Chassahowitzka River Clear Kayak Springs & Manatee Tours
Overview
Available languages
3 hours
Mobile ticket
You’ve probably never heard of it, but once you paddle The Chaz, you’ll never forget it! Tucked away on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the Chassahowitzka River is a spring-fed paradise bursting with wildlife, winding creeks, and hidden gems like The Crack and Seven Sisters Springs. It’s quiet, wild, and totally different from anything you’ve seen in Florida.
We offer two seasonal clear kayak tours here:
Manatee Season Tours (Nov 15–Mar 31): focused on spotting these gentle giants in their natural habitat.
Summer Springs Tours (Apr 1–Nov 14): all about spring-hopping, wildlife, and swimming in stunning freshwater springs.
You’ll paddle through crystal-clear water in a 100% clear kayak with a local guide, spotting fish, birds, turtles - and maybe even a manatee or dolphin. Come see why The Chaz is one of Florida’s best-kept secrets!
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Not recommended for beginner kayakers
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
We will provide everything you need to paddle!
Tandem kayak, life jacket, paddles
Bottled water
Parking Fees
Towels, bathing suits, water shoes, sun glasses, etc.
What To Expect
Your adventure begins at Seven Sisters Campground, tucked along a quiet canal just off the main Chassahowitzka River. From there, we’ll paddle to the famous Seven Sisters Springs, where clear water flows over ancient limestone formations. You’ll see natural underwater tunnels connecting the springs—perfect for a little swim or just soaking in the view. Next, we’ll head downstream to Baird Creek, a winding waterway only accessible by small paddle crafts. Surrounded by overhanging trees and untouched wilderness, it feels like stepping into a real-life jungle—many guests say it’s like paddling through a scene from Jurassic Park. This tour offers a mix of stunning spring views, hidden corners of “Old Florida,” and plenty of chances to spot wildlife along the way. Whether you're paddling, swimming, or just floating and taking it all in, it’s an experience you won’t want to miss.
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Chassahowitzka River Clear Kayak Springs & Manatee Tours
Reviews
267 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
At last! A Manatee or 3!
laudigs,
Oct 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Yassiel was perfectly honest with us from the beginning and said he wasn’t sure that we would see manatees as we were just out of season. But, we saw it all! We saw 3 manatees and all the birds. The only thing we didn’t see was a gator. Saw otters, storks, osprey and ALL of the usual birds. He went at our pace and was thoughtful in keeping us around the manatees and taking tons of pics for us. Amazing job!!
Beautiful serenity
sambZ7958TR,
Oct 14, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We went kayaking for the first time in the clear kayaks with Crosby, it was beautiful & wonderful. From the fresh springs (that we could get out & swim in or dive through, to the various spring life (mom manatee & babies), to eagles & other varieties of birds, to tons of fish & with many varieties, to turtles and the list goes on. Crosby was a great guide, with lots of knowledge of the wild life & area. I highly recommend him & this tour
Wildlife Delight!
larabA7716HD,
Oct 9, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We are SO GLAD we chose this particular tour on The Chaz! Dmitry was a wonderful guide. He is super knowledgeable & enthusiastic about local wildlife. Dmitry was friendly and relaxed while also being on top of safety; attentive to each person in our party. [Thanks for being so patient & kind with 70y/o mom ;)] We were incredibly fortunate to see an alligator, a water snake, really cool birds like Wood Stork and many kinds of herons/egrets. We received a precious end-of-tour surprise when Dmitry’s sharp eyes spotted a small solo manatee (out of season)! This tour exceeded our expectations. We went on a Wednesday afternoon in early October; got back into some really beautiful quiet channels with hardly any other humans around. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Crosby and the 7 Sisters ,Crack springs.
carllF8644XN,
Sep 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Crosby was our guide and he did a Super job for us. We were the only two people so we had his undivided attention. He was very knowledgeable about the river. He showed us two Manatees, an Otter, a baby alligator. He showed us the 7 Sisters springs and The Crack. I had never been to either one so this was an awesome experience. Thanks Crosby for helping us make lifelong memories. We have been truly blessed to have Crosby as our guide.
Our Day On The Chaz!
859bridgettek,
Sep 7, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Hi Austin! Thank you for reaching out, and thank you for creating Get Up And Go Kayaking that allows folks like us to have the opportunity to enjoy a perfect day out on the water Kayaking! We were able to explore your website with ease, finding everything needed to schedule our reservations. With that, we’d like to again thank Dmitry our fantastic tour guide for such amazing day on the water! As Dmitry greeted and introduced himself, he laid out the plan for the day on the water. During that exchange he was getting a feeling for what each of us were looking for out on the water today. Dmitry was very easy to talk with, and we truly enjoyed him sharing stories of his life on the water, which he was able to incorporate durning our kayaking experience! We appreciate his overall guidance and safety getting us in and out the kayaking. His overall knowledge while on the water, his amazing in site regarding the wildlife, layout of the waterways, from the birds, the manatees to everything in between really created an amazing experience. Thank you both for an amazing day on the Chaz today. It truly a wonderful day for all of us!
Kayak tour
Nina M,
Aug 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent guide, very relaxed and aware of the group's limitations. Knowledgeable about the area and its many plants and animals. Easy to follow and overall enjoyable
A perfect morning
simonehQ76YX,
Aug 6, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00It was the most beautiful canoe trip I've ever done. And I’ve done many 😅 Our guide did so great - we learned so much and saw so much. Thank you Dimitry for this great morning without screaming and stress (we left our 3 children with the grandmother at the camper :)). Thanks also for the restaurant recommendation, we had a great evening. ❤️
Great tour guide!!
800earln,
Jul 30, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Our kayaking guide, CROSBY was absolutely amazing. Knowledgeable, Friendly & Hospitable. The river was refreshing and the views were amazing!!
Great Birthday gift!
F379XSjenniferl,
Jul 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This was a surprise for my birthday and it was a fantastic gift! Crosby was a great guide and knew a lot about the river and manatees. It was a relaxing adventure and we would recommend this to anyone looking for a kayak tour and got tons of great pictures.
Not at all worth the money!
Tammy72286,
Jul 13, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00The areas we were kayaking in were beautiful. How ever I would NEVER have advertised this as a guided tour, our so called “guide” showed up late never even introduced himself & had two young men there that were to shadow him as they just got hired on, even the two of them were surprised by the guides lack of efforts in leading us or even talking about the things we were doing! At one point they asked if we paid for this trip. Our guide was more times than not trailing behind, showed no enthusiasm, offered no help getting the 64yo woman in or out of the kayak, let 2 in the group go the wrong with the trainees who knew nothing calling them back. Once we arrived back to the docks, our “guide” was again so far behind that we had to get ourselves out and pull all the kayaks in, Which brings up the condition of the equipment….we were filthy once we got out all covered in black on our legs and arms. I absolutely would not recommend this tour especially for the price that was paid.
From $85.00
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