If you are visiting the Outer Banks, make sure to add a Corolla Wild Horse Tour to your itinerary. Picture this: driving on the beach… in the back of a gigantic 4×4 truck… witnessing wild horses in their natural habitat… umm yes please! This was a bucket list item that we didn’t even realize should have been on our bucket list.
About The Wild Horses of Corolla
These Colonial Spanish Mustangs roam free within the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge. They have been in this area of the Outer Banks for centuries! The wild horses are protected, and you are not allowed to approach or feed them. Feel free to sit back, observe, and take lots of pictures!
Visit Corolla Wild Horse Fund if you are interested in learning more about the preservation and management of the protected herd. You’ll find their volunteers out on the beach, answering questions from beachgoers and ensuring the safety of the wild horses.
Now… you can go see the wild horses without a private tour, if you can make it out on to the beach. Vehicles are allowed to drive on the North Beach Access Road (a permit may be required for beach parking, check with local authorities). But be aware- only four-wheel drive vehicles are allowed, and we still saw a few that were stuck in the sand.
We chose a private tour to learn the history of the horses and to ensure our best chances of actually seeing some horses. In addition to having the peace of mind that we wouldn’t get our vehicle stuck in the sand, or damaged on the beach.
Wild Horse Tour
We booked our wild horse tour with Back Country Safari Tours– they are located in Corolla- just a couple miles from Corolla Beach, in a large shopping area with plenty of parking as well as public restrooms. The tour lasts about 2 hours, and the guides do their very best to make sure you find horses and get plenty of pictures.
The guides are fantastic and very knowledgeable, ours was downright hilarious! They do all the hard parts for you- driving through the sand and navigating the dunes- while you just enjoy the views.
Our tour was scheduled on a cold morning in late spring. We were told that due to the cool weather, the horses had been hard to find and to temper our expectations. So we get to the beach access road, leaving the pavement behind to start the bumpy ride over the sand dune and onto the beach. We turn the first corner and… BAM! Right there was a whole group of wild horses, walking along the water- the guide couldn’t even believe it, our lucky day!
How Can This Get Any Better? How About a Baby Wild Horses!
As the tour continued, we rode up the beach, near the persimmon groves that the horses are fond of eating, and through the sandy beach house roads in search of the rest of the herd. We found even more horses and were so excited to get to see the very first foal of the season, Dove- so stinkin’ cute!
We weren’t sure about booking this excursion at first, but now we can’t wait to see the wild horses again on our next to visit the Outer Banks. The kids had a blast riding in the back of the 4×4 truck while we enjoyed our Guides informative facts and witty humor. Be sure to check out our post ‘Family Weekend Trip to The Outer Banks‘ for lots of other fun activities while visiting the Outer Banks.
