10,000 Islands Boat Ride: Biologist-Led Everglades Exploration

5 Ratings

Naples

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Embark on a biologist-led Everglades exploration with Wild Lime Adventures. Discover the 10,000 Islands, encounter dolphins, manatees, and endangered species, and explore remote islands. Book now!

Duration: 5 hours, 30 minutes

Cancellation: 1 day learn more

Highlights

Marco Island - After pick up at your location we will drive East and soon enter the wild areas of the Wesgtern Everglades
Naples - We pick up at many of the hotels in the Naples area.
Oasis Visitor Center - This is great area to see large alligators, turtles, fish, birds and more! This stop serves as an orientation to the ecosystems that make up Big Cypress National Preserve (the western Everglades). Your experienced naturalist guide will enjoy helping you identify all of the species of wildife you will see here!
Kirby Storter Roadside Park - Walk with your master naturalist guide from a prairie habitat out to a gator hole in a cypress canopy dome forest. This cypress swamp ecosystem will amaze. There is always the chance to see all kinds of wildlife near the gator hole there! On this dry trail, learn with your guide about the breathtakingly beautiful flora of the region, and what makes the biodiversity of this region so spectacular.
Everglades National Park - You will enjoy this boat trip through the mysterious maze of the 10,000 mangrove islands part of Everglades National Park. Your guide will identify the variety of birds and other animals. Keep a watchful eye out for wild dolphins and mantaees. Learn the fascinating history of the people who have lived in this regions for thousands of years.
Big Cypress National Preserve - Learn about the 5 different ecosystems of Big Cypress National Preserve on a scenic, narrated driving tour led by your experienced naturalist. Stop in at Nathaniel Reed Visitor Center. Take a walk out back, with the chance to spot manatees! Get your National Park and National Preserve stamps here, or any other souvenir you might like.
Everglades City - Enjoy a scenic, narrated driving tour of this special Old Florida town. With its fascinating history, colorful characters, and unique placement as the ultimate frontier town of the true Glades, it’s a great place to tour and visit!
Smallwood Store - Step back in time when entering this preserved trading post, listed on the National Regsitry of Historic Places. Understand why the counters are angled outwards, and how this place once served as a chief place of trade between the Seminoles and the first non-Native people living in the area. Look out into the 10,000 Islands from the balcony to understand its important location for the history of the region.
Chokoloskee - Embark on a 75-80 minute boat trip through the pristine 10,000 islands region of Everglades National Park. We are one of only a few select tour providers who hold permits to go into the actual national park. Our tours are led by very knowledgeable guides who are expert in finding the wildlife! This boat trip is co-led by our multi-generational boat captain / guides, who know the region like the back of their hands. This is your chance to possibly have dolphins jump with the boat; and to see manatees! There is an amazing array of birds out there amidst the bird rookeries we wil pass near. We will most likely get an opportunity to get off and explore an island out there in this remote region.

What's Included

Bottled water
Snacks
Nice Wild Lime water bottles for guests to keep

What's Not Included

Gratuities
Lunch

Additional Information

Visit two national parks in a half day! Experience the remote estuary ecosystem of Everglades National Park and see dolphins near our boat! There is always the chance to spot manatees, critically endangered sawtooth fish and sharks. This is a birding hot spot and you may see roseate spoonbills and white pelicans. Get off on a remote island to explore while listening to the fascinating lore of the Old Everglades from your multi-generational captain guide. We will visit an historic trading post. This trip combines this saltwater region with the fresh water swamps of Big Cypress. Our tours are led by experienced biologist/naturalist guides. Our specialty is seeing wildlife where it should be experienced, in the wild! Never to places with animals in cages and pens. This tour combines history and ecology. See why we are so passionate about what we do! WILD LIME ADVENTURES IS THE ONLY COMPANY TO HOLD SPECIAL PERMITS TO GUIDE TOURS IN EVERGLADES, BIG CYPRESS AND DRY TORTUGAS NATIONAL PARKS.

Location

6650 Collier Blvd

Collier Boulevard

We will meet and pick you up at the Walmart near the intersection of Collier Blvd. and the Tamiami Trail (also known as US41) - at 6650 Collier Blvd, in Naples.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

5.0

(5 Ratings)

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Joseph_d

Mar 23, 2024

Western Everglades Tour - Our guide Abigail was a marine biologist and very definitely a people person. She was a wonderful knowledgeable guide . We enjoyed our day with her and we learned a lot about the diverse ecosystems of the Everglades. Highly recommended . Our tour entered from the west. We would like to do a tour from the east entrance someday..

Review provided by Viator

Timothy_b

Mar 1, 2024

Great hiking and boating trip in the Everglades. - The trip with our guide, Abigail was fantastic. She was friendly, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable on the full range of Everglade topics. Our boat ride was also great as several dolphins played in the wake of the boat right next to us. Take this trip, you will enjoy it.

Review provided by Viator

Michele_e

Feb 27, 2024

We learned SO much, and I think we'll remember it because what we were learning about was right in front of us. - I (Kami Day) really think everything was equally memorable. Michele and I have wanted to visit 10 Thousand Islands and the Everglades every since we read Shadow Country by Peter Mathiesson. We loved riding around among the islands, seeing the mangroves and birds, playing with the dolphins (very fun!); seeing the alligators and more birds (especially the wood stork) at the visitors' center; our walk through a bit of Big Cypress. We have continued to talk about all we learned about the trees, plants, prescribed burn, environment, etc. etc. I thought there was an awful lot of driving, and I wondered if Abigail was maybe overloading us with information, but we loved her enthusiasm and expertise and we have found we remember so much of what she taught us. We were fortunate to have a tour guide with so much expertise and knowledge. I cannot stop thinking about the Everglades as a slow-flowing river, about Lake Okeechobee and the fact that it should be able to empty freely into that river. The way I think about the Everglades is forever changed. I hope we get to take an airboat tour someday.

Review provided by Viator

Barbara_b

Dec 30, 2023

Great trip! - This was a great excursion to see the 10,000 islands in the Everglades. Our guide, Abigail, was very attentive and knowledgeable. She was a gem! The boat ride was great and throughout the trip we saw lots of wildlife. Highly recommend this trip.

Review provided by Viator

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