Aboard our dedicated kayak transport boat, your Captain and Naturalist Guide will safely and comfortably lead you on a personalized, interpretive ecological and historical tour into parts of Everglades National Park only the few get to see. The seven hour Grand Heritage and Birding tour of the Park culminates with sunset over the water.The Most Extensive Day Tour of the Park OfferedYou will intimately experience the 10,000 Islands, Everglades tidal rivers and fl ats, the infamous Wilderness Waterway, remote mangrove creeks and tunnels, coastal island beaches and remote historical sites in Everglades National Park.Experience Several EcosystemsEach day is different in this wonderful wilderness and so each tour will also be different. Your guide will be a full-time professional who is on the water most every day, so he/she will have the necessary experience to tai-lor the day's tour to take best advantage of the current local conditions, the season and where the wildlife has recently been seen. Historic Sites and Remote Barrier Island BeachesDeparting in the 10,000 Islands from Chokoloskee Island, typically we will travel up the Lopez River, through Crooked Creek, into Sunday Bay and then along the Wilderness Waterway above the headwaters of the Hus-ton River through Chevalier and Cannon Bays. Along the way we will make frequents stops at points of interest and comfort facilities... be sure to bring your lunch and refreshments to enjoy at a historic site (like the home site of "Bloody" Edgar Watson immortalized in Peter Matthiessen's book, The Killing of Mr. Watson), or on a remote bar rier island beach. Spectacular Birding & PhotographyOne of our favourite destinations for birding and photography is Wizard Creek, where the kayaks will be deployed. The Creek, which runs from the Gulf waters through the mangrove wilderness into the backwaters of the Wilderness Waterway, is one of the more unique areas within the western Everglades National Park and acts as a "super-highway" short cut for both fi sh and wading birds. It can be an absolutely spectacular area for birding and photography.Sunset Over the Water On the return trip, timed with the setting sun over the water, we will motor past Duck Rock Cove, the Three Sisters, Pavilion Key, Rabbit Key, and then back into Chokoloskee Bay. The boat trip alone is wonderful and a great way to experience the Park!

Vacationing on Marco Island provides a fantastic opportunity to experience the uninhabited 10,000 islands just to the south of us. Recently we had the pleasure of accompanying Captain Drew Naeckel of Everglades Area Tours, and another couple from Naples, on a 2 hour eco-educational tour. We left Calusa Marina on Goodland (only 10 minutes from Marco) at around 3pm on a cloudless afternoon and all these pictures were taken on that tour.What we saw.Lots of bottlenose dolphins, some of them jumping and diving in the wake of the boat. A great view of a mother West Indian manatee and calf in Gullivan Bay as well as a loggerhead turtle, a spotted eagle ray, osprey, cattle egret, great egret, brown pelican and many other wading and shore birds.We stopped at a sand shoal that has been deposited over the last fi ve years and is now showing signs of vegetation. This is an island in the making and demonstrates the changing face of our local shoreline. The shelling was amazing and included a great specimen of a fragile Angelwing. We also found the molt of a prehistoric looking horseshoe crab that Cap'n Drew explained looks like a complete ver-sion of the animal that shed it. Apparently they preceded the dinosaurs by millions of years. We came across a tiny Least tern chick just at the wrack line, trying his best to look like the rest of the beach! We also saw other terns nesting and chicks starting to run around. We learned how to identify the difference between the red and black mangrove trees (only distant relatives) and how vital they are to the entire ecosystem in the 10,000 islands and beyond. As Cap'n Drew told us. "It's not a zoo out there" so no one can guarantee what you'll see, but in our experience the thrill of seeing these amazing creatures in their natural environment was so much more rewarding than seeing them in captivity. All these photos were taken on the trip.What we liked about the tour. (in addition to the wildlife, shelling and views of course!). Captain Drew was very personable and is one of the best guides we have met in SW Florida, with extensive knowledge from having lived on Marco and been on the water for 17 years.. Good sized boat, but limited to 6 passengers.. Comfortable captain's style seating, enabling you to swivel 180°s to watch everything.. Not a fi xed tour following a rigid path, but adapted by Captain Drew and his passengers, depending on the tide, season, weather and his local knowledge of what is happening.. Close to Marco but closer still to the rest of the 10,000 islands.Everglades Area Tours offer several eco tours daily from Calusa Marina in Goodland, as well as sunset trips. Cap'n Drew is just one of four extremely experienced licensed USCG Captains and Florida Master Naturalist Guides that may take you on your eco trip through the 10,000 Islands. Some of these trips are extended to 3½ hours and can also include seine netting, which is especially popular with families with children. EVERGLADESAREATOURS.EVERGLADES AREA TOURS.COM 239-695-3633