Leave Miami, come back different
An air-conditioned van collects you at the Dolphin Mall at 8:15 a.m. and heads west into Big Cypress and Everglades National Park. Airboat, wildlife drive, cypress walk, lunch in Everglades City and a mangrove cruise — back in Miami by 5:15 p.m.
Miami is an hour from the edge of the Everglades and most visitors never make it past the airboat docks on the Tamiami Trail. This tour takes the long way: west past the last suburbs, into the 720,000-acre cypress swamp of Big Cypress National Preserve, then south to Everglades City for lunch and a small-boat cruise into the Ten Thousand Islands inside Everglades National Park.
Travelling with a group of two to twelve? You can book the whole van and guide as a private day safari for $2,700 per group from West Miami. That means your own pace, your own stops and a naturalist who answers to your group only. Call (239) 472-1559 to arrange a private departure from your hotel.
Either way, the day includes the airboat ride, the wildlife drive, the cypress walk, lunch with a drink, museum admission and the mangrove cruise. Bring sunscreen, water and closed-toe shoes.
Not included: gratuities, and anything you buy at the museum gift shop or along the way.
Times are approximate — your guide will tell you the plan for the day at pickup and adjust it to the water, the weather and the wildlife.
Your naturalist collects you in the tour van. Sit back — the drive south is the first part of the tour, with commentary on what you are passing.
Out onto the sawgrass prairies and pond apple sloughs with wood storks, great egrets and great blue herons working the shallows.
Slow miles through Big Cypress National Preserve, a 720,000-acre swamp forest. We stop where the wildlife is.
A guided walk among old-growth bald cypress, with stops at the Oasis Visitor Center or the Clyde Butcher Gallery when the day allows.
A sit-down lunch in the old stone crab capital of Florida, with a drink and a menu that covers seafood, burgers and vegetarian dishes.
The 1906 trading post on the Barron River, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Admission is included.
A quiet six-passenger Carolina Skiff into the Ten Thousand Islands in Everglades National Park — dolphins, manatees and shorebirds if they are willing.
We drop you at the door we collected you from.
Pickup is part of the tour and is required — we do not run self-drive tours from the east coast. Your naturalist collects you, drives the day and brings you back to the same door.
Travellers who want the whole Everglades in one day, with someone else doing the driving. Best for ages six and up, for couples, and for families whose children can manage an easy mile on foot.
★★★★★
“We took this tour on our honeymoon, and it was one of our more memorable experiences! The tour guide was absolutely the best there is. We visited so many wonderful locations you would never know were there unless you lived here. My wife and I learned a lot. We’re really glad we took this trip, and highly recommend it for anyone else who enjoys nature.”
Nathan G. · TripAdvisor
★★★★★
“We planned to just venture through the park on our own but decided to book a tour instead. So happy we did. Pete, our guide, was a wealth of knowledge and so passionate about this unique habitat. It was also very convenient and professional. Rather than just ‘look’ at the Everglades, I felt like we got to ‘experience’ the Everglades. Book with confidence.”
Danya J., Lenexa, Kansas · Yelp
Before you book
Plan on about nine hours from pickup to drop-off, roughly 7:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. from Fort Lauderdale and 8:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. from Miami, including transport. From Fort Myers the day runs 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; from Naples and Estero, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Yes. Lunch in Everglades City and a drink are included, with seafood, burgers, sandwiches and vegetarian dishes on the menu. Tell us about allergies when you book — all food is prepared in one kitchen.
About one mile at an easy pace from Fort Lauderdale, and 1.6 miles from Fort Myers and Naples, with plenty of stops. You can walk as far as you like, as fast as you like.
Closed-toe shoes, a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, a refillable water bottle, a light layer and a camera. We carry ponchos and insect repellent.
Free cancellation when you call at least 48 hours before your pickup time. Inside 48 hours we charge $25 per person. No-shows are not refunded.
Yes — wild alligator sightings are guaranteed on the airboat. Dolphins, turtles and wading birds are common; manatees and panthers are rare and never promised.
Other tours
Fort Lauderdale & Miami
Fort Lauderdale & Miami
Fort Lauderdale & Miami
Free cancellation up to 48 hours before pickup. Reservations close at 5 p.m. the day before the tour.
