We went on a beach tour, last year, to look for the wild mustangs of North Carolina, while visiting Inn at Corolla. We went on a Wild Horse Safari - but Back Country Safari Tours also offers Kayak Tours and Segway Tours. The tour guide was super cool and super knowledgeable - a self-proclaimed naturalist. To us, he was very sociable and a top-notch professional tour guide. He knew all the answers to all the stupid questions that I and the boys threw at him. It was an amazing experience, even with small, busy boys. Check out some of the great photos that I was able to take, while bouncing around in an open-air safari cruiser and trying to wrangle busy boys into seatbelts (THAT didn't happen!).
The legendary Wild Spanish Mustangs of Corolla still roam the beaches and dune fields of Carova - we found most of them in the maritime forest. This breed of horse is unlike ANY other in the world. Wind, waves, storms, sand, and salt have created a truly remarkable breed known officially as the "Banker" horse – banker, as in the Outer Banks.
These magnificent mustangs run free in the eleven-mile long remote area bounded on the East by the Atlantic Ocean, on the West by Currituck Sound, and on the North and South by fences that stretch from ocean to sound. The best sightings, by far, were the ones where we spotted a horse on top of a dune or when we saw a stallion protecting his herd.
Back Country Safari Tours offers a one-of-a-kind, off-road adventure in open-air safari cruisers. They designed this cruiser after discussing the monster truck called the "Gravedigger," and deciding there had to be a way to build a beast built just for this kind of tour (and be able to carry larger families (it carries up to 10 passengers)
These horses eat several species of dune grass, marsh grass, aquatic marsh plants, acorns, persimmons, and sea oats. They cannot drink salt water (just like humans or dogs); it would make them very sick. They drink freshwater -- available for them behind the dunes.
The horses find relief (from the flies and the heat) in the cool sand, water, and breeze. They are not tame, nor pets. We were warned to stay at least 50 feet away and keep moving, when we spotted them. Approaching them stresses them further. Although they can trample plants and ground-nesting animals, and are not considered to be indigenous to the islands, Bankers are allowed to remain because of their historical significance. This feral horse descended from domesticated Spanish horses and possibly brought to the Americas in the 16th century.
Driving around, through the dunes, we found the horses on their own terms: in both private and public preserves that remain off limits to other tour companies in the area. The Back Country Safari Tours partners with the private Spanish Mustang Preserve and local, large landowners to promote the continued preservation of this land as a permanent sanctuary for the horses designated as the State Horse and defined as a cultural treasure by the state of North Carolina. They were, indeed, a treasure. What a treat to see them calmly enjoying grass, berries, and the cool breeze of the ocean! Do not miss this opportunity, when visiting Corolla Light!
Tour Length: 2 1/2 hours
Tour Departure Times: 8am, 10:30am, 1pm, 3:30pm, 6pm (sunset tour)
Tour Pricing: Adults: $49 (Children: $29)
Call for more information: 252-453-0877
Tour leaves from: 107-C Corolla Light Town Center • Corolla, NC 27949
A nice discount is given to any guests of Inn at Corolla Light, so ask when you check in, how to get to the kiosk and how to make reservations.