Island Paradise: Dolphin, Shelling, Birding Eco Boat Tour
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Naples, USA
- 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Explore the mangroves of Marco Island with a Florida Master Naturalist with this private experience. This area is rich with wildlife, from marine birds to manatees, as well as dolphins, sea turtles, and even iguanas. You'll also make a 1-hour stop on a barrier island beach for swimming and beachcombing for colorful shells.
- Bring your own drinks: a cooler filled with ice will be available onboard
- Shelling bags, baskets, buckets, and scoopers will be provided
- A certified Florida Master Naturalist will be your guide
- Private tour ensures personal attention from your guide
What's Included
- Complementary shelling bags
- Cooler with Ice
- Parking Fees
- Restroom on board
- Food (Yes, you can bring your own food!)
- Drinks (BYOB - please, no red wine!)
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 220 Goodland Dr, Marco Island, FL 34145, USA
Free parking across the street from Stan's Idle Hour Restaurant in the gravel lot behind the white fence. Our boats are located on the "Private Dock" behind our banner and flags.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Goodland
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Pass By)
2
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Marco Island
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Southwest Gulf Coast (Pass By)
Cape Romano (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Children 6 and under are required to wear life vests (provided).
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 6 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
Carrie_O
This was an awesome tour with Captain John!! He was knowledgeable and accommodating! We saw tons of different birds and were educated about may different things. Dolphins and then stopped for tons of shells!! Thanks again for a memorable experience!!
Reviews
4.9
based on 49 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Carrie_O, Mar 2026
This was an awesome tour with Captain John!! He was knowledgeable and accommodating! We saw tons of different birds and were educated about may different things. Dolphins and then stopped for tons of shells!! Thanks again for a memorable experience!!
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Thank you, Carrie. Florida Island Tours is glad you enjoyed the Island Paradise Dolphin, Shelling, and Birding Eco Tour with Captain John. Seeing dolphins, spotting so many birds, and stopping for shells makes it a great family adventure in the Ten Thousand Islands. Captain John loves sharing his knowledge and making the trip fun for everyone. We appreciate you joining us and hope to see you again soon. 🐬🐚🌴
Florida Island Tours
Christine_M, Nov 2025
Such an awesome tour! Captain Gary was an awesome guide, he explained everything, was kind and my 6 year old son really wants to do his tour again! Shell Island was super cool. We saw loads of dolphins. Really great tour!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much, Christine, for spending a day on the water with us and for sharing this lovely review. 💙
Captain Gary will be over the moon to hear that his youngest first mate wants to come back for another tour already. Hearing that your 6-year-old had such a great time on Shell Island and with all those dolphins truly makes our day. That Island Paradise: Dolphin, Shelling, Birding Eco Tour is one of our favorites for curious kiddos, so it’s wonderful to know it was a highlight of your trip.
Whenever you’re back on Marco Island, we’d love to welcome you all aboard again—whether it’s a return to Shell Island or a new adventure out in the Ten Thousand Islands. 🐬🐚🌴
– Florida Island Tours 🚤🌞🐬
Shoshanna_E, Nov 2025
Very informative, on time, helpful and a great experience!
We saw an amazing amount of dolphins and it was a magnificent day!
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for spending your morning on the water with us, Shoshanna! 🌞🐬
It is wonderful to hear that everything felt on time, friendly, and informative, and that you enjoyed the full Island Paradise mix of dolphins, shelling, and birdlife. Days with “an amazing amount of dolphins” feel pretty magical for the crew too, so it makes us really happy that it turned into such a magnificent experience for you.
Next time you are back on Marco Island, we would love to welcome you out again—maybe for a different tide or a sunset eco cruise so you can see the islands in a whole new light. Thanks again for choosing to explore the Ten Thousand Islands with us.
Brenda_C, Jun 2025
Our guide cared about us and our experience. He became our friend! Other tours on this trip were with groups that room our money then ignored us or went into a mundane spiel. Angel personalized for us!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We're thrilled to hear the tour felt personal and meaningful. Creating a connection and making each trip unique is exactly what we strive for. We’re so glad it stood out during your visit and hope to welcome you aboard again soon! 🐬🌴
— Florida Island Tours
Maggie_G, May 2025
Captain Nate was Great!!! We saw an alligator, dolphins, birds, a manatee and found some shells. A highlight was the dolphins playing behind the boat. He worked hard to make that happen and it was so worth it! A great experience overall and wonderful time in the water. We would do it again!
Response from Host, May 2025
Thanks so much, Maggie! 🌟 We’re thrilled you had an awesome time with Captain Nate—what a wildlife lineup! From dolphins and manatees to an alligator sighting, that's a day to remember 🐬🐊🪿. We're glad the dolphins playing in the wake made your trip special. We'd love to have you back anytime with Florida Island Tours 💙🌴
Nena_C, Apr 2025
Very relaxing and beautiful. The captain was very knowledgeable about wildlife and answered all of our questions. He was not overly talkative but friendly, which was refreshing. We were able to see LOTS of dolphins and saw some jumping behind the boat. The shelling was on a pretty beach area, which we all really enjoyed. It was a great experience!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Hi Nena_C,
Thank you for sharing your experience! We're so glad you found the tour both relaxing and beautiful—those are the exact vibes we aim for. It’s awesome that you got to see so many dolphins (especially the ones jumping behind the boat—always a showstopper!). We’ll be sure to pass along your kind words to the captain. Hope to have you back for another island adventure soon! 🐬🌴🐚
– Florida Island Tours
Connor_T, Jul 2024
Captain Nate is the man! Great tour with so much interesting information, saw a lot of wildlife up close and went to a perfect spot at the beach. The tour was fun, relaxing and educational. It was engaging for the kids and us adults. We loved it. I’d highly recommend.
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Connor, thanks for taking your family out on our eco-tour of Florida’s 10,000 Islands! Glad you enjoyed the excursion - sounds like it was an awesome vacation highlight! We appreciate your recommendation.
SARA_D, Mar 2024
The shelling spot had tons and tons of shells. Incredible! The kids had a great time, as did the adults. Great experience.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Glad you had a great time on our boat tour! Thanks for sharing your experience with your incredible review 🐚🐬😎👍
Ann_M, Mar 2024
I am waiting on my refund from Saturday as the trip was cancelled. It has been over 24 hours. Please respond to my inquiry.
Response from Host, Mar 2024
Ann Marie, although we strive to have every scheduled boat tour go off without a hitch, sometimes mother nature gets in the way. Our guests safety is always our first priority and when it is not safe to go out due to wind, lightning, or tropical storm, the boats stay in port. As your tickets were purchased on TripAdvisor, TA processes your refund. We requested your 100% refund as soon as the trip was cancelled. TripAdvisor notified us on 3/24 at 1:15pm that you had been refunded.
TripAdvisor Experiences Refund Processed: BR-1118479425 [ ref:!00Dd00gJSL.!500Vu04TWIU:ref ]
Booking Details :
Booking Reference: 1118479425
Mobile Phone No: 2032579791
Booking Net Price: USD 244.88
Product Code: 268216P1
Tour Grade Name: Island Paradise: Dolphin, Shelling, Birding Eco Boat Tour 08:00
Tour Grade Code: TG1~08:00
Tour Grade Description: Island Paradise: Dolphin, Shelling, Birding Eco Boat Tour
I hope you may consider changing or deleting your 1-star review as we are a small business and have done everything possible to communicate with you about the bad weather and the cancellation and refund. Thank you.
Sylvia_K, Jan 2024
What an awesome adventure! Captain Nate was an excellent tour guide … the weather was still warm enough to get out on the water for a relaxing boat ride and to get out and beach comb for shells!
Response from Host, Jan 2024
Everyone can use a little beach therapy on island time, right? We enjoyed having you on our eco boat tour and appreciate your positive review!
Christine_N, Nov 2023
The boat tour was private for the same price as some of the group boat tours. The boat was clean and we started on time. Captain Nate was great, highly recommend.
Response from Host, Nov 2023
Christine, glad you enjoyed your private tour of the Ten Thousand Islands with your captain and thought that it was a good value! We enjoyed sharing this amazing ecosystem with you and appreciate you choosing Florida Island Tours on your vacation to Marco Island.
Mark_S, Jun 2022
The captain (Capt. Nate) was very nice and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed seeing the dolphins and manatees. We also loved the breeze when the boat went fast. Very enjoyable time. We would do it again
Response from Host, Jun 2022
Observing wild dolphins and manatees in their natural habitat is something everyone should experience! Our master naturalist guides and captains know where to find our favorite marine mammals in the remote areas of the 10,000 islands. Glad you enjoyed the tour Mark!
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