Manatees and Mangrove Tunnels Small Group Kayak Tour
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Naples, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Experience the beauty and diversity of Florida's Everglades on a kayak tour. Join a small group and paddle through mangrove forests in search of local wildlife. During the winter months, manatees can be spotted congregating in the cooler waters of deep canals. You can also observe other animals like river otters, alligators, and several bird species during your tour.
- Learn about the local ecosystem from your guide
- All kayaking equipment and instruction is provided
- Paddle through the 10,000 Islands Wildlife Refuge
- A small group means more attention from your guide
What's Included
- Tandem Kayak (singles not available through TripAdvisor booking)
- ACA Certified Kayak Guide
- TripAdvisor's Cancelation Policy
- Gratuities
- No Refund for going to the wrong location Meet us at 25000 Tamiami Trail East, Naples, FL 34114
- Our proprietary automated communication.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 25000 Tamiami Trl E, Naples, FL 34114, USA
Do not forget EAST when entering the address! We meet all guests at the Port of the Islands hotel at 25000 Tamiami Trail East Naples, FL 34114. Our office is located inside the hotel lobby.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
1
Port of the Islands Marina
2
Everglades City
3
Everglades National Park
4
Naples
5
Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Children 13 and under must ride in a two person kayak with an adult 18 or older.
- At certain tide levels this tour can become more difficult
- Not recommended for guests over 275 pounds. The heavier the kayakers the less stable the kayak.
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Richard_R
We had a great time kayaking in the Mangroves! I think our tour guide name was Kyle (but I'm not sure) and he was excellent! He made the trip very fun and educational. Loved seeing the fish, sharks, birds and especially the manatees! Highly recommend bringing polarized sunglasses as it is hard to see in the water otherwise. I highly recommend this tour!
Reviews
5.0
based on 973 reviews
Dawn_S, Mar 2026
Long and boring. Did not see any animal other than a blue crab. We were single file through the mangrove with the leader in the front, so if he was saying anything of interest, those of us in the back of the line couldn't hear it anyway.
This was our most expensive tour and by far the most disappointing.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi Dawn,
Dang, we hate to hear this, and we are sorry it was so disappointing. This is one of the worst reviews we've ever had! Apologies for the delay in responding. I was actually waiting to hear back directly from you or the other two people in your group before writing this response. I reached out because I was hoping to get more constructive feedback and better understand what happened so we could improve things for the next round of guests. Unfortunately I never heard back from anyone in your group, so I’m left to respond with what I’ve got.
We document everything here — waivers signed, pre-trip planning forms, the photos we take during the tour, and our guides’ post-trip reports. We keep all of this information so we can make sure we’re doing things correctly, hold our guides accountable, and revisit the details when something like this comes up so we can figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.
Obviously a review like this is tough for us. Your review says the tour was long, boring, and that you only saw a blue crab. When someone leaves feeling like we disappointed them, that’s the last thing we want. We’re a very small company and reviews like this do affect our future bookings, but I also take it personal this is exactly why I wanted to understand more about what happened.
When I went back through Adam’s trip report, photos, and notes from that day, it honestly looks like the guide report and your review describe two very different tours. Again this is why I wanted more info.
In Adam’s report he wrote:
“Tour went great! Miami struggled in the open water so I tow her for a bit, then unhook, then hook up again. Storm came in at the end so we cut it a little short today.”
We also have a section where guides check off wildlife spotted during the tour. Adam listed bull sharks, manatees, and several birds as animals that were seen that day. He also rated the wildlife 3 out of 10, which means it was definitely on the slower side compared to what we often see — but still quite a bit more than just a crab.
So naturally I’m trying to understand the disconnect between the trip report and your review saying that the only animal seen was a blue crab.
Now in your defense, the tour that day had six single kayaks and one tandem, and you were in the tandem. That’s a good number of kayaks for this route and I can understand how the tour may have felt a bit drawn out at times. Looking back at the photos Adam took in the first narrow tunnel just after the break bar, it looks like you were roughly in the middle of the group with two kayaks behind you and your daughter already ahead.
You also mentioned that you were traveling single file through the mangroves and couldn’t hear the guide. That part could be fair. The mangrove tunnels are narrow and groups do have to move through them single file. However, our guides are supposed to check in with guests and make sure everyone can hear and understand what’s being pointed out. They are also supposed to make sure that guests flip flop throughout meaning no one should be in the back the whole time. Again, I wanted to hear back from yall to find out if Adam did this.
Adam also noted that he was periodically towing someone in open water and that a storm was moving in toward the end of the tour, which forced them to shorten the trip slightly. Situations like that can definitely make the tour more challenging and require the guide to focus more on keeping the group safe and moving.
At the end of the day, we can’t control wildlife. What we can control is the route and the experience we design. I personally created this tour and the route we use because I truly believe that if someone can only do one kayak tour while visiting this area, this route gives them the best chance to see wildlife and experience a variety of habitats.
Just to give some context, I pulled a quick report looking at the last 250 tours that went out on this route. From those reports:
• 75% of tours saw manatees
• 70% saw alligators
• 57% saw bull sharks
• Over 90% saw some form of bird life
Bird sightings fluctuate by season, but overall this route consistently yields wildlife sightings.
Some of your concerns may still be valid. The price may have felt expensive, especially if the wildlife activity was slower that day. Because we limit our tours to a maximum of eight guests and operate with a shuttle between launch sites, our costs are higher than many tours that launch from a single location with larger groups.
But what I’m still trying to understand is how a tour where sharks, manatees, and birds were reportedly seen ended up feeling “long and boring” and like nothing was seen except a crab. The mangrove tunnels themselves are amazing!
That’s exactly why I tried to reach out to you and the other members of your group before responding publicly. I genuinely wanted to understand whether there was a disconnect between what you expected and what was delivered, or if there was something specific that made you feel ignored during the tour.
If there was something Adam did wrong, I absolutely want to know about it. That’s the only way we improve. Anyway, moving forward we will do our best to make sure everyone is receiving the care they deserve and will continue to operate what we believe is the best tour available in the county and I do apologize that this tour was so dissappointing. If you feel like giving me more information and how to fix it please don't hesitate to respond to my emails. Thanks
Dana_C, Feb 2026
We had a beautiful day and the kayaking was fabulous. We saw several manatees and the trip through the mangrove tunnels was magical. Adam was a great tour guide with lots of knowledge about the area
Mark_G, Jan 2026
Our guide Jimmy was outstanding! Extremely knowledgeable and personable. I would highly recommend this tour!!
Wendi_G, Jan 2026
Fun time going through the mangroves. Adam was a great guide knowledgeable and helpful. Would recommend
Bret_F, Nov 2025
There were six of us, including our guide Adam. We enjoyed kayaking through the mangroves. While we missed seeing the manatees, we saw multiple types of fish, numerous jumped completely out of the water. Each person in our group saw at least one bull shark and we saw and heard more birds than I ever have in a three hour span. What a great time!
Gabriela_B, Oct 2025
Nice trip with the cayak around the mangrove channels
However, we did not see any manatees or crocks
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Gabriela, thank you for your review. Wish we could have made it a 5-star tour! As far as photo access we automatically send out an email and text messages after your tour which gives you access to your photos. Feel free to directly email us if you haven’t received them. Thanks
Patricia_G, Jun 2025
Be prepared for sun and fun! Be prepared to kayak -- it's not hard but it's best to know who wants to steer from the back of a tandem. Wildlife is amazing: birds, mangroves, palms, and MANATEE!!
Richard_R, Jun 2025
We had a great time kayaking in the Mangroves! I think our tour guide name was Kyle (but I'm not sure) and he was excellent! He made the trip very fun and educational. Loved seeing the fish, sharks, birds and especially the manatees! Highly recommend bringing polarized sunglasses as it is hard to see in the water otherwise. I highly recommend this tour!
CYNTHIA_O, May 2025
Great experience and Kyle was wonderful. We learned a lot and nothing was rushed. However we didn’t receive any photos of the tour. Hopefully we will receive. cindysays@aol.com
Vaidehi_S, Apr 2025
Justin was great - learnt a lot about mangroves and local habitats. Loved the experience and was well organised
From $95.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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