I am severely behind in writing this review, because I wanted to take time to include the glowing accolades Garl deserves. This is one of the top guided nature experiences I have had, hands down.
If you only have a day, this will pack in all of the things you *think* you want to see (crocodiles, manatees, birds, fresh and salt water ecosystems) while giving you an intimate view of the uniqueness of the Everglades.
During our tour, we first went on a swamp walk, then kayaked through fresh water mangroves. Our first day was windy, so instead of a salt water kayak we did another swamp walk. Garl has names for all the gators, and can often find them! We managed to meet up a couple days later when it was calmer for a sea kayak, where we saw the manatees in Flamingo bay as well as the type of bird flocks you usually only see on a bbc special (which makes sense, he also helps nature documentaries find and film wildlife!)
If you want to see and understand the true ecological diversity of the Everglades, you can’t do better than to hire the guy that nature documentaries go to to find wildlife. He knows so much about the park from his decades tromping into the hammocks and mangroves. His care for the natural world just beams through every part of his tour, and will leave you with a newfound appreciation for this global treasure. A cannot miss for nature lovers!