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.