I did a LOT of research before arriving in Miami about which of the many tours to book. The majority of the options seemed to involve being collected from Miami from one of several stops on a coach route, and then forming a large group in an airboat, presumably ending up in a gift shop or prodding an unsuspecting captive baby gator. The cost was to be around 50 bucks each. My party of four didn’t fancy that, so looked for a private tour, and luckily found Airboat in Everglades. Wow! Okay, so the cost doubled to 100 each, but it is worth every last penny. To be picked up right outside the accommodation in a private mini coach, and driven in air conditioned comfort to the meeting point was a a pure joy, and our driver kept us entertained. The boat ride itself can only be described as EPIC! To see alligators, turtles and various wetland birds inches from the side of the boat is an experience I’ll never forget. In summary, an unforgettable experience made possible by an enthusiastic and dedicated company.

Honestly, I was a little bit worried about taking my family into a swamp surrounded by predators with some random guide, so I did a lot of research before picking this company due to their other reviews. It was definitely the highlight of our trip, and I’m glad we went. We saw lots of alligators, and we learned a lot about the wetlands. Our guide was entertaining and knowledgeable. You will meet at a nearby gas station. There is a little black pallet stand to the right of the doorway into the convenience store where you will wait. We weren’t sure where to go at first, but I called and this is the spot. No one was there, then, some guy with no company logo said, are you here for the tour, follow me. At this point, I was like, this seems sketchy, but we followed him since we were in our own car. When we got to the dock, they greeted me and knew my name without me saying it so I knew we weren’t about to be trafficked by gas station dude. We would totally do this again.

Our guide was very knowledgeable and answered every question we asked. He stopped several times for us to watch the alligators. I recommend this company because it was a great experience and would definitely go again.

We had an amazing time exploring the Everglades! We loved the adventurous airboat ride, and meeting alligators Scarface and Lola was unforgettable. Big thanks to Captain Xavier for the warm welcome and his enthusiastic explanations — his passion really brought the experience to life. Highly recommended!

We got the hour and a half private tour. That is perfect. Understandable explanation also for our limited English knowledge. We were there at the end of November, no mosquitoes seen. Sunscreen on the head, shorts on and enjoy.

What an amazing day! One of the best adventures we’ve taken yet,my son was really wanting to do this . And we were lucky enough to see a lot of wildlife. Even met a new friend (a bird) that followed us around. Saw a few alligators. The boat Capt. was awesome, told us a lot of info about the area and answering all of my son’s questions. Definitely worth doing.

Maui World Travelers
Local Guide • 516 reviews • 2472 photos

As I searched for the top attractions in Miami, this was in the top 10. Everything else sounded boring but this caught my attention! We were set on the $60, 1-hour semi-private tour. You can also opt for longer durations and private tours.

BOOKING:
Trust me, it’s easiest to call them directly and book. I booked online with my credit card, and here’s my story. After pressing “submit,” the only confirmation I received was “an adventure specialist will send you a confirmation after your info is processed” page. No confirmation number, no instant email, no further instructions, no confidence. This was on a Friday after business hours so I figured someone would contact me first thing Saturday. Concerned that I still hadn’t heard back from them by lunchtime Saturday, I called and spoke with a friendly guy named Lee. I’m not sure if he could see my online reservation but the time we requested wasn’t available, so we went with the 12pm semi-private tour. He then gave us info on where and when to meet. Now I felt confident. A few hours later, a friendly gal called me to say the 10am tour wasn’t available. I told her I already spoke to Lee and that he already changed our time. Then, an email comes through, stating the same thing the gal told me. I replied back with the same info I told her.

MEETING POINT:
We were to meet at the address listed on their website which is a Shell gas station on the western outskirts of the city, at least 15 minutes prior to tour time. Lee called about an hour before tour time to say where to park and where to find him inside. He then said we’d follow the company van to the launch site, but because we Uber’d it out there, he was nice to make arrangements for our transport. Once inside we made payment. I inquired if he had my card on file via online but he said it wasn’t charged due to people not showing up and refunding being a hassle. About 5 minutes prior to tour time we headed to the launch site which was less than 5 minutes away.

THE TOUR:
The two of us were part of an 8-passenger airboat. Our guide (Willie, who was awesome, BTW) was ready and waiting. We jumped on, given ear muffs and was on our way. We passed through tall grasses and enjoyed the views before stopping over a lily grove for a brief safety briefing and area info. A few moments later we saw two baby gators that came up to the boat. We then headed to the dense, eery mangroves to find “Big Al,” a ten-foot long gator. After Willie did a baby gator call and motoring down a few yards, there he was, eyes above water, headed straight for us like a head-on collision. The motor was killed and we floated as Big Al curiously came right up to the boat, giving everyone an up close view as the wind naturally turned us 360°+. Awesome!

After getting back on land, Willie assisted us with pics aboard the airboat.

TIPS:
Use sunscreen. Luckily for us it was overcast the whole time at high noon in June.
There were no mosquitos but there are small dragonflies that buzz by.
I got a small spraying of Everglade juice as we made a turn but nothing drenching.
Riding against the wind made the airboat’s fan louder and was the only time I kept the earmuffs on.
The Everglades they take you on are part of the wild and is not a park or conservation area.

OVERALL:
Nice tour and fair pricing.