Easily accessible from Orlando, the subtropical Florida Everglades offer a change of pace from the theme parks of Orlando. Combine an airboat safari through the wildlife-rich wilderness with other nearby sights for a full-day experience—here’s how.
Airboat Tours
Half-day tours begin with a short drive from Orlando into the northern reaches of the Everglades. Here you’ll enjoy an airboat safari through the swamps and marshes of Wild Florida Airboats & Wildlife Park, looking for alligators, eagles, and wild boars along the way. Then learn more about alligators, their habits, and their dangers in a live alligator demonstration.
Combo Tours
Combine an airboat safari, either in the northern Everglades or at Everglades National Park, with other exciting experiences for a full-day excursion from Orlando. Visit the Kennedy Space Center and tour NASA’s launch headquarters; swim with manatees at Crystal River and watch a manatee-feeding session at Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park; or visit Miami to enjoy a cruise on Biscayne Bay and check out the art deco architecture on South Beach.
Things to Know
Airboat safaris last between 30 and 90 minutes.
Many tours include pickup and drop-off from select Orlando hotels.
Note that not all tours enter Everglades National Park; some instead run airboat excursions in the northern Everglades.
Full-day tours typically run from 11 to 15 hours long.
Tour destinations are fewer than two hours from Orlando by road—except Miami and the official Everglades National Park, which are closer to four hours away.
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