3 Hour Guided Mangrove Tunnel Kayak Eco Tour
Description
This is a wonderful alternative to an airboat ride … quiet, peaceful and surreal. It is a leisurely paddle experience with a naturalist guide who throughout the tour will be interpreting and explaining what you are seeing. It is a great learning experience in a very unique part of the Everglades. The Everglades is a vast and varied ecosystem containing the largest mangrove forest in North America. Throughout the forest are brackish "lakes" whose waters are a mix of "sweet" fresh water and salt water. They are refuges and nursery grounds for alligators, herons, egrets, stilts, ducks, wood storks, spoonbills, otters, orchids and bromeliads and a gamut of fishes. Interconnecting these lakes are narrow, flowing tidal creeks. The mangrove forest grows to the very edge and over the tops of these creeks forming a canopy or a tunnel. The dense canopy regulates moisture and humidity allowing to thrive. Note: June through October, we suggest the morning experiences due to the weather.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Located just a 1.5-hour drive south of Fort Myers lie the incredible Florida Everglades. On this 3.5-hour eco-tour, enjoy a kayak adventure through the lush mangrove tunnels and discover the area’s diverse ecosystem. Your tour will begin with a brief introduction on how to maneuver your single-person kayak (no experience required). Once you feel comfortable with the kayak, paddle down the lake and arrive at a narrow entryway, where the mangrove tunnels form a canopy approximately 10 feet (3 meters) overhead. This is one of the largest mangrove forests in North America! Follow your naturalist guide as you explore the vast and varied ecosystem and keep your eyes out for herons, egrets, ducks, spoonbills, alligators, otters and a variety of fish species. Along the way, your guide will provide an interesting, informative overview of the area and its incredible ecosystem.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(359)
It was a great tour through the mangrove tunnels. One found oneself in the middle of nature without any disturbing noises. In between, we kept stopping and received interesting information about the animal and plant world. It was truly fantastic.
Thank you for the great review! Glad you all had a great time.
We had the best time with Christopher. He told us some history and knowledge dude knows every plant and animal in the swamp!
Thank you for the review, Patrick!! Glad you had great time with Chris. He loves to share his passion and knowledge with everyone that comes out. Come back anytime!
We had the BEST time! Guide is friendly, knowlegable and the time frame was perfect! We saw gators and even a mama with tiny babies!
Thank you for the review!! What a treat to see a mama and her baby!! Thanks for coming out with us and we hope to see you all soon!
First time to kayak in this area. Enjoyed it and Chris is good guide. Tested skill of avoiding mangrove roots and branches in tunnels. Got stabbed by one. Only challenge was being eaten by mosquitoes in parking point. Didn't see alot of wildlife. But recommend this tour!
Chris was our guide. He was so knowledgeable about the plants, birds, alligators and fish. It was great to learn about the eco system we were kayaking through. He had great energy, eased any concerns we had and made the trip so great. His goal was to teach us how to love and appreciate the area like he does. He succeeded!!!
We had a fantastic tour with our guide, Chris. He was so knowledgeable and passionate about the plants, animals and ecosystems, and also flexible, kind and entertaining when kayaking with kids. Chris reassured us of our safety and really made us feel comfortable out in the waters that was teeming with wildlife!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a fantastic tour with Chris! He loves to share his passion and knowledge with everyone that comes out!
There were three of us and we had requested individual kayaks, which your site stated they were, however, when we met Chris he said I have an order for one single and one double. We explained we were all expecting our own kayak and he had enough kayaks on the trailer to accommodate our request, however, he kind of ignored the fact that we told him we were expecting that and pulled off a two person and a single. Chris was a very good guide, but we really were not happy with that situation.
Glad to hear you had a great time with Chris. Sorry that you were unable to receive the kayaks you had requested. All of the double kayaks can be adjusted to a single kayak. We are sorry for the inconvenience.
It’s about 2 hours of actual kayaking. Alligators are not there usually which we were hoping to see. Water too salty. Saw an otter and lots of birds. Pretty out there and guidexwas great.
Christopher was an excellent guide. Friendly, knowledgeable, and entertainng.
This was an exceptional experience. We were lucky with the weather, admittedly, but bright blue skies and pleasant temperatures are what Florida is known for in January. We saw alligators up close (as in, perhaps 10 feet away), great blue herons, egrets, little blue herons, a snake, and plenty more. Our kids (aged 9 and 13) had a great time doing "monkey bars" on the mangroves to help propel the kayak along in the parts where the river was more closed in by the trees. The trip takes places on the Turner River Paddling Trail, which is slightly to the north east of Everglades City. It was almost exactly 3 hours long, and we had 3 other two person kayaks with us. Our guide had completed the Florida Master Naturalist program, and gave excellent, age-appropriate answers to our (and our kids') questions. One of my favorite parts was a discussion of two co-habiting trees - one was a tropical tree, at the northern edge of its range; the other found in temperate climates, and the very southern edge of its range. The two trees together hosted several other plants on their branches. All in all, educational, peaceful, relaxing and fun. It certainly felt more in tune with nature than an air boat ride, which are loud and fast.
