LAKE MURRAY, S.C. – Carolina Safari Co. has announced the much-anticipated return of its Purple Martin Tours for the 2025 season, with bookings opening on May 30.
Led by local naturalist Captain Zach Steinhauser, these pontoon boat tours offer a front-row seat to witness the largest purple martin roost in North America—a breathtaking natural event that takes place on Lake Murray each summer.
Each evening from July through August, as many as 500,000 purple martins from across the Southeast gather at a Lake Murray island to roost, creating a mesmerizing aerial display at sunset. According to Steinhauser, “This gathering is one giant party for the birds as they prepare for their migration to places like the Amazon Rainforest.”
Steinhauser, who has studied the migratory songbird extensively in both the U.S. and Brazil, has been featured in publications such as Living Bird Magazine, Garden & Gun, and on WIS-TV.
Tours run Tuesday through Sunday evenings, timed to the spectacular return of the birds at dusk.
Reservations open May 30 at www.CarolinaSafariCo.com.
