This Secret Island In Canada Is A White Sand Oasis & Is Home To 500 Wild Horses (PHOTOS)

This dreamy island may sound like something out of a storybook but it actually exists in Canada. It boasts powdery white sand, crystal clear waves and a roaming herd of wild horses.

Sable Island is a "thin crescent of shifting sand" situated 290 kilometres southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia. The piece of land is 42 kilometres long and is renowned for its population of wild horses that roam freely.

The first wild horses were brought to the island in the 1700s and have flourished "without human intervention" since then. There are currently 500 horses in Sable Island National Park Reserve.

The herd is protected under the Canada National Parks Act and the National Parks of Canada Wildlife Regulations, meaning that they are not domesticated animals and survive with "minimal intervention."

People are not permitted to interact, feed, or touch the horses and visitors must remain at least 20 metres away.

Aside from the horses, you can spot other wildlife, including the "world's largest breeding colony of grey seals". The island has beautiful dune hikes as well as plants like orchids and cranberries.

The island has been dubbed "The Graveyard of the Atlantic" as there are over 350 shipwrecks on its shores. According to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, "very little now remains of the ships that were wrecked on the island: a shoe buckle, a few coins, ship name boards, timbers buried in the sand."

The remote island is accessible from January and February and from June to October. You can get there by airplane, helicopter, ship, or private vessel, but must obtain permission from Parks Canada first. There are several guided expeditions that you can book on the website.

If you do plan a trip, be sure to take a look at the visitor guidelines before heading out.

Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.