Finding your remote paradise: Daufuskie Island, South Carolina

Intriguing, romantic, mysterious, unspoiled these are words often used to describe Daufuskie, a remote two and one half by five mile island situated on the east Atlantic coast between Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and Tybee Island, Georgia. Daufuskie's natural beauty and rich history have been the inspiration for many artist, writers and tourists.

Without a bridge to the mainland, Daufuskie is accessible only by passenger ferry or private boat. Located at the southernmost tip of South Carolina, Hilton Head is its closest neighbor with travel time between the two ranging from 15 to 45 minutes depending on the location of the embarkation ports. Savannah, Georgia, another historic city, is located south of the island, approximately an hour away by water.  

  Visitors to Daufuskie won't find a traffic light, a bank, a drive-through restaurant, or a drugstore.

Instead they encounter a magnificent display of nature, unspoiled by overpopulation or commercialism. Maritime forests border the beaches, and woods filled with towering pines and ancient live oaks dripping with Spanish moss characterize much of the 5,000-acre barrier island. Loggerhead turtles returning to nest on the island's beaches, alligators sunning themselves on lake banks, bald eagles scouting for afternoon meals, pods of dolphins performing daily jumping exhibitions, herds of deer dining on island vegetation, and black fox squirrels scurrying about golf course greens are common sights for residents and visitors. Traffic jams consist of more than two golf carts at an intersection, and sounds of city sirens are replaced by the serenades of hoot owls and the synchronistic peeps and croaks of tree frogs. Because there are few lights on the island, night skies produce dazzling displays of shooting stars and far-off galaxies while sunrises and sunsets paint the skies with a spectacular array of colors every dawn and dusk. Crowds on Daufuskie's quiet beaches are likely to consist of scavenging seagulls rather than sunbathing tourists. The Daufuskie Island Conservancy, founded in 2005, is a good resource for more about the island's natural environment and the programs that are in place to preserve and protect it.

Daufuskie Island Conservancy

Instead they encounter a magnificent display of nature, unspoiled by overpopulation or commercialism. Maritime forests border the beaches, and woods filled with towering pines and ancient live oaks dripping with Spanish moss characterize much of the 5,000-acre barrier island. Loggerhead turtles returning to nest on the island's beaches, alligators sunning themselves on lake banks, bald eagles scouting for afternoon meals, pods of dolphins performing daily jumping exhibitions, herds of deer dining on island vegetation, and black fox squirrels scurrying about golf course greens are common sights for residents and visitors. Traffic jams consist of more than two golf carts at an intersection, and sounds of city sirens are replaced by the serenades of hoot owls and the synchronistic peeps and croaks of tree frogs. Because there are few lights on the island, night skies produce dazzling displays of shooting stars and far-off galaxies while sunrises and sunsets paint the skies with a spectacular array of colors every dawn and dusk. Crowds on Daufuskie's quiet beaches are likely to consist of scavenging seagulls rather than sunbathing tourists. The Daufuskie Island Conservancy, founded in 2005, is a good resource for more about the island's natural environment and the programs that are in place to preserve and protect it.

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