Everglades Small Group Guided Boating & Walking Tour Expedition

Recommended by 92% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Everglades National Park, USA

3 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Explore our promoted experiences

Everglades National Park, Florida

4.6

(90)

Flamingo Everglades Boat Tours

from $52

Small-Group Everglades Boating Kayaking and Walking Eco Tour

Everglades National Park, Florida

4.8

(105)

Small-Group Everglades Boating Kayaking and Walking Eco Tour

from $200

Small Group Boat, Kayak and Walking Guided Eco Tour Everglades

Everglades National Park, Florida

4.8

(164)

Small Group Boat, Kayak and Walking Guided Eco Tour Everglades

from $200

Viator earns higher commissions on experiences featured here

Overview

Discover the beauty and diversity of Everglades National Park while learning about the area from a guide on this wildlife boat tour from Fort Myers. In a small group, travel deep into the sleepy wetlands of the Everglades’ Ten Thousand Islands to learn about rare local flora and spot native animals such as alligators, sea turtles, manatees, native birds, and more.

Take a powerboat through the Ten Thousand Islands for an interpretive nature tour
Learn about local flora and fauna from your guide
Choose between morning or afternoon tour times to suit your schedule
Groups are capped at 6 people, ensuring a more personalized, intimate experience

What's Included

Professional guide
Everglades boat tour

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Food and drinks (you may bring your own)
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Parkway Motel & Marina
1180 Chokoloskee Dr, Chokoloskee, FL 34138, USA
Meet the captain at the boat dock.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Choose a morning or afternoon start time for your wildlife expedition and make your way to the boat launch in Chokoloskee, a 1.5-hour drive from Fort Myers. Enjoy the changing scenery as you head into the Florida Everglades National Park. At the dock, climb aboard the 6-passenger powerboat, grab a comfortable seat and head out into the wild wetlands.

Your naturalist guide will take you on an unforgettable wildlife-spotting expedition through this diverse and historic terrain. Glide along the water, viewing the lush greenery and abundant local wildlife, including manatees, dolphins, sea turtles, bald eagles, egrets, pelicans, alligators and shore birds. Get great up-close photos and learn about the development of the Everglades, including the culture and ingenuity of Native Americans and the Anglo-American ‘Gladesmen’ who have populated this area for hundreds of years. Your guide will share facts about the local lifestyle, environmental conditions and seasonal animal patterns, as well as information about the region’s wetland conservation efforts.

Your excursion returns to the dock by mid-afternoon or evening, depending on your start time.

Note: It is recommended that you bring your own snacks and/or lunch on this excursion.

Everglades Area Tours

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Everglades National Park

Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
You will need to access the boat by ladder. With enough notice, you can load from a floating dock. Please advise in the 'Special Requirements' field at the time of booking if you require this option.
Not wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Infants must sit on laps

Not recommended for travelers with back problems
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
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

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Paul_R

We had an excellent tour guide-very knowledgeable about the islands and sea life. He took us way out away from shore so we could have the ultimate experience. We saw dolphins, sharks, eagles, several other birds, and more. Rabbit Island was neat to see with all the shells on the shoreline. It was interesting to learn about the trees and experience the changes in tide. I highly recommend the tour!

Reviews

4.7

based on 60 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Relaxing afternoon amongst the mangroves

Michael_M, Jan 2024

Dan was a very knowledgeable guide and we learned a lot from him. It was nice to spend the afternoon out on the boat. Due to the weather we saw mostly birds, but a dolphin did stick its fin out of the water a few times!

Response from Host, Jan 2024

We're so happy you enjoyed your tour, even though the weather wasn't as kind as it could have been. Dan really does know his stuff, so we're glad you still got a lot out of the excursion. Thank yo so much for touring with us and leaving a review.

Worth the drive!

Stephen_A, May 2023

Had an easy drive down thru Everglade City. Captain Dan was wonderful! Saw dolphins, manatees, pelicans, egrets and blue herons.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

thanks

Nice tour

Marion_G, Apr 2023

The boating in the Everglades was wonderful. The weather was spectacular, and the tour guide knew a good deal about the ecosystem and history. There is a nice amount of boating, but very little walking. We really walked for only about 200 feet, I would guess.

Response from Host, Apr 2023

Thanks .. the walking is about accessing the inter-tidal zones of the islands. Many times we, do not have to walk far.

We had an excellent tour...

Paul_R, Mar 2022

Response from Host, Mar 2022

Thank You, Hope to see you again some day

Don's knowledge of the...

Susan_C, Jan 2022

Don's knowledge of the area and the wildlife was impressive. He is a very personable individual. Loved our trip!

Response from Host, Jan 2022

Thank You, so glad you enjoyed your tour with your guide

Great tour with a lot of wildlife action

James_s, Dec 2021

Excellent tour. Dave is a knowledgeable and patient captain and guide. I would recommend this tour to anyone visiting Everglades National Park.

Response from Host, Dec 2021

Thank You

Captain Dan is amazing

Haodong_L, Oct 2021

Captain Dan is amazing. Being a fisherman, he knows the waterways, the creatures in the park and the mangroves covered islands, the ups and downs of tides very well. We enjoyed our tour led by him.

Response from Host, Nov 2021

Thank you for doing a review

A great time

TERRAL_A, Apr 2021

We had a good 3.5 hour trip. The guide was very knowledgeable, and gave us a good tour. There were 6 of us in the boat, plus the guide. We were able to get up and close to Osprey nests, many dolphins, Pelicans, and other wildlife. A trip to the island was also a good experience. I would definitely use them again.

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Thank you for taking the time to conduct this review. It means a lot to us all.

An awesome adventure

Margaret_W, Mar 2021

This tour is amazing! We spent four incredible hours exploring in the Everglades off the beaten path. Our guide Dan was very knowledgeable, friendly, and funny. He had so many stories to share and knew a lot about the ecosystem and the animals. We saw dolphins swimming alo.gside our boat, watched an osprey feed her chick's, and got to explore a remote island. The trip was worth every penny and I would do it again!

Response from Host, Apr 2021

Thanks Margaret! The Expedtion is one of the best tours that we offer.

Wonderful time learning about and seeing the everglades and wildlife

Lona_R, Feb 2021

We had a great tour with Jerry! Very informative and provided a lot of information and history about the area and everglades. We saw a lot of beautiful sites and wildlife (Ospreys, Herons, sea hawks, pelicans, tidal racoons, horseshoe crab, stingray and dolphins) and learned about the area. We recommend it!! Thanks again

Response from Host, Feb 2021

Thanks Lona. This is a very special place.

Great boat tour

John_F, Feb 2021

Captain Jerry is a great tour guide and boat pilot. His knowledge of the area made our tour very interesting. We were able to see the flora and fauna of the Everglades National Park close up and understand what we are seeing. We saw dolphins, White Pelicans and two different Night Herons. We definitely recommend this tour.

Response from Host, Feb 2021

Thanks for doing a review. It means a lot,

Everglades National Park Expedition

John_L, Mar 2020

Captain Dan was wonderful and very knowledgeable. We mentioned at the beginning that we were birders, and he took this into account as we moved around.

Eco boat tour

CARL_G, Feb 2020

Initial miscommunication on departure location, but they graciously moved me to the following day and all worked out well. If you go make sure you know where the departure location is. I assumed it was in the park, but it was not. My fault!

Beyond expectations

Helen_S, Feb 2020

This was the best eco tour we’ve taken anywhere. Captain Dan was very knowledgeable, and his love of the Everglades was contagious. The highlight was the trip to the remote island where we found unusual rocks and shells and Calusa Indian artifacts. We recommend very highly.

Enjoyed the tour

Arvind_M, Oct 2019

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. He spent time listening to us and then trying to show us what we wanted to get out of that trip. Thank you very much. Just make sure you find out the best season to go to see what you want to see. I recommend this tour.

Much more than we expected

Matt C, May 2019

This was a great trip, much more than we expected. So many highlights, seeing dolphins following our boat, the walk on the island. Our guide Captain Dan was really great and knew so much and his love for the everglades and the Park were evident. Highly recommend this tour. One note, it was difficult to find the tour center, so plan ahead.

Everglades Eco Tour

Karen K, Dec 2018

We really enjoyed this trip! Our guide, Dan, was fabulous. Very informative and great fun. Highly recommend this excursion.

We were expecting an airboat tour in...

Michael P, Apr 2016

We were expecting an airboat tour in the Everglades and what we got was a boat tour of a bay. The only wildlife we saw was birds and dolphins. A little disappointing and not worthy of the money we spent.

The boat driver and guide was very...

BARBARA G, Mar 2016

The boat driver and guide was very good. He gave lots of information on the flora and fauna of the Everglades. He pointed out things which were evidence of the constant change in the Everglades which would have been completely missed by the inexperienced/uneducated eye, explaining the habits of the sea creatures found in the various shells on the beach, He pointed out bird nests and described the ways in which the particular birds built them and gave a great explanation of the mangrove, various plants within it, and how the ecology of it worked. As much as I enjoyed the tour in the beautiful Everglades, 149 is very, very pricey for this three hour tour in my opinion.

We had a fantastic time on this...

Stephen F, Mar 2016

We had a fantastic time on this tour. Mark did a great job in navigating the tour and giving us relevant information about the Everglades that involved the history of the area and the current wildlife in and around the area. Would highly recommend.

Trip was interesting as far as...

Robert W, Apr 2015

Trip was interesting as far as development of the islands through the Mangrove trees. After that there were limited things to view as far as animals to view. The beach walk was interesting as far as concho shells and other items and the history of the river that fed Everglades. Could have made whole trip in shorter time and probably be just as effective.

We loved the tour amnd our guide was...

ar2948, Feb 2015

We loved the tour amnd our guide was great The only thing I can say is when info about the tour is ppsted people should be made aware that access to the boat is by ladder. I am handicapped and getting in the boat was hard but getting out was worse.