Hampton Inn & Suites Outer Banks/Corolla
Corolla, ocean side near the village
Check rates
Corolla North Carolina Horse Tours: Book The 2-Hour 4WD Wild Horse Tour
One tour, no clutter: the Outer Banks wild horse tour from Corolla by open-air 4x4 truck, with price, rating and duration all in one place.
- $65per-person from-price on the bookable tour
2-Hour Open-Air 4WD Wild Horse Tour
from $65 per person
Check Price & Availability →Opens the operator's official listing with live dates. Book there; nothing is charged on this site.
- Duration
- 2 hours
- Meets
- 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla, NC 27927
- Cancellation
- Free cancellation
- Run by
- Benders Beach Services
- Pickup
- No hotel pickup; meet at 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla, by the Beer Garden
- Minimum age
- 5+
- Group size
- Up to 12
Corolla North Carolina Horse Tours By The Numbers
Up to 6
Aerial Counts · helicopter surveys a year (Fund herd-management page)
50 ft
Legal Distance · Currituck County wild horse ordinance
By law
Feeding Or Approaching · punishable under Currituck County's wild horse ordinance (per the Fund)
7,544 acres
Habitat · 70% private land, 30% public use
About 11 mi
Northern Fence · north of the southern fence, at the Virginia line
June 2010
State Horse Since · Colonial Spanish Mustang, Session Law 2010-6
4.8
Booking Rating · across 2,871 traveler reviews, 2-hour 4WD tour
5 years
Minimum Age · and 40 lb; listing says younger children cannot be accommodated
Best Months For Corolla North Carolina Horse Tours
Rain (in)
Avg High (°F)50°55°59°67°74°81°85°83°79°71°61°54°
- Under 3.5 in
- 3.5 to 4.5 in
- 4.5 to 5.5 in
- Over 5.5 in
- Not named
- This month
January
Rain (in): 3.9 Tour And Horse Notes: Enclosed-SUV season for one operator (Jan to Mar); cold, quiet beach
Avg High / Low: 50°F / 37°F
February
Rain (in): 3.6 Tour And Horse Notes: Enclosed-SUV season; mild afternoons
Avg High / Low: 55°F / 41°F
March
Rain (in): 3.5 Tour And Horse Notes: Enclosed-SUV season ends; spring light
Avg High / Low: 59°F / 46°F
April
Rain (in): 3.1 Tour And Horse Notes: Open-air trucks return (Apr to Nov); Coastal Explorations opens April 21
Avg High / Low: 67°F / 53°F
May
Rain (in): 4.5 Tour And Horse Notes: Back Country Safari in-season starts May 1; warm
Avg High / Low: 74°F / 62°F
June
Rain (in): 3.3 Tour And Horse Notes: Summer horses come to the beach to escape heat and biting insects
Avg High / Low: 81°F / 70°F
July
Rain (in): 4.9 Tour And Horse Notes: Hottest month; horses on the beach, crowded 4WD area
Avg High / Low: 85°F / 75°F
August
Rain (in): 4.8 Tour And Horse Notes: Hot and humid; peak season
Avg High / Low: 83°F / 74°F
September
Rain (in): 5.9 Tour And Horse Notes: Warm; wettest month in this sample
Avg High / Low: 79°F / 70°F
October
Rain (in): 3.1 Tour And Horse Notes: Back Country Safari off-season rates from Oct 1; cooling
Avg High / Low: 71°F / 60°F
November
Rain (in): 3.0 Tour And Horse Notes: Last month of open-air trucks; Fall Open House at the rescue farm
Avg High / Low: 61°F / 49°F
December
Rain (in): 4.1 Tour And Horse Notes: Cold; check operators for winter schedules
Avg High / Low: 54°F / 42°F
Month-By-Month Breakdown
| Month | Avg High / Low | Rain (in) | Tour And Horse Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50°F / 37°F | 3.9 | Enclosed-SUV season for one operator (Jan to Mar); cold, quiet beach |
| February | 55°F / 41°F | 3.6 | Enclosed-SUV season; mild afternoons |
| March | 59°F / 46°F | 3.5 | Enclosed-SUV season ends; spring light |
| April | 67°F / 53°F | 3.1 | Open-air trucks return (Apr to Nov); Coastal Explorations opens April 21 |
| May | 74°F / 62°F | 4.5 | Back Country Safari in-season starts May 1; warm |
| June | 81°F / 70°F | 3.3 | Summer horses come to the beach to escape heat and biting insects |
| July | 85°F / 75°F | 4.9 | Hottest month; horses on the beach, crowded 4WD area |
| August | 83°F / 74°F | 4.8 | Hot and humid; peak season |
| September | 79°F / 70°F | 5.9 | Warm; wettest month in this sample |
| October | 71°F / 60°F | 3.1 | Back Country Safari off-season rates from Oct 1; cooling |
| November | 61°F / 49°F | 3.0 | Last month of open-air trucks; Fall Open House at the rescue farm |
| December | 54°F / 42°F | 4.1 | Cold; check operators for winter schedules |
4x4 Truck, Self-Drive And Museum: Corolla Horse Viewing Compared
| Guided 4WD Tour | Drive The 4WD Beach Yourself | Corolla Wild Horse Fund Museum | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | 2-hour open-air 4WD truck tour with a guide | Your own 4-wheel-drive vehicle on the beach north of the paved road | Education center and gift shop run by the Fund |
| Typical price | $65 per person booked online; direct operators list $49 to $65 | Cost of your vehicle; no county tour fee stated | No price published; ask the Fund |
| Vehicle needed | None; truck provided | 4WD required: 'If your vehicle is not equipped with 4-wheel drive, do not attempt to drive on the beach.' (Currituck County) | None |
| Rules that apply | Tour vehicles stay 50 ft from the horses; tours west of the dune line only 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. | You must stay 50 ft from the horses; feeding, riding, petting prohibited (Currituck County wild horse ordinance) | Not applicable |
| Open | Almost year-round at one operator (enclosed SUV Jan to Mar, open air Apr to Nov); check the live listing for the featured tour | Beach is public road and open to the public | Open for the season Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (corollawildhorses.com) |
| Seeing horses | Guide knows where the herd is | Not guaranteed; stay on your own | Films and exhibits, not live horses |
Where Corolla North Carolina Horse Tours Meet And Run
Loading the map. Every place is also listed below.
Map tiles and place names: © OpenStreetMap contributors
Corolla Village
- Tour Meeting Point, 1148 Ocean Trail, CorollaCorolla Village
- Currituck Beach LighthouseCorolla Village · 320 m from Tour Meeting Point, 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla in a straight line
- Whalehead Club And Historic Corolla ParkCorolla Village · 610 m from Tour Meeting Point, 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla in a straight line
- Corolla Wild Horse Fund Museum And Gift ShopCorolla Village · 210 m from Tour Meeting Point, 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla in a straight line
- Currituck National Wildlife RefugeCorolla Village · 610 m from Tour Meeting Point, 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla in a straight line
- Swan BeachNorth 4x4 Beaches · 7.4 km from Tour Meeting Point, 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla in a straight line
- Carova BeachNorth 4x4 Beaches · 17 km from Tour Meeting Point, 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla in a straight line
- Where The Paved Road Ends (NC-12 Terminus, North Corolla)North 4x4 Beaches · 1.8 km from Tour Meeting Point, 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla in a straight line
- DuckSouthern Hubs · 24 km from Tour Meeting Point, 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla in a straight line
- Kitty HawkSouthern Hubs · 37 km from Tour Meeting Point, 1148 Ocean Trail, Corolla in a straight line
What Riders Say About Corolla North Carolina Horse Tours
These guest quotes are copied verbatim from each tour's own booking listing; we do not collect or edit them, only choose which to show.
“10/10 experience. Kathy was an amazing guide. We saw so many horses and learned lots of facts. I highly recommend requesting Kathy.”
“We had an amazing time seeing the wild horses in several areas. The your guide was awesome . We were warned that we may not see the horses. However, we saw them in like 4 different spots.”
“The wild horses tour was phenomenal and a must if you’re in the area and was an older lady who had lived there her whole life, and I believe she was really amazing.”
“Very informative driver on a beautiful day! We saw lots of Bankers, although it would have been nice if the driver stopped the truck completely so that we could take pictures.”
Where To Stay Near Corolla North Carolina Horse Tours
The Inn At Corolla Light
Corolla Light community
Check ratesThe Sanderling Resort
Duck
Check ratesCorolla North Carolina Horse Tours: Questions Answered
Who runs the tour?
Benders Beach Services operates the single tour listed here, a two-hour ride in a 4WD truck across the off-road beach north of Corolla where the wild Banker horses live. This site owns no trucks and takes no bookings.
How well is it rated?
The tour holds a rating of 4.8 across 2871 reviews, and the from-price is $65 per person. Those numbers come straight off the listing.
Can you book it here?
The roster lists one tour, the two-hour 4WD truck trip run by Benders Beach Services (see the worth-it breakdown). No operator buys placement here, and nothing is listed to pad the page.
What is the price?
Seats start at $65 per person. The tour is the only one on the roster and the only one that publishes a from-price, so there is no missing pricing to chase down.
How long is the ride?
The tour runs two hours end to end, covering the drive onto the four-wheel-drive beach, the search for the wild horses and the run back (pricing detail sits in our cost guide). That block of time is enough to reach the stretches of sand north of the paved road where the herd roams.
Where does it depart?
Trips leave from Corolla, at the northern end of the Currituck Outer Banks where the paved road ends and the four-wheel-drive beach begins. That makes Corolla the working gateway for wild horse tours in this corner of North Carolina.
Guides To Corolla North Carolina Horse Tours And The Wild Horses
Guides
50-Foot Rule And Etiquette
Are The Tours Worth It
Best Time Of Day
Best Time Of Year
Bumpy Ride Accessibility
Carova Beach Access
Corolla Beaches
Corolla Vs Duck
Free Horse Viewing
Fund Museum
Horse Tours With Kids
Kayak And Wildlife Add-Ons
Lighthouse And Whalehead
OBX Three Day Plan
OBX Wild Horse Tours
Operators Compared
Seeing Horses Without A Tour
Self-Drive Vs Guided
Tour Prices
Tour Vehicle Types
What Corolla Is Known For
What To Wear And Bring
Where To Find Them
Where To Stay
Wild Horse History