5 tours · pickup included
The southwest coast has its own Everglades. East of Fort Myers and Naples the land rises into Corkscrew Marsh and the Western Everglades, then flattens into the pond apple swamps and cypress stands that feed the Ten Thousand Islands. Our southwest departures collect you at Perkins on Tamiami Trail in Fort Myers, at Embassy Suites in Estero, at the Target on Tarpon Bay Blvd in Naples and at the Hampton Inn Fort Myers Beach/Sanibel Gateway.
The full-day safari walks the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, cruises the mangrove islands inside Everglades National Park on a small boat, visits the 1906 Smallwood’s Store Museum, eats lunch in Everglades City and spends an hour on the airboat where the alligator density is among the highest in Florida.
Families with young children take Captain Bob’s Excellent Adventure, a five-hour morning of airboat and reptiles that welcomes every age. And if you are driving yourself, the Western Everglades Adventure meets at the Corkscrew Marsh trailhead in Immokalee for a four-hour walk, reptile presentation and airboat ride on Lake Trafford.
Every tour on this page is run by our own naturalist guides in our own air-conditioned vans, with a maximum of 13 guests. Pickup and drop-off are part of the tour and included in the price. The day safari runs about nine hours; Captain Bob’s runs about five. The airboat, the boat cruise and the reptile presentation are led by guides who work these waters every week — not seasonal staff reading a script.
If you are staying on Sanibel or Captiva, the Hampton Inn Fort Myers Beach/Sanibel Gateway is the usual pickup point, with free parking if you are driving in. Guests staying in Fort Myers, Estero, Bonita Springs or Naples can often be collected directly at their hotel when they book a private tour.
The tours
Fort Myers & Naples
From Fort Myers we go west, not east: a walk on the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, a small-boat cruise inside Everglades National Park, lunch in Everglades City, the 1906 Smallwood’s Store and an hour on the airboat in the Western Everglades..
Fort Myers & Naples
Leave Naples at 8 a.m.
Fort Myers & Naples
A five-hour morning from Fort Myers for families: an airboat ride through the pond apple swamps of the Western Everglades and a hands-on reptile presentation with snakes and alligators..
Fort Myers & Naples
Five hours out of Naples with a biologist driving and guiding: an airboat ride through the Western Everglades and an up-close reptile presentation.
Fort Myers & Naples
Meet your biologist at the Corkscrew Marsh trailhead and walk the headwaters of the Western Everglades, then drive to Lake Trafford Marina for a reptile presentation and an airboat ride.
Guest reviews
★★★★★
“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
★★★★★
“Outstanding day with Ben! He was loaded with knowledge for the entire day. Alligators, birds, ecosystems — Ben even had a bird checklist of 70 different varieties. We found 28 of those on the list.”
Rhicksjr83 · TripAdvisor
★★★★★
“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
Reviews are published as guests wrote them. Read more on TripAdvisor and Yelp.
Pick a date, tell us where you are staying, and your guide will be at the door.
