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Orlando Manatee Encounters: Blue Spring State Park Tour
4.9
324 Ratings
Orange City
Embark on a thrilling adventure at Blue Spring State Park in Orlando, where you can witness the majestic Manatees in their natural habitat. Join our guided kayak tour and learn about the diverse flora and fauna of this wild area. Perfect for a family outing!
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Blue Spring State Park: French Landing Boat Ramp - We will paddle into the park and up to the manatee refuge. The manatee leave the refuge in search of food and swim all around us and under us. We also take time to paddle to snake creek to watch manatee graze, birds fishing, and search out wildlife.
What's Included
- Local guide
- Bottled water
- Professional guide
- Landing and/or facility fees
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Embark on a voyage to Blue Spring State Park, the wintry abode for one of the biggest herds of Manatee in Florida. Marvel at the sight of hundreds of these ‘marine giants’ leisurely enjoying the spring. From the comfort of your kayak, examine these fascinating animals while your Florida Master Naturalist acquaints you with the diverse plant and animal life that populate this wilderness. An excellent journey for all family members!
- There is no minimum age however all participants must know how to swim
- It is recommended that you bring a swimsuit, towel, waterproof camera and wear clothes that can get wet and possibly dirty
- To ensure a proper size kayak is available, please provide your individual heights and weights at the time of booking
- There is no restroom at the meeting location. There is a public restroom at Valentine Park (1511 W French Ave, Orange City, FL 32763) about a mile before you arrive the meeting location that we recommend you use before your tour.
Location
Blue Spring State Park: French Landing Boat Ramp
West French Avenue
Go to the very end of French Ave, 1 mile past the State Park. DO NOT ENTER THE STATE PARK!
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(324 Ratings)
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Spain_rocks
Jul 21, 2024
Wonderful experience - We saw so many manatees on our tour! It was super enjoyable and our guide was well informed, super pleasant and fun. Make sure to wear a hat and sunscreen. It’s super hot - and the sun is unrelenting. I wore lightweight hiking pants and large brimmed hat. Glad I did! Took my 16 year old son - and it was a nice break from city of Orlando.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gregory_s
Jul 1, 2024
Great trip - Our guide Lucas was awesome! Had a great time. Really took care of my daughters and me. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Ben_e
Jun 30, 2024
Fantastic tour - The gentleman leading the tour k ow what he was on about and very friendly. Luckily he only had two of us on the tour and we could go at our own pace. We saw a few Manatees come to the surface for a breath and playing a bit of Marko Polo with us.
Would highly recommend
Review provided by Viator
Cheetahexplores
Apr 12, 2024
Great experience! - Our guide Sue took us to the nicest places in Blue Spring State Park. It was a relaxing kayak tour with lots of wildlife (yes! manatees!).
We really had a wonderful time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Journey12585212740
Apr 5, 2024
Absolutely wonderful - We hat a great time yesterday. It was a sunny day, we saw a lot of alligators and birds and also some manatees. The area is astonishing and absolutely beautiful, peaceful. Ou guide was great. She was fun and knew a lot about everything. We searched in many spots for the manatees. She took nice pictures of me and my sons and gave us great advice where go to eat afterwards. In the evening before the tour I received a WhatsApp message with the exact location and hours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Scott507
Mar 28, 2024
We had a great time! - We can't say enough good things about our guide Sue! She was great and made the tour all that much more fun. My wife, 7 year old daughter and I had a very enjoyable time. We saw manatees, alligators and many various birds and fish. Great way to spend a few hours in the outdoors.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vtpondjumper
Mar 25, 2024
Live the experience not just check it off on your to-do list. - Bill and his wife took us on the Blue Springs Manatee 3 hour excursion. It was super. Good teachers and gave us plenty of time with the manatees. Loved kayaking in dense swamp land too. Hope Bill will send a few of the pictures he took. He recommended that he hold our phones securely for safety. This of course made us live in the moment and enjoy the experience more. But A few pictures would be a great memento as there were no post cards for our wonderful experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Penny_s
Mar 24, 2024
Great to exploring the river with Sue lots of alligators and manatees - We had an amazing day. Sue was our tour guide and boy was she on top of everything! We started with a instructional safety guide and got right into it. She was amazing took us right to where the manatees are. They are starting to migrate out of the warmer waters so we saw a few and then she took us down several inlets with lots of alligators and turtles, So Much Fun, and lots of birds which Sue knew the species! She knew lots of history of the area. It was such a fun tour and great exercise. I had never kayaked before and she instructed me how to do it properly. I was in a tandem with my husband. Thank you, Sue a wonderful day on the river highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Jody_s
Jul 10, 2024
Avoid Viator at all costs...learn from me - What a disappointment Viator is. When a call was made to verify our reservation I told them I had covid. They said not to worry and I wouldn't be charged. After I felt better I randomly checked my debit card and...yes...they (Viator) debited my account for the whole amount. Their site specifically states there is no charge if reservations are cancelled. I have made several calls to the main office and was told I would have a refund. After a week there was no refund so After many calls and explanations by me they refused to reimburse me. Furthermore they did not have permission to use my card...especially since I never gave it to them. Anyone out there have any suggestions?
Review provided by Viator
Katherineb463
Apr 13, 2024
No-show - Didn’t show up. Drove one hour to the meeting point. Called multiple times. Eventually called me to say “we cancelled for the week due to a family emergency” but I never got any notification. Even rented a car to get to this remote location.
Another quite said the same thing happened the day before- another guest got abandoned.
He did refund my payment. But I lost 2 hours travel time and cost of transportation.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
