everglades

[claremarie]

Hi everone new to this site. Just wondering if anyone has any views on a trip to the everglades for the day as will be travelling to DW on May 15th for to weeks with husband 9yr daughter and inlaws

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

The Everglades are well worth a trip, whatever time you can spare, but would seriously consider stopping overnight down there. Perhaps combine with a beach trip - Naples or Marco are only 30 mins away from the Everglades. It's about 4 hrs each way from Orlando to the Everglades - all on main interstates so the journey although a bit boring is not difficult.

 

[steve404]

Following on from this thread, we intend to take an overnight stay in Naples and do the beach at Sanibel before heading over to the Everglades early morning for an airboat ride.

How many different companies provide the airboat trip on the Everglades and secondly, which are the best??

Thanks in advance,

Steve..............

 

[Found Nemo]

Plenty of companies offer the trips- if you've booked through a tour operator they nearly all sell this as an excursion from Orlando.

 

[steve404]

Thanks Nemo,
We are going 'solo' as it were, so I am just touting opinions as to where the best experience of airboat rides can be found.

Steve............

 

[yourwelcome]

Hello all,

Hope the following link helps in your efforts.

www.nps.gov/ever/index.htm

I think you will find that airboat rides are prohibited within the park so you will have to use one of the companies operating outside. If I can remember correctly the one we used was called Flamingo tours?

Make sure you have plenty of cream and repelent on. However don,t let that put you off, it is a great thrill.

It is good to drive across aligator alley as well and count the "gators" We drove across during the day and got talking about the possibility of breaking down of a night. Even though the whole of the road is fenced off it would scare the pants off you!

Enjoy!

BRIAN

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

We've used three different airboat companies, unfortunately the only one whose name I can remember - and they were very good - was Speedy Johnsons.

You can pickup leaflets and all the tourist info stuff down there has loads of info on airboat rides. We actually found one last year just by driving around, but you won't have the time for that.

Have no probs in recommending Speedy Johnsons and it was quite easy to find from the map we were given - central location (if there's any such thing in the amazing Everglades).

There are all sorts of different type tours you can pick up down there - airboat, combination of airboat and safari jeep, small planes and so on.

Speedy Johnson's found us loads of gators, racoons, even wild boar and ostriches