I am booked for an Everglades tour next month. I don’t know any of the details yet (a trusted traveling companion is arranging it), but it seems like it would be an interesting experience.
So, if anyone here has done it, or has some knowledge about what to expect, I’d love to hear anecdotes, advice, tips, and precautions.*
*I’m assuming one shouldn’t pet the gators (?) 
mmm
Take very good bug repellent and sunscreen.
Moving to IMHO.
It’s fun to do.
I saw a mess of animals, I’ve never seen before, but I never saw an alligator, which is what I wanted to see. I guess they were all hiding
Clothing is important, because bug spray only does so much. And it’s better to be hot and protected. I can’t stress this enough. The bugs WILL GET YOU. Even with clothes and spray, you’re gonna get mosquito bites.
There were tons of birds, it seems everywhere you went there was some kind of bird. And it is very pretty, with the different kind of plants and grasses
This is the one we took
This is from the Naples, West Coast side. I wonder if the Miami, East Coast side is any different?
If you have time to do other sightseeing, consider going to one of the dolphin shows around. I went to a dolphin show place in Ft. Lauderdale (IIRC). They had an alligator (or several) there. They also had a baby alligator. The attendant brought it out and carried it around for everybody to see close-up. It looked like a little lizard, about the size of the attendant’s little finger, and it sat on his hand. (This was 30+ years ago. Wonder if places like that are still in business.)
Oh, they had dolphins too. There was a petting pool. Most dolphins don’t let most people touch them – they tend to be a little timid. You have to sit there for a long time before they get curious enough to come over and check you out. I don’t think you find much of those any more, due to the intensive protective regulations surrounding marine mammals.
February in South Florida can be hit and miss weather wise. Currently we are experiencing an extremely warm winter, but that can and does change on a dime. Bring at least one set of cool weather gear, and something that keeps off the rain. If it becomes cold for any length of time between now and then, the water will be chilly as well, so factor that into any decisions about wading, swamping, etc. Right now everything is pretty nice.
If you are doing an adventure trip, your guides should familiarize you with the local fauna, but there are a few baddies worth knowing by heart before you go.
THIS Is a cottonmouth or water moccasin. They are flat, fat snakes easily identified by that bold eye stripe and arrow shaped head. Most are either black or that patterned type. They are larger, and tend to sit on the ground or swim about in the water.
THIS is a water snake, which share the same habitat, but are harmless other than a nasty attitude. See the difference? No eye stripe, a smaller head, and boldly patterned white lips. These guys tend to be found basking on logs and in low branches. They are more commonly seen than the cottonmouth, and it’s good to know the difference.
We also have Coral snakes which are dangerous but very, very shy. If you see a small brightly banded snake of red, yellow, and black- where the red is touching yellow, that is a coral snake. You can get as close as you like to photo it, but don’t handle or chase it. Bites only happen with those guys when people are stupid and insist on picking them up. They have a larger species that mimics them but the pattern is reversed where black touches red. it is a harmless snake that you most likely will not encounter.
There are different ways you can tour the Everglades.
The best way is to drive down Tamiami Trail (US 41) to the Shark Valley entrance of the National Park. There are no sharks and it’s not a valley, but don’t let that keep you away. You can take a very cool tram ride through the park. Because it’s the dry season, the marsh will not look very marshy. But you will see tons of birds (roseatte spoonbills will probably be further south, but you may see them), dragonflies (which are harmless and beautiful), and maybe even alligators chilling out on the tram road. The tour guide should be knowledgable. You can find plenty of tours where the guides are just regular guys who know how to drive an airboat, so if you want to learn stuff go to the park.
Speaking of which, airboat tours are also cool even though they give you a less-than-educational experience. Which isn’t bad if you just want to have a good time. Find a good one, though. Don’t just go with any place that has a sign on the road. I once took my parents on a tour where we watched the guys feed alligators bacon and eggs. And then they had the audacity to say they didn’t feed them because it was against the law, as if we had not just seen what had happened! (Feeding alligators is a felony, fyi). But from a business standpoint I understand why they do it. Alligators normally avoid humans, which doesn’t bring back customers. By feeding them regularly, they were guaranteed to have a few swim up to the boat as we idled out on the slough. (Which totally freaked out my father and made me laugh.)
S. Florida in February can be pretty warm or pretty cool. Bring shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, long pants, and maybe even a light jacket. Also, when you go out to the Everglades make sure you have sunscreen and a big hat. This is as close to tropical as you can get in the continental US, so the sun don’t play. Also, there are no trees to provide shade.
And yes, bring mosquito repellent. Mosquitos won’t be bad once you get out in the open slough, but they can be downright hellish at boat ramps or any place where there’s thick vegetation.
If you do go to Shark Valley, you will pass by a Miccosukee Indian restaurant. They make a hamburger that is so delicious you will think you have died and gone to heaven…and you might actually be right since it’s the deepest fried thing you will ever eat in your life.
I was going to recommend Shark Valley so I’ll just second it. Very worth visiting.
This can’t be repeated often enough. Very good advice.
I don’t want to create controversy in this thread..but if you are interested in going to a dolphin show, please research the backstory on the dolphin industry first. Like some other popular industries, there is a very dark side to it. Understand what you are supporting. Feel free to PM me if you want some links.
BTW, the reason it is illegal is because it removes the healthy fear and respect that the animals have for people. It’s like feeding the bears - it teaches the bears that it’s ok to approach humans. Then when they get hungry, they eat what’s around..namely, the humans. Fun!
-D/a
Thanks for all the advice.
We are going to book the Shark Valley tram tour for sure; we may also do the Coopertown air boat tour.
I should (and may) ask this in a separate thread, but how about some ideas for things to do in Miami? We have a full day there before sailing on a cruise.
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Uh…I took my parents to Coopertown. Well, just pretend not to notice them feeding the alligators (seriously, they got in major trouble a few years ago for feeding them marshmallows!)
Other things to do:
There’s the Miccosuki casino, if you’re into that kind of thing. That’s really close to Coopertown.
There’s an excellent bbq place that’s also nearby. The ambience is a little country, but you really can’t get better ribs in Miami than that. (Though you should probably get some Cuban food, since you’re down there.)
Traffic in Miami makes getting around extremely irritating. And I say this as someone who was born and raised in rubber-necking country. So if you plan to do a lot of driving in town, get a street map. If you get caught on Kendall Dr. during rush hour, your whole life will be ruined forever (okay, I am exaggerating. But just a little!)
Good sight-seeing places:
Miami Beach (if you’re driving out there, leave in the morning–going against traffic)
Coral Gables. Miami does not have great architecture because hurricanes keep everything “no frills”, but there are some nice buildings there. Real trees, too.
Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden.
Stay away from west Miami. All the good stuff is towards the east. All the traffic and stupid strip malls are in the west.
Butterfly World is up north in Ft. Lauderdale. I’ve never been there and it’s kind of pricey, but people tell me it’s worth the price.
Most Miami folk are bilingual, but not necessarily the people you see on the street. So remember to get a street map if you cannot speak Spanish.
Another vote for Shark Valley.
It would be a great pity to go to the Everglades without good binoculars and an interest in birdwatching. The variety is impressive.
Get a good guidebook like this and study it a bit before you go to learn something about the birds to be expected in southern Florida.
I have a friend that does amazing tours in everglades, hiking and paddling. Off trail stuff and fantastic. I don’t know if I’m allowed to post a link here or not, I don’t want to get in trouble. If a mod can weigh in and say I will happily give you the info or you can PM me for it. Truly a once in a lifetime experience. I live a short drive from the glades and go there often. It is so peaceful and beautiful. I do advise that you skip the airboats. They are damaging to the ecosystem and they scare the crap out of the wildlife. A lot of the operators feed the gators, too, which they aren’t supposed to do.
I’ll allow direct linking to the company/character who does the tours, but please, no referrals or special deals or anything like that here. That’ll have to stay in PMs, if it’s on the table.
I saw tons of gators when I went and a few of the more rare American crocodiles, which can be seen in the Southern part of the Glades, which is the only place in the world that both can be seen in the wild.
I also saw dolphins in the glades.
So I’d recommend doing a fan boat tour, doing a regular boat tour in the national park, and doing some hiking if you can and/or a tram tour. I walked part of that tram tour route and saw tons of gators including lots of babies, but this was in November.
OK, I’m a little confused, isn’t a direct link to the company a referral? Whatever, here it is at any rate. You may contact me via PM with any questions or of course contact the company directly.
Also Flamingo. Also Gumbo Limbo trail. There are lots of different micro habitats out there.
The other thing to think about is that far, far fewer people think to attack the Everglades from the West coast, but it’s easy enough to do. Go to one of the tiny hamlets around the Northwest corner of the park (Everglades City, Chokoloskee) and you will see a really cool estuary habitat among the “10,000 islands.” Great fishing if you are into that or could be.
On the west side of the swamp you have this, which I found rather nice:
http://corkscrewsanctuary.org/
And if you are into real scientific research you can always check out this research center along the tamiami highway (my SO wouldn’t let me go there)
There are probably several outfitters in the Naples area (and others) that offer guided kayak tours of various interesting places. Don’t worry, they make kayaks that are EASY for beginners to paddle and not flip. Just let the outfitter know your skill level and size/weight if you get serious about it.