Kings Bay Manatee Watching Cruise
Recommended by 96% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Crystal River, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
The green-blue waters at Kings Bay near the Florida city of Crystal River are home to more than just fish. Climb aboard a boat on a trip to a nearby wildlife refuge to see the many manatees that live in the area on this nature cruise. You’ll also have the chance to see river otters, osprey, turtles, and many other species besides.
- Nature cruise to Kings Bay near Crystal River
- A chance to come up close with manatees as they swim in the waters below
- Great for animal lovers: Keep an eye out for various species of wildlife in the area
- Don’t worry about the weather—the boat is covered and warm
What's Included
- Parking Fees
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 525 NW 7th Ave, Crystal River, FL 34428, USA
You will find us on the water at Paddletail Waterfront Lodge in a 2 story white building
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Crystal River (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 16 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Chrissy_S
Capt Glen was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He enjoyed the experience as much as we did. The stories were half the fun. We saw several manatees, turtles and ospreys (dad’s and babies).
Reviews
4.8
based on 57 reviews
Charles_B, Apr 2026
Beautiful ride and plenty of wildlife to see and the captain was friendly and knowledgeable.
Would do it again!
Chrissy_S, Apr 2026
Capt Glen was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. He enjoyed the experience as much as we did. The stories were half the fun. We saw several manatees, turtles and ospreys (dad’s and babies).
Pat_B, Mar 2026
The boat captain was knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. We saw manatees, many types of birds, turtles, and gators. Also learned history of the area.
Monty_G, Mar 2026
There are always manatees to see, if your guide knows where to look. Very knowledgeable, personable guide. We learned a lot, even though we’ve done this before.
We were at another manatee tour the day before and saw zero manatees.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you for sharing your experience with us! We’re glad to hear you enjoyed your time with our guide and were able to see manatees up close. We appreciate your feedback and are happy you chose to spend part of your visit with us.
Cathy_S, Mar 2026
We saw dozens of manatees! Captain was so knowledgeable. Comfortable number of passengers. Safe fun!
ERNEST_B, Feb 2026
In fairness very windy only saw two manatees. The captain was very knowledgeable. My main concern was starting late and coming back on time.i felt that the last 15 min. he kind of just made a big circle to waste time I feel it was not what i expected. I realize that with the wind conditions we were lucky even too see two manatees and a gator. Maybe on a different day I would recommend but my experience was not the greatest a bit disay
Gordon_L, Feb 2026
Capt. Phil kept us engaged with an ongoing narrative. He asked us where we were from and was concerned about our welfare. The weather wasn’t ideal but he made the best of it.
Belynda_B, Feb 2026
Had a great time, skipper was informative and full of local knowledge. We got to see manatees, turtles and lots of different birds.
Robert_B, Feb 2026
Very nice boat tour around the bay. Had to search a bit to find the Manatees, but we finally found whole families in the cove the guide said he would. Learned a lot about the area in the process.
Susan_F, Feb 2026
Captain Glenn was great. He was very informative. He told us the area's history as we passed by landmarks. We saw many manatees in several areas.
mark_P, Jan 2026
try to book early to get onto the a.m. tour, seems to be more manatees. Captain Phil was very knowledgeable about the local history of the bay area.
Jean_M, Jan 2026
Captain Mark was entertaining and also took time to point out every manatee. We really enjoyed it!!
We also saw a school of dolphins Chasing mullet.
Melissa_R, Jan 2026
Captain Mark is the best! He is very knowledgeable about the manatees, springs, and history of the area. 10/10 highly recommend.
ROBERT_B, Jan 2026
Dress warm it gets nippy out on the water. Great captain , very knowledgeable about the history and the manatee.
smilieface731, Jan 2026
It was a great time. Informational and relaxing. Saw lots of manatees. You can bring drinks and snacks.
Jenny_R, Jan 2026
It was a very fun boat ride. Glenn our boat driver was very knowledgeable and friendly. We learned a lot about the manatees and the area.
Have_a, Jan 2026
First of all hats off to Captain Phillip! He was a polite,entertaining,professional. We so enjoyed our Manatee watching experience. He had some great stories and definitely knew where to find the manatee. I also want to give a thank you to the person who rescheduled our tour due to one person's illness. We were unable to do it the through viator, but when called the tour directly, they took care of it. Thank you for being so kind and so helpful.
Ryan_Z, Jan 2026
Amazing caption, very knowledgeable about the bay and everything in and around it. Manatees are awesome
Debi_H, Dec 2025
Steve gave a great tour of the area with a lot of interesting stories. We didn't see too many manatees, due to the weather had warming up. Nice staff & shop.
Sandy_H, Nov 2025
Great trip around Kings Bay. Captain Glen very knowledgeable about the wildlife and ecosystem in the area.
Joyce_S, Oct 2025
Fantastic tour. Captain was very knowledgeable and provided an excellent tour. We will highly recommend this tour to friends. Planning on revising Crystal River over the winter months and will take this cruise again!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for your recommendation and your great review. We look forward to welcoming you back this winter for another amazing adventure!
Grace_T, Oct 2025
We had a good time. Our Captain was very knowledgeable about the Manatees, the Springs and the bay. We didn't see any manatees because of the high tide but we still felt like we got our money worth because he was entertaining and we could tell he was interested in their safety.
Charlene_S, Oct 2025
Even though we didn’t see any manatees, Mark our captain, made the trip fun and informative! He did an amazing effort to find the manatees.
Candy_T, Sep 2025
It was very interesting. I'm looking forward to going again. Didn't get to see any manatees. Thanks.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! We're glad you found it interesting, even though the manatees were feeling a bit shy that day. Every tour is a little different, and we’d love to welcome you back—especially during the cooler months when sightings tend to be more frequent. Looking forward to having you join us again soon!
Rebecca_H, Jul 2025
We were lucky enough to get Captain Glenn, who is very knowledgeable of the manatees and history around the area. We actually got to see a manatee mother and child. We had an awesome time and really enjoyed his company. He did not get annoyed with our many questions. We had so much fun.
Judy_R, Jun 2025
Able to find manatees even in off season (6/12). Captain grew up here and was a wealth of info. A snorkeling boat joined our water area and made it even better. Captains apparently work together! Great tour and not as expensive. New equipment very clean
Peggy_K, Apr 2025
Loved the way they were ready for us just by name. The Captain was super nice. Lots of stories about the area and what we were looking at.
Cindy_D, Mar 2025
My mom and I have a fabulous time. Captian Glenn was absolutely wonderful. He was able to answer questions in great detail. I would definitely refer him! Thank you Captian Glenn
Barbara_R, Mar 2025
Great river tour with knowledgeable and engaging tour guides. Wonderful time seeing manatees and also dolphins feeding off mullets.
Randy_M, Mar 2025
We had a great guide that had tons of knowledge about the area and wildlife. Saw some manatees of course, but the water is murky in the bay, so hard to really make out any of the features of the manatee. Either way, a very nice ride for us packed with useful information about the area.
From $35.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Kings Bay Manatee Watching Cruise
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