Kayak Tour Reviews

We went on an 8am trip and Ben, the owner, was our guide. It was a perfect morning to kayak. He taught us some great new things about wildlife and the history in the area. We even got to see a few dolphins once we made it out of the tidal creek. The views were amazing and I would definitely go on another trip again during our next visit. I highly recommend a kayak trip with them. You won't be disappointed.

This place was fantastic! The location is perfect and we saw some dolphins and manatees on our two hour group kayak tour. Such beautiful surroundings! Our guides George, Hazel, and Dan were all fantastic! So knowledgeable, friendly, and entertaining. I was actually really nervous and had never kayaked before but they were so reassuring. Definitely recommend them and Nature Adventure in general. They provide an amazing experience!

We went on a family kayak trip with two kids, ages 6 and 8, and two seniors and had a fantastic time. The trip wasn't too physically demanding and was very peaceful on the water. Hazel did a great job leading our group.

Nicole was terrific and the tour was actually very informative if you are into nature. There is one suggestion that I would make is that maybe put some bars on the sides of the pilings when you launch your kayak to give the kayakers a sense of stability as the leave the launch. I was a little embarrassed when I left the boat launch because I almost tipped. LOL ! The only reason I'm giving this a 4 and not a 5 is so that it is seen by the company.

Never made it to the tour. I met up at the assigned time/location for my tour as per their website's instructions. Nobody showed. I tried calling their office, but nobody would answer their phone. I left a voicemail and repeatedly attempted to call, without success. Finally, after approximately 20 minutes, somebody answered. They told me that I should be at a different linkup location. Although I was at one of their regular meetup spots, they couldn't tell me how to get to the location they wanted me and said to try logging into their website to get instructions! The place they provided didn't pull up on GPS. They gave me my guide's phone number to have him talk me into the location, but he wouldn't answer. Finally, it was well past the scheduled start time, so we decided to call it a day. We spoke to the office again and explained everything. They said they wouldn't charge us for the event and we could reschedule. Then they charged us for the event. Terrible experience.

We had a fabulous time kayaking on Shem Creek! This was one of our favorite excursions in Charleston! Ethan was our guide and he was very knowledgeable, calm and patient! Highly recommend the tour!

We enjoyed a fantastic guided tour with kids and adults new to the experience. We discovered new ways to bond as a family during the difficult COVID times by getting outdoors and enjoying nature! We can’t wait to come back!

Had a great time on the kayak tour - we loved seeing dolphins and hunting for shark teeth on crab bank island. Charlie, our tour guide, had lots of interesting stories and facts about the Charleston ecosystem and animals!

We were excited about out kayaking trip until we woke up to rain, However, the lovely woman at Nature Adventures assured us it was a water sport and to head on over. We were glad that we did. We saw a dolphin or two and had a really nice, pretty good workout without the sun beaming down on us. Very enjoyable. Our guide, Bob, was the right combination of helpful and funny.

To be honest, I was expecting more out of this kayaking experience than just kayaking and chatting with my guide. He was very nice but I was hoping for a tour of the area with discussions of the flora and fauna and the river itself. I had to interrupt our shmoozing with questions. He did not offer any information without being prompted. It was fun learning how to kayak and I would do it again but with a group more inclined to an ecological point of view.

Matt was a great guide for our guided tour. This is a great option for paddlers wanting to see a bit of the When Creek area. Easy water access and no fuss putting in and taking out. Highly recommend this business!

We had a 3 hour kayak tour of Shem Creek and the bay. Diana was a phenomenal guide. We have done several kayaking tours around Charleston and surrounding area, and this was by far the best one yet!

Signed up for a 2 hour paddle a few weeks ago and the conditions were fairly windy with an outgoing tide when we arrived. Talked it over with our tour guide, Charlie, and decided to give it a try going upstream versus down towards the bay which would require fighting both the wind and the tide coming back. Charlie and the staff are very safety oriented and detailed on preparation, even with experienced paddlers like us. Charlie is very knowledgeable of the area, its history and the various animals we may see. Shem Creek is tidal and we were hoping for dolphins in addition to the birds and others. A few minutes upstream we saw 2 or more dolphins splashing around and spent time watching them have fun. Charlie identified them as Tamanend's dolphins, a sub species of the Bottle Nose that spend their time in the near waters and estuaries along the east coast. Shem Creek and the area around it is quite beautiful and, despite the winds, a pleasant paddle. Further upstream we went up a shallow creek along rows of great homes and even more wildlife such as Great Blue Herons, Roseate Spoonbill, Oyster Catcher, Ibis, and Egrets. We then paddled downstream and decided to call it a day down by the entry point. Although the paddle was a little shorter than we planned, we really enjoyed it … and it goes to show that a great guide with knowledge of the environment can provide a good time even on a sub par weather day! Hopefully some day we can come back and paddle out to the bay!

I always have so much fun with these guys. The owners are great, and so are the guides. I love kayaking and exploring areas around Shem, but paddle boarding has definitely become my recent favorite. Looking forward to seeing a manatee when the water warms up again!

We enjoyed our guided tour with Ben. What a knowledge group of people!!! Got to see some dolphins playing in Shem creek!

We had a great time! Ethan was our guide and did a great job explaining about the local wildlife, bay, creek and marshes. When we saw some dolphins he had us stay in the area so we can watch them. I had 2 circling my kayak, it was awesome. We would definitely do this again next time we are in the area!

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.

Ethan was a great guide! Very friendly and organized. We had a bit of unexpected wind and boat traffic on the day of that made for choppy conditions out on the water, but that wasn’t the tour company’s fault. Some of the other folks on the tour were unhappy but I’m here to say that it wasn’t the fault of our guide Ethan nor did the broader group have a bad experience.

My mom and I went on a tour with Matt and we really enjoyed our time. Matt was so knowledgeable and easy to chat with. We saw a dolphin up close and it was incredible. Matt even knew about the spots on the dock we passed through that were in the TV series Outer Banks! Overall, this was such a great experience and Matt was a great guide.

Well run, knowledgeable two-hour tour by kayak. You launch into a waterway where dolphins are frequently seen. You then tour through marsh grasses, seeing a variety of birds. Sometimes the trip is able to go by Crab ISland, but not always, depending on wind and currents--if this is important to you, ask before you book.

Great company and fun location. We paddled into the bay and by a bird sanctuary with young pelicans. So cute! Then we went back up Sheem Creek and there were dolphins right by our kayaks. The creek was beautiful and peaceful, cranes and pelicans all over. So fun!

We had a great time with Nature Adventures on Shem Creek! We saw dolphins and were given a very detailed history of Charleston/Shem Creek/Mt. Pleasant by our guide, Steve. Would definitely recommend and do again!

Great kayak tour with our guide Charlie! The running commentary was fantastic with lots of history!

We had a great experience. Charlie, our guide was knowledgeable and great personality. Awesome to paddle so close to dolphin! Highly recommended.