Everglades Multi-Day Kayaking
Tour
"I would like to tell
you how wonderful the Everglades Trip was that
we just completed. The guides, Tim and Carrie
were absolutely superb. They had great knowledge
of the local flora and fauna, were energetic and
positive, were excellent paddlers and
accomplished chefs. The foods which were
selected and prepared were delicious. The base
camp was well selected and was beautiful under
the canopy of stars. The paddling locations were
well suited for a variety of paddling skill
levels and the guides were willing to flex to
the needs and desires of the group. Their
patience in dealing with a couple of "high
maintenance" clients was exemplary. Both Tim and
Carrie made the kayaking experience very
enjoyable. Thank you. Hope you have a wonderful
Winter Season..."
-Mary
Lindhjem
The
Everglades are simply amazing...As the
weather cools off and winter sets in, the
Everglades
reach their prime. Sunny clear skies and warm waters
provide a perfect paddling environment, not to mention
thousands of small mangrove islands, white sand beaches,
exotic wildlife & flora unique to this region, fantastic
food, first class camping and great company. This
kayaking trip with
Crystal
Seas is an ideal way to escape the
chills of winter while enjoying one of
America's world
heritage sites. Photo By Carrie
Weaver
Our Tours...lead
you
through countless keys...known
as the Ten Thousand Islands, enjoy gourmet lunches on
shell mounds built up by the Calusa natives of the past, spot manatees in
their natural environment, watch dolphins play, observe
alligators hunting for fish, see flocks of ibis passing
by and witness an osprey pluck a meal from the sea.
Tour Length: 2-7 days in length
All
Inclusive: We provide all kayaking gear (single kayaks
are available upon request), meals and drinks, safety
equipment, Marmot two person dome tents, Therm-A-Rest
sleeping pads (which convert to beach chairs), Cascade
Design pillows and our incredible attention to detail.
So pretty much all you need to bring is yourself, a
sleeping bag (we can provide this), your personal
clothing, some personal items, a willingness to learn
and a sense of adventure.
Sample
4 Day Itinerary
(2 to 7 day
trips are available)
Day One
Your tour
begins with an early rendezvous at the Everglades
National Park
Headquarters in Everglades
City where your guides will meet you
along with other members of your backcountry expedition.
We will
introduce you
to our expedition gear and the basics of sea kayaking;
i.e. paddling demo, safety
information,
how to land the kayak
when you’re getting out for lunch or to stretch your
legs, what
to do when a sea turtle or alligator surfaces next to
you…etc. Afterwards, we’ll head out upon the calm,
brackish waters of
Everglades National
Park . As we paddle through
a great
maze of native red and white
mangroves, we’ll weave our way closer to the
Gulf
of Mexico where we will encounter
many migratory birds as well as year round
resident birds or possibly marine mammals. Once we
decide where to land for
lunch,
we will make a short but sweet stop enjoying delicious
food and the spectacular backcountry. This afternoon we
will kayak to our designated campsite along the
gulf coast where white sand beaches await. A gourmet
dinner of fresh, local fish prepared to perfection and
key lime pie will surely recharge your energy levels.
Tonight we will retire under a sky filled with a million
stars in the comfort of our Marmot dome tents.
Day Two
As
the sun makes its way above the mangroves to the east,
you’ll wake up to a warm South Florida
breeze. Your guides will prepare a hearty breakfast for
you with juice or java,
and then we’ll get ready
to
explore more splendid backcountry. Today we will paddle
in our stable, one or two person
expedition kayaks
towards a small key in the Gulf of Mexico
to host our next beautiful camp. Along the way we may
encounter dolphins, great white herons, alligators, or
even a massive tarpin fish at the
surface. Later we
will stop for lunch on a sandy beach loaded with crushed
sea shells. Here you can
stretch your legs and listen to
your guide tell fascinating stories of Everglades
folk-lore and tales of
pirates or smugglers. Tonight we
will surprise
you with another
great campsite meal and
then you can let the waves lapping on the beach sing you
to sleep.
Day Three
Today
we will get an early start to take advantage of the
currents and tides leading us deep into the interior of
the park. As we paddle away from the shoreline, you will
get your last glimpse of the Gulf of
Mexico
and then we’ll continue through our maze of mangrove
tunnels into the brackish water of the interior rivers.
Keep your eyes open for manatees as we follow calm tidal
currents up the mouth of the
Lopez
River . The jungle will slowly start
to close in on us as we paddle further up river with
numerous channels attempting to confuse us. Our guides
are highly skilled in the field of navigation and at
lunch break you can ask “How did you find the right way
with just a compass, watch and chart?” Today’s lunch
break will be on a “shell midden”; a term used to
describe large piles of sea shells mounded up by the
Calusa natives as their waste piles. Some of the world’s
largest middens are found here, deep in the
Everglades .
Day Four
In the
morning the mangrove jungle comes alive with the sounds
of birds. This is a great opportunity to test your
skills photographing wildlife! After we enjoy our last
breakfast together we will begin our return to the
Everglades National Park Headquarters. We usually arrive
in the mid afternoon. Here we will say our goodbyes
until your next Crystal Seas Vacation.
Everglades Multi-Day
Kayaking Schedule
2-Day/1-Night
- $359 per person
Saturday-Sunday (December-April... custom dates are available,
just ask us)
3-Day/2-Night
- $529 per person
Friday-Sunday and Saturday-Monday (December-April... custom
dates are available, just ask us)
4-Day/3-Night -
$699 per person
Monday-Thursday and Tuesday-Friday (December-April... custom
dates are available, just ask us)
5-Day/4-Night
- $879 per person
Monday-Friday (December-April... custom dates are available,
just ask us)
6-Day/5-Night
- $1049 per person
Sunday-Friday (December-April... custom dates are available,
just ask us)
7-Day/6-Night - $1219 per person
Sunday-Saturday (December-April... custom dates are available,
just ask us)
Read a
trip report on:
http://www.paddling.net/places/everglades.html
Custom Dates &
Tours: If you have dates that works better with your
vacation schedule, airline fares or airline tickets, we
should be
able to accommodate them at no additional cost... just let us know.
Everglades Wilderness Waterway Tours of 9 or more days, covering the 99
mile
Everglades Wilderness Waterway,
are available as custom tours... please
contact us for more information.
Everglades tours: Prices, times and tour location
subject to change. Prices per person in US$.