Five Scenic Everglades Airboat Tours Near Miami

No trip to Miami is complete without spending a day in the Everglades. Home to the largest mangrove ecosystem in the western hemisphere, as well as 13 endangered and 10 threatened species, this expaensive wetland is unlike any other. 

For visitors and locals alike, one of the most popular ways to explore the Everglades is by airboat. These vessels are designed to skim across the top of waterways. Once you’re onboard, you're likely spot alligators, snakes, turtles and birds in the bustling environment around you.

Here are five Everglades airboat tours, ranging from group adventures that will thrill the whole family to private, intimate sunset or sunrise tours with your loved one.

1. Miccosukee Indian Village & Airboats

Miccosukee Airboats takes you on a journey across the “River of Grass,” a name first given to the Everglades by Marjory Stoneman Douglas back in 1947, to view the expansive variety of reptiles, birds and fish that call this part of Miami home. 

The Miccosukee Airboats’ most popular tour includes a 40-minute airboat ride, 30-minute alligator show (plus an opportunity to hold a baby alligator) and a 20-minute window to explore the on-site history museum. Each tour is led by a native tribal guide who educates visitors on the ecology and Iindigenous culture of the Florida Everglades. 

Private and airboat-only tours are also available.

2. Coopertown Original Airboat Tours

Coopertown itself is home to only eight residents, but since 1945, visitors have been coming to this area to embark on airboat tours through the expansive Everglades with professional guides. Coopertown Original Airboat Tours nine-mile tour takes you on a 40-minute ride into the Everglades National Park, where you’ll have the chance to see alligators, the endangered Everglade snail kite and the colorful purple gallinule. 

After your Miami boat tour, make your way to Coopertown Restaurant for a taste of Southern-style cooking and sample some local frog legs, gator tail and catfish. 

Private tours are also available.

3. Everglades Alligator Farm

If you’re traveling with the family and want to make a day out of your adventure into the Everglades, head to the Everglades Alligator Farm. Your entrance ticket includes a 20- to 25-minute airboat tour across the grassy, flooded plains that make up the River of Grass. Once out on the airboat with your group, you’ll have the chance to see a variety of fish, turtles, birds and, of course, alligators.

Your ticket also grants you access to live feeding and handling shows, as well as admission to the farm where baby alligators are bred. At the feeding show, watch as more than 300 hungry alligators descend upon their meal in a frenzy. At the alligator handling show witness how expert handlers use Indigenous capturing techniques to safely manage these massive creatures. 

With the entrance located near Everglades National Park, it’s easy to combine a stop here on a road trip to Key Largo or Key West.

4. Everglades Airboat Tours

Everglades Airboat Tours Miami is a family-owned and locally operated Everglades tour company located west on Tamiami Trail. While they provide hour-long group tours for visitors of all ages, they specialize in curating private airboat tours for nature enthusiasts.

These expeditions require a minimum of two people and range from one to two hours long. Once you’re onboard, you'll explore the beautiful and remote landscape of the Everglades. While you glide across the water, a certified captain will point out alligators and other wetland animals in their natural habitat, so you can easily spot them, too. 

If you’re looking for an extra special way to explore the Everglades, this company also offers sunset boat tours in Miami, so you can experience the beautiful Everglades at dusk. This romantic ride is especially great for couples. Sit back with your loved one and glide move over the grassy water while taking in golden hour from the only subtropical nature preserve in North America.

5. Everglades Airboat Expeditions

Get out on the water before most people get have gotten out of bed by booking a sunrise tour with Everglades Airboat Expeditions. This tour is best for early risers and nature enthusiasts who want to explore the River of Grass at one of the quietest parts of the day.

These seasonal expeditions depart 20 minutes before sunrise, so you can catch the early morning rays peek up over the horizon while you skim across the water.

Tours range from one to two hours and cover between 15 and 20 miles, giving you ample opportunities to spot the different types of animals that call the Everglades home.

If you’d rather explore the area later in the day, private, semi-private and seasonal sunset tours are also available.