Best Ways to see Manatees near Naples, Marco Island and Everglades City
Best Places to See Manatees
People always ask us, “where can I see manatees?” Below are some recommendations! The best time is from mid morning until mid afternoon when the sun is higher up. This way, the sun illuminates the manatees in the brownish water for easy viewing. For optimal viewing, choose options that place you higher than the level of the water, like boardwalks or motor boats. This page offes a few ways to see manatees including kayaking, motor boat tours, and our combo kayaking and motor boat tour. We even have a motor boat tour to Port of the Islands that is solely focused on seeing manatees. Additionally, we can take you to a Big Cypress National Preserve boardwalk where manatees are often spotted.
Our Kayak with a Manatee Tour
Our Port of the Islands Paddle with a Manatee Tour is the best way to see a manatee from a kayak and also get solutide from other companies (we are one of only 2 companies that offer this tour). This location is closer to Naples and Marco Island but still offers remote mangrove tunnels, sawgrass prairies, and small lakes that feed into the Port of the Islands canal. This trip isn’t for everyone, with the tides and winds in the canal portion making it more challenging, but if kayaking with these amazing creatures is on your must do list, then there isn’t a better spot! If you are deciding whether to do the Kayaking with a Manatee Tour or the Turner River Tour, we suggest kayaking the Turner River (to maximize wildlife viewing) and adding on either one of these boat tours to look for your manatees.
Manatee Boat Tour- Port of the Islands
https://www.see-manatees.com/tours/manatee-sightseeing-tour/
This is the best way to see a manatee in Southwest Florida! These tours focus primarily on looking for manatees in the canals of Port of the Islands. If seeing manatees is a bucket list item, then this is your best chance to check it off your list. If you also want to paddle in the real Everglades, we can do both in the same day! With our Mangroves and Manatees Combo. Add our Mangrove Tunnel Tour to your itinerary and paddle through the crown jewel of the Everglades. See alligators, manatees, orchids, and mangrove tunnels all in a single day. These two trips are located only about 20 minutes from each other!
Everglades Kayak and Smallwood Store Boat Tour Adventure
https://smallwoodstoreboattour.com
This tour is a great way to see Everglades National Park’s famous 10,000 Islands region. This tour also offers the opportunity to see manatees but it is not the tours focus. Additionally, there are beaches to get out and walk on and amazing history. Plus, if you want to have the more traditional Everglades experience, you can pair this with our Mangrove Tunnel Tour in the same day. This boat tour is in the 10,000 islands within the Everglades National Park. One of our favorite times to go is at sunset when there are hundreds of birds flying into their rookeries for the evening. It’s such a magical way to cap off the day in the Everglades. There is no guarantee of seeing manatees, but if being in a more remote and natural area is what you desire, this is the trip for you. It is truly special.
Free Boardwalk (Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center) 33000 Tamiami Trail E, Ochopee
This visitor center has lots of local information and is a great stop for Big Cypress NP and Everglades NP information. The boardwalk area (behind the building) holds manatees until about early March depending on the weather. This place is only 5 minutes from the Turner River and is a great place to stop after the trip for your (possible) free manatee sighting.