If you’re the type that likes to plan their vacation fully, you’re often pondering the best activities to keep yourself and your loved ones entertained. Fun-filled, exciting experiences to dip your toe into for the very first time or just returning to locations that your household has already established long lasting memories of.
From themed resorts, to golden sands, bustling nightlife, and so much more, it’s guaranteed that you can’t take in every spectacle within a single vacation. Living locally or your only visit, you won’t get the full Floridian experience without a tour by airboat through the ruggedly beautiful Everglades.
Though enthrallingly fun events, there are things to consider before deciding on the ideal Everglades airboat tour.
It’s no secret that airboat tours are tailored for all seasons, except the rare occasion of rainfall. Nevertheless, with sightseeing to consider, there may be disappointment for those who don’t plan their airboat ride at the time they feel most comfortable to vacation in. In contrast to other states in America, Florida hardly experiences two separate seasons. The summer is extensive, lasting most of the year, and the winter barely lasts three and a half months.
If touring to see alligators, their ectothermic (coldblooded) nature means regulating body temperature utilizing direct sunlight, particularly in colder climes. An easy sight to capture on an airboat tour along the Everglade’s banks on a bright and sunny day, are unique wildlife but taking into consideration windfall and overall temperature they will still be active on hotter, summer days.
Planning your perfect, thrilling vacation, it’s wise to know the seasonality of the nature you want to view. Read up beforehand on when wildlife you most want to sight are in heat, boosting your chances. Think about how hot you want the weather to be on the day of the tour, as a considerable number of holidaymakers think summer days have the tendency to be sticky and overbearing, while the rest take an extensive hibernation when the short winter rolls around.
It might be a surprise to some that the Everglades stretch further than southern Florida and that they really begin as far as Osceola County. There are over three hundred rare native types of flowers, birds and wild mammals that call the Everglades their home, and a few are more difficult to root out. You might need to take more than one airboat tour to fully take in all there is to offer. The rare bald eagle is more easily sighted in the centre of Florida as opposed to South Florida, with its dense forestry and freshwater lakes that provide stabler environments for birthing and raising young.
Florida has a multitude of airboat tour businesses, and all of them market a specific package and list of attractions available to view whilst touring with them. However, bear in mind that every airboat tour of the Everglades has different characteristics. Pore over online reviews on social media sites, which will detail various touring packages in their offering. In an ideal world, there will be info on the tour types, embarking location as well as scheduled departures. This should make booking a tour a piece of cake.
Common Questions When Booking Your Everglades Airboat Tour
More eco-conscious tourists around the Florida region may have genuine concerns regarding airboat tours. Our native Gladesmen tour guides have years of experience taking hundreds of happy tourists across our fine waters, not to mention this handy guide to answer any questions you may have.
How safe are airboats?
Thanks to a warm climate, tame water and top-of-the-range, regularly serviced airboats steered by experienced drivers, touring by airboat has never been safer. Airboat dynamics are designed to minimize disruption to the water as well as local wildlife, and have been proven to disturb the environment far less than regular sailing or motor boats. Airboats are stable enough at all speeds that you can even stand up and walk across the deck, so you can rely on a smooth, safe ride from Everglades Airboat Tours. A well-serviced airboat is capable of travelling across vegetation, sandbanks, dam walls, grass islands, and stray rocks with minimal turbulence.
What about the environment?
A typical airboat has no machinery or mechanics beneath the water’s surface, which means minimal alteration to water current or surface hydrology. The dynamics of the design ensure physical particles aren’t drawn from the depths, affecting the surrounding marine life. If there is any kind of unlikely crash or collision, the smaller surface area and depth of an airboat along with the absence of a propeller or protruding machinery will cause much less harm to foliage or wildlife than other sailing vessels.
Can’t I see more from a regular boat?
A common misconception. Raised, tiered seats and a deck that lies closer to the surface water guarantees that you are closer to where the action is truly happening. Unlike other vessels, airboats can skim over shallower waters just as well as deeper waters, bringing even clearer and better views of the Everglades and the incredible nature you can find within them. The stable nature of the deck has a very low chance of tipping or swaying, perfect for any travellers prone to mild seasickness. Regular sailing motor vessels may need entire crews to man them, prolonging the time before you get involved in the action. Airboats only require a single driver, and a slip or ramp to lower them is not needed, making them versatile enough to launch from any depth of water.
Is your common question missing from this guide? Get in touch with Everglades Airboat Tours for a timely answer and a friendly chat about any airboat query you may have on 305.247.3274.
