Top 10 Everglades Tours in Florida

Photo by Jamie Hagan on Unsplash

Top 10 Everglades Tours in Florida

The Everglades is a remarkable ecosystem made up of wetlands, forests, and mangroves.

This Park not only has plants but it is also a rich habitat to several endangered species of animals including alligators, turtles, manatees and many more.

There are several options to choose from when planning to explore the Everglades.

You can tour this marsh park using an airboat, kayak, or hiking.

Choose one of the popular tours to discover the breath-taking views of the Everglades.

To help give you an idea of what is available to you, here are some of the best Everglades tours for you to enjoy.

1. Everglades Nature Tours

Photo by Jamie Hagan on Unsplash

If you do not fancy being on boats, then consider taking a walking tour of the Everglades.

The hike takes about two hours of walking, climbing and wading through water.

You will climb rocks, walk through a cypress forest, walk along fern trails and other beautiful vegetation.

This hike is loved by many that term it as being fulfilling since one completely gets immersed in nature.

The walk is led a park ranger that is knowledgeable of all the cool spots in the park.

You will get to see most of the wildlife up close. There are alligators, birds, and other beautiful plants.

While on the walk, you will also get to learn about the conservation efforts going on in the Everglades.

2. Everglades airboat tours

The Everglades airboat tours are offered using a two-way headset given to the tourists.

This allows them to engage better with the tour guide while on the tour since the airboats can be noisy.

The tour will take you to narrow creeks and shallow bays where birds, manatees and alligators live.

Through the headsets, the tourists can communicate, ask questions and talk to each other during the tour.

This is quite a pleasant experience and takes not more than six passengers per boat.

The tour takes about an hour through the Everglades. There are few stops at one or two Native tree island villages.

While on this trip, you will see larger alligators, baby alligators, birds and other wildlife.

3. Everglades National Park tour

Photo courtesy of Florida National Park Service website

This may sound overwhelming at the thought of touring an entire park.

Well, this tour is a customized three-and-a-half-hour adventure through the park.

The tour is curated well enough to go to the most scenic areas of the park.

During the tour, you will come across interesting and rare animal and plant species.

This tour includes a ride on an airboat that will briskly take you around the swampy section of the park.

There is a park ranger in this tour that gives valuable information about the park and its ecosystem.

4. Buffalo tiger’s airboat tours

This next tour of the Everglades is an excursion that combines cultural immersion and wildlife viewing.

The tour focuses on introducing visitors to the homelands of the Miccosukee people.

This is an American Indian tribe that migrated to Florida many centuries ago.

You will not only see a Miccosukee Indian camp but also see local wildlife and take a nature walk.

There is a souvenir shop where one can get paints and arts and crafts to take home.

This tour takes about 45 minutes. The guides are friendly and would even bring the boat close enough when you spot something interesting.

You will learn interesting facts about the Everglades nature such as white flowers on the water mean it is shallow, while yellow flowers signify a deeper swamp.

5. Everglades 5-hour alligator and airboat tour

Photo courtesy of Florida National Park Service website

This is another popular tour that takes you around the spectacular Everglades on an airboat.

Your guide will talk about the wetlands and its preservation process.

The tour is mostly on the search of fierce alligators and includes an educational alligator show.

You can get to feed the alligators or hold a baby alligator. The 5-hour tour is divided into the driving section followed by the airboat ride.

6. The Everglades Small-Group Eco-Tour

This tour begins in Miami Beach and takes you on an eco-tour of the Everglades National Park.

You will get to cruise around the remarkable vast wetlands on an airboat.

This is by far the most popular means of exploring one of the largest parks in the United States.

You will also get to watch the interesting and informative alligator show as well as visit a nearby Native American Reservation.

This tour will introduce you to their history, daily lives and rich cultural heritage.

7. Boat Assisted Kayak Eco Tour

One of the ways to explore the Everglades is by using a kayak. This tour takes you to the remote parts of the park.

It is a beginner-friendly tour where you can paddle through the Barrier Island Beach.

This tour will take you for an up-close look at the mangroves, birds and other wildlife at the park.

The boat assisted kayak eco-tour combines the best of a boating tour, a kayaking tour and a walking tour.

It is such a wonderful experience that takes you to the 10,000 Islands Wildlife Refuge at Marco Island.

This island is one of the most beautiful natural areas in Florida. There are dolphins, manatees, bald eagles, ospreys, herons, spoonbills among other bird species.

8. Miami Day Trip with Optional Everglades Airboat Ride or Star Island Cruise

This next tour is also a combination of two tours. It is a whole day trip across the everglades.

You will spend about 15 hours cruising to the beach strips, walk the esplanades and checkout art deco mansions.

The tour starts at the majestic Everglades with its misty hammocks, swamps and crocodile sanctuaries.

This will be on a high-speed airboat tour that will make that part of the trip unforgettable.

After the trip on the airboat, you will hop back onto a double-decker bus around Miami. The tour ends in a relaxing yacht tour of millionaire’s row.

9. Everglades Airboat Private Nature and History Tour

By Avramka – Wikimedia

This tour involves a very knowledgeable guide of ecology who will take you on an exciting boat ride through the River of Grass.

This is part of the Everglades is loaded with lines of tall, swaying brush and is a significant part of the natural environment.

You will notice how careful the guides are during this tour, they do this in order not to disturb the ecosystem.

The tour starts from Miami and you’ll get to see lots of wildlife up close and personal.

10. Shark Valley Tram Tours

This is a naturalist-led excursion around the Everglades in an open-air tram or on foot.

It is a 15-mile tour where you will get to visit a 65-foot-tall observation deck for a sweeping view of the landscape.

The tour takes two hours of seeing a variety of wildlife in the everglades.