Airboat Near Orlando: Wildlife Park Ticket or a Longer Nature Tour?
4 min read
Short answer: for a first airboat ride, the Everglades airboat ride with the wildlife park ticket is the most reviewed choice: a 30-minute ride plus entry to the Wild Florida park. If you want a longer, more educational trip, take the 1.5-hour wildlife tour from Kissimmee.
“Everglades” near Orlando
Several listings here carry the word Everglades. The real Everglades National Park lies at the southern tip of Florida, far from Orlando. Visit Florida’s airboat guide and Visit Orlando describe operators on central Florida lakes such as Lake Tohopekaliga near Kissimmee and Lake Jesup. The first listing below speaks of the “Central Florida Everglades”. Read that as marsh and lake country near Orlando, and check each booking page for the water it uses and the meeting point.
The three rides
| Ride | Length | Price | Rating | What the listing says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everglades airboat ride and wildlife park ticket | 30-minute ride plus park | €32.06 | 4.7 (1,821) | Full perimeter of 4,200 acres of protected swamps, marshes and rivers |
| Florida Everglades wildlife airboat tour | 1.5 hours | €79.26 | 4.6 (363) | An educational airboat tour, possible sightings of the American alligator |
| Airboat tour with alligator and wildlife viewing | 30 minutes | €39.26 | 4.5 (123) | Views and sounds of nature as you glide toward the horizon |
Prices are per person. The words “possible sightings” in the second listing are worth taking at face value: wildlife is wild, and no operator can promise an alligator on cue.
How to choose
You want the best-known option: the airboat ride with wildlife park ticket. It runs from Wild Florida in Kenansville, south-east of Kissimmee: a 30-minute airboat eco tour, entry to the wildlife park with exhibits such as zebras, deer, tortoises, alligators and birds, and a live alligator demonstration. The photo holding a live alligator is not included.
You want to learn something: the 1.5-hour wildlife tour, the longest of the three. It starts at Marsh Landing Adventures on Neptune Road in Kissimmee and, according to the listing, visits the small creek where the Everglades begin.
You want to stay close to Kissimmee: the 30-minute airboat tour at Boggy Creek on East Southport Road. Its booking page asks you to enter the address, 2001 E Southport Rd, into your GPS, because searching the name may not bring you to the right spot.
You prefer to stay in your own car: the drive-thru safari at Wild Florida is a self-guided drive past more than 100 exotic animals and native Florida wildlife. It is not an airboat ride, but it answers the same wish to see animals outdoors. It is on the same grounds as the first airboat ride, so you can combine both in one visit.
Our recommendation
For most visitors: the Everglades airboat ride with the wildlife park ticket. It is the most reviewed airboat offer of the three, and combines the ride with a park visit. Book the 1.5-hour tour instead if you care more about explanation than about time saved. For the rest of the range, see our airboat tours page, and for another way to see Florida wildlife, read the manatee guide.
See dates and prices for the Everglades airboat ride and wildlife park ticket
