Little Tybee Island: A Secluded Escape

Most of Tybee Island comes with a soundtrack. Pier traffic, golf carts, music from a patio, kids with boogie boards. A few miles away, across the water, sits an island with none of that.

Little Tybee has no road, no bridge and no building. What it has is marsh grass, creeks, birds and a long empty beach. If you want one day on this trip where nothing is scheduled by anyone but the tide, this is the place.

What Little Tybee is

Little Tybee Island is an uninhabited barrier island off Tybee's south-west side. Explore Georgia, the state's tourism site, describes it as an undisturbed nature preserve with no hotels or other dwellings on the island. The state of Georgia owns it.

It is part of the Little Tybee and Cabbage Islands Natural Area, a state Heritage Preserve. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources manages it. Heritage Preserve is the state's highest level of protection, which is why the island looks the way it does. Nobody built on it, and nobody is going to.

It is also big. Little Tybee is a large barrier island and marsh system, larger than Tybee itself. Most of it is salt marsh rather than dry ground. You see the size best from a kayak, where a bend in a creek leads to another bend and the island keeps going.

For the official word, see the state's own pages: Explore Georgia's Little Tybee page and Georgia DNR's Little Tybee page.

How you get there

Explore Georgia puts it plainly: the only way to get to Little Tybee is by boat or kayak. There is no ferry and no causeway. You cannot drive there, and you cannot walk there.

That one fact shapes everything else about the day. You need a boat, or you need a paddle and some stamina. You need to be comfortable on open tidal water. And you need to think about timing, because the water around Tybee moves a lot.

The right launch depends on the outfitter and the day. If you are paddling with a guide, they handle it. If you have your own boat, you already know your own launch.

Why it is worth the trip

The pitch for Little Tybee is simple. It is quiet in a way that is hard to find on the rest of the coast.

The silence. There are no engines on the land, no music and no crowds. You hear wind in the grass, water moving in the creeks and birds. That is a short list, and it is enough.

The birds. The marsh is wading-bird country. Herons and egrets feed along the edges when the tide is right.

The beach. An island this size with no development has a lot of empty shore. Walking it feels different from walking the main beach on a July Saturday. You can go a long way without meeting anyone.

The effort. Getting there takes work, and that is part of the appeal. People who paddle out tend to stay longer, look closer and leave less behind.

Plan around the tide

Little Tybee is tidal. The marsh creeks and the landing beach both work with the water, so the tide matters more here than it does on a regular beach day.

Check the tide chart for your day, and plan the paddle around it rather than the other way around. A good guide does this by habit. If you go on your own, give it real attention before you leave the dock.

Weather matters too. Open water in a kayak is a different thing from a calm shoreline. Wind can turn a pleasant paddle into hard work.

Going with a guide

If you have never paddled the marsh, go with someone who has. Sea Kayak Georgia, at 1102 Hwy 80 on Tybee, has been guiding paddlers on the island since 1994, according to its own site. It lists Little Tybee Island kayak tours and takes reservations on its website at seakayakgeorgia.com.

Prices and times change, so check its website before you book.

A guide gives you three things you can't easily get alone. A route that suits the tide. Local knowledge about where the birds are. And a plan if the weather turns.

Rules of the road

Little Tybee is a preserve, and the rules are the ones that make sense for any wild place.

• Pack in, pack out. There is nowhere to throw anything away. Carry out every wrapper, bottle and scrap.
• Bring your own water. There are no shops or taps. Take more than you think you need.
• No lifeguards. Nobody is watching the water. You are your own safety plan.
• Stay away from posted bird-nesting sites. Explore Georgia asks visitors to avoid them. Shore birds nest on open sand, and a walker can ruin a nest without noticing.
• Leave the island as you found it. It is a protected preserve, so treat it like one.

None of these are hard. They just mean you should plan for a day with no services at all. A dry bag, sun protection, snacks, a full water bottle and a charged phone in a waterproof case cover most of it.

When to go

Tybee's summers are hot, with afternoon storms. A paddle on open water in that heat is hard work, so early starts matter most in the warm months. Cooler months are a gentler time on the marsh, and the beach town is quieter then. In late fall the light is soft.

Whenever you go, check the forecast and the tide chart the night before and again that morning. Plan to be back before conditions change.

Tips that save a day

• Dress for wet. You will probably get splashed. Quick-dry clothes and shoes that can get muddy are better than flip-flops.
• Wear sun protection. There is little shade on the water or the marsh.
• Keep your phone dry. A waterproof pouch costs little and saves a lot.
• Go slow. You are not racing anyone. Stop paddling and listen now and then.
• Keep your distance from wildlife. Let birds feed and rest without being chased.

What pairs well with it

Little Tybee is a full morning or afternoon, so give the rest of the day an easy shape.

On the Tybee side, start with breakfast. Sunrise Restaurant and Mi Vida are the two spots we point guests to. Atlantis Inn has no on-site breakfast, so a good meal before a paddle is worth planning. Our dining page lists more options on the island.

After the paddle, you will want something simple. Rinse off, sit down and eat. The south end of the island, near the pier, has several places within reach. Our things to do page covers what else is nearby, from the lighthouse to the beach.

If you want a second quiet day, our slow traveler's guide to Tybee Island maps the calmer beaches and the hours that suit them. Little Tybee is the most remote item on that list, and the guide covers the rest.

Travelling with kids? Our sister property Dunes Inn has a post on family day trips from Tybee Island that lists Little Tybee for families. It is the same island seen for a different kind of trip.

Where to stay for it

Atlantis Inn is a 19-room independent inn at 20 Silver Avenue, about 300 yards from the beach. We are not on Little Tybee and we are not on the water. We are a place to sleep before and after a long day outside.

There is free on-site parking, which helps if you are hauling paddling gear. The rooftop is open to guests for the sunset you earned. The amenities page has the full list, and our special offers page shows current deals.

Planning your trip? Check availability for your dates and build a day on the marsh into it. Of everything on the island, it is the one that feels least like Tybee.