Our half-day and full-day personalized tours will start with picking you up at one of the designated locations listed on our website.  After boarding our comfortable, air-conditioned bus, we will drive you to the Everglades or the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary depending upon which tour you have chosen.

Everglades Adventure

We will first drive to a location where you will be able to take an exciting air boat ride through the red mangrove mazes which make up part of the Everglades. Keep a sharp eye out for the North American Alligator which makes the area its home. The Everglades is also home to many species of wading birds.

We will next drive to Everglades National Park and board a boat where you will be taken into the park for an exciting one and a half hour boat ride. This region is part of the largest mangrove area in the continental United States and provides habitat for manatees, dolphins, numerous species of birds, and a variety of marine life.

Lunch is also included in the Everglades Adventure. We will stop at a restaurant that originally served as the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) depot for Everglades City. The ACL railroad was also instrumental in hauling lumber out of the Everglades area during the lumbering era in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1960, the depot, which was built in the late 1920s, was used to film the movie "Winds across the Everglades" with Peter Faulk, Christopher Plummer, and Burl Ives.

You will be accompanied by a University of Florida certified Florida Master Naturalist and licensed guide.

Corkscrew Swamp Half-Day Adventure

The first portion of the tour will take you to the largest remaining sub-tropical, old growth bald cypress stands in Florida, with trees that are estimated to be 700 years old. These trees started growing during the Middle Ages, and they provide a canopy of 150 feet over the sub-tropical growth. The cypress's only other relatives are the Sequoia and Sequoiadendron genera which include the redwoods of California. The cypress branches are draped with mosses, lichens, air-plants, orchids, and ferns. You will enjoy a guided, leisurely walk through this magnificent area with a University of Florida certified Florida Master Naturalist and licensed guide.

Following our walk through Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, we will drive to an authentic Mexican-American restaurant where will relax and enjoy a delicious lunch.

Your tour price includes a souvenir guidebook of Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary so you can remember your experience in the “swamp”.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is home to numerous species of wildlife and is one of the most exceptional ecosystems in the world.  Corkscrew Swamp is considered the “crown jewel” of the National Audubon Society’s sanctuary system. After your exciting adventure, you may want to explore the Audubon Nature Store for a gift.

You will then experience an unhurried ride back to your designated location with many fond memories of your unique day.

Everglades Full-Day Adventure

Our full-day Everglades EcoTour begins with picking you up at one of our designated locations. After boarding our comfortable, air-conditioned bus, we will drive you to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

The first portion of the tour will take you to the largest remaining sub-tropical, old growth bald cypress stands in Florida, with trees that are estimated to be 700 years old. These trees started growing during the Middle Ages, and they provide a canopy of 130 feet over the sub-tropical growth. Their branches are draped with mosses, lichens, air-plants, orchids, and ferns. Be amazed at the Strangler Fig which begins in the canopy and works its way downward, winding around the cypresses. You will enjoy a guided, leisurely walk through this magnificent area with a University of Florida certified Florida Master Naturalist and licensed guide.  Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is home to numerous species of wildlife and is one of the most exceptional ecosystems in the world.  Corkscrew Swamp is considered the “crown jewel” of the National Audubon Society’s sanctuary system. After your exciting adventure, you may want to explore the Audubon Nature Store for a souvenir.

As we leave Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary and drive south, you can peer out your window and see orange groves, potato and tomato fields. This area is home to our agricultural region which supplies the nation with produce. We will next drive through the some of the area’s remaining wilderness. This drive will take you through the region which is bordered by the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, the Big Cypress National Preserve, and the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. Be sure to notice the signs along the road which warn us of Panther Crossing areas.

Our next stop will include a thrilling air boat ride which will take you through a maze of red mangroves. Alligators routinely swim through this unspoiled area. Many species of native birds and wildlife make their home in the mangroves, so be sure to keep a sharp lookout for them.

After your exciting air boat ride, we will stop for lunch at a restaurant which sits at the water’s edge in Everglades City. Here you can relax in a Spanish-style building which served as the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) depot for Everglades City. In 1960, the depot, which was built in the late 1920s, was used to film the movie "Winds across the Everglades" with Peter Faulk, Christopher Plummer, and Burl Ives. The ACL railroad was also instrumental in hauling lumber out of the Everglades area during the lumbering era during the 1930s and 1940s.

The final portion of your tour will be a leisurely boat ride into the Ten Thousand Islands area of Everglades National Park. We will search for the endangered manatee and watch ospreys hunting for their meal. Be sure to look for dolphins playing alongside the boat as we make our way through the maze of mangrove islands. This area is home to hundreds of species of birds and wildlife, so don’t forget your camera or camcorder. Be sure to bring your binoculars so you can get a close up view of the wildlife!

After your visit to Everglades National Park, you will experience an unhurried ride back to your hotel with many fond memories of your unique day.

Habitats, Wildlife, and Plants Observed

You will observe the upland habitat, the wetland habitat, and the coastal habitat.

Some unique wildlife that inhabit our area include Alligators, Lizards, Gopher Tortoises, Whitetail Deer, Black Bears, Florida Panthers, Otters, Big Cypress Fox Squirrels, Gray Squirrels, Raccoons, Manatees, Dolphins, Great Blue Herons, Ospreys, American Bald Eagles, and many others.

We hope you will come away with knowledge of how fragile our ecosystem is in Southwest Florida and how it plays an important role in our future.  Remember to “leave no tracks” so that future generations can enjoy our natural resources.

Gumbo Limbo Tree