The Real Florida Manatee Adventure
Supplied by: Real Florida Adventures
Get ready for a slam packed fun filled day on this Real Florida Adventure. Start your morning with breakfast and an educational overview as you depart to Crystal River. Upon arrival you’ll gear up and board your boat for your manatee swim and snorkel. Learn all about the West Indian manatee from your Captain before diving into the crystal-clear water to snorkel with these gentle giants. Don’t forget those underwater cameras! After your swim it’s off to Homosassa Springs State Park for lunch and a leisurely stroll around one of Florida’s best kept secrets. Before heading back to Orlando, enjoy a pit stop to ride an exhilarating airboat ride on the Withlacoochee River. Hold onto your hats cause this need for speed thrill ride is the perfect way to end the day.
What's included
- Packed Breakfast
- Boat tour of Kings Bay and Crystal River
- Complimentary Mask and Snorkel
- Packed Lunch
- Admission into Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
- A wild airboat ride on the Withlacoochee River
- Roundtrip Transportation from International Drive, Disney and Kissimmee areas
- Professional, Certified and Licensed Tour Guide
- Mandatory $10 wetsuit rental fee for any swimmers
- Gratuities
- Meals or Drinks not mentioned
Overview
You’ve come all the way to Florida, so it makes sense to actually see as much of it as possible, and no other tour provides such a wide-ranging, in-depth experience as our carefully crafted Real Florida Adventure.
This action-packed day starts with an inclusive breakfast and a full overview of what’s in store as we head out to the beautiful Crystal River area on the Gulf coast, 80 miles north-west of Orlando. This is the Manatee Capital of the World, and the only place in America where it is legal to swim with manatees.
It is also home to stunning natural springs and lots of wildlife, and you’ll get to meet an essential part of it as we gear up for the signature Manatee Snorkel under the supervision of a Coast Guard Certified Captain *. You will learn all about the unique West Indian manatee – and then get to see some of them, up close and personal in the crystal-clear waters!
Then we head off to 210-acre Homosassa Springs State Park, a genuine hidden gem of Florida nature, where there is plentiful local wildlife to see and hear about, including the endangered Florida panther, black bears, red wolves, bobcats and alligators, as well as a profusion of birdlife, notably whooping cranes and flamingos.
Also here is the unique sight of Nature’s Fish Bowl, an underwater observatory built over the mouth of the main spring where a huge number of fish hang out, while the Park has its own manatee rehabilitation program to provide another exciting glimpse of these rare sea mammals. Lunch is included, here, too.
Finally, the day will conclude with an exciting airboat ride on the Withlacoochee River, another natural haven where you can see more wildlife in its natural habitat and enjoy the thrill of skimming the water at up to 45mph in these exhilarating, flat-bottomed craft.
* NB: any person wishing to do the manatee swim must hire a wetsuit prior to boat departure. Snorkel equipment is provided free.
