While at Everglades National Park, we thought the Back Country Boat Tour would be a good way to get back into areas otherwise only accessible by canoe/kayak. Now while we did bring our inflatable kayak, the ranger advised us, it was spring mating season and the alligators were being very territorial and it may not be the best idea to go out in it. Well, being one to not tempt fate too much and listened to the rangers advise, the boat ride it was.
We also chose to take a early tour as most of the tourist that come in from Miami don't make it till later in the day. I'm glad we chose the early one, as there were only us and two other couples on the boat, normally they can have 30 plus, so it was nice having room to wander around.
The main attraction of the ride is hopefully spotting the American Crocodile and we were lucky this day. There are several that inhabit the canal during the first part of the tour, but they (like any wide animal) can be elusive. We spotted this large 13 footer and a few baby ones like the shot below. The Flamingo area of the Everglades is the northern most habitat of the Crocodile and one of the few places in the United States that you are able to see them. We feel privileged to have seen and been able to capture a few shots of them.
Baby Croc Chillin
Bird life and tropical plants abound in this area and our guide was very informative about them.
The waterways are lined with Red Mangroves, it's really interesting to see their long root systems reaching down into the waters. The tour consist of the man made canal which leaves the marina area, through Coots Bay, through a natural canal and out into the second largest lake in the state before turning around and heading back. the whole tour is approx 2 hours.
There are several tours in the park, both guided and self guided. from hiking to canoeing however, this being the end of the busy season, most all were not being givin. We can highly recommend this tour and at 35.00 per person we thought it was a bargain.
Ok, that's it for this entry, we leave from the Miami area tomorrow and I'll post the last entry I had planned of the Everglades next time We have WiFi. So, until then.......................................
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