Everglades tour, which company is best?

[judyf]

I posted this on the port board but no responses so thought I would try here!

 

I need some help from the locals or experts that have been to the Everglades.

 

I've been searching a tour for Easter Sunday 3/27 after we get off the Legend to the Everglades. We are staying that night in a hotel so time is not an issue.

 

I've found two places.

 

1) Sawgrass Rec. Park, suggested here on the board. It's $20.00 pp for an airboat tour and I think to see some of the grounds. Not clear what's included in the price.

 

2) A day package at Billie Swamp Safari Park for $46.00 pp for the "big" package. It's a swamp buggy ride, airboat ride and some shows and seeing the grounds. This I found through Interval International so it might be overpriced. I think you get both the buggy and the boat tour for that price.

 

Please let me know what you think of the two, your experiences and what you saw and what you liked or disliked.

 

What do you think would be the best bet for 2 ladies from the Hudson Valley NY that has never been to the Everglades?

 

Thanks in advance for any input you can send my way!!!

[judyf]

Help!! Bump up to page one.

[SoCalK]

We did the Sawgrass rec. park tour about 4 weeks ago right before our Valor cruise and found it to be great. Basically, the airboat tour is all that was worth seeing although on the grounds they do have a few gators and some other native animals like a Florida panther. The airboat tour was half an hour and you do see gators, although you may want to go early in the day. We went later in the afternoon and had to really search to find some. The captain said that they retreat to grassy areas by the afternoon because they get annoyed by having so many airboats come through. It was alot of fun. Show your AAA card when you but tickets and they give you a discount.

[judyf]

Thanks, I appreciate the info!

[steveaaaa]

I posted this on the port board but no responses so thought I would try here!

 

I need some help from the locals or experts that have been to the Everglades.

 

I've been searching a tour for Easter Sunday 3/27 after we get off the Legend to the Everglades. We are staying that night in a hotel so time is not an issue.

 

I've found two places.

 

1) Sawgrass Rec. Park, suggested here on the board. It's $20.00 pp for an airboat tour and I think to see some of the grounds. Not clear what's included in the price.

 

2) A day package at Billie Swamp Safari Park for $46.00 pp for the "big" package. It's a swamp buggy ride, airboat ride and some shows and seeing the grounds. This I found through Interval International so it might be overpriced. I think you get both the buggy and the boat tour for that price.

 

Please let me know what you think of the two, your experiences and what you saw and what you liked or disliked.

 

What do you think would be the best bet for 2 ladies from the Hudson Valley NY that has never been to the Everglades?

 

Thanks in advance for any input you can send my way!!!

 

I have done both and I thought they were stupid and a waste of money.

 

On both, the airboat ride was down a cleared path and not over open area.It was basically down the path and back with stops every few hundred feet.They only opened it up for several seconds 1 time for the big thrill. The buggy is a joke, it is just a mud romp in a modified pickup in my opinion and the alligator and reptile show was a tourist trap show.Wrestling an alligator is not what you think and poisonious snakes can be seen in a zoo. It was not that good and neither was the Muskagee(sp?) indian tour either.Since you are looking at the area, Coral castle is nearby and it is also a tourist trap but for 30 minutes it is a time killer.Monkey jungle is also a tourist trap and is worth about an hour tops.

Steve

PS.The Miami Sea aquarium is a good time

Steve

[colette5479]

Hi Judy,

We went to the Everglades (Everglades City) last October. It is a good idea to take the earliest tour possible. Our guide told us that the alligator roam about early in the morning. We went just a few weeks after the hurricanes and some of the alligators' favorite spots were washed away so they were finding more and more of them near the mainland. Good for us because we got to see lots of them but BAD for the natives:eek:

I don't know how true this is for the area you are going, but we were told February and March are good times to see Manatee! I was very disappointed that we did not see any but our guide told us they stay far from land during the time we were there. I hope you get to see one.

I hope you have fun!:)

[judyf]

Coral Castle and Monkey Jungle I will have to do a search never heard of either one.

 

Thanks for all the info!