Airboat in Everglades — Local services in Doral

2018 EXPERIENCE

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...

The general experience was fine as we flew through the sawgrass, seeing the Everglades all the way to the horizon in seemingly all directions, feeling the magic of the natural environment with the wind on our faces. Our guide (Ozzy) was personable, friendly, engaging, knowledgeable and professional and did his best to give us a good experience. However, I must warn all potential customers to keep your expectations low if you expect to see much if any wildlife in November. Maybe if we'd booked a two-hour tour, Ozzy might have been able to find another alligator for us to see. When I asked him at the end of the tour if we had come at the wrong time of year (mid-November), he did tell us that it's a very quiet time as far as the animals go. He recommends coming in April, as there will still be the over-winter population of migratory birds, plus it's also the best time to see lots of alligator activity. We saw a total of one alligator, nicknamed "Scarface," who apparently hangs out in a particular area,. Scarface eagerly came out of the sawgrass and right over to the boat when Ozzy called him over and fed him snacks. Ozzy has also made friends with a mating pair of purple gallinule, which are particularly beautiful and sweet birds. Other than the trained gallinule and Scarface, we saw only a few snowy egrets, a distant and fleeting glance at (possibly) a kingfisher, and lots of boat-tailed grackles, a sort of crow-like bird known best for its very noisy call, and for following people around to snatch bites of sandwiches. The description on the website, advertising getting up close and personal with alligators, deers, snakes, panthers, bobcats, raccoons and many kinds of birds, could be construed as slightly misleading. If you actually do want to see those animals, call the company first and discuss this ahead of time. Take the earliest morning tour you can get on, and don't go in November. And keep your expectations low. Otherwise -- aside from what we actually got to see (a lot of sawgrass), the guide was excellent, the boat worked (very loud, by the way, so bring some earplugs), it didn't rain, and we did see an alligator and a few birds. I don't want to give this company lower marks as they did their best. I will blame myself for my low enthusiasm, as I apparently should have done more research and asked more questions before we booked this tour, instead of just reading the website...

What an amazing ride! Captain Pete was informative and fun! He has vast knowledge of the Everglades and it’s wildlife inhabitants. We took a one hour private tour. It was worth the price to have the boat all to ourselves. We met at a Shell station called Dades Corner. It was an interesting place where we could use the restroom and get drinks before heading to the boat ramp. There are no facilities at the boat ramp, the reason for meeting at the station! ( I mention this for those who have given bad reviews because of this) Daniel led us to the ramp and helped us board. Captain Pete maneuvered us away from the ramp and off we went! We were barely away from the ramp and spotted the first gator, swimming away from us. Plenty of birds, many flying or taking off. Beautiful to see and Captain Pete knew all the names. He took us to a spot we could see babies that were only 6” long and so cute!! We saw many alligators in different settings from momma with her babies to the big fat dads hanging in the sun. The boat was a smooth ride, unlike what we are used to (banging through the bay) the sun was up and just enough cloud cover to shade us once in a while. Wish I could give 10 stars to Captain Pete! Pete, thank you so much for giving us this wonderful experience. You sir, are an outstanding asset to your company! Daniel has your $40 tip! Sorry, I had to go back to the ATM! PS: if you take this tour, make sure to bring cash to tip your captain! The Shell station has an ATM! Many...