Everglades National Park Travelers Recommend

Covering the southern tip of Florida with a green swath of forests, mangroves, estuaries, and pineland, Everglades National Park is an outdoor adventurer’s dream. To go deeper than a day trip, allow three days to explore the World Heritage wetlands. From airboat and hiking tours to swimming with manatees, read on for inspiration.  

Day 1: River of Grass

If you’re coming from Miami and have your own wheels, take a scenic drive via the historic Tamiami Trail, visiting an alligator farm or vintage-style gift shop along the way. Stop at Shark Valley, a gateway to Everglades National Park and the perfect place to scout for gators and birds on a 15-mile (24-kilometer) paved trail. Look for wildlife on a tram ride to the Shark Valley Observation Tower, offering an aerial view of the “River of Grass.” From there, continue west along the Tamiami Trail to Big Cypress National Preserve—hiking tours depart from inside the preserve and from trailside outposts like Ochopee. If you’re starting from Fort Myers or Naples, just enter the park from the west. 

Day 2: On the Water

Bisected by a network of estuaries, rivers, and other waterways, the Everglades are best experienced by boat. See how Ten Thousand Islands earned its name, on a tour of this patchwork section near Chokoloskee Bay. Airboat tours give you a high-speed ride, while kayak and canoe tours are a slower, more athletic way to glide beneath mangrove canopies. Naturalist guides point out wildlife like herons, alligators, and even dolphins. For a close encounter with one of the Everglades’ most enchanting creatures, swim with manatees on a Crystal River ecotour. And if you’re a fishing enthusiast, book a charter to hook trout and other freshwater species. 

Day 3: Flamingo

Make your way to Flamingo, the Everglades’ southernmost base camp. Water lovers can rent a canoe or kayak to explore a section of the 99-mile (159-kilometer) Wilderness Waterway, while hikers will find plenty of trail options. When you reach the Royal Palm Visitor Center (heading north), wander the Gumbo Limbo Trail and the Anhinga Trail, one of the park’s prettiest wildlife-rich spots. Linger after dark for spectacular stargazing in this remote area free from most light pollution. After a full day, there’s still time to return to Miami and freshen up for dinner or a night out in South Beach. 

Touring the Everglades by airboat is one of the best ways to see the largest subtropical wilderness in the US. Half-day tours and full-day trips combining other nearby sites are available from several cities in south Florida. Here's what to know.

Highlights

• You’ll spot wildlife such as alligators, fish, turtles, manatees, dolphins, and wading birds from the airboat.

• Choose a tour that allows for time to watch manatees at play in Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park and then observe a manatee-feeding session.

• It’s possible to get out of the boat and stroll along a jungle walking trail.

• Some tours offer the chance to to learn about alligators during a live show and demonstration.

• Combine an airboat safari with a visit to the Kennedy Space Center and tour NASA’s launch headquarters.

• Kick off a day-long tour with a tour of Miami and cruise on Biscayne Bay before heading to the Everglades for your airboat safari.

Things to Know

• Wear insect repellent and plenty of sunscreen. The mosquitoes tend to stay away while the boat’s moving, but they will find you when it stops.

• Airboats sit low in the water, so it's possible that you may get wet—dress accordingly.

• Depending on the tour, hotel pickup and drop-off may be available for Miami, Miami Beach, Naples, Orlando, Fort Myers, or Fort Lauderdale. Confirm departure points before booking.

• Half-day tours typically run two to six hours, while full-day tours last from nine to 12 hours.

No trip to southern Florida is complete without a visit to Everglades National Park, the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and an International Biosphere Reserve boasting nine distinct ecosystems. Whether you’re traveling from Miami, Fort Myers, or Naples, here’s how to make the most of one day in the UNESCO-listed wetlands. 

Morning: Hit the Tamiami Trail

If staying in Miami, leave the glitz of South Beach behind and enter the everglades the historical way, along the Tamiami Trail. Stop for a Florida-style breakfast at one of the vintage roadside cafés along the way, then get oriented to the park at the Shark Valley Visitor Center. Look for gators and herons while strolling along part of a 15-mile (24-kilometer) paved trail, or connect with a tram tour here to reach an observation tower with panoramic views of the “River of Grass.” Shark Valley can also be reached if entering the park from Fort Myers or Naples in the west. 

Afternoon: Wetlands Safari

The vast, snaking estuaries of the Everglades are best explored by boat. Join a fan-powered-airboat tour to cover lots of acreage, with speeds of up to 40 mph (65 kph). Alternatively, go at a slower pace and paddle your way past bird habitats and tangled mangrove islands on a kayak or canoe tour. If exploring on foot is more your style, many sections of the park—such as Big Cypress Reserve—boast hiking trails. Whatever form your safari takes, naturalist guides can offer eco insights and point out native Florida species such as egrets, turtles, and even dolphins and manatees. 

Night: Gators After Dusk

Most visitors leave Everglades National Park once the sun goes down, but for a different perspective on the wetlands, join a night airboat tour at Sawgrass Recreation Park. Browse the park’s reptile and large-cat exhibits before taking to the water for a high-speed ride. Listen to the swamp come live with nocturnal frogs and insects, and keep an eye out for alligators and crocodiles gliding just below the inky water’s surface. 

From alligators to otters to birds, the Everglades National Park offers great opportunities to spot and even interact with wildlife. Explore by boat, kayak, or on foot to learn from the experts and see as much as possible. Here are a few ways to do so.

• Visit the Reptile Exhibit at the Sawgrass Recreation Park to see native and exotic wildlife, including rare tortoises, iguanas, snakes, alligators, and peacocks.

• Paddle a kayak through a mangrove forest to get safe close-up views of herons, ducks, alligators, ducks, otters, and more.

• Listen to an expert naturalist or biologist to learn about the animals in the Everglades.

• Take a nature walk in Big Cypress National Preserve.

• Swim or snorkel with manatees while on a boat cruise along the Crystal River.

• Explore the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park with a park ranger looking for bears, panthers, alligators, and hippos.

Home to more than 700 species of wildlife and a vast network of rivers and hiking trails, it’s easy to see why Everglades National Park is a top draw for both nature lovers and outdoor adventurers. Two days allows enough time to explore the park’s wildly diverse ecosystems by land and water. Here’s how to make the most of your time.

Day 1: Hit the Trails

**Morning:**Everglades National Park is within 2 hours’ driving distance of Miami, Fort Myers, Naples, and West Palm Beach, so it makes an easy day trip from almost anywhere in southern Florida. Get oriented first thing at the Shark Valley Visitor Center, where you can catch a tram to an observation tower for panoramic views of the UNESCO-listed wetlands.

**Afternoon:**Head north to the Big Cypress National Preserve, a popular spot for hiking right smack in the middle of the park. Join a guided hiking tour to learn about the distinct ecosystems of the everglades and get help spotting resident reptiles and wading birds.

**Night:**Watch the sunset transform the everglades’ marshes into a spectacular display of colors, and listen as nocturnal creatures emerge from the forests. Depending on where you’re staying, stop in either Miami or Everglades City for dinner after leaving the park.

Day 2: Wild Waters, Dark Skies

**Morning:**Since the park is made up mostly of wetlands, it’s best explored by boat. Take to the water this morning on an airboat tour, a popular way to cover lots of ground on a high-speed, fan-powered ride. Onboard nature guides are experts at spotting alligators and crocodiles sliding beneath the water's surface (the Florida everglades is the only place in the world where both species coexist). 

**Afternoon:**After lunch in Chokoloskee, grab a paddle and join a kayak tour of the Ten Thousand Islands, hopping off to explore Barrier Island Beach. It's an eco-friendly way to access remote areas of the park and look for marine animals such as dolphins and manatees. 

**Night:**Thanks to its remote location, Ten Thousand Islands is one of the best spots in the everglades for stargazing. Look up for a spectacular viewing of natural lightscapes; if visiting near the new moon, you may get an especially clear view of the Milky Way. Heading back toward Miami, Flamingo is another ideal spot free from most light pollution.

Though the Everglades are mostly marshy and, well, underwater, there are many areas of the park that can be explored by hiking or biking. From short mile-long (1.6 km) hikes to longer excursions, hiking and cycling allows you to explore the diverse habitats within south Florida. Each visitor center, which acts as an entrance to various parts of the park, has trails of varying lengths and several offer bicycle rentals. Here are some of the best trails in the Everglades, organized by starting location.

Shark Valley The Shark Valley Trail is a 15 mile (24 km) round trip paved trail that is great for hiking and bicycling. As this is also the tram trail, be aware of other people and the tram that utilizes this path. There are no hills, but cycling the trail will take between two and three hours as there is a lot of wildlife to see and flora to observe. For shorter jaunts, the quarter-mile Bobcat Boardwalk, which loops through sawgrass prairie and a bayheads (small, shrubby islands), is a scenic stroll; the mile long round-trip to Otter Cave takes walkers through a subtropical hardwood hammock. The Shark Valley Trail is the most convenient for those traveling from Miami.

Flamingo Visitor Center Cyclists will enjoy the 22 mile (35.4 km) route of Old Ingraham Highway, which features mangrove, sawgrass and birds, including hawks. Hikers can choose from a variety of hikes ranging from a half mile loop to Eco Pond to the 12 mile-round trip  (19.3 km) Coastal Prairie trail, which was once used by fishermen and cotton pickers.

Big Cypress Preserve For hikers, Big Cypress is perhaps the best destination as you can choose to wander designated trails or strike out on your own through unmarked acreage. Fair warning though—as conditions very greatly by season, there’s a good possibility you could end up wading through waist-deep waters. Tackling the Florida National Scenic Trial is another worthy goal: trailheads are located at Loop Road off U.S. 41 and Alligator Alley at mile marker 63.

Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center Near Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, Long Pine Key's 14 mile (22.5 km) nature trail is a pleasant and shady pinewood (a respite from the Florida heat) with subtropical plants and exposed limestone bedrock, excellent for both cyclists or hikers looking for a longer trek.

Royal Palm Visitor Center Royal Palm Visitor Center is the starting point for two of the most popular trails in the Everglades: the Anhinga Trail and the Gumbo Limbo Trail. Though short in distance, these two walking trails are perhaps the most scenic in the park, with expansive views and excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing.