Manatee Snorkeling Adventure Tour with Lunch & Hotel Pickup
Description
Come and enjoy the real Florida! Get up-close with the gentle manatee and see the beauty of Crystal River as you explore the Homosassa State Wildlife Park. The tour heads up to Crystal River where you can snorkel or swim in the rivers where wild manatees live. It's an early morning departure, so bring breakfast snacks to eat during the journey. Following a safety briefing and collecting your mask, snorkel & fins (wetsuit hire is $15 and required for swimmers) you board the boat. When manatees are spotted you can get into the river for great photos. If you prefer, you can opt to simply enjoy the boat ride while enjoying nature. In the afternoon explore Homosassa State Park. The park is home to many species of rescued native wildlife. If you purchase the Florida Adventure Tour fully inclusive option, you will also ride a Wild Airboat Ride on a river to spot the alligators and nature and enjoy a picnic lunch.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The boat will drive into the wildlife refuge where you will hope to see wild manatees on the river.
Upon arrival at the picturesque Crystal River, you will enjoy a fabulous narrated boat tour. You will be provided masks, snorkels & fins, and encouraged to swim alongside these friendly creatures under the guidance of certified dive masters. The manatees are endangered and have come to the Florida springs year-round to find shelter and food. In the winter months the manatee population can reach several hundred and during summer, the average count is 80. They are "gentle giants" and have no teeth. After your cruise, you head to Homosassa State Wildlife Park, famous throughout Florida for the rehabilitation of injured animals. It is here you’ll have the chance to see the current manatee residents at the park during an informative and entertaining feeding session with one of the park rangers. You’ll also see bears, panthers, alligators and even a hippo as you explore the rest of the park. Roundtrip transport from the Orlando area and a knowledgeable driver-guide is also included.
We will visit the State Park at Homosassa. You will walk around the State Park and see the animals and view the manatees in the underwater viewing chamber at this hospital facility for injured manatees. There is also a cafe at the park so you could purchase lunch here if you wish, or if you prefer to pack yourself a picnic they do have picnic tables you can use inside the park.
If the 'Manatee Swim, Park & Airboat' package is reserved then a 30 minute airboat ride on the Withlacoochee River will be included.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- A small amount of walking is involved at your leisure through the State Park
Reviews(264)
An amazing experience, we were lucky to see 2 manatees during our swim, onto the wildlife park where we saw more manatees close up. The airboat was amazing, we saw lots of wildlife during our trip. My only criticism was our guide talked non stop about himself all day and made it known that he wanted to get home so the day felt very rushed.
We took the 4th July trip to Crystal River & Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park tour with Gray Line Orlando, and despite heavy rain and electrical storms from mid-morning, it turned out to be a fantastic day thanks to our guide, Adam. The swim itself was limited by lack of manatees at this time of year, and the need to get out the water with the lighting overhead, however Gina & Cpt Michael made sure we managed to get one great manatee sighting in during our experience. Rather than letting the weather ruin the trip, Adam went above and beyond to keep the group entertained. He organised a great lunch from Publix, took us on an impromptu local tour, stopped at Monkey Island for drinks and ice cream, and even used AI to share the history and stories of the area while we waited for the weather to improve. Once the storms passed, we were still able to visit the wildlife sanctuary. Throughout the day, Adam's enthusiasm, knowledge and genuine care for the group made all the difference. He kept everyone engaged, informed and connected from pick-up to drop-off. Adam is a real credit to Gray Line Orlando. We have another tour booked next week and are hoping he's our guide again. Highly recommended!
We had Adam Rubman as our tour guide and he was amazing! He really had the knowledge of the day and made us laugh and smile all day We just had a spectacualr experience Thanks Adam
Great Tour with Gary, Gina and Will. Swam with a baby manatee and its mum, had a lovely lunch provided at an additional park not paid for, visited the beautiful state park, and topped it off with holding a manatee!
The manatee tour and snorkeling adventure was wonderful! The tour guide Adam was really engaging and throurough when it came to including everyone and being patient. The wonderful ladies directing the snorkeling adventure were very knowledgeable and good in guiding us to the right spots to find a manatee. Lastly the park was fascinating and also informative on the local species along with an unforgettable experience with a fat rat and with 2 king rat snakes!
This tour was so fun! The price was definitely worth it since you are out for an entire day from around 7 AM to 6 PM. The hotel pickup was super convenient. I went as a solo female traveller and did not feel unsafe or uneasy at all. Snorkeling with the manatees was so fun and we got right up close and see them, plus swim in the freshwater spring in the lake where we were. The wildlife preserve was also awesome although the visit was a little long since you can probably see the whole thing in around an hour. We saw more manatees and a bunch of other wildlife. The airboat tour was incredible, so much fun and the scenery was beautiful. If you have a child who really wants to see alligators this is the place. We saw so many as well as some cool birds and just seeing the river was really enjoyable. Plus we got off and walked around in a freshwater spring. Then after we got to hold a baby alligator at the gift shop. Great experience and I would 100% do again! The included lunch was also a great bonus.
Gary was an amazing guide very knowledgeable and helpful would 100% recommend this trip would do it again
It was perfect, I reccomend it
Brian was awesome!!! A memory everyone will remember for a lifetime!!! Swam next to and around the manatees!!! Birds Underwater is the best!!!! Now addicted to snorkeling and manatees!!!
Great tour, everyone is so friendly, kids had so much fun seeing the Manatee and snorkeling
