Everglades Tours
Deep in the Everglades
Private Everglades Tours
Half-Day Everglades Tour (5 hours) Warning! The Half Day tour has not been up to my standards this late September. Give it a few months to improve.
- Airboat ride to a Miccosukee tree island—an extended and more immersive experience compared to typical airboat tours with animal shows.
- Stops in Big Cypress Preserve, where wildlife sightings increase dramatically.
All-Day Everglades (8-10 hours). Is the Half Day plus
- 90+ minute boat ride thru the Ten Thousand Islands. The highlight of the day.
- 30+ minutes deeper into the Everglades
- Stone crab lunch at the fish docks until May 1st
- A visit to Fakahatchee State Park for birdwatching, a boardwalk experience, and manatee sightings, especially good from November to January.
We offer reasonably priced private tours with a minimum of 4 people. We go deep into the Everglades with both an airboat on the Miccosukee reservation and a boat ride thru the Ten Thousand Islands on our All Day 8-10 hour Everglades tour.
We offer dawn patrol and sunset tours bc that means the most wildlife. It’s all about timing the tides and the weather. Warning! Strong SW and NW winds make conditions less than ideal. I always know 3-5 days beforehand and advise guests of their options. I don't like going if I do not expect at least a 7 out of 10.
Parks We Visit:
- Everglades National Park
- Big Cypress National Preserve
- Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge
- Fakahatchee State Park (time permitting)
- Miccosukee Reservation
Explore the Beauty of the Everglades With Us
Embark on a 90-minute boat ride through the Ten Thousand Islands to the Gulf of Mexico. This journey is always a highlight of the day. For the best wildlife viewing, check the tide table to plan your trip. All boat captains have 5 to 6 generations of local history.
On your tour, you may encounter:
- Dolphins
- Manatees (mostly November-April)
- White Pelicans (October-March)
- Rays
- Land and Sea Turtles
- Roseate Spoonbills
- A wide variety of wading and songbirds
- 2,000-3,000 year-old Calusa shell mounds
- Rare Sawfish
Experience a 45 minute airboat ride to a Miccosukee Tree Island, where the Miccosukee tribe lived for generations, evading the US Army. This tour highlights the unique history of the unconquered Miccosukee tribe while searching for alligators hiding in the sawgrass.
The tree island does have one resident alligator named "Mama". that often greets the airboats.
Miami Native Tours chose the Miccosukee reservation for our airboat ride because of our respect for the Miccosukee and the fact we find alligators and other wildlife in their natural environment.
Airboat to a Miccosukee Tree Island
Baby Gators and their nests
We especially love baby gators.
Our airboat pilots are specialists in finding the nests with mama gator watching over her younglings.
We also can find baby gators in Big Cypress National Preserve, like the picture on the left.
A Mild Boardwalk Hike
Embark on a 30-minute hike through diverse ecological communities, culminating in a stunning cypress canopy. Enjoy the chance to observe various epiphytes and orchids along the way.
This location is an excellent spot for birdwatching: wading birds and raptors in the fall, and songbirds throughout the year.
Depending on water levels and migration patterns, several stops for observing alligators and birds in Big Cypress and Fakahatchee are available. You may see dozens of alligators in the summer and hundreds in the winter.
We typically include a visit to the Clyde Butcher Photo Gallery, renowned as the Ansel Adams of Florida. The gallery features a cypress swamp trail behind it.
We don't do animal shows, unless your kids will cry.
If your ideal Everglades trip is you and your family taking a selfie while holding a baby alligator with its mouth taped shut, I am not the guide you need.
Whether on the airboat ride or in our gator spots in Big Cypress National Preserve, we always want to show you alligators in their natural environment.
White Pelicans from October thru March
White Pelicans migrate down to the Ten Thousand Islands from Canada and Minnesota beginning in March and stick around thru March. They congregate on sandbars in massive numbers, especially on low tides.
White Pelicans are the largest birds in North America after Condors.
Exclusive Add-Ons and Customizations
- Dawn Patrol: Early morning boat ride on the Gulf
- Sunset Boat Ride: Enjoy a scenic sunset cruise on the Gulf
- Private Airboat Ride: Upgrade to a private airboat experience
- Extended Boat Ride: Additional time on the boat ride through the Ten Thousand Islands
- Swamp Walks: Guided swamp walks with a BICY permit
- Canoe or Kayak: Explore with a guide in a canoe or kayak
- Extra Time for Photography and Birdwatching: Extended time for photographers and birdwatchers
