If you go to Everglades National Park, and you drive the whole length, from the Royal Palm Visitor Center down to Flamingo and Florida Bay, you can go home and tell your family and friends you saw The Everglades. And technically, that'll be true. After all, it was there, outside your window the whole way. But trust me, you haven't even begun to scratch the surface. You can't see the real Everglades from the road. If you want to experience the real thing, you've got to get out into it, and Garl's Coastal Kayaking is one of the absolutely best ways to do that!
Now, to be honest, if your idea of a “nature tour,” is sitting in an air conditioned tour bus, snapping a few pictures through the tinted windows, this might not be the tour for you. But if you don't mind getting your feet wet, and you want to see what the Everglades is all about, there's none better!
The staff at Garl's is helpful and attentive, and Garl and his guides are knowledgeable and capable. They want to be sure you have a great tour. Every tour is different, because it's nature, and therefore unpredictable. The weather, the water level in the park, even the abilities and preferences of the guests in each group are all taken into account, and the tour can be altered, or even adjusted on the fly to accommodate all those factors. Be ready to go with the flow, and you won't be disappointed.
We started out with a hike through thigh-high water to see a cypress dome. Seeing a cypress dome from the inside is completely different from pointing to it from the road and saying, “There's a cypress dome.” The up-close reality is so much more. It's almost magical to stand in the middle of it as the sun peeks through the branches, reflecting off the water, lighting up the bright green moss on the trees, and glinting off the cypress knees that poke up above the surface. If Mother Nature is cooperating, you might see alligators, owls, apple snails, and snakes. That's in addition to the flora – orchids, bromeliads, sawgrass, and other plants of the wetlands. Whatever is there, Garl and his guides will most likely find it for you!
Next up was Kayaking. I firmly believe there's no more peaceful way to enjoy being out in nature. I would have been fine with just paddling around, enjoying the fresh air and sunshine, but we also saw several alligators and a crocodile. We paddled through a tunnel of mangroves (beautiful!), and birds sometimes passed overhead, including vultures, osprey, and later we even saw a bald eagle from the road.
There was a manatee in the water when we made a stop at the south end of the park road, and also another crocodile (a big guy, too!).
All in all, this is a fantastic way to spend a day in the 'Glades, and I'd recommend it enthusiastically to anyone who asked!