If you have a strong hankering to see lots of alligators in the wild, the best place to visit is Shark Valley within Everglades National Park. There are no cages or barriers to protect the observer and its amazing to see them living in their own habitat. During our visit we saw lots of them in all shapes and sizes. You can either walk, bike, or take a tram around a 15 mile loop. Just be careful and keep your distance! Seems like a no brainer to me but you'd be surprised how close some fools get to alligators. :(
Admission to the park is $10 or free if you have a senior or access pass. There is a small gift shop and visitor center and two short hiking trails. We thought some of the best wildlife viewing was the walking trail near the gift shop.
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| Baby alligators |
You can rent bicycles for $8/hour or take a 2 hour narrated tram tour for $20 ($19 for seniors) on the 15 mile loop. We decided on the narrated tour. However, we found the seating very crowded and had only 15 minutes at the observation deck. It was also difficult to take good pictures due to the tram moving most of the time or someones in the way of your picture. Next time we would like to take our bikes to have more time to enjoy and really experience the wetlands. If you decide to take your bike, be sure to bring plenty of water and know that you have to stop each time the tram goes by.
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| Tram tour |
Our tour guide and driver were very knowledgeable and did a great job of spotting birds, alligators, and told us so much about the history of the area. The guides (naturalists) are not park rangers, but are hired by a concessionaire for the park.
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| Our very knowledgeable tour guide |
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| Prairie grasses |
The observation deck was beautiful. It was an easy walk to the deck and you could see in all direction the prairies and wetlands. Plus, there were lots of alligators laying out sunny themselves. I was able to observe from the deck an anihinga swimming in the water below. He swam just like a fish for long distances. What a cool bird.
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| Observation deck |
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| Alligators seen from the observation deck |
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| Egret |
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| Gar Fish |
We really enjoyed our visit and learned so much about the Everglades. Check back tommorrow to read about Everglade City. We went on a fun canoe trip around the shell islands.
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