Guided Kayak EcoTour of Beautiful Shell Key Preserve
Recommended by 95% of travellers
Badge of Excellence
St Petersburg, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
As one of the largest undeveloped barrier islands in the area, Shell Key Preserve is a must see for all nature lovers. Join this guided tour of the preserve and discover this ecosystem up close. You’ll slide into a double kayak and paddle around shallow waters offering clear views of what’s beneath. Swim in Shell Key Shoal’s beaches then kayak to the preserve. Wade through seagrass flats and through mangrove tunnels during the adventure.
- Explore the beaches of Shell Key Shoal and collect shells
- Work up a sweat paddling out to Shell Key Preserve
- Bring your phone or camera and use the waterproof bag included
- Paddle where wildlife like dolphins and manatees frequently swim
What's Included
- Sit on top kayaks and all needed equipment
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 2820 Pinellas Bayway S, Tierra Verde, FL 33715, USA
PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE EARLY. YOUR BOOKING TIME IS OUR PLANNED ARRIVAL TIME. Look for the other cars and our big pickup truck (usually a white Ford pickup truck with silver enclosed trailer) off the right side of the road in the open grassy lot area at approximately the address given.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Operating hours.10:00
Itinerary
1
Shell Key Shoal
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Shell Key Preserve
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Most travellers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 14 travellers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveller Photos
Featured review
Darrel_S
The trip was not physically difficult. We saw lots of birds and mollusks on Shell Key Preserve. We even saw some dolphins hunting near the shore. Our guide was fantastic- very knowledgeable and he made it fun.
Reviews
4.8
based on 92 reviews
Darrel_S, Mar 2026
The trip was not physically difficult. We saw lots of birds and mollusks on Shell Key Preserve. We even saw some dolphins hunting near the shore. Our guide was fantastic- very knowledgeable and he made it fun.
Karen_B, Dec 2025
Excellent - Nick is an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable on local flora and fauna. Nice easy pace for kayaking.
Lai_S, Aug 2025
Very accommodating, anyone could do it. Nick was wonderFULL, very patient and knowledgeable. This tour was not only a hit for our family visiting us, but was also a hit for our 10yro. A lot of stops. I love that he emphasized the importance of taking everything back that your brought and the importance of everything in the ecosystem.
Tania_A, Aug 2025
We didnt take the tour, the operador cancel the trip before we took it, he tell us that we will get a refund
Heather_T, Mar 2025
Our tour guide Nick was very informative and knowledgeable. He took the time to share the nature we encountered along the way. It was an amazing way to end our trip. He went out of his way to give us a great experience while keeping us on schedule for our flight.
LindaS_B, Feb 2025
We had a great time and learned a lot from Nick. The kayaking was not too hard, was good exercise and we really liked exploring on the island.
ellen_b, Nov 2024
The Monday tour was cancelled 10 min prior to starting because the preserve was still not open from the hurricane. Clearly, as no work would have been performed over the weekend, they should have known and cancelled earlier. A google search indicated the preserve was "open.". I incurred an extra night hotel stay and Uber charges both ways.
Wesley_W, Jul 2024
Great guide! Awesome seeing so much wildlife! It was a great experience. Our family had such a great time!
Susan_M, Jun 2024
Everyone had a great time. It was absolutely beautiful! Cormorants followed us the whole time and we saw dolphins up close. It was awesome. Our guide did a good job taking breaks since we had 20 to 65 year olds. It was a great experience.
Joyce_R, May 2024
I had a great day on the water with Nick. The tour was the perfect amount of time and we got to see a ton of wildlife and learn more about the areas ecosystems.
Lori_V, Mar 2024
Beautiful trip! The kayaks were comfortable, water was easy to paddle and shallow so you can see underneath easily. Nick provided interesting information about the preserve and the area in general. Launching point was easy to find as well. Mangrove tunnel at the end was so cool too! Highly recommend this adventure!!
Sarah_H, Mar 2024
Our family thoroughly enjoyed this excursion! It was about 2.5 hours and we had an amazing tour guide. He was patient and knowledgeable and made the trip fun. Shell key was beautiful. We enjoyed getting out and walking around to watch the dolphins. On the way back, we went through the mangrove. Super cool experience-highly recommend! (Our kids are 17 and 14 for reference)
Dawn_S, Mar 2024
Guide was excellent. Very knowledgeable. Tour is exactly how it is sold. Well worth the money. Beautiful & relaxing.
Ramesh_P, Jul 2023
Fun activity. You don’t need to know swimming. Good family activity to experience some of the water preserve life.
Frances_W, Jun 2023
Excellent excursion for families. We rented 2 seater kayak for teens to share and 1 seater for adults. The row out to the beach island with Nick as our knowledge, experienced guide was amazing!!! Stopped for a few breaks to make the trip manageable for all and allow participants to catch up. Frequent and enjoyable talks about wildlife and ecosystem. Saw interesting birds and sea creatures. Not a lot of shell yet nonetheless super cool adventure for a reasonable price and time commitment.
Must Bring Items: snacks, water, sunscreen, sunglasses/hat, bug repellent (tour thru brush and or bathroom breaks, trust me!)
Beth_M, Jun 2023
We saw a harmless shark, a family of dolphins and some really cool fighting conchs. Great experience, but you'll definitely get a workout.
Jack_M, Jun 2023
The scenery was great, leisurely activitie, & good guide who was very knowledgeable & friendly. The only disappointment was no manatees but that was our fault for not booking at the right time of the year
Jennifer_N, Jun 2023
Had a great time! 3 hours of kayaking and Shell Key. Nina and Kenny were our guides. They were very knowledgeable. Would definitely do again
Anonymous, May 2023
Nick and Mark were great guides and very informative. The trip was fun and relaxing. We even saw dolphins that decided to play around us while we floated. Wonderful time!
Francie_S, Apr 2023
It was a great tour! Nick was awesome! He is very knowledgeable of the area, wildlife, environment, & shared interesting information. He was very attentive, friendly & easy going with everyone! Even though I accidentally started with another tour group, he was very gracious about! It was a perfect day of sunny blue skies & beautiful clear water! Even saw 2 dolphins (at a distance) swimming out to the gulf, & a manatee while kayaking back! The little mangrove islands are interesting & beautiful white sandy beaches! Unfortunately, there aren't many shells on Shell Island, but everything else was great! I would do it again in a heart beat! Thank you Nick!! 🌞🐬🐚
Julie_S, Mar 2023
We all had an amazing time on this tour. The scenery was gorgeous, and we even got to see two dolphins hunting fish. The mangrove tunnels are magical and Shell Key was breathtaking. We learned a lot from our tour guide & appreciated that he took the time to stop, pick up & show us wildlife. We definitely recommend this tour! Just be sure to bring something to drink. It can be a good workout!
Naomi_K, Mar 2023
Beautiful day. Beautiful scenery. Knowledgeable guide.
Three hours seems long but it flew by and it was an easy ride.
Judith_B, Aug 2022
Amazing views, knowledgeable and personable guide; our group had varied degrees of experience kayaking. We Moved at a leisurely pace through fairly shallow waters. We saw several types of birds and fish, and we even spotted a few dolphin. Would highly recommend!
Andrea_R, Jun 2022
It was a pleasurable experience. The only complainant I have is the trip was scheduled for 10am. My husband and I arrived around 9:30am. I got a text message from the company at 9:38 telling us they were running late and the trip was now going to start at 11am. So we lost an hour out of our day/vacation. And for those who aren’t great swimmers, they the water is only waist high everywhere we went! We would definitely go again!
Colin_H, Jun 2022
Whole family enjoyed the experience. Pretty cool getting to see the wildlife. Guides were very laid back and helpful.
DianaE_R, Jun 2022
This was an amazing experience I conquered a fear of the water is the water and I also conquered a fear look conquered a fear of the little enclosed woods woods will definitely be doing this more often It was amazing
From US$48.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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