South Carolina Kayaking
Charleston Family Vacations and Attractions
BLACKWATER
KAYAK & CANOE TOURS
South Carolina offers a wonderful variety of attractions including environments that are perfect for kayaking. The area around Charleston has blackwater swamps and rivers as well as tidal inland waterways. Kayak rentals are available for those who want to explore on their own while tours are just right for a memorable family vacation.
Blackwater Tours:
Wambaw Swamp Wilderness Area Kayak and Canoe Trail
Rivers and Rice Plantation Tour -includes Quenby & Silkhope and Pompion Hill Chapel
Hampton Island Rice Plantation and the Mighty Santee River
The Combination Tours - Can be done in either our swamp or rice plantations... see below
Wadboo Creek and Swamp
Edisto River and Ace Basin National Wildlife Refuge
information on our Saltwater Tours »
"WAMBAW KAYAK AND CANOE TRAIL"- Our Most Popular Blackwater Tour
(45-50 min. from downtown Charleston or 20 min. from Georgetown or 30-40 min. from Myrtle Beach) McClellanville, SC
This is a "Nationally Recognized and Designated Trail" located in the heart of a Protected Wilderness area in the Francis Marion National Forest. This Beautiful Blackwater Creek is a tributary to the Santee River and was paddled by the Santee and Coastal Plain Indians for thousands of years. Giant 1000 year old Bald Cypress trees can be seen in the upper section and Water Oak, Water Ash, Red Maple and Swamp Dogwood shade the banks of its pristine black waters. It offers spectacular birding and wildlife viewing. Banks of the river reflect geological precedence of the Rice era where Historical earthen dikes give way to a flooded subtropical forest of abandoned rice fields once owned by prosperous Rice Plantations.
Ages 10 and up for single boats. 2 Hour, 3 - 3 1/2 Hour and 5-6 Hour tours or Overnight Expeditions
 
 
 
Lower Wambaw leading to Santee river Upper Wambaw - shaded and cool
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"RIVERS and RICE PLANTATIONS"
includes POMPION CHAPEL CHURCH
TOUR on 1/2 day tour)
This blackwater tour starts on Quenby Creek and twists along the historic banks of Quenby Plantation. Journeying through abandoned rice fields of wildflowers, we paddle on to the East Branch of the Cooper River where wooden barges once floated rice, cotton and indigo out to the Charleston Harbor. Halfway through our tour we explore an English church called Pompion Hill Chapel attended by French Huguenots and European Settlers hundreds of years ago. Here we view bald eagles, hawks and wetland shorebirds for miles overlooking the abandoned rice fields while we stop and have lunch. Often accompanied by the nostalgic American Alligator, this tour is truly, one of our paddlers favorites.
Ages 12 and up for single boats. 2 Hour ( Quenby to Huger Creek), 3 - 3 1/2 Hour or 5-6 Hour tours available.
On our Combo Tour - you get it all!
Huger area (23 miles from Downtown Charleston)
Quenby Creek
 
Pompion Hill Chapel
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"HAMPTON ISLAND RICE PLANTATION & THE MIGHTY SANTEE RIVER"
A historical paddle lined with wild rice, golden club and pickerel weed. Meandering around Hampton Plantation and Hampton Island, this wonderful blackwater paddle has historical rice canals diverging off of its banks for you to explore at high tide! Timbers from Rice gates can be found and paddlers often tell of the "gullah" songs that can be heard from 100 years of singing by the slaves that once lived on this 1,000 acre island! Paddlers often stop at Hampton Plantation State park and tour the Antebellum house, home of the famous author Archibald Rutledge or hike the woodland trails. A wonderful experience for both natural and cultural history seekers!
Ages 13 and up for single boats. 2 Hour, 3 - 3 1/2 hour Tours available. McClellanville area (40+ miles from Charleston or 18 miles from Georgetown)
 
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WADBOO CREEK & SWAMP - Moncks Corner, SC (40 minutes from Charleston)
This is a unique paddle that journeys both "up the creek" and "down the creek" from our landing. Up the creek we paddle past a 25 ft. high limestone cliff with caves and twist and turn through the tributaries of Wadboo Swamp, where General Francis Marion had supply shacks and resided. The banks are lined with subtropical vegetation. Down the creek we paddle through thousands of acres of abandoned rice fields, up a rice canal and view fish and aquatic life through a crystal clear aquarium view just feet below our boats. The creek eludes a white sandy bottom and is surrounded by several Osprey and Bald Eagle nests. Egret, Herons, Cormorants, Anhingas and Alligators are commonly seen feeding and wading in the shallow, clear waters.
2 Hour, 3 - 3 1/2 Hour or 5-6 Hour tours available. Ages 11 and up for single boats. (40 miles from Charleston)
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EDISTO RIVER and the ACE BASIN NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
(20 minutes from EDISTO ISLAND), 25-40 minutes from Charleston
We explore three different sections of the Edisto and one that includes the ACE BASIN
The Edisto is a Blackwater river that is freeflowing through 12 counties in South Caroina. Paddle along tall forested banks of Water Oak, Water Hickory, Tupelo Gum and Cypress! Stop on a "sandbar" for lunch and reflect on the surroundings the Edisto Indians once called home. This beautiful river is not to be missed by local paddlers and offers a diverstiy of scenery and water levels for every paddler. Tours are conducted "one way" with transportatin provided back to your vehicles! Cabin Rentals and camping available along the river.... call or email us for details!
3- 3 1/2 Hour or 5-6 Hour tours available. Ages 9 and up for single boats.
TRY A COMBINATION TOUR!
Explore either our Rice Plantations or Swamps and make a day out of it! Our Full day tours include lunch and show you everything you'd want to see in our beautiful blackwater areas. Also, when you stay out longer, your chances of seeing wildlife are better! Easy paddling, no experience necessary....... 5-6 hours.......
Ages 13 and up for single boats on our full day tours.
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*We also paddle beautiful Sparkleberry Swamp in Rimini, SC, near Santee........ We do full day tours there for $85 each!.... minimum (4) -includes lunch!
WILDLIFE SEEN ON OUR BLACKWATER TOURS!
  
(Courtesy of wrennphoto.com)
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