Manatee Snorkeling Adventure Tour with Lunch & Hotel Pickup
Recommended by 92% of travelers
Orlando, USA
- 8 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Spend a day with central Florida’s manatees on this small-group river cruise and wildlife park adventure. Begin with a boat ride on the Crystal River. Snorkel near these gentle giants, then enjoy the afternoon at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. This is one of the best places in the state to watch manatees, as well as other animals in their natural environment. An airboat tour on the Withlacoochee River is also included on select days.
- This small-group tour helps keep your sightseeing personal
- Get up close and personal with manatees and other wildlife
- Snorkeling equipment, picnic lunch, and more are included
- Round-trip transit from Orlando makes getting there easy
What's Included
- Driver/guide
- Pickup and drop-off from designated hotels
- Use of snorkel equipment, mask & snorkel
- River cruise to look for the manatees
- Admission into Homosassa State Park
- Airboat Ride on Tuesday and Thursday tours
- Picnic Lunch
- Gratuities
- BreakfastBring your breakfast with you to enjoy on the transport vehicle if you wish.
- Airboat Ride on Fridays & Saturdays - tour is priced lower
- Wetsuits must be hired$15.00 per person
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Operating hours.7:00 am
Itinerary
Meet the guide and the rest of the tour group on a pickup from select locations.
Then, head to Crystal River, a gem of Florida's coast and home to one of the world's largest populations of endangered manatees. Board a boat for the cruise through the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge where you can keep an eye out for manatees in their natural habitat. You can also swim or snorkel in the water if you choose to do so.
Your next stop is at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, and your admission ticket is included for you to make things easy. Take time to walk around the park in search of wildlife and, of course, manatees. See the manatees in the park's underwater viewing chamber. Enjoy a picnic lunch while you're there.
The adventure continues in the afternoon (if option selected) with an airboat tour along the Withlacoochee River. Keep an eye out for manatees, dolphins, and a variety of other wildlife.
Finally, return to Orlando after a fun day out.
Then, head to Crystal River, a gem of Florida's coast and home to one of the world's largest populations of endangered manatees. Board a boat for the cruise through the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge where you can keep an eye out for manatees in their natural habitat. You can also swim or snorkel in the water if you choose to do so.
Your next stop is at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, and your admission ticket is included for you to make things easy. Take time to walk around the park in search of wildlife and, of course, manatees. See the manatees in the park's underwater viewing chamber. Enjoy a picnic lunch while you're there.
The adventure continues in the afternoon (if option selected) with an airboat tour along the Withlacoochee River. Keep an eye out for manatees, dolphins, and a variety of other wildlife.
Finally, return to Orlando after a fun day out.
1
Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge
Admission Ticket Free
2
Crystal River
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
3
Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
4
Withlacoochee River
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Infants must sit on laps
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- A small amount of walking is involved at your leisure through the State Park
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 13 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
Lucinda_M
I had a lovely day and everyone was so lovely. Highly recommend this experience and stepping away from the parks.
I'm gutted as forgot the name of my tour guide for this trip. He was lovely, Knowledgeable and deserves recognition.
Thank you 😊
Reviews
4.7
based on 237 reviews
Lavonne_S, Mar 2026
We enjoyed our tour today. The ride from Orlando is quite long, be prepared. Our driver Mike was personable and courteous. Our tour guides were Captain Misty and Heidi, both very knowledgeable and courteous. You can tell they really care about the manatees and wildlife there.
Valarie_L, Jan 2026
Great day. Short trip to Springs. Driver was friendly and knowledgeable. Snorkeling with manatees worth every dime. Springs are beautiful. Lunch was good also.
Patrick_L, Jan 2026
Grayline Tours canceled the trip without prior notice. We woke up early for the scheduled pick up and needlessly worried we missed the pick up time or misunderstood the pick up location. Only after we called Grayline Tours (we called them, not them calling us) did we find out the tourguide called in sick, and an alternate tour guide couldn’t be arranged. We were not able to reschedule to any other days, so had to cancel the day tour. We are getting a full refund, but because of the last minute change of plans, we didn’t have time to make other arrangements for the day. We’d really looked forward to swimming with manatees, and that in itself was disappointing. Grayline Tours poor management and lack of professionalism made it even worse.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback, and we’re truly sorry for the frustration this caused.
Unfortunately, on this occasion our scheduled guide became ill unexpectedly on the morning of the tour, and despite our best efforts we were unable to secure a qualified replacement at such short notice. We fully understand how disappointing it is to be ready for an early pickup and then have plans change last minute—especially for an experience you were genuinely looking forward to.
While we did process a full refund immediately, we recognize that this does not make up for the inconvenience or the lost opportunity to enjoy the day as planned. We sincerely regret that we did not meet your expectations in this instance and appreciate you bringing this to our attention, as it helps us review and improve our communication and contingency planning.
Thank you again for your understanding, and we truly hope we have the opportunity to welcome you on a future tour under better circumstances.
Jasmine_G, Nov 2025
Amazing experience for our family from Grandma to our 6yo. Truly appreciate being able to get RT transportation from Orlando. The instructors and Kevin made everything easy and fun. Definitely memories for a lifetime.
Julie_K, Nov 2025
Had a kovely time,the guides were lovely,and knew all qbout the manates and cared about them passionatly.i didnt go in the water,as i get cramps when too cold,and the water was pretty cold. Still saw manatees and enjoyed the trip.
cindy_h, Nov 2025
Amazing experience, to be so close to these animals. Very well looked after by both the boat crew and our tour guide/driver
Cathy_M, Oct 2025
Such a great adventure! We saw lots of manatees. Had a really nice picnic lunch. Comfortable ride throughout the day. Everyone we interacted with was super nice and fun. The day ran smoothly and on schedule. It was just such a great time. We really enjoyed it.
Elena_Z, Oct 2025
Day full of fun outdoors exploring a beautiful nature, easy transportation, friendly guide, small group
Response from Host, Oct 2025
So glad to hear you had such a fun day out in nature! Thanks for joining us — hope to see you again soon on another Gray Line Orlando adventure!
Julia_S, Aug 2025
Nicely planed. It was a pleasure to be on the tour. Everything worked smooth. The guide took good care of us
Jayne_R, Aug 2025
What a fantastic day. Oscar our guide was superb, kept us complete informed of each step of the day. Swimming with the manatees was incredible. The wildlife in the Homosassa park was such a delight, seeing the manatees being fed was a super event. The airboat ride is not to be missed- an experience we will never forget
Lucinda_M, Jul 2025
I had a lovely day and everyone was so lovely. Highly recommend this experience and stepping away from the parks.
I'm gutted as forgot the name of my tour guide for this trip. He was lovely, Knowledgeable and deserves recognition.
Thank you 😊
Sarah_W, May 2025
This was a unique and fun experience. I would recommend this to others, but would recommend coming in the winter so you have a better chance of seeing manatees. Our guide, Carmen, was great. She was very friendly and full of fun facts.
Michelle_K, Apr 2025
Exactly as described. Professionally and knowledgeable staff at all sites. Picked up on time. Manatee experience wonderful even though water was a bit murky due to time of the year. Park was great, saw lots of cool animals. Airboat ride was awesome, saw lots of alligators and other wildlife. Would highly recommend.
Gresilda_C, Apr 2025
It was great I had a good time our driver is also good..At swim with manatee I had a great time it's my 1st time to do snorkell and to think I don't how to swim but I manage to do it see a lot of fishes and manatee and captain with a guide so nice that they encourage me to do it & teach me how to.I had fun at airboat tour too...it's awesome.
MarilynK_M, Apr 2025
Every activity worked like clockwork. Saw wild manatees, including a mating pod, and rescue manatees. Lots of native Florida animals at Homosassa. The air boat ride found lots of alligators, and the driver jumped the wake a few times, great fun! Our Greyline driver, Oscar, did a fantastic job of getting us where we needed to be on time and safely, and was very personable.
Ranel_M, Mar 2025
Unless you go in the peak season don't expect to see more than a few manatees. We went late March and only saw one.
Nicky_G, Mar 2025
I enjoyed swimming in the Crystal River although I didn't manage to see a manatee underwater. Apparently January and February are the best months to go as more manatees are usually present in the river. (From March onwards many of the manatees migrate to the open ocean). It was a new experience for me to wear a wet suit and use a snorkel. It would be helpful if participants had some previous experience of using a snorkel although this is not essential. Participants also need to be able to swim to a basic standard. The walk around the park after the swim was very interesting with the chance to see manatees (along with other animals.)
Angela_E, Mar 2025
This was a great experience made even better by our amazing tour guide Carmen!! It was cold but we loved seeing the manatees, animals in Homosassa Park, and the airboat ride.
Nathalie_S, Feb 2025
Very friendly knowledgeable tour guide and driver. Enjoyed swimming with the manatees. Driver as on time
David_C, Feb 2025
This was an amazing excursion. The price included pick up and drop off from hotel, began with manatee swimming which was incredible and very lovely staff at bird underwater dive center. It was great to experience manatees in the wild and all the instructions were given to ensure the animals were safe and unbothered. We then went to a wildlife park which was beautiful, was given a delicious packed lunch and finished the day with an airboat ride seeing more wildlife and gators! The airboat was better than lots of the theme park rides! Excellent value for money, great driver and staff. Would highly recommend!
Melissa_B, Feb 2025
Early pickup was on time. Driver was helpful and friendly. Snorkel guide was very attentive, we swam around a momma and baby - it was cool.
Lunch at the State Park was refreshing and filling. Walk around the Park was shaded - lots of animals to see. Airboat was exciting - gators of various sizes. Well worth the money and a great way to spend a day!
Jennifer_D, Jan 2025
Everything was very organized. The manatee swim was fun. We enjoyed walking through the wildlife refuge. The airboat ride was exciting and my son loved seeing alligators along the bank of the river.
Renata_M, Jan 2025
From pickup to drop off we had amazing service from our guide Kevin. Very good value for the money. It literally is a full day trip so make sure its the only thing you have planned that day. You visit the manatees at Birds under water dive center, Homosassa park a nice little boat ride to the entrance of the park where we got to have a picnic lunch that was provided with the tour. Then we went to wild Bill's airboat adventures. Absolutely fantastic time all around highly recommend if your visiting Orlando!!!
CHRYSTAL_C, Dec 2024
We had a wonderful day! The tour guides were amazing, each experience is worth doing, & it was fun for the whole family! A few things to know-
1. swimming with the manatees is first so bring a dry change of clothes to be comfortable for the day.
2. Don’t skip the boat ride into hamosa park! Wait in line . . . It’s worth it
3. Be respectful of your groups time. Don’t make people wait on you. . . Be there for all pick up times!
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Dear Chrystal_C, thank you so much for your enthusiastic review! We're thrilled to hear that you and your family had a wonderful time with us. Our team works hard to create memorable experiences, and it's fantastic to know you enjoyed the tour guides and activities. Thank you for sharing your helpful tips as well. We look forward to welcoming you back on another adventure soon!
Carlen_C, Dec 2024
The team who conducted the manatee swim and airboat tour were very enjoyable, professional and knowledgable. Manatees were amazing.
There could have been better communication on the day's itinerary
Jayme_P, Nov 2024
Would give this tour 10 stars if I could! Personable guide team, they both did an awesome job of showing us manatees and explaining any questions we had about literally anything! You can tell they truly love what they do and it shows. HIGHLY recommend.
Taranita_J, Nov 2024
Great experience swimming with manatees. We saw several manatees including mother and baby. The staff were very knowledgeable and helped us have a great time. Thank you to all the staff who made us welcome. Also, we were provided with a good lunch and an hour in a park to enjoy it.
James_B, Nov 2024
Great to see a manatee in its natural environment. Great trip and our driver and guide Kevin was excellent!
Joana_T, Oct 2024
We went just after Hurricane Helene and the water was still very high but the boat crew made a really good job of making sure we found some Manatees. Understandably the water was murky but we got to see those beautiful creatures. Hommosassa state Park was closed so the manatee crew took us out for longer to the three sisters springs. The airboat ride was excellent also despite the Hugh waters.
Sharon_S, Jun 2024
Trip was well planned and driver Kevin was great. The manatee swim was disappointing due to the murky water. Could not see anything. Everyone very nice but water was just not clear enough to make it a good snorkel experience. The trip to the state park was fun, great boat ride and fun follow up to learn more about manatees. Water was clear at state park so you could see manatees and we enjoyed the talk and feeding of the manatees there as well as the other animals. It is shady on the boardwalk but still hot in June. Kids loved the airboat ride even though we didn't see any alligators. This is a 12 hour day and again very well done. Thanks Kevin.
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