. We were actually scared a few times. We saw a few ponies at one spot. For the price, thought we’d at least be comfortable.
The tour guide and captain were very knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. I enjoyed seeing the wild horses
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Your feedback means the world to us. Thanks again!
Captain Shane was knowledgeable and responsive to all questions we had. He was very personable and seemed to be enjoying himself and his job.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
We enjoyed having you as our guest. Thanks for the great review!
Good to communicate with. Due to rain we were able to pick a time fir the next day when the weather would be better.
We enjoyed our cruise. We saw wild ponies on the beach. It was informative too.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for taking the time to recommend us.
Our captain, Shane, was great. I am an inquisitive guy, and he was patient and seemed eager to answer in detail. We had great views of large herd complete with the alpha stallion down to three foals. We also were luck to see them swim. Great time. Even got a history lesson.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
It was our pleasure to show you the beauty of the island.
The boat and captain were just fine but unfortunately we didn't see any wild ponies. No fault of the captain...they were just not around. But that's why we took the cruise, so very disappointing.
Member Pricing
From
$62.70
per personWas $66.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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