Made the long drive from Naples to try out a private tour on a fan boat. Looked at lots of options…read more Chose Tigertail because we could book for just the family, they provided ear protection, padded seating on the boats and they have been operating for a long time. Bert was our guide and we couldn't have had a better time! One of our kids declared it "the best boat trip ever." Bert was super knowledgeable about the wildlife, environment and sustainability. Their team obviously cares for the wildlife and is working to rehabilitate a number of small animals that they have on an island for various reasons. One of our participants was a photographer. Captain Bert was an expert fan boat operator, lining up the wildlife shots as we went. Extra points for that. Our tour for 6 people was $450 before tip. It was worth it as this was an absolute highlight of our trip!

Absolutely the best trip of my life! Thank you to Tiger Tail Airboat Tours, especially Tristan and…read moreWilder. Tristan, the grandson of the chief, made the tour so special and personal. We met three amazing alligators -- Cougar, her daughter, and Mr. Big Head -- plus a bunch of adorable babies! The Everglades were breathtaking, and the whole vibe was peaceful, exciting, and full of life. I felt completely safe and cared for the entire time. The experience was unforgettable -- beautiful scenery, great energy, and genuine people. Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Florida!

This was the second time I did one of River of Grass Adventure's boat tours. Both times, my guides…read more/ boat Captains were great. They are passionate about the Everglades, preserving it, and really love what they're doing. For about hour, we zipped and stopped around the park, through channels in between the high saw grass, over grassy flats, and within a few canals dredged many years ago. The fresh air felt great and I think maybe my blood pressure eased for a few moments. We saw wildlife, including a peregrine falcon, other birds and of course, many alligators, either resting on the grass or swimming off to do whatever it is they do. The guides I think know pretty much where to find the alligators, some of which have names. River of Grass is one of the first swamp tours west of Miami off of highway 41 past the casino. The boats take you pretty far into the Everglades where you don't see or hear any civilization, only the quiet rustle of the grass, i.e. when the engines are not powering the boat thru the glades (why can't they make a quieter engine?). The pictures I took really don't do it justice.

If you're visiting Florida, this airboat tour of the Everglades is a must-do! We chose the pick-up…read moreoption (they offer three convenient locations) and our driver was so sweet, sharing fun facts about Miami and the Everglades along the way. Bonus--the bus had great AC, which we were very thankful for! When you arrive at the park, there are clean bathrooms, areas to walk around, and even a little general store for snacks, drinks, and souvenirs. Since the day was overcast with a light drizzle, we lucked out--apparently when it's too sunny, the gators dive underwater to cool off. This weather was perfect to see them out and about. Before boarding, they snap a professional photo that you can purchase later, then it's time to hop on the airboat. Our guide was a vibrant, knowledgeable young lady who clearly loved the Everglades. She knew her birds, plants, and most importantly--where to find the gators! At one point, we were surrounded by five gators swimming around us. We even spotted a vulture feeding on a deceased gator on shore--it felt like being in a National Geographic special. After the boat, the gator show begins. It's a slower pace but fascinating. The "Gator Boyz" are humane gator trappers who rescue and house these animals. Watching their interaction with the gators was both educational and thrilling. Huge respect for the work they do. The experience continues with a mini zoo featuring turtles, crocs, snakes, and monkeys. I couldn't resist snapping a photo holding a baby gator and even an albino snake! Keep in mind, the staff makes their living through tips and photo sales, so plan to tip your airboat captain, the gator show crew, and your driver. For the value of spending four hours exploring one of Florida's greatest natural wonders, it's more than reasonable. We had an unforgettable day surrounded by wildlife and the natural beauty of the Everglades. Highly recommend this tour if you want a true Florida adventure!!

This ride was pretty pleasant we got to see alligators and had the opportunity to hold an…read morealligator. Be sure to go during the colder seasons to be able to view the gators. It's a little pricey but it's a must if you're a Florida tourist. They have alligator heads on sale. Stop by their gift shop for nifty souvenirs. Parking is ample.

We had originally booked with Buffalo Tiger Airboat Tours but when we got there they sent us to…read morethis place which was smaller and a couple miles further into the Everglades. Eric, our tour guide, was amazing! The dude could summon alligators with this call that he had clearly mastered. Before we even got on the boat, he was able to summon this baby gator to shore! It was truly amazing to see; I've seen alligators but never that close before. Riding an airboat was truly a unique experience. It's so cool how they can just glide over the water. They are REALLY loud, but they give you noise cancelling earmuffs which definitely helps with the noise. You also get quite a bit of breeze, so unless you're visiting Florida in the heat of summer I'd recommend something more than a T-shirt, definitely not my smartest move. Definitely will make the Everglades part of any future trip to southern Florida. Don't forget to tip your tour guides!

I had the BEST time on my Everglades airboat tour with Miccosukee Airboat Rides! From start to…read morefinish it was such a fun and memorable experience. Our guide, Levi, was absolutely incredible--he made the whole trip. He was lively, funny, and full of energy, while also being super knowledgeable about all things Everglades. He shared so many cool facts about the wildlife and environment, but in such an entertaining way that the whole group was smiling and laughing the entire ride. After the airboat ride, we got to watch an alligator wrestling educational presentation, which was amazing to see up close and learn about. And the highlight--I even got to hold a baby alligator afterwards! The boat ride itself was exciting, and you really get to feel the beauty and vastness of the Everglades. If you book here, definitely request Levi's time slot!

Clearly we were there in the off season because there wasn't much of anything to see or do. So…read more What were we paying for? I would rather support local tribes than the other businesses. This was a big stretch

We spent over a week road tripping through Florida and on our way out of the state we drove past…read moreBuffalo Tigers Airboat Tours. It was late in the day and we had tried to do some Airboat Tours earlier in the week but we were traveling with our dog and they were not dog friendly. We decided to stop just to check and luckily for us, not only are they dog friendly but they were doing one last tour before the sunlight was gone. Our guide Fabian was awesome. He was super chill but informative and really did a great job. Especially considering that is was late in the day and he was only able to find one alligator. He definitely tried a lot of spots and it was clear that there would normally have been more wildlife to look as so even he seemed a bit disappointed but he definitely made the most of the birds and other wildlife that we did spot. There was a second alligator and even a baby gator when we arrived at the makeshift village stop that we watched swim in the water a bit. I really liked that Fabian was upfront about the fact that the "village" was just a replica for tourists and not really a relic. He also joked that he has a TV and it is nothing like how native people live today. We had a really nice time on the tour but it is incredibly loud and we spent some of the tour putting our headphones over our dogs ears to protect her from the sound. The office workers warned us about the noise though and they were so sweet they even offered to let her stay in the office with them while we took the tour. I definitely would not take her with us again if we did another tour, but only because I worried about her little ears. She did super well with everything else, including the gator being so close to us and getting on and off the boat. We spent well over $100 after tip on the tour for two people and a dog and it lasted about 45 minutes but I really feel like the experience was well worth the price and the employees here were just so friendly and kind. I highly recommend stopping here and taking a tour with this company.

What an amazing tour. I'm so glad that I chose this one, as the others in the area seemed a bit…read moremore built up/commercialized. Our air boat tour guide was Kenny who was a no frills kind of guy, gave us appropriate information, and answered all questions. Staff was really friendly overall and there was even a pizza spot on site for if anyone wanted food. We had the 5pm time slot so it was just myself, my husband, and another couple so a bit of a smaller crew. Saw multiple gators super close up and he even got one of them to open their mouths! Saw some cool wildlife as well. I honestly think this was the best time to go since we also got to see an amazing sunset reflected in the water. Overall, I would highly recommend!

This company made the experience through the Everglades amazing!…read moreBooking was easy through the website. They will reach out to you to confirm the time. They started the tour on time and it was about 1 hour. This is a semi private tour. In total we were only 4 people on the boat. The staff really knew the spots. We saw about 20 gator and a lot of birds. The staff also made sure to explain each of the species that we saw. Highly recommended!

This tour was incredible! We saw so many gators and birds and a turtle! The guide was very…read moreknowledgeable and overall, great! This was during the gator mating season so we also got to see the baby gators, which were VERY adorable. This was such a wonderful experience, I would recommend this company to anyone.

Great experience at Shark Valley! Our guide Adam was very knowledgeable and entertaining. He shared…read morelots of interesting facts about this land and alligators. Our driver Carlos was also made the ride smooth and enjoyable. We really enjoyed the tour and learned a lot along the way.

Enjoyed this tour a lot! Two hour tour but you'll see plenty of wild animals. The tour guide is…read morevery negative and there are few stops along the way. The tour admission doesn't come with the park admission and they do get booked often so make sure you make a reservation ahead of time. Bring plenty of water and sunblock if you want to walk around back at the station!

This place is OK but I forget the name of it but there's another Everglades boat airboat place…read moremaybe 5 to 10 miles south and by far was the better experience. What you get here is a short airboat ride and then a very short crocodile show. Price was a little bit high in my opinion and I really forget the name of the other place but the other place had way more to do and see so I would suggest to drive 5 to 10 miles south and go to the other park.

We booked a private tour. We're from Southern California and it was a great experience great tour…read moreguide. We got to see two turtles and several alligators. It was very enjoyable. I would recommend this to anybody.

I found Down South Airboat tours on Yelp and Google. Both had great reviews so I called the number…read moreon their website and booked a tour for me and a friend. Our tour guide Ryan arrived promptly at our meet up spot at 12:30 PM. We jumped on the Airboat and off we went into the Everglades. Ryan and his family have lived in this region of Florida for generations so he was more than familiar with the area. We saw baby alligators, lots of bird species, and in one spot, Ryan called the pond, he called out for alligator named Mother. She came right up to the boat and allowed him to touch her (scratched her on the back her head). That was an unexpected treat! We wore head sets to offset the loud Airboat and we could communicate as well. He stopped in several spots throughout the tour and turned off the boat so we could talk without the headsets. If you are considering a tour of the Everglades I highly recommend you reach out to Down South Airboat Tours and ask for Ryan. Happy exploring!

I really wanted to do an airboat tour and see the Everglades while in SW Florida in March…read more We pre-booked this company reading great reviews on line. It is pricey, we picked the 1.5 hour tour, just 4 family members and a guide, Ryan. It is nice that you can be with your group only! At the departing point there's a sign and a small parking lot! No restrooms! So use the facilities on the way at the Oasis Visitor Center, or drive passed it to the nearest gas stop! We were greeted by a staff member and signed our lives away! Bring a hat since you will wear headsets (heavy)- they didn't clean them after previous clients. I am not a baseball hat kinda of a girl but got one for this trip and it was a good save! Wear sunscreen and comfy clothes! Bring water and not lots of luggage, the boats have a small storage space for a few items. While waiting we did see a few gators and cool birds. The boat ride was fun, saw lots of gators in the wild and many birds. The landscape is breathtaking, other worldly. I wish we would have explored the channels in the back more. Ryan was nice but I expected better based on the review, somebody more knowledgeable and chattier. He sped us back way too fast for a pricey ride. If you sit in front you will get hit a lot but beautiful dragon flies. It doesn't hurt, but be warned. Since the reviews were so good I expected more from Down South. It wasn't bad, it was fun, but nothing extraordinary. Fun adventure, something you need once in a lifetime.

Staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. The airbag rides were fun. The experience if holding a…read morealligator was awesome.

Our family of 5 went on the private tour through the mangroves. It did not disappoint! We had a…read moregreat time! Our guide was knowledgeable, funny, and ensured to stop/turn-around to spot aligators. In all, we saw 5 alligators and we even saw a mother dolphin training her baby to come up for air. What an amazing experience we had! We wish the ride could be longer. Highly suggest taking the private tour to ensure you get through some of the tighter mangrove sections. That's where we saw most of the action!