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• Bird Watcher's Paradise

  robwS9869YX,2024年4月21日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Dan was very knowledgeable and friendly! Asked what we were hoping to see and put us very close to some gorgeous birds including a recently fledged eagle. Surprised to see mother / calf dolphins swimming in shallow lagoon. We were in saltwater so unable to view gators but Dan told us several nearby viewing opportunities to stop by on our way out. Great experience!

• Worth the drive, your time and your money!!

  Linda L,2024年3月15日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  This tour is a small, no frills operation. You meet up at a little business on the island and after checking in, you hop on an extended golf cart to head to the dock. The captain/tour guide is a friendly and super knowledgeable naturalist. You learn about all aspects of these estuaries around the Ten Thousand Islands on the edge of Everglades National Park. Two hours flies by and you see birds everywhere. We did see a dolphin or two fishing near us. This is not a tour to see alligators, but the guide can give you info on where to see them after the tour. He gave lots of changes to photograph the wildlife as well as to explain many many details of how this ecosystem works. As a couple we enjoyed it and it would also be good for families or individuals. 6 is the max number of participants. Do it!

• Wonderful environment but few birds

  infoT2545TE,2024年3月10日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Everglades is now doubt a fantastic place to explore Florida wildlife. However the climatechange, el nino and other factors has made the numer of birds decrease from year to year. (from what I have heard from locals). Nevertheless it is stil an amazing place especially for Europeans to visit. We found small spots with healthy birdlife. Especially in the northern part of the National park.

• Super trip with Individualized Attention

  Voyager50867386151,2024年2月9日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Thanks Captain Dan and Everglades Boat Tours! We loved our chilly but fun trip into 10,000 islands for a chance to do birding photography. What a treat to see an area of the U.S. that not many get to view. Dan made sure we saw the beauty in the area and he had great knowledge of what was around us. He made great effort to keep us in areas that protected us from the cold/wind. Thanks so much for the great memories!!

  

• Massive disappointment - the activity did not match the tour description

  Getaway658269,2023年5月4日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  2.00

  The exact name of the activity I signed up for was "Everglades: Birding, Wildlife, and Photography Expedition." For some reason, it is not an option here but I did get a follow up email from the activity provider with an ask to leave a review on Tripadvisor. Anyway, on the day we signed up for, the tour was offered at 9:30 am and then again at 1:30 pm. We went with the latter. The activity was advertised as 3.5 hours and specifically noted how the guide would be on the hunt for birds. To give the guide full credit, he is extremely knowledgeable about the local ecosystem and history and everything you would ever want to know about the shells and the Calusa Indians. The thing is, I wanted to see the birds - this is what I paid for, drove a long distance for, and budgeted half a day for. It should be noted that Everglades Boat Tours was the only activity provider offering a birding adventure and we drove out from the Miami area to experience it. Everything about the description (available on their website) suggested it would be first and foremost a birder friendly activity. Well, birding lasted about 10 min at the start of the boat ride when we got to see the rookery, which was certainly exciting. However, on the way to the osprey nest, we ignored an osprey that was sitting on a tree (prime photo opportunity), the guide did not mention anything about the tern that we sped by, and only at the end, we stopped to look at the bald eagle. We sped by numerous sand bars that had shore birds at the end. They were ignored as well. The tour went over the allotted time by a full hour, which would have made anyone late to whatever activity they may have planned for later. We stayed at the barrier island for two hours, while the guide was talking about the shells and more shells. The thing is, all of this would have been fascinating for the people interested in that topic but the tour description did not mention it even once. I do think that if the activity description was accurate, it would attract a lot of people who would want to learn about the Calusa Indians and the conchology. I actually noted that I was interested in seeing birds at one point, but got a very dismissive "you will get your birds" and even more upsetting when the guide tried to tell me that I did not sign up for the birding trip as these are only offered in the morning. It was rude and condescending. I know what I paid for, and the numerous confirmations that I got matched the description. I have screenshots and the get your guide app clearly states the activity description. It is one thing if the birds were just not there as it happens, but we either sped by them, ignored them altogether, and as a result, spent about 90% of things OTHER than birding and wildlife. Honestly, guide's dismissive tone and then outright rudeness (I was told it was not a zoo when I pointed out that the cover photo of my tour had skimmers, so that it was reasonable from me to expect for the tour to focus on the birds). I should also mention that the boat was not as stable as the description suggests. I can't imagine bringing a scope or a tripod. It was choppy by the eagle and I could not get a good photo - nor was I asked if I got the photo before we sped off. The tour description also said that we would be transported to the marina in a golf cart, but we had to drive our own cars. Not an issue normally but it further highlights that the tour descriptions are not accurate. We did see a small dolphin family at some point but I, and a few others, were uncomfortable at the borderline harassment of the poor creatures - just so that one person could get the "right" photo. I have GPS tracks of that too, if the operator tries to dispute it. In summary - even if you are into conchology, I am not sure if this would be recommended, as I do not know if we got so much time on this because it was our guide's specialty and who knows what flavor you would get with another guide. Or who knows what the communication is like between the booking office and the guides in general. If you want to see birds, do not be seduced by the activity description. Go and check out Shark Valley Tram tours - you will see more birds, will get friendly guides and it will cost you a lot less for half the time, and you will learn about the ecology and the history. Or seek out a private bird guide through other channels, which is what I should have done. It was one activity I was looking forward to the most on this trip to the Everglades and it turned out to be a massive disappointment.

• Cold & Windy trip with a great guide!

  pamelak529,2023年3月26日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  What a day for a boat tour! It was windy and cold. We couldn't reschedule since we were only in town one week. Our guide and captain was Dan. He was just as nice and cordial as could be. He was very informative and knowledgeable. The poor guy had just rode his Harley to get back to his house, for 2 hours in the cold and rainy weather. But he didn't let that deter him from giving a great tour to a couple of old ladies from NY. We had a great time with him. We wouldn't hesitate to go back put with him. In warm, sunny weather, lol. We were able to learn about the area and its history. Dan was a wealth of information. Thank you Dan for coming out into the cold. We sure did enjoy the adventure! I'm sure the hot lunch was great when you got back in!

  

  

  

• Terrible customer service

  I7216YBjohnm,2023年3月24日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  Terrible directions to meeting sight. Ended up taking wrong boat and paying twice. Owner not interested in customer service

• Wildlife, Scenery and Serenity

  BAM1113,2023年2月7日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  My husband and I just took 2 private excursions in the Everglades with Aquaterra, one in the evening before sunset and the other early in the morning around sunrise. We were very lucky to have beautiful weather for both since we had booked well in advance. We highly recommend doing both since they were equally wonderful but somewhat different experiences. The light at both times of day is perfect for photography and the scenery is just gorgeous. It’s very peaceful and the captain will customize the experience to your wishes, while making sure that you don’t miss key wildlife viewing spots and the best vantage points for photos. In the evening we went out with Captain Dan and in the morning with Captain Charlie. Both were delightful with good senses of humor. They are highly knowledgeable and offered lots of interesting information about the ecosystem and animals, as well as sharing stories. In addition to a plethora of beautiful birds, we spotted dolphins with a very young baby and its slightly older sibling. We didn’t chase them and they came quite near to the boat. In the morning raccoons come to the shore to forage. One of our favorite sights was an osprey carrying off a catfish she had just caught. In the evening we saw one crab boat at a distance. In the morning more fishing boats passed by, but we were still entirely by ourselves most of the time. Don’t forget binoculars and a camera with a good zoom lens. A sweater or light jacket is helpful as it can get a bit chilly on the water, especially around dawn and dusk. The boats are comfortable and the captains skippered them expertly. The excursions exceeded our high expectations. Very highly recommended!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Great day on the water

  Calkid1968,2022年7月19日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  We saw dolphins and manatees. All sorts of birds. Went shelling on two different barrier beaches as well as playing in the water. Boat toured numerous islands. Awesome 3 1/2 hours.

• Amazing experience

  neophotos,2022年5月10日

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Overall it was a fantastic experience. Timing and weather was favorable for birding and had good sighting of Cormorants, Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Ospreys, Great blue Heron, Tricolored Herons. But the bonus was when we also had the fortune of sighting the Bald Eagle. The review would be incomplete without mentioning the assistance of Dan (our captain and guide). He was very helpful and knowledgeable and would like to thank him for his service

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