diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4167926..f4e5be0 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -96,6 +96,11 @@ Provide a max-age in milliseconds for http caching, defaults to 0.
 This can also be a string accepted by the
 [ms](https://www.npmjs.org/package/ms#readme) module.
 
+##### redirectSymlinks
+
+When `true`, return symlinks as `301 Redirect` instead of the file they are
+pointing. Default is `false`.
+
 ##### root
 
 Serve files relative to `path`.
@@ -229,7 +234,7 @@ var app = http.createServer(function onRequest (req, res) {
 }).listen(3000)
 ```
 
-## License 
+## License
 
 [MIT](LICENSE)
 
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index 81ec0b3..c7a007e 100644
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ var createError = require('http-errors')
 var debug = require('debug')('send')
 var deprecate = require('depd')('send')
 var destroy = require('destroy')
-var encodeUrl = require('encodeurl')
 var escapeHtml = require('escape-html')
 var etag = require('etag')
 var EventEmitter = require('events').EventEmitter
@@ -31,6 +30,10 @@ var statuses = require('statuses')
 var Stream = require('stream')
 var util = require('util')
 
+var dirname = path.dirname
+var relative = path.relative
+var url = require('url')
+
 /**
  * Path function references.
  * @private
@@ -79,6 +82,31 @@ module.exports.mime = mime
 var listenerCount = EventEmitter.listenerCount ||
   function (emitter, type) { return emitter.listeners(type).length }
 
+function responseStatus (res, code, msg) {
+  var errMsg = msg
+  if (errMsg == null) {
+    errMsg = statuses[code]
+
+    res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain; charset=UTF-8')
+  }
+
+  res.statusCode = code
+  res.setHeader('Content-Length', Buffer.byteLength(msg))
+  res.setHeader('X-Content-Type-Options', 'nosniff')
+  res.end(errMsg)
+}
+
+function redirect (res, loc) {
+  // redirect
+  res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/html; charset=UTF-8')
+  res.setHeader('Location', loc)
+
+  var escLoc = escapeHtml(loc)
+  var msg = 'Redirecting to <a href="' + escLoc + '">' + escLoc + '</a>\n'
+
+  responseStatus(res, 301, msg)
+}
+
 /**
  * Return a `SendStream` for `req` and `path`.
  *
@@ -166,6 +194,8 @@ function SendStream (req, path, options) {
     ? resolve(opts.root)
     : null
 
+  this._redirectSymlinks = opts.redirectSymlinks
+
   if (!this._root && opts.from) {
     this.from(opts.from)
   }
@@ -278,7 +308,6 @@ SendStream.prototype.error = function error (status, error) {
   }
 
   var res = this.res
-  var msg = statuses[status]
 
   // clear existing headers
   clearHeaders(res)
@@ -289,11 +318,7 @@ SendStream.prototype.error = function error (status, error) {
   }
 
   // send basic response
-  res.statusCode = status
-  res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain; charset=UTF-8')
-  res.setHeader('Content-Length', Buffer.byteLength(msg))
-  res.setHeader('X-Content-Type-Options', 'nosniff')
-  res.end(msg)
+  responseStatus(res, status)
 }
 
 /**
@@ -434,7 +459,7 @@ SendStream.prototype.isRangeFresh = function isRangeFresh () {
  * @private
  */
 
-SendStream.prototype.redirect = function redirect (path) {
+SendStream.prototype.redirect = function redirectDirectory (path) {
   if (listenerCount(this, 'directory') !== 0) {
     this.emit('directory')
     return
@@ -445,17 +470,38 @@ SendStream.prototype.redirect = function redirect (path) {
     return
   }
 
-  var loc = encodeUrl(collapseLeadingSlashes(path + '/'))
-  var msg = 'Redirecting to <a href="' + escapeHtml(loc) + '">' + escapeHtml(loc) + '</a>\n'
-  var res = this.res
+  redirect(this.res, path + '/')
+}
 
-  // redirect
-  res.statusCode = 301
-  res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'text/html; charset=UTF-8')
-  res.setHeader('Content-Length', Buffer.byteLength(msg))
-  res.setHeader('X-Content-Type-Options', 'nosniff')
-  res.setHeader('Location', loc)
-  res.end(msg)
+/**
+ * Redirect a symbolic link.
+ *
+ * @param {string} path
+ * @private
+ */
+
+SendStream.prototype.redirectSymbolicLink = function redirectSymbolicLink (path) {
+  var self = this
+
+  fs.readlink(path, function (err, linkString) {
+    if (err) return self.onStatError(err)
+
+    // Get absolute path on the real filesystem of the destination
+    path = dirname(path)
+    var to = resolve(path, linkString)
+
+    // Check destination is not out of files root
+    if (to.indexOf(self._root) !== 0) return this.error(403)
+
+    // Get relative paths for all symlinks, also for absolute ones
+    linkString = relative(path, to)
+
+    // Resolve the URL, and make it relative (is this necessary?)
+    linkString = url.resolve(self.path, linkString)
+    linkString = relative(dirname(self.path), linkString)
+
+    redirect(self.res, linkString)
+  })
 }
 
 /**
@@ -666,22 +712,30 @@ SendStream.prototype.sendFile = function sendFile (path) {
   var self = this
 
   debug('stat "%s"', path)
-  fs.stat(path, function onstat (err, stat) {
-    if (err && err.code === 'ENOENT' && !extname(path) && path[path.length - 1] !== sep) {
+  fs.lstat(path, function onstat (err, stat) {
+    if (err && err.code === 'ENOENT' &&
+        !extname(path) &&
+        path[path.length - 1] !== sep) {
       // not found, check extensions
       return next(err)
     }
+
     if (err) return self.onStatError(err)
+
     if (stat.isDirectory()) return self.redirect(self.path)
+
+    if (stat.isSymbolicLink() && self._redirectSymlinks) {
+      return self.redirectSymbolicLink(path)
+    }
+
     self.emit('file', path, stat)
     self.send(path, stat)
   })
 
   function next (err) {
     if (self._extensions.length <= i) {
-      return err
-        ? self.onStatError(err)
-        : self.error(404)
+      if (err) return self.onStatError(err)
+      return self.error(404)
     }
 
     var p = path + '.' + self._extensions[i++]
@@ -689,7 +743,9 @@ SendStream.prototype.sendFile = function sendFile (path) {
     debug('stat "%s"', p)
     fs.stat(p, function (err, stat) {
       if (err) return next(err)
+
       if (stat.isDirectory()) return next()
+
       self.emit('file', p, stat)
       self.send(p, stat)
     })
@@ -703,21 +759,23 @@ SendStream.prototype.sendFile = function sendFile (path) {
  * @api private
  */
 SendStream.prototype.sendIndex = function sendIndex (path) {
-  var i = -1
+  var i = 0
   var self = this
 
   function next (err) {
-    if (++i >= self._index.length) {
+    if (self._index.length <= i) {
       if (err) return self.onStatError(err)
       return self.error(404)
     }
 
-    var p = join(path, self._index[i])
+    var p = join(path, self._index[i++])
 
     debug('stat "%s"', p)
     fs.stat(p, function (err, stat) {
       if (err) return next(err)
+
       if (stat.isDirectory()) return next()
+
       self.emit('file', p, stat)
       self.send(p, stat)
     })
@@ -846,24 +904,6 @@ function clearHeaders (res) {
   res._headerNames = {}
 }
 
-/**
- * Collapse all leading slashes into a single slash
- *
- * @param {string} str
- * @private
- */
-function collapseLeadingSlashes (str) {
-  for (var i = 0; i < str.length; i++) {
-    if (str[i] !== '/') {
-      break
-    }
-  }
-
-  return i > 1
-    ? '/' + str.substr(i)
-    : str
-}
-
 /**
  * Determine if path parts contain a dotfile.
  *
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 3a93e89..9d932f7 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@
     "debug": "~2.2.0",
     "depd": "~1.1.0",
     "destroy": "~1.0.4",
-    "encodeurl": "~1.0.1",
     "escape-html": "~1.0.3",
     "etag": "~1.7.0",
     "fresh": "0.3.0",
diff --git a/test/send.js b/test/send.js
index da101aa..bf34024 100644
--- a/test/send.js
+++ b/test/send.js
@@ -132,6 +132,54 @@ describe('send(file).pipe(res)', function () {
     .expect(200, '404 ENOENT', done)
   })
 
+  it('should 301 if the directory exists', function (done) {
+    request(app)
+    .get('/pets')
+    .expect('Location', '/pets/')
+    .expect(301, 'Redirecting to <a href="/pets/">/pets/</a>\n', done)
+  })
+
+  it('should not redirect on symbolic links', function (done) {
+    var destination = 'name.txt'
+    var path2 = path.join(fixtures, 'symlink')
+
+    fs.symlink(destination, path2, function (error) {
+      if (error && error.code !== 'EEXIST') return done(error)
+
+      request(app)
+      .get('/symlink')
+      .expect(200, 'tobi', function (error) {
+        fs.unlink(path2, function (error2) {
+          done(error || error2)
+        })
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
+  it("should 301 if it's a symbolic link and we want to redirect", function (done) {
+    var app = http.createServer(function (req, res) {
+      send(req, req.url, {root: fixtures, redirectSymlinks: true})
+      .on('error', function (err) { res.end(err.statusCode + ' ' + err.code) })
+      .pipe(res)
+    })
+
+    var destination = 'name.txt'
+    var path2 = path.join(fixtures, 'symlink')
+
+    fs.symlink(destination, path2, function (error) {
+      if (error && error.code !== 'EEXIST') return done(error)
+
+      request(app)
+      .get('/symlink')
+      .expect('Location', destination)
+      .expect(301, 'Redirecting to <a href="' + destination + '">' + destination + '</a>\n', function (error) {
+        fs.unlink(path2, function (error2) {
+          done(error || error2)
+        })
+      })
+    })
+  })
+
   it('should not override content-type', function (done) {
     var app = http.createServer(function (req, res) {
       res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/x-custom')