Testimonials

Captain Mike is absolutely amazing. From his knowledge of the area, the ability to find wildlife, entertaining conversation, to just being an awesome person. Honestly it is rare to find someone who does such an amazing job and is just a genuinely nice and engaging person who has a real passion for their job and cares about their customers as people. Just book the tour and you will have an amazing time

Mike is the BEST! He is extremely knowledgable about the ponies, the islands, the wildlife, and anything else you can throw at him! Our family had the best time with him and left feeling like we knew him forever. His boat is gorgeous with plenty of room to spread out and is extremely clean. Do not even bother looking elsewhere for a pony tour…you will not regret going out with Captain Mike!
 

Captain Mike makes every tour a fantastic adventure. He is extremely knowledgeable about the island and all the different ponies. He asks what you would like to see or do while out on the tour. He makes the trip so enjoyable for everyone on board especially the kids. Each trip out has always been unique and a great adventure. We were able to get up close to the ponies and saw lots of dolphins. We can’t wait to go out again.

Captain Mike is the best. My family and I have taken two tours with him, and it’s been a terrific experience each time. We saw dozens of ponies and dolphins — truly a thrill. Mike is extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife and the history of the region. He’s also great with kids. We’ll definitely be back!

Captain Mike’s tour delighted our family of 4! His knowledge of the area and wildlife was tested by our inquisitive teens and we all learned interesting information while being wowed by the wildlife. Thanks to Mike’s expertise, we hit the trifecta: Dolphins, Ponies, and Bald Eagles (both in trees and in flight.) We loved the private tour which enabled us to spread out and move around on the boat. It also allowed all of us to feel comfortable asking questions (our kids are usually shy with a group of strangers), and allowed us to fully pay attention (rather than being distracted by others)The boat was clean, comfortable, and oh so smooth on the water! Mike was friendly, accommodating, and professional throughout the tour. This tour was the highlight of our trip to Chincoteague

Best part of our trip. Captain Mike is AMAZING! Very knowledgeable and professional. Boat is beautiful, so comfortable, clean, and spacious. A definite must do while on the island, I can’t say enough positive things.

It was very informative and Mike went out of his way to make the experience great. He grew up on the island and the personal details were awesome. He even knew all the ponies by name! We had a great time! Highly recommend for anyone visiting.

We take guided tours every place we visit and this was one of the best! Mike was the perfect guide giving us an up close and personal experience. His knowledge of the area was fascinating. He even knows the names of all the ponies!! So glad we picked this tour for our first visit to Chincoteague. I have a new fondness and appreciation for the Eastern Shore and the ponies thanks to Mike.

Amazing experience! Captain Mike was incredibly knowledgeable and a skilled driver! We were able to see bald eagles, dolphins and plenty of horses. The boat was clean and very comfortable. Would definitely recommend to anyone who wants a unique memorable experience. Captain Mike had an amazing personality which made the trip!

You know when you wonder if paying a little extra is worth it? Let me assure you-you NEED to book with Captin Mike. By far the best part of our trip. Smiles for miles and miles from my whole family, especially my pony-crazy 14-year old. This was on her dream sheet for a while…
 

What an experience! Captain Mike was AWESOME to say the least. So down to earth, and easy to connect with. Wasn’t your typical tour, we got to see & do what we wanted to as a family. Most other places have a route they stick to, and that was not this. I recommend 100 times over to support this small LOCAL business on the island! Don’t walk…RUN! He books out fast😜 He also has great suggestions for local restaurants, things to do and other businesses!

Mike led us on a wonderful tour. We saw ponies, several types of birds (including bald eagles and a tri colored heron) and we went out to search for dolphins. Mike was funny, yet knowledgeable and provided answers to our many questions. We had great conversation and enjoyed hearing about his summers spent on the island as a child. Definitely would recommend Up the Bay Pony Tours. Brand new pontoon boat was a plus!

Amazing tour! Definitely worth the time and money! We got to see ponies, dolphins, and an eagle’s nest up close. We even got to go out the the ocean for a little while to have some fun on the waves. Captain Mike was very patient, kind, and also very fun. Captain Mike knew so much about the island and answered all of our questions. The boat was very clean, new, and comfortable. We will most definitely do the tour anytime we are in the area.

Captain Mike was great,very attentive,friendly,knowledgeable and professional!Clearly loves Chincoteaque.Boat was very nice and comfortable.Mike made sure that we had a fantastic time.We saw dolphins,ponies,eagles and had a great tour around the island.Highly recommend Back Bay Pony Tours!
 

Excellent boat tour in Chincoteague. Capt. Mike provided not only an up close view of the ponies, but he went out of his way to locate dolphins out in the ocean for us to view as well. He also is very knowledgeable of the history of the area. Highly recommend for a great experience.

What a treat! Captain Mike created a personalized experience for us. We were able to see wildlife and ponies…and learned a lot of history about the area. He asked us about preferences and catered the two-hour trip to our needs and wants. I would highly recommend this experience. Thanks for the fun morning, Hollywood Mike! 😊

Captain Mike is such a knowledgeable and nice person. He asks what you would like to see …gives you options…really creates a custom trip just for you. He tells you all about the area and history and he knows all about the horses and there names. what a AWESOME TRIP‼️

I was more than impressed by our private boat tour with Captain Mike. He was extremely knowledgeable throughout the tour and tailored our trip based on what we were most interested in seeing. Captain Mike was very personable, his boat was in pristine condition, and the trip was worth more than the price. I would absolutely recommend doing a boat tour with him. Such a great experience!

Captain Mike is clearly passionate about what he does. It was clear he knows the area and could identify with grandparents to parents to our teen son. Such an enjoyable trip we couldn’t stop talking about it. We will go again and this next time take another set of grandparents. Captain Mike was all about giving us a great experience. We got just that! Thank you Captain Mike!

Captain Mike gave my husband and I a fabulous extended 3 hour boat trip around the islands of Chincoteague and Assateaque!!!! We saw ponies, dolphins, and wildlife in abundance. We definitely found the best boat trip around the islands, Captain Mike is very knowledgeable since he is grew up on Chincoteague!!! We are looking forward to our next trip to the islands!!!
 

“Capt.” Mike is amazing! His knowledge of the Island, his piloting ability, and his compassion for nature and his concern for his customers, The Best! What a wonderful experience!
I highly recommend this tour. We saw more than the Ponies too! Fascinating! We will do this again. Thanks Mike!

I cannot speak highly enough about Captain Mike and our whole experience! He was incredibly friendly and accommodating during the booking process and made us feel as though we were his top priority on the day of the tour. And his new boat was gorgeous and comfortable for all us!
Visiting Chincoteague Island has been a dream of my family’s for many years, so we decided to finally visit the island for our parents milestone wedding anniversary and we could not be happier with our selection of Up The Bay Pony Tours. Even though the ponies were hiding from us most of the trip, Captain Mike made the tour fun, relaxing, informative and entertaining. And he was able to get us into a remote section of the bay to view a band of ponies effortlessly, which was incredibly impressive. We cannot thank Captain Mike enough! We will absolutely be returning and booking another tour with him soon!