Everglades Day Safari from Miami: Airboat & Big Cypress

Airboat Through the Everglades: Wildlife, Mangroves & a 1906 Trading Post

You get picked up from your hotel and spend the day moving through three distinct ecosystems: Big Cypress by van with a naturalist guide, the Everglades by airboat, and the Ten Thousand Islands by boat. Lunch is included, as are entry to the Historic Smallwood Store and all transport. The whole day runs 9 to 10 hours, and you return to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Everglades and Big Cypress exploration

• Travel along Tamiami Trail ecotour
• Take airboat tour in Everglades
• Visit Big Cypress Oasis Visitor Center
• Enjoy free lunch at Island Cafe
• Explore Historic Smallwood Store museum
• Boat tour through Ten Thousand Islands

The experience

"You'll see things out here most people never get to see," our guide said as we pulled away from the dock, and he wasn't exaggerating. The day starts early with pickup from your Miami hotel, then a drive through Big Cypress National Preserve: 700,000 acres of swamps, prairies, and hardwood hammocks that sit just north of Everglades National Park. The van windows frame sawgrass prairies and towering cypress trees draped in Spanish moss, and your naturalist guide points out the wildlife as it appears: white-tailed deer, otters, turtles, and birds you'd never spot from a highway. The Oasis Visitor Center sits right along the Tamiami Trail, and a quick stop there gives you a sense of the scale of what you're about to enter.

Then comes the airboat ride: flat-bottomed and built to skim over shallow wetlands where a regular boat can't go. The engine's loud, the wind hits hard, and suddenly you're gliding past alligators sunning on the banks and egrets lifting off into the sky. Your captain knows the waterways like someone who's lived here their whole life, and he shares stories about the Miccosukee and Seminole tribes, the early settlers, and how this ecosystem actually works. The airboat tour through Everglades National Park is the kind of thing you can't replicate anywhere else. It's fast, it's intimate with the landscape, and you're genuinely in the middle of it.

Lunch happens at Island Cafe in Everglades City, and it's included: fried oysters, grilled mahi, BBQ pork tacos, or grilled chicken, depending on what you want. After that, the Historic Smallwood Store in Chokoloskee pulls you back in time. Built in 1906 and perched on stilts above the Ten Thousand Islands, it's a trading post museum filled with artifacts from frontier settlers, Gladesmen, and the tribes who worked these waters. There are stories here (some of them dark, like the legend of outlaw Ed Watson), and it adds a human layer to everything you've seen so far. The mangrove wilderness boat cruise comes next, a 60-minute ride through the maze of the Ten Thousand Islands where you're looking for dolphins, manatees, sharks, and coastal birds. It's slower than the airboat, quieter, and it gives you time to actually absorb what you're seeing. By the time you're back in Miami, you've covered a lot of ground: literally and in terms of what the Everglades actually is.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off from select Miami locations.
• narrated van tour through Big Cypress National Preserve.
• expert naturalist or biologist guide.
• airboat ride through the Everglades.
• 60-minute mangrove wilderness boat cruise in Everglades National Park.
• entry to Historic Smallwood Store Museum.
• lunch at Island Cafe.
• transport by air-conditioned 13-passenger van.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:15

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (16 and older) · Youth (13 to 15 years) · Child (6 to 12 years) · Under 6: can't be included in the booking

GroupUp to 13

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.You can choose from 3 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 9 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical levelWheelchair accessiblePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditions

Operated by Everglades Day Safari

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main Everglades experience in one day without arranging separate transport, park entry, and timing. The fixed itinerary handles all three, and a naturalist guide turns what you're seeing into actual knowledge instead of just scenery.

Traveler reviews

4.81★★★★★★★★★★

21 verified traveler reviews

5 ★20

4 ★0

3 ★0

2 ★0

1 ★1

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 15 years); Child (6 to 12 years). Under 6: they can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24h before the start.

What wildlife can you actually see on the Everglades airboat tour?

American alligators, white-tailed deer, otters, turtles, and birds including egrets, spoonbills, herons, and barred owls are common. The mangrove cruise may also yield Atlantic bottlenose dolphins, manatees, sharks, and ospreys.

Is the airboat ride loud and rough?

Yes. Airboats are flat-bottomed and designed for speed over shallow water, so you'll feel wind and engine noise. It's thrilling rather than uncomfortable, but it's not a quiet or smooth ride.

What's included in the lunch?

Island Cafe offers a free lunch menu with options like fried oysters, grilled mahi, BBQ pork tacos, grilled chicken, burgers, quesadillas, veggie wraps, and salads.

How long is the full day tour?

The tour runs 9 to 10 hours total, including hotel pickup and drop-off.

Do you need to be very fit for this tour?

A moderate level of physical fitness is recommended. The tour involves walking, sitting in a van, and riding in boats, but there are no strenuous hikes or climbs.

Is the Historic Smallwood Store worth the stop?

If you're interested in the human history of the Everglades (early settlers, tribal heritage, and frontier life), yes. It's a 1906 trading post museum with artifacts and stories that add context to the wildlife and landscape you've seen.

What should you bring or wear?

Hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses are recommended. Wear clothes you don't mind getting wet or splashed on the airboat.