Small Group Kayak Tour of the Shell Key Preserve
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
St Petersburg, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover St. Petersburg's undeveloped Shell Key Preserve on this exciting kayak excursion. Join a small group and gear up for your adventure through mangrove tunnels and shallow seagrass meadows. While you paddle, observe local wildlife like sea turtles and seabirds and stop at Shell Island to collect seashells or go for a swim.
- Soak up the warm Florida sun while you paddle
- All kayaking equipment and instruction is provided
- A small group means more attention from your guide
- Choose from several tour times to suit your schedule
What's Included
- All Equipment, Instruction & Dry Bags. Primarily Double Kayaks, singles available through website.
- **Weight Limit** 250lbs per seat | 450lbs combined for double kayaks.
- *Ages 8+ | 8-12year olds must be in a double kayak with an adult or older child.
- *Please arrive to launch site 30min early.
- *Gratuity for your Guide*
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 2800 Pinellas Bayway S, Tierra Verde, FL 33715, USA
Please use Google maps for directions.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Shell Key
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Not recommended for travelers with recent surgeries.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 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
Jennifer_B
Excellent kayak company. We had blast paddling thru the mangroves and across the bay to shell key. Ashley was a wonderful tour guide. Very knowledgeable and eager to share.
Thank you for an educational and fun kayak tour!!
Reviews
5.0
based on 514 reviews
colleen_s, Apr 2026
Was a great kayak tour through the mangroves and on to shell island. Clair was our tour guide and could not have been any sweeter and very upbeat and informative
Jennifer_B, Apr 2026
Excellent kayak company. We had blast paddling thru the mangroves and across the bay to shell key. Ashley was a wonderful tour guide. Very knowledgeable and eager to share.
Thank you for an educational and fun kayak tour!!
Ryan_R, Apr 2026
Great outdoor experience. Guides were great. Very educational. Good exercise. Beautiful views. Very reasonable price.
Janelle_S, Apr 2026
It was a very fun experience. Saw some dolphins, went to a beautiful beach and Hunter, our tour guide was very knowledgeable.
Scott_M, Mar 2026
Hunter was an excellent guide - very informative about the mangroves, Florida wildlife, and any other questions about the area you may have! The mangroves were amazing and the beach stop was beautiful - very relaxed kayaking experience!
Melissa_R, Oct 2025
The day was perfect, lots of wildlife. The water was beautiful. Three hours was the perfect trip & the preserve was beautiful. Excellent excursion, Tracy was an awesome guide.
Elena_B, Jul 2025
We’ve enjoyed our experience, it’s was nice to go right into the magroove. We’ve also saw dolphins and manatee by the shell beach! I would recommend it!
Valerie_H, Jul 2025
Guide Taylor was excellent. Mangroves were beautiful. Beach are we went to, the water was so warm. Gulf and preserve. Lots of fish
Grant_C, Jun 2025
Awesome time. Taylor was great!
She was very friendly and knowledgeable about the area.
Definitely recommend.
Kiera_H, Jun 2025
Tracy was awesome. I recommend if you are going with your partner to use your own kayaks. We got the hang of it towards the end using the tandem but there was a learning curve. So much fun and so beautiful.
Chris_H, May 2025
Awesome experience! Boat captains gave us fun facts during our short ride to the launch, we even saw a manatee and dolphins. Taylor was an amazing kayak guide. We asked for a shell experience and she did not disappoint! Best shelling trio we’ve had in any excursion ! Highly recommended!
sjwcslook, May 2025
Taylor was a great guide. It was a wonderful tour. I loved going through all the mangroves and collecting shells.
Nancy_S, May 2025
great experience. Kristi showed & explained vegetation & habitat. many skill levels in small group. highly recommend
Luis_M, Apr 2025
Excellent experience, very safe, great atmosphere, full tour, we will back with our friends and family
Patrick_T, Apr 2025
Wear a bathing suit! The island stop is soo worth a quick swim! Tracy, our guide, was fantastic, and gave us lots of great info!
Shannon_P, Apr 2025
It was great not too strenuous, got a little windy so a little bit more time getting across to launch, we saw dolphins and lots of great wildlife! Relaxing and enjoyable
Eugene_B, Apr 2025
This is a not very strenuous kayak outing to Shell Island. It can be paddled solo or tandem. They do it at a very comfortable pace so nobody is too far behind and you don’t need basically any advanced kayak skills, in fact a first time paddler could handle the trip. The first section is over open water but nothing scary and there are several small channels through the mangrove stands which are scenic and fun. Tge island itself was a bit of a letdown as it is not especially scenic nor too different from the rest of the key coast. It’s conceivable that if your party lands at the right time you could get a sense of solitude but there are people there and boats coming in and out. Our guide was Brian who was extremely knowledgeable about the geography of the area, history and various plant and animal life in the area. He was also entertaining with a great sense of wit and humor. He put safety first and looked after everyone. Tge company does not even provide drinks or water nor snacks. You are on your own. This is a 3 hour event and the combination of sun and open water makes you very susceptible to possible dehydration and exposure. I highly recommend at least two full bottles of water per person if not, three and adequate sunscreen protection. Hat and sunglasses are mandatory and a paddle or boating long sleeved shirt and pants ( UV protection) which totally covers arms and legs is not a bad idea. It’s a nice trip but nothing spectacular and I wouldn’t need to redo it.
Javier_B, Mar 2025
The crew was very friendly. We had a great experience with the tour and our tour guide kept the experience very engaging. Highly recommended.
Gregory_Y, Mar 2025
Taylor was great. Was the second time we have kayaked with her. Kids loved it. She was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. Well organized and lots of fun.
Barb_S, Dec 2024
Great experience, Taylor was a great guide! We learned a lot about the area, wild life, marine life etc. Mangroves are so cool to see!
Sheri_T, Dec 2024
Wonderful day on the water! Mangroves were beautiful. Taylor was an incredible tour guide! You won’t disappointed and I highly recommend it.
Tina_B, Nov 2024
Tracey was awesome! Had a great time. I would highly recommend this tour and tour guide. She was very knowledgeable and helpful.
Vantrang_P, Nov 2024
Taylor was our tour guide and she took the time to point out many wildlife animals for us. It’s a peaceful and beautiful ride on calm water surrounded by mangroves and magnificent mansions. The mangrove tunnels are fun to pass through.
Cora_S, Oct 2024
Taylor was the best guide ever. Very knowledgeable of all aspects of our trip and more. I cannot begin to tell you how beautiful and magical it was kayaking through the Mangroves! Bonus sight…… a pink flamingo!!🦩 A trip everyone should take!!
Julia_C, Jun 2024
This was a great tour! Our guide (Brian, I think…it was a couple months ago) was very knowledgeable and friendly. I loved the stories about the mangroves and stopping at the sand bar. 5 stars and I highly recommend!
SRI_P, Jun 2024
This is my first time doing kayaking and it went really amazing only because of the guide. Taylor is the best.
Thank you
Diana_O, Jun 2024
Brian was a wonderful guide. The location is absolutely beautiful. We saw some dolphins, which was a bonus! Shell key is stunning. We saw a lot of wildlife. It was a lot of fun!
Richard_C, May 2024
Our guide Taylor was fantastic! Knowledgeable and helpful and also funny and thoughtful. If you’re going to take a kayak tour, take this one and figure out how to get Taylor!!!
Linda_M, Apr 2024
Taylor our guide was FABULOUS!!! She was so knowledgeable , kind, friendly, and really personable.!!!! It was my husband's 70th birthday, and Taylor helped make it extra special !!!!!
It was su much fun!!!!!!
Judith_K, Apr 2024
Taylor was an excellent guide. She was very informative and helpful throughout the entire excursion and took into account our specific needs. The excursion included open water kayaking as well as kayaking through mangrove tunnels and time on a beach to relax.
From $59.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Small Group Kayak Tour of the Shell Key Preserve
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