Wow. This was quite the experience! Although it seems expensive for the full day, it was jam-packed with activity and we didn't get back to our hotel until after 11 at night. We started the trip at an amazing fruit stand in Homestead to pick up snacks for the day. The food and fruit at the farm stand were amazing - never seen anything like it. Then we drove to the Everglades. Our two hikes were both down trails we never would have even thought of taking on our own (or known about). We ended up tramping through swampy muck and inches/feet of water to walk around two different types of Cypress domes. We learned a ton (our guide, Don, is a herpetologist) about the Everglades and the ecology there. He pointed out alligators (he knew where they would be hanging out), snakes, frogs, orchids and other flora and fauna. After the hikes, we went to a little picnic area near a bird roosting area. There were tons of herons, egrets and spoonbills all roosting and flying around and generally causing a ruckous. Then we did two kayak trips - the first was around a pond in the Everglades where there were tons of alligators and birds (all types of herons, egrets, vultures, etc.). We didn't get to see the croc who sometimes hangs out there though. The next kayak trip was in the bay to watch the sunset. We saw tons of ospreys catching fish and delivering them to their offpsring. It was low tide so we beached ourselves intentionally in the middle of the bay to watch the sunset. Don spotted a little lemon shark swimming around not far from us, which was pretty cool. We also saw lots of shorebirds and ended the kayak watching a lone spoonbill hanging out on the sandy part of the bay. As if we hadn't done enough already, the last stop was walking the Anhinga Trail at night. We each had flashlights and Don taught us how to spot wildlife in the dark. There really is no way to describe how cool it is to see the alligators swimming at night and all you see is the little circle of light swimming by, like candles floating in the water. Or hearing the hundreds of different types of chirping of frogs and insects in the dark. It was very cool. I never felt unsafe or scared, even when the alligator crossed our path not far behind us... It was a really long day but definitely worthwhile if you are interested in nature and adventure.