Virginia Beach Kayak Tour: Paddle with Wild Dolphins

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Free cancellationTravelers' pickLikely to sell out

1/18

Duration2h

GroupUp to 12

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Paddle alongside wild dolphins as the sun sets over the Chesapeake Bay.

A 2-hour guided kayak tour on the Chesapeake Bay at sunset, departing from First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach. You paddle a sturdy sit-on-top kayak in a small group with a local guide, watching for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins and passing Cape Henry Lighthouses and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel as they light up in the evening. Little to no kayaking experience is necessary; guides handle launch and navigation while you focus on the water and the sky.

Step-by-step itinerary

Sunset dolphin kayak tour

Meet guides at First Landing State Park
Receive safety and kayak briefing
Launch kayaks into Chesapeake Bay
Kayak with Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins
View Cape Henry Lighthouses and landmarks
Watch sunset over Chesapeake Bay

The Experience

Meet your guides at the Main Entrance to First Landing State Park ready to launch. After a brief safety talk and kayak setup, guides help you into a sit-on-top kayak and push off into the Chesapeake Bay. For the next two hours, you paddle along the shoreline of historic Cape Henry, watching for Atlantic bottlenose dolphins that migrate through these waters during summer. The tour combines the paddle itself with sightseeing: as the sun sinks, the Cape Henry Lighthouses and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel catch the evening light, and you see them from the water instead of from shore.

Guides handle the navigation and pace—you relax and watch. The company has been running these tours since 1996, and dolphins are common sightings along this stretch; you'll also see numerous birds. The kayaks are stable and forgiving, built for people with no paddling background. Guides help with the launch and stay with the group the entire way, so the only thing you manage is pointing your paddle where the water takes you.

The tour runs in a variety of weather conditions, so dress for the forecast on your date. Parking at First Landing State Park costs $4 on weekdays and $5 on weekends. Groups stay small, and the company requires a minimum number of participants; if that minimum is not met after your booking, you'll be offered an alternative tour or a full refund.

What’s included

Local guide leading the paddle.
sturdy sit-on-top kayak and all paddling gear.
safety briefing and guided launch into the Chesapeake Bay.
2-hour sunset paddle along Cape Henry with dolphin watching and views of the Cape Henry Lighthouses and Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for heart conditions

Operated by Chesapean Outdoors

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you have a free afternoon or evening in Virginia Beach and want to see wild dolphins without arranging your own boat or learning to paddle solo. The guide handles the route and pace, so you focus on the water, the dolphins, and the sunset instead of managing the kayak.