Everglades Overnight Kayak Camping Tours

I just wanted to thank you again for a great Everglades trip this week. I really am impressed with your kayaking skills, your knowledge of the Everglades and your culinary skills. The meals were truly wonderful, I still can’t figure out how you pulled that off in all the sites we were at! Not to mention how patient you were with everyone. I also enjoyed meeting and traveling with the other folks on the trip. They were all really nice and it made for a very enjoyable week.

I just completed the 5 day tour with Clayton. We had a great group and Clayton did a great job with all the logistics including executing plan B when we faced heavy winds towards the end of the trip. Rabbit Key rather than Pavilion Key and a slightly new exit to the take-out worked well and made for a good story.

This 8-day paddle is not for the faint-hearted, it’s every day in the kayak. Some days are not great distances, but compounded on previous days it takes some endurance. I am a woman in my 60s and I took up sea kayaking only 10 months before the trip with the purpose of achieving this 8-day paddle. My learning and training paid off. And, we were lucky with the weather having a mostly moderate tailwind as we worked our way north from Flamingo to Everglades City. This adventure was the trip of a lifetime. A special thank you for the beautiful Seaward kayak I got to paddle. The kayak is gorgeous, sleek, roomy hatches, faster than my own plastic sea kayak, and comfortable. I will remember this adventure always! The scenery was remote and stunning, and the wildlife captivating. Super highly recommended.

Thank you very much for a very well organized and interesting trip to Pavilion Key and the Everglades waterways. I enjoyed all of the campsites and the food was very good. The 10,000 Islands area is certainly is a different world from where we’ve boated before, and I am glad I was able to get a bit of a feel for the area on your trip.

I went with three friends, all of us women in our mid 30s to early 40s, and had a fabulous time on the three day, two night kayak trip. We had all been on kayaking day trips before, but never on a multi-day kayaking trip. Also, though we are healthy and enjoy outdoor activities, we are not really athletic, and so were a little worried about the intensity of the activity, but we found it to be just right for us.
Our guide, Kevin, was top notch! We felt safe the entire time. We learned so much from him about the Everglades ecosystems and wildlife. He gave us pointers on kayaking more efficiently, and was continuously positive and cheerful from the morning coffee through the evening campfires. He was a great cook, and we enjoyed all three meals and snacks throughout the day. There were two vegetarians and both had plenty to eat.
We saw lots of wildlife including dolphins, rays, turtles, fish, osprey, a bald eagle, cormorants, etc. We camped on Picnic Key, and saw beautiful sunsets from the beach. A highlight of the three days was the mangrove tunnel which we paddled through, and swimming off the beaches.
The one downside that we encountered was the no-see-ums (small biting insects) that were only active in the morning before the breeze started. Once we were on (or in!) the water, or in the evenings when there was breeze, we had no trouble with the insects.
I highly recommend this to anyone of reasonable fitness who wants to get off the beaten path, and enjoys a little bit of adventure.

My husband and I went on the 5 day trip. We had a wonderful time. Dave and Adam took good care of us. They prepared good meals and did the dishes! It was amazing what Dave had in the coolers. We enjoyed seeing the Everglades. We paddled among the mangroves, saw alligators, dolphins, horseshoe crabs and many birds. The tents, sleeping bags and pillow all seemed clean and smelled fresh. The tour was worth it. I highly recommend it.