Orlando: Airboat Ride Tour with Hotel Pickup

About This Experience

A Gray Line driver-guide collects you from a meeting point in the Orlando, Kissimmee or Disney area and drives you out to an airboat park and fish camp in the Kissimmee lakes. Reviewers describe the drive as a tour in itself, with the guide talking about Florida history on the way, though some drivers are chattier than others.

At the park you board an open airboat for a 30-minute ride through the marshes, looking for alligators, bald eagles, otters, herons and egrets. You also get entry to the airboat park itself, so there is a little time to walk around before the van heads back. The listing promises you are back in Orlando by lunchtime.

The listing talks about the Central Florida Everglades. The lakes south of Orlando form the headwaters of the Everglades system, draining down the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee and on to the Everglades. This is that upstream country, not Everglades National Park, which is roughly four hours' drive south.

It is the simplest way to fit an airboat into a morning without a car, but around 5 hours for a 30-minute ride is a lot of van time for small kids. The listing does not name the airboat park, so you will not know in advance exactly which dock you visit. Ask about car seats before booking, and choose a longer, self-drive ride if wildlife is the main event.

Highlights

• Skip the driving and hear Florida stories from your driver-guide on the way
• Feel the wind on a 30-minute open airboat ride through the Kissimmee marshes
• Look for alligators, bald eagles, otters, herons and egrets
• Stretch your legs around the airboat park before heading back
• Be back in Orlando by lunchtime, with the afternoon free for the pool

What's Included

• ✓ Round-trip transport from meeting points in Orlando, Kissimmee and the Disney area
• ✓ 30-minute airboat ride
• ✓ Admission to the airboat park
• ✓ Services of a driver-guide
• ✓ Live guide commentary in English

Not Included

• Food and drinks
• Optional gratuities
• Extras sold at the airboat park
• Pickup from addresses away from the listed meeting points

What to Bring

• Comfortable shoes
• Sunglasses and a sun hat
• Sunscreen
• Water bottles and a snack for the van
• Child ear muffs for babies and toddlers

Good to Know & Caveats

• Book at least 2 days before your planned date; later bookings are not accepted.
• Wildlife is wild. Alligators are often seen, but sightings are not guaranteed.
• The listing does not name the airboat park, so life-jacket and age rules depend on the dock; check the listing or ask the operator.
• Car seats are not mentioned, so ask the operator before booking with young children.
• One reviewer with limited mobility found the vehicle hard to climb into.
• Pets and luggage or large bags are not allowed.

Meeting Point

Pickup from set meeting points in the Orlando, Kissimmee and Disney areas; you choose yours when booking. Reviewers mention hotel pickups and an ICON Park pickup.