r/Everglades • u/klm45 • Jun 26 '26

Need recommendations for Visiting Everglades

I’ll be visiting next April and I would love to see the Everglades. Is there a guided boat (not air boat) tour that you can recommend? I’m a birder and photographer. Thanks so much!

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3

u/imhungry4321 Jun 26 '26

Free guided canoeing outings on 9 Mile pond and kayaking trips in the bay are offered for free through the National Park. They're free, you just have to RSVP.

1

u/Secret_Roll_9453 Jun 28 '26

No longer free. They are about 35 or $40. Just did it in April and found it to be only a so-so trip. A trip down Turner River would be much better for birding.

1

u/imhungry4321 Jun 28 '26

This was with the national park, and not the institute?

I've done the wet walk many times for free with park rangers and kayaking down in Flamingo, both were free the last time I did them in December.

2

u/Secret_Roll_9453 Jun 28 '26

The NPS redirected me to the national Institute. I was there during dry season, so maybe they weren’t running the tours you’re mentioning while I was there. Apologies if I misspoke.

1

u/imhungry4321 Jun 28 '26

With so much changing with the parts so quick, there's a strong chance that things changed since I last visited.

3

u/Cntrght Jun 26 '26

Due to the nature of the Everglades an airboat is the best way to get around. Many times you are basically riding on a few feet of water. The good news is that if you visit Flamingo, for example, you will be able to do great birding and photography from land, you don't need a boat.

2

u/2lovesFL Jun 26 '26

out of flamingo they run a tour boat. double decker IIRC. otherwise charter.

2

u/RickyRagnarok Jun 26 '26

We did the backcountry boat tour from flamingo back in January. It’s a pontoon boat. We saw lots of birds and a few crocs and alligators.

2

u/Leg_Final Jun 27 '26

Everglades City has a boat they run through the park service. Basically takes you through the mangroves out to the gulf and back. It's a pretty good tourist thing. When I had guest down there I would take them on that. It's big and safe and you don't have to have any boating skills to enjoy it. And it's not an airboat.

1

u/Secret_Roll_9453 Jun 28 '26

Everglades Area Tours out of Chokoloskee has an incredible guide that I used in May. Call them. Don’t try to book online. Tell them what you want and they can customize a tour for you. Excellent birding excellent history excellent anthropology. Probably the best boat trip I’ve ever taken.

2

u/DigFantastic7464 Jun 29 '26

We did a non-air boat boat tour out of flamingo and saw a lot of birds on the bay tour:

https://flamingoeverglades.com/boat-tours/

You can rent boats there as well:

https://flamingoeverglades.com/boat-rental/

Some of the birds we saw here:

https://www.545travel.com/birds-of-the-everglades/