Shackleford Wild Horse & Shelling Safari

A Unique Safari of Wild Horses & Shelling

Take a 15-minute ferry ride over to the pristine Outer Banks Island of Shackleford Banks, which is part of the Cape Lookout National Seashore. There, you are introduced to the wild horses of Shackleford Banks. This free-roaming herd is believed to have descended from horses that were brought here roughly 400 years ago, and still survives as one of the last isolated groups of wild horses in the United States.

You help your guide track the horses and see first-hand the fascinating behavior of horses in the wild, a rare experience with nature that you’ll never forget. Bring your camera for pictures that will forever remind you of this amazing place and its fascinating inhabitants.

After the tour, you are directed to one of the best shelling beaches in all of North Carolina, where you can spend some time shelling your way down the beach with Cape Lookout Lighthouse off in the distance. Shackleford is well known as one of the best shelling destinations on the East Coast. Among other things, you can find conchs, whelks, queen’s helmets, scotch bonnets, olive shells, sand dollars, and more.

Shackleford Wild Horse and Shelling Safari has been licensed by the U.S. Park Service for nearly a decade and a half to conduct tours on the island.