Outstanding Mangrove Tour with Captain Jack's / Disappointing Experience at Wooten's…read more This was our second time taking the 50-minute mangrove tour with Captain Jack's, and once again, it did not disappoint! Our captain, Teddy, was absolutely excellent--knowledgeable, engaging, and fantastic on the water. We love Captain Jack's and will definitely be back. However, we added the 30-minute grassland tour package through Wooten's, and unfortunately, that part was a major letdown. The airboat ride itself was pretty lame with very little actual touring of the grasslands. To make matters worse, the animal attractions at Wooten's were underwhelming, featuring empty cages and very few animals. The gentleman running the animal show was aggressive, visibly angry, and used foul language right in front of children. To top it off, he sat counting his tips in front of everyone while making dissatisfied faces at what he received, which left a terrible impression. Next time, we will strictly stick to Captain Jack's mangrove tour and skip the Wooten's package entirely.

Since there are only a few airboat options around, we chose Captain Jack's based on the good…read morereviews and the bundle price, and they did not disappoint! We felt completely safe the whole time because the crew clearly knows what they are doing... Zipping through the mangrove tunnels was an absolute blast... Captain Heath was amazing; he made sure we had a ton of fun while also making sure we spotted some cool wildlife. Great experience for the whole family!

We are beginning to have guests visit us again. Which is wonderful. Most guests want to take an…read moreairboat ride. I have been on many airboat rides and this one is the calmest I have ever been on. Most of these rides are somewhat like being on a roller coaster with the captain performing all sorts of spin moves and spraying us with the water. This is NOT on of those. Our guide Levi spoke with knowledge and experience. This tour could be an eco tour with lessons about the mangroves and their importance to Florida. It also could be a bird tour, snake, or alligator tour. Really depends on what the guide sees. We saw a couple of birds and that was it. So most of the tour was about the mangroves and how they came about to the coast of Florida. The property we were on was owned by the tour company and the pathways are also maintained by the company. This tour there are no marsh grass.

Our tour guide was verbally upset when we arrived for our 4pm scheduled tour. To be fair we mixed…read moreup the directions so we were about 10 minutes behind arriving at 3:40pm for our 4pm tour. We were the only ones on the tour. He exclaimed "guess we're not leaving early today" later saying "they are supposed to be here 30 minutes before" when I asked if he was ok he said "yeah I guess I just have things to do". Needless to say it didn't feel welcoming and I'd rather have just cancelled.

We had high hopes for our tour. However, we were greatly disappointed. The boat ride itself was fun…read moreand the captain knew what he was doing, but there was zero educational component. Captain Teddy had two way headsets for each rider, but never spoke a word the entire trip besides don't get out of the boat until I tie it up. If you are looking at learning about the Everglades, Jungle Erv's with Captain Teddy is not the place.

We had a tremendous day getting to airboat rides, buggy tour, gator show and sanctuary. Shout out…read moreto tour guides Teddy and Marco. We saw hundreds of white pelicans, which were only down there because of the storms up north. That was an awesome bonus.

I have always wanted to do an airboat ride and finally got around to doing it here. This company is…read morelocated in the small town of Everglades City and is appropriately named and easy to find. I did not make a reservation for my late January ride and was able to get on a boat only having to wait about 40 minutes for a seat. The lady behind the ticket counter was very friendly and accommodating. I could tell that this is a family owned business. Finally Captain Matt arrived back at the dock dropping off his passengers to pick up a new group counting 5 including me. Their boats are not large and can only take 6 passengers at a time. That's good because the smaller boats are faster and more maneuverable. The tour lasted 50 minutes and was a lot of fun. Every passenger wears electronic ear muffs that allow communication between the passengers and captain so that he can narrate certain parts of the tour. The ear muffs are also necessary because the airboat engine is loud. The engine decibel level along with the other airboats operating in the area doing the same thing means that you really don't see much wildlife. Maybe a few birds but good luck on seeing an alligator or big fish as the noise scares them away. Matt told us that the day before he saw a dolphin.... However the fun is the speed and turns the boat makes. At times we were going 35-40 mph going down the narrow water streets with vegetation on both sides and then doing turns in the open water areas. This tour was fun and well worth the $52 adult cost. They operate a few boats at the same time. I recommend this company and ask for Matt. I would go it again!

Amazing tour. 55 minutes of great guided site seeing and journey through the mangroves. We saw…read moredolphins (momma and baby). The guide (Travis) was amazing and knowledgeable and so friendly. He made the tour for us and our kids. Family operated (support local).

Jenny was fantastic. From the minute we met her she made us feel comfortable and even more excited…read morefor the kayak tour. She's been giving tours a long time, and it shows in the best way possible. She's incredibly knowledgeable about the area, and her love of the Everglades shows. Each mangrove cave we went in she pointed out unique attributes including plants and birds. Every animal she saw she not only pointed it out but helped us get great photos too. It was so special to see a crocodile! Jenny also brought us water and chocolate + came incredibly prepared with heavy-duty bug spray. Use it. And book with Jenny! It will be a top Everglades experience.

Jenny's kayak tours are fun and she will educate you with facts about birds, reptiles, fish and…read moreecology of the Everglades. We've done two other kayak tours in the past 3 years and Jenny's is by far the best! You'll learn so much about the Everglades and conservation efforts to protect this beautiful and delicate natural resource.

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.

This was our first experience with Captain Mitch's Airboat Tours. We have been using a neighboring…read morecompetitor for the past three years, but just wanted to try something different. It was pretty easy to reserve for six people for the next day. They were on time, our captain was friendly and knowledgeable about the mangroves, alligators, etc. We had a very nice tour of the area. The biggest differences with who we usually use: We didn't go super fast, spinning around, etc. like we are used to. That part was missed, but I know not all people want to do that. We were not offered headphones to muffle the loudness (that surprised us all, it is very loud). I noticed a couple on our boat had the foam ear inserts that they probably brought themselves. There was no alligator "show" before or after, but they do allow you to hold a small gator they keep in a tank inside. I feel bad for the gator and really hope it gets moved to a bigger space in the off hours. Hope this helps!

Great family time! We got bored hanging around Marco and ventured out to where I spent most of my…read morechildhood. I got to show my kids the areas my grandparents showed me. Not much has changed, thankfully! We had a nice time doing the sunset ride.

Super fun ride through the swampy mangroves. Places you could only go via air boat. Guide Josh has…read morelived here his whole life and provided tons of information. We saw two alligators when we got on, but none on the tour unfortunately. But, afterwards, there is a demonstration with the Alligator Whisperer, and he shows baby alligators that you can touch. It's a great activity for families and convenient if you're staying on Marco Island.

Such a fun outing! Our captain was very knowledgeable and somehow navigated skillfully through open…read morewaters and twisting trails thru the mangroves. We saw plenty of gators and bird life plus even got a brief history lesson. At the end there is an alligator "show". It's kind of honky-tonk but impressive nevertheless, with an option to pose holding a small alligator - perfectly positioned to capture their sign in the background. You know, I really don't mind helping promote worthy businesses and this was well worth our time & money!

I had an unforgettable experience on my half day bird tour with Tod. Not only was he very…read moreknowledgeable and professional, he also showed great enthusiasm for the Everglades ecosystem and the wildlife in it. This passion for every creature that we encountered truly made the day even more special. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in birding in the Everglades!

Kayaking the Everglades was so beautiful and serene! And not nearly as buggy as I expected. Our…read moretour guide Tod was very knowledgeable about local flora and fauna, and provided very thoughtful touches like extra bug spray, sunblock, and yummy snacks. Plus he had a great calm, level energy and a good sense of humor, and great stories! We'll join him again next year for another adventure, at a different location.