A trip to south Florida would not be complete without a visit to the Everglades. We chose an all day adventure on the Everglades Day Safari which included narrated transportation from Fort Myers to the four main ecosystems of the Everglades. Our safari group of ten was the perfect size to enjoy the day and we certainly appreciated riding along and not having to plan anything.
The day began with a nature walk through a forest of towering cypresses and palms. We observed bald eagles rebuilding their nests after the hurricane, and many other species of birds interacting in the trees, ponds, and swamp land.
Next we headed to the mangrove-lined waters of the 10,000 Islands in Everglades National Park, just south of Marco Island.
During our 60-minute boat cruise we spotted a dolphin, raccoons, and several osprey. It was low tide and a lone dolphin was splashing in two feet of water trying to feed on fish. He came over to our skiff and circled us several times.
Sadly, throughout the day we witnessed the environmental and structural damage to land and buildings as a result of Hurricane Irma in 2017. Many people lost their homes in southern Florida.
For example, the line between brown branches and green branches on the mangroves in the picture above marks the storm surge height from the hurricane. Roads, parking lots, and buildings were covered by three feet of water or more.
Our next stop was Everglades City and we had extra time to drive around the town before eating lunch. All homes that were not on stilts were flooded. Our guide told us that it can easily take a year to receive insurance payments from the carriers.
A millionaire, Barron Collier, put the town on the map in 1923 when he used it as his construction base for building the Tamiami Trail, the first road across the southern tip of the state.
In 1947, Everglades National Park was created, banning commercial fishing and traditional livelihoods ended. Soon the train was gone and the bank shut down. Finally, the county seat relocated to Naples and, in 1960, Hurricane Donna erased the town.
We enjoyed an excellent lunch at a waterside restaurant in the heart of the Everglades. Each entree included alligator appetizers, but I gave mine to Darin. He said it tasted like chicken. I’ll take his word on it!
After lunch, we took a wildlife drive in the Big Cypress National Preserve. We toured the sawgrass prairies of the Everglades back country. Alligators, turtles and birds appeared in front of a backdrop that is reminiscent of the great plains of Africa. Sorry, we did not get out of the van for pictures.
On the final stop of the day, we boarded an airboat on Lake Trafford to ride through alligator filled marshes. Alligators, turtles and over 30 species of birds can be seen around the lake.
Darin grabbed the front seats for us and we got a little wet depending on the wind and direction the boat was headed. We were so close to the water that we could reach down and touch a gator if we wanted (don’t worry, we didn’t!).
The sun was warm and there were surprisingly no bugs. I guess that’s one good thing about cold fronts! We loved it!
Lake Trafford is approximately 1500 acres of natural beauty and is located not far from Naples and Fort Myers. It is also regarded as a premiere fishing lake. Crappie, Bass, Bluegill and Shellcracker call the lake home (and food for gators).
We saw several brave fishermen out on the lake in tiny boats. I don’t think I could do it with all those teeth in the water. Some gators were cruising around in the middle of the lake, too.
I highly recommend an Everglades safari if you are in the area. We had so much fun and it was a great ending to our three week trip to Florida. My next update will be from Alabama. Stay tuned…..