Florida-based Dragonfly Expeditions has created an Everglades adventure for all those travelers who want more from Florida than the beauty of the beaches. This trip combines the adventure of animal encounters while focusing attention on one of Florida’s most unique and endangered places--the Everglades.
Trained field guides lead groups of two to ten travelers through biologically diverse ecosystems in search of wading birds, river otters and the occasional alligator. You can wade through waist-deep water as native orchids and bromeliads hang overhead. Explore backcountry that is beautiful and rugged.
For more information call 888-992-6337 or go to www.dragonflyexpeditions.com.
The park and recreation office of Miami-Dade County has a slew of eco-adventure activities highlighting South Florida’s remarkable sub-tropical beauty, pristine parks, unique wilderness areas and historic sites. Activities include kayaking and snorkeling in the clear warm waters of Biscayne Bay, canoe trips through scenic mangrove creeks teeming with native wildlife and biking along paths in Key Biscayne while exploring the natural history of this remarkable barrier island.
Tours include:
Fakahatchee Swamp
A wet wading tour through cypress swamps and former logging roads, leave your inhibitions behind and follow an informative naturalist guide into the heart of the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve. In this vast and picturesque swamp, you will discover some of the rarest plants in Florida including the Ghost Orchid. Your footprints can mingle with those of the Florida panther, black bear and Everglades mink. You will walk along old logging roads created to harvest cypress trees in the 1940’s. Prepare for a rugged adventure.
Big Cypress Swamp Exploration
On this naturalist-guided tour of the Big Cypress National Preserve, a watery wilderness of over 700,000 acres, you will cross the historic Tamiami Trail to Turner River Road. Here you can see an abundance of wildlife from alligators to zebra butterflies, including the endangered Everglades snail kite. The tour frequently stops to view and learn about colorful wildflowers and wading birds that abound in this area.
Discover The Florida Keys
Enjoy a safe, fun-filled day of adventure in the enchanting Florida Keys. You will explore mangrove creeks and offshore islands by canoe or kayak, and snorkel over some of the only living coral reefs in the United States. Walk through forest-covered trails at Key Largo Hammock state botanical park and learn about the natural history of tropical trees with strange names like Gumbo-limbo, Fiddlewood, and White Stopper. This is a good area to watch for tropical birds such as white-crowned pigeons, mangrove cuckoos and the elusive black-whiskered vireo. At Long Key State Park, you will discover abundant marine life associated with sea grass beds as you wade through the shallow water. You will learn of the rich natural and cultural history of these islands, as well as sample some of the native foods that make the Florida Keys famous.
For more information on the above eco-tours in Miami-Dade County, go to www.miamidade.gov/parks/ecoadventures.asp or call 305-365-3018.
The Chattooga River offers real-life chills and thrills. The river runs 57 miles south starting at Whiteside Mountain in North Carolina and serves as the boundary between Georgia and South Carolina, where it offers trout fishing and is a nationally designated scenic river. The more adventurous of us can expect the river to drop an average of 49 feet per mile. For the ultimate challenge, go from spring to early summer and experience category three, four and even five
rapids. For more information on whitewater packages and trips visit www.wildwaterrafting.com or www.chattoogawhitewatershop.com.
Travelers seeking the ultimate getaway in South Carolina need only venture 40 miles outside of Charleston or Columbia. Escape on a 22-mile overnight canoe trip on the Edisto River and sleep in a private tree house nestled high up in cypress and evergreen trees. Here the only neighbors are wild – including alligators, otters, herons, egrets, wood storks, turkey and deer. The tree houses are equipped with all the comforts of home, including a kitchen, futons, outdoor grill and dining area. For more information go to www.canoesc.com or call 843-563-5051.
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