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    Kayak Excursions

    4.6 (57 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

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    Manatee sighting!

    Had a great experience with this kayak tour! We signed up for the hour long tour, just enough to see some sights and kill sometime. I was so stunned at how closely the dolphins were playing near us, also got to see manatees, starfish and lots of birds. Our tour guide really knew his stuff and made sure we got to take our time. I loved that this company had the one hour option for those pressed for time!

    Dan B.

    It's an opportunity to spend time on the water, get some exercise, view some interesting ecological areas, and even perhaps see some manatees...how can you go wrong? You can't! Reservations can be made on site or on line. The first time we just showed up and it took no more than 10 minutes to fill out all the "paperwork", including a waiver. The second time I completed the reservations and necessary paperwork on line. It's $40.00 per person per kayak for 3 hours. Bookings can be made as early as 9am or as late as 2pm. They give you a map of the surrounding area showing the routes through the mangroves, into the bay, and ultimately the return to base. They help you with your life vest, assist you getting into your kayak, and with a push-off, you're on your way. This is Fun with a capital "F". First, if you haven't been kayaking in a while, you need to get used to the whole right-left arm over arm paddling coordination thing. When done properly, it's pretty effortlessly and efficient and dry - you'll get the hang of it in no time. Second, the next thing (I noticed) is how quiet and calm everything is. When you start moving through the mangroves the limbs are like a canopy and you can just glide along studying the interesting habitat and enjoying the quiet solitude. At one point we came out of the mangroves and paddled along the backside of some nice homes built along this waterway canal. While making our way to the open bay, there were two manatees that swam directly under our kayaks. It looked like a mother manatee and her baby calf. Pretty cool! Out in the open bay, you can see Fort Myers Beach Causeway on Port side and Sanibel Causeway on the starboard side. It's about a 30 minute strong paddle adjacent and along Bunche Beach from there to the launch site - or longer for a more leisurely ride. Things to consider: You're bound to get wet so dress accordingly; Wear an old pair of running shoes or sneakers - something you don't mind getting wet and sandy; Also, make sure any valuables, billfolds, snacks, extra clothing, etc.. are packed in water tight bags (quart and gallon ziplock freezer bags work great) just in case. Check the tide schedules because when the tide is out, the trip through the canopied mangrove is impassable; Finally, bring sunscreen and some water. We had a great time. The staff, equipment, and scenic route made for a great experience. I highly recommend you check them out!

    Marceline S.

    What a perfect outdoor activity for a summer morning in Florida! This kayak excursion was well organized, and we are glad we chose the guided tour option. Our guide, Vanessa, was very knowledgeable and kept us moving through the different segments with enough stops to relax and learn. It was nice to be in a group of 12 because the other folks had varied skills, that made for a great conversation and good tips. Good quality equipment and the instruction was helpful for us as beginners - we have kayaked twice before. Would highly recommend the singles or tandem option for the guided tour. Our group had a really good age range, too!

    A view of the canal as we enjoyed the day.

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    3 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    5 months ago

    You couldn't ask for a better guide than Maxwell! Thanks to him, we had the best day ever!

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    1 year ago

    Highly recommend. Sam was a great guide. He was very helpful & informative. Would definitely go again.

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    1 year ago

    Awesome....great place to kayak and explore..the back river 'tunnels' are unbelievable....great adventure...

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    4 years ago

    Excellent tour. Laura was a great guide and gave us so much information. I loved it and now want to get our own kayaks!

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Kayak Excursions

    Review Highlights - Kayak Excursions

    The tour itself was wonderful and diverse: paddling through mangrove tunnels, channels, and out in the bay...

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Manatee Kayaking Company

    Manatee Kayaking Company

    4.2
    (5 reviews)
    18.9 mi

    What an incredibly disappointing outing this was.  After spending almost $400, and not seeing any…read moresign of even a single manatee, on our way out we were talking to someone familiar with this company and found out that we would have been "VERY lucky" to have seen any manatees on the earliest tour of the day, but "didn't stand a chance" of seeing any by the time our tour was set for in the afternoon.   Apparently, the warm winter saw the manatees leave for the gulf very early this season, and since that time they leave the Orange River very early in the day, if they are there at all... something the company was well aware of; and, yet, they sold us a "Manatee Tour".   It would seem that this company also re-brands tours to be "Nature Tours" later in the year, but did not see fit to do so for our trip, despite the recognition that we would spend all that money to see nothing that the tour name promises. Had this been advertised for what it was, a "Nature Tour", we would not have joined the tour, as we are experienced paddlers and could have explored the river with our own kayaks free of charge.  We had paid for a guided "Manatee Tour", expecting a MANATEE TOUR. We feel deceived and that we have been victims of false representation. We gave the company an opportunity to respond, and set things right, but they refused to do so, saying that they do not guarantee manatees will be viewed.  This was so much more than bad luck, though. The only positive I can say is the guide was very kind and great with my son, who has a special need. Other than that, extremely disappointed.

    Went Dec 2022. It was a beautiful warm day, but was the week after the big cold spell came through…read moreso that may have helped. Did the 2hr kayak rental, not the tour. Go to the manatee park, check-in at the gift shop then walk down the path till u get to the kayak area. There's a public launch, but the rental company is past that. The kayak staff were super nice. Kayaks were in good condition. Can wear your flip flops or water shoes on the kayak and bring water if u want. Any shoes u don't want wet can be left by the kayak launch. U will walk into the water a little bit to load into the kayaks so ur feet will certainly get wet. Definitely bring a camera. We only had 1 person keep their phone so we didn't ruin any, but it's so worth it to have your own & capture the moment a manatee swims up to u. We had so much fun and loved the adventure. Had guests in town and this is a great activity to do with people visiting. The guided tour is probably nice - u always learn new tidbits when people r showing u around, but we've used kayaks before, kind of like going at r own pace, and didn't feel we missed out. The river is pretty mellow and easy to navigate. U can make the outing as physically taxing or relaxing as you'd like (at least when u rent ur own). Some people just floated outside the power plant & essentially used the kayak as a chair for observation. Our group opted to be a bit more adventurous, exploring both sides of the river and various coves. The area behind the power plant was absolutely filled with manatee. A couple in r group had manatees come right up to the boat looking up at them, another had a manatee push their kayak up a little as they went underneath, probably b/c it was so crowded with manatee when we went. The workers tell u that going right has the most manatee and going left is more scenic. I'd agree going right had more manatee, but we went down both sides and didn't feel the left side was any prettier or had as much to offer so next time I'd only go right and explore that area a bit more. Lots of beautiful birds so if u love looking for interesting nature, this is a great tour. Thankfully we did not c any alligators or water snakes. Think they offer 2 or 3 hours. For us, 2 hours was more than enough and I would pick that option again. Kayaks start getting a bit uncomfortable after awhile and once you've paddled amongst manatees for a couple hours, it felt like enough. If ur an avid kayaker and want to make it out to the bigger body of water, perhaps the longer time would b better. Would highly recommend kayaking at Manatee Park through Manatee Kayaking Company. Make reservations online - it's easy.

    Kayak Excursions - rafting - Updated July 2026

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