Tour
Categories
History/Nature Tours Historic Sites
About
We are a resident private excursion service with unique knowledge of the island as our family history began on Sapelo in 1756. We keep our outings to small groups, which make for a special day of historical insight and open discussions. With proceeds from our guide service, we hope to bring awareness to one of the last strongholds of feral cattle in the world, the Wild Cattle of Sapelo.
Sapelo Island is located seven miles off the mainland coast of Georgia, larger than Bermuda and approximately the same size as Manhattan or St Simons Island, it has less than 25 permanent residents. Loved for its primitive and undeveloped beauty, it remains in its natural state unmatched anywhere on the Atlantic Coast. Visitors to Sapelo say time stops when stepping off the ferry. For those of us who sojourn on the island, there’s an undeniable sense of living between centuries, a special place disconnected and cloistered away from the rest of the world.
Additional Info
Sapelo remains a private island which does not allow visitors outside the offered state tours, or when visiting a resident by appointment. Very little has changed on the island since the first Spanish settlement sometime in the 1530s. Long before Roanoke, Jamestown, Plymouth, or Saint Augustine, Franciscan missionaries were established on “Zapala.” More than 150 years later, pirates hid out amongst the Golden Isles and the infamous Blackbeard, Edward Teach, had a lair on the northern part of Sapelo which has been called Blackbeard Island ever since. For many, the 12 mile stretch of deserted beach with its abundance of seashells is especially alluring, regardless of the season. For the outdoorsman, hunting on Sapelo is very good; second only to inlet and surf fishing. Tarpon, reds, trout, flounder and many other species are bountiful, as the island and its shore are federally protected. Right whales give birth to their young off of the shores of Sapelo, and loggerhead turtles lay their eggs on the beaches at night, which in turn brings the apex predators rarely seen elsewhere in the Atlantic. Mink and otter are not uncommon to see, birdwatchers come to Sapelo from all around the world as the island has over 250 permanent or migratory species, many of which are rare and endangered. On the north end of the island are the Shell Rings, built during the late archaic period, some more than 300 feet across. Constructed by primitive Indians over 5,000 years ago, their ritual purpose is still an enigma to archeologists today.
Images
Contacts
Peter Lukken
Owner/Tour Guide
Miriam Lukken
Wife
