The Best Florida Everglades Tours

Among the captivating destinations in Greater Miami and Miami Beach is the Everglades, known worldwide for its unspoiled beauty, tropical scenery and rare landscapes. There’s much to see and do throughout the area, especially in Everglades National Park. Explore this vast natural wonderland on a guided tour. As the first national park created for its biodiversity, the site’s 1.5 million acres of wetland and forest is rich in wildlife.

Whether touring the Florida Everglades by water or land, you get an up-close view of the native plants and animals that inhabit this unique ecosystem – from alligator sightings on an airboat ride to birds nesting and foraging in a tropical hardwood hammock.

Airboat Tours

Taking an Everglades airboat tour is an excursion steeped in the area’s history. The use of airboats first started because of challenges navigating the shallow, slow-moving waterways of the “River of Grass” – the name coined by writer and Everglades conservationist Marjory Stoneman Douglas to describe the sawgrass marshes. Even before Douglas, the Native Americans who lived there called it “Pa-hay-Okee,” which translates to “grassy waters.”

Given the popularity of Everglades airboat tours, there are many tour operators to consider. If your visit to Everglades National Park includes time at Shark Valley, there are several on the same stretch of road to the Shark Valley Visitor Center:

• Coopertown Everglades Airboat Tour & Restaurant
• Miccosukee Indian Village and Airboat Rides
• Everglades Safari Park
• Gator Park
• Everglades Airboat Tours Miami
• Everglades Alligator Farm, which is near the entrance by the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center

One thing is certain with all of them – all you need to do is sit back, enjoy the scenic ride and get ready to see alligators and other wildlife in their own habitat. Once you’re back on land, the fun continues with interactive alligator activities and exhibits. And if you’re interested in an even more unforgettable airboat adventure, Everglades Airboat Tours Miami offers private sunset tours. 

Shark Valley Guided Tours

Shark Valley, located in heart of the Everglades freshwater marsh, gives visitors a strong sense of the natural diversity present throughout Everglades National Park. While there aren’t any sharks (its name comes from its proximity to the Shark River Slough) there is an abundance of other animals you will see, such as alligators, turtles, deer, egrets and herons.

An ideal way to explore Shark Valley is the 2-hour tram tour led by one of the park’s trained naturalists. This 15-mile, paved-loop eco tour in an open vehicle allows opportunities to see wildlife on either side of the tram. Once the tour reaches its halfway point, it stops at the 70-foot-tall Shark Valley Observation Tower, where at the top (ascended by a gradual ramp), there are panoramic views for 20 miles in all directions.

Flamingo Marina Boat Tours

Along with the “River of Grass,” there are countless waterways to tour in the Everglades by boat, canoe or kayak. At Flamingo Adventures, there’s the Backcountry Boat Tour, a 90-minute catamaran cruise up the Buttonwood Canal through Coot Bay and Tarpon Creek into Whitewater Bay. The knowledgeable guides share educational information on the Everglades backcountry as you watch dolphins and manatees while taking in the views. Flamingo Adventures also offers the Florida Bay Boat Tour (seasonally from November to April), as well as canoeing and kayaking. 

Kayaking, Birding and Photography Tours

For a guided kayak tour, check out Everglades Adventure Tours. The personalized private tours are led by local naturalists who share insights into the Everglades ecosystem as you paddle through mangroves and cypresses. Tailor-made, guided photography tours are available through Everglades Adventure Tours, as well, with particular attention paid to the pace needed for the wildlife sightings you want to capture.

Small group and private tours for birding and photography are available at Everglades Area Tours, too. The tours are headed by Florida Master Naturalists and can be taken by boat or kayak. No matter your choice, just don’t forget your camera (and its backup battery) as these tours are sure to give you plenty of opportunities to use it.

Guided Tour of Royal Palm, Nike Missile Site and More

The Everglades National Park Institute’s Everglades Experience is its most popular program. The guided tour, conducted by one of the institute’s naturalists in an air-conditioned passenger van, takes you to the Royal Palm District, where you walk amidst the surrounding nature and learn more about its significance in the park’s history and conservation efforts.

The tour continues to the Nike Hercules Missile Site, a former Cold War air defense site that remains nearly the same as it was in 1979 when its official use ended. A stop at the Pa-hay-Okee Overlook with expansive views of the “River of Grass” concludes the tour.

If you’re looking for a more adventurous experience, think about the Institute’s Florida Bay Eco Adventure. This small-group tour, under the guidance of a USCG licensed captain (who is also an Institute Naturalist), is part powerboat and part kayak. The experience concludes with a walk on the pristine beach at remote Cape Sable on the southwestern tip of the Florida mainland before returning to its starting point.