Georgia has over a dozen major barrier islands and dozens of smaller islands between the Atlantic Ocean and the mainland. Among the major islands, only St. Simons, Sea Island, Skidaway and Jekyll are connected to the mainland by a causeway. The other islands must be reached by ferry or by private boat and only Cumberland and Sapelo (pictured at right) have regularly scheduled ferry service.

Sapelo Island Ferry Schedule
Cumberland Island Ferry Schedule

Some charter operators on the coast provide, or can be persuaded to provide, boat transportation to islands without a causeway or regularly scheduled ferry service.

Red more about Georgia’s barrier islands and create your own tour, using the information in the profiles.

 Georgia > Coast > McIntosh County > Sapelo Island

Visitors may tour this Georgia barrier island with the National Estuarine Research Reserve, with island native Maurice Bailey or on their own from the seat of a rental bike from Comyam’s Campground.

Sapelo native Maurice Bailey provides tours of Sapelo Island, including the beaches and historical ruins. Each tour is three hours but may be extended upon request. Ogeechee Tours or Groups as well as individuals are welcomed.

The Sapelo Island National Estuarine Reserve provides tours for the public, featuring the natural and cultural history of Sapelo on Wednesdays and Saturdays and on Fridays from June 1 through Labor Day. Special programs and activities are scheduled throughout the year. Reservations are required for these tours. For more information on these tours, contact the Sapelo Island Visitor Center (link below).

Comyam’s Campground has rental bikes so you can tour the island on your own. Comyam’s Campground is located in historic Hog Hammock Community on Sapelo, a community owned by descendants of slaves that dates back to the late 1800s. The campground has a marshside view, showers and restrooms. Comyam’s also provides tours to campers for $8 per person.

A public ferry to Sapelo runs 7 days a week, but space is limited and arrangements must be made in advance. The ferry schedule is available on the Sapelo Ferry website, and the phone number for reservations is 912-437-3224.

Links and contacts numbers:

• Tour Sapelo with Maurice Bailey  or 912-485-2170.
• Rent a bike from Comyam’s Campground.
• Schedule a tour of Sapelo through the Sapelo Island Visitors Center.
• Reserve space on the Sapelo Ferry.
• Stay on Sapelo at Cornelila and Julius Bailey’s The Wallow or 912-485-2206.
• Camp on Sapelo at Comyam’s Campground.
• Read more about the natural environment and history of Sapelo Island.
• See Roger Bansemer’s drawings and paintings of the Sapelo lighthouse and Hog Hammock, among other Sapelo scenes.
• See a Google map showing Sapelo and Georgia’s other major barrier islands.

Salty Dawg tours are  conducted in a rugged 25+foot, twin engine, Parker Sport Cabin with comfortable seating for 6 passengers, sun awning, a private head and all required safety equipment in excellent working condition.

Enjoy an adventure exploring the marshes, estuaries, creeks, rivers, Intracoastal Waterway and Barrier Islands.  Delight in the antics of dolphin, birds and wildlife. Together, we’ll customize an outing just for you. The SaltyDawg also offers Island Charter service for hunters, birders, campers
and researchers to Georgia’s Barrier Islands.

Captain Hub, Roy Hubbard, is a Savannah native, U.S.C.G. Licensed Captain, University of Georgia Master Coastal Naturalist, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, and the American Professional  Captain’s Association and serves on the Advisory Board of Georgia’s Blue Crab Commission.

Peach Hubbard (with Buddy the 4-legged Salty Dawg) is a UGA Master Coastal Naturalist, GAME (Georgia Association of Marine Educators, NMEA (National Marine Educators Association) and serves on the Board of ‘Clean Coast’ and is President of ‘The Dolphin Project’.

Peach and Hub are active with ‘The Dolphin Project’ and ‘Clean Coast’. They are members of the Richmond Hill Historical Society,  member of the U.S. Power Squadron/Tybee Light Chapter, the Ogeechee-Canoochee River Keepers, the Navy League / Savannah Chapter,  the U.S. Power Squadron/Tybee Light Chapter, The Nature Conservancy, the Sea Turtle Survival League/C.C.C.,  The Ossabaw Island Foundation,  the Cousteau Ocean Futures Society and several other nature conservation organizations. SaltyDawg Adventures  holds a Special Use Permit issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct tours of Blackbeard and Wassaw National Wildlife Refuges.

SaltyDawg is a rugged 25+foot, twin engine, Parker Sport Cabin with comfortable seating for 6 passengers, sun awning, a private head (toilet) and all required safety equipment in excellent working condition. Parker boats are made in the U.S. and used by NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the USFWS (United States Fish & Wildlife Service.

Links:

• Read more about Salty Dawg Adventures.
• See a map showing Georgia’s major barrier islands.

Sea kayak tours to Georgia’s barrier islands, including Blackbeard Island, pictured here, are among the many adventure tours offered by SouthEast Adventure Outfitters.

SouthEast Adventure has been in business since 1994 - based on St. Simons Island and in Brunswick, Georgia. Pioneering every trip we offer, our company has been integral in promoting and enhancing kayaking throughout the Golden Isles of Georgia.

SouthEast Adventure Outfitters was started with the goal to provide exceptional kayaking trips through some of the widely unexplored and naturally beautiful areas along Georgia’s coast. Over time, the trips just keep getting better - with new adventures planned every year, and more people interested in sharing our unique perspective and expertise.

Georgia has over 100 miles of coast and a third of all the eastern seaboard’s marshes. Only 3 of Georgia’s 15 barrier islands are developed. With 2,000 miles of tidal shoreline and remote river lowlands, the paddling opportunities on our coast are endless. The ambient climate allows for day trips to be planned year-round, while the cooler months (Nov.-April) are best for camping

SAMPLE TOURS

• BRUNSWICK KAYAK (about 2 hours, $40). Learn the basic skills of sea kayaking while exploring the scenic “Marshes of Glynn.”  Launching from our private dock, this trip is an easy and informative way to discover why kayaking is one of the fastest growing sports today. Discounts for kids’ groups. 2 Hour Full Moon $45 See the moon rise as the sun sets on our monthly trips.
• ST. SIMONS KAYAK (about 3 hours $55). Join our experienced local guides as we discover the magic of sea kayaking.  We’ll teach the skills needed to safely enjoy the sport as we watch the abundant wildlife in the marshes and on the beaches of St. Simons and Sea Island.  Anyone can enjoy the stable, expedition quality sea-kayaks used on our trips. We take a break on a beautiful remote beach for a little birding and shelling.
• ST. SIMONS SOUND (about 4 hours, $75). Paddle across St. Simons Sound to Jekyll Island and take a break on Jekyll’s beautiful north end “boneyard” beach.  We’ll catch the tide through the “Marshes of Glynn” arriving at our Brunswick Store.
• VILLAGE CREEK TO EAST BEACH (about 4 hours, $75). This trip explores the marsh and rivers between St. Simons and Sea Island before arriving on the beach at the south end of Sea Island. We can swim, shell, or bird watch before resuming our paddle through Gould’s Inlet, crossing sand bars along the way and landing at East Beach on St. Simons Island. About 4 hours.
• CATHEAD CREEK LOOP (About 3 hours). A glimpse into the upper part of Cathead Creek near Darien. This tributary of the Altamaha River gives one a sense of the majesty of this mighty river’s flood plain. Narrow rice canals and cypress swamps characterize this trip. An easy way to see this unique ecosystem.

Tours of Sapelo Island are among the outdoor adventures of the Macon-based Georgia Wilderness Society. The Sapelo Ferry is pictured above.

The Georgia Wilderness Society is a non-profit organization of outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy hiking, camping, canoeing and other wilderness experiences. It’s based in Macon with members from several states. Tours and trips extend throughout the Southeastern United States.

Georgia Wildernes Society meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of February, April, June, October and December at 7:30pm at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Macon.

A newsletter is available online in pdf format, and upcoming trips are available on the GWS website, which is usually more current than the newsletter.

Characteristic tours and outings include:

• Canoeing
• Backpacking
• Bike rides
• Social events
• Explorations of Georgia’s barrier islands
• Hiking on the Appalachian Trail

Behold a gull’s eye view of the Golden Isles - barrier sea islands, pristine beaches and magnificent marshes patterned by hammocks, tidal creeks and rivers. The captain provides an ongoing “air-rative” as you take off from St. Simons and fly northward over Little St. Simons. Then bank south over Sea Island, St. Simons, Jekyll and Cumberland, and back home. Don’t forget your camera on these Air Tours Over Coastal Islands.

Join “Capt. Bill” Buyan in his Cessna Skyhawk (photo above), for the ultimate overview of the Golden Isles. A former army officer and commercial pilot, Capt. Bill’s expertise at the controls provides just the right camera angle for those stunning aerial photos. His on-going commentary (head-sets furnished) satisfies the most avid coastal curiosity. You have a choice of two tours:

• Pelican’s Peek - $25 per person, 20 minutes over St. Simons, Sea Island and Jekyll.
• Sea Gull Soar - $45 per person, 45 minutes over Sea Island, St. Simons, Little St. Simons, Jekyll and Cumberland Islands.

SouthEast Adventure Outfitters has been adventuring in Georgia’s Golden Isles since 1994. Take a kayak tour around St. Simons, Jekyll, Sapelo, Blackbeard and Cumberland Islands as well as the Altamaha and Satilla Rivers. Year-round kayaking trips from 2 hours to 7 days.

The Altamaha River is a world of wilderness and wonder. Altamaha Coastal Tours can put you in touch with it.

Experience sea kayaking adventures with Altamaha Coastal Tours in one of the most beautiful and remote areas in the southeast. Located near St. Simon’s Island and 45 minutes south of Savannah, the Altamaha River bio-reserve is a world of wilderness and natural wonder. Bottle-nosed dolphins, wild horses and thousands of sea-birds make this area a best kept secret. Trips range from kayaking through black-water swamps of cypress knees and giant old-growth forests to camping on deserted islands with white sand beaches. Come explore for a half-day excursion or get away for a multi-day adventure in what has been called a “Last Magnificent Place”. Kayak rentals and guided tours are offered year-round on the semi-tropical Georgia coast.

Links

• Altamaha Coastal Tours
• Altamaha River
• Altamaha Riverkeeper

Wood Storks at Harris Neck. Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge is one of 18 locations on the Colonial Coast Birding Trail that offers exceptional opportunities for birding and wildlife viewing.

The Colonial Coast Birding Trail will provide you with the opportunity to see and enjoy the beauty of a kaleidoscope of birds as well as glimpse the fascinating history of the Georgia Coast, its history and its residents.

Each site along the Colonial Coast Birding Trail is unique. Many sites offer visitors the opportunity to watch birds and visit 18th and 19th century historic places. Other sites are located on lands and waters that were once part of early plantations dedicated to growing rice, indigo and cotton. So, whether you want to see a bald eagle soaring over a coastal river, an endangered wood stork feeding its gawky young, sanderlings chasing the waves on a sandy beach, or a great egret standing motionless in a placid pond, the Colonial Coast Birding Trail has something for you.

Georgia Salt Marsh. The salt marsh, such as that found on Georgia’s coast, is the most valuable land in the world for the common good of man. Georgia and South Carolina together have about 50 percent of the salt marsh on the east coast. This Do-It-Yourself Tour gives you an up-close look at this amazing resoruce.

Seemingly barren expanses of grass and mud, at first glance salt marshes appear like wastelands. Look again. The grass fields like those along the Georgia Coast give untold benefits to nature and man. Each acre can produce 20 tons of plant matter annually, far more prolific than any agricultural rival. This biological factory feeds and shelters young shrimp, mollusks, crustaceans and fish; 75 percent of commercial seafood species spend part of their lives in the marshes. Marshes do much for humans, purifying sewage better and cheaper than any man-made facility and generating 20 percent of the world’s oxygen. (more…)