When: Anytime

Minimum/Maximum Guests: Minimum 4

Length of Stay: A 7-day itinerary is described below, but 5- and 6-day versions are available.

Fee charged: Pricing for each person for the 7-day itinerary, with Dec 15 to May 31 being High Season and Jun 01 to Dec 14 being Low Season, is as follows:

 #Guests      High          Low  
   6        $2759        $        $2429        $        $2229        $        $2099        $1789

A SEVEN-DAY ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrive in Tampa (or Orlando) Intl Airport late afternoon for pick-up and transfer by air-conditioned mini-coach to Crystal River. Orientation Packages will be distributed detailing items relevant for the entire trip, such as Restaurant suggestions, do's and don'ts, maps, printed material about the Manatees, Dolphins and Panthers, print matter about the Everglades and other interesting aspects of the Natural Side of Florida. Light refreshments will also be available on board and an early night will be prudent as there is an early start in the morning. O/N Plantation Inn, Crystal River. Meals covered S

Day 2: Pick up in the Hotel lobby at 6:00 am for transfer to the Manatee swim boat location in the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge. Here there will be a 20 min orientation on safety and manatee swimming rules and regulations. Then we will be fitted out for dry suits and snorkeling kit before boarding the boat to locate Manatee and swim with them in their natural habitat. At all times follow the instructions of the Dive Captain and let the Manatees come to you. Obey the sanctuary limits, areas where the Manatees can swim if they feel threatened or need to rest. The early start allows for better encounter with these gentle animals and please rest assured that they do enjoy the interaction with humans, provided common sense and respect are shown.

After the swim(s) lunch is available at Crackers restaurant where videos of that morning's will be shown and can be purchased from the Dive Captain. Upon finishing lunch we will travel about 7 miles south to the Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park. Here we will meet with State Park Rangers and be given a tour of the Park, which includes further information and opportunities to see manatee underwater plus many other Florida wildlife representatives. These include a Panther/Cougar, Black Bears, Otters, different species of Birds and Waterfowl, and of course our ubiquitous Alligator. All these animals have been injured or orphaned and are in rehabilitation, some of them are permanent residents as they cannot be returned to the wild. O/N Plantation Inn, Crystal River. Meals covered B L D

Day 3: Breakfast then 9:00 am Check out and travel to Tampa for visit to the Tampa Aquarium. Completed in 1994 this state of the art facility is more than a mere aquarium. Follow a drop of water from its source in a freshwater spring to the open ocean and during its journey experience the many and diverse non-aquatic animals and plants that have a symbiotic relationship with this water path to the coral reefs and beyond. Lunch is at your convenience with a prompt 2 pm departure for Naples. O/N Trianon, Naples. Meals covered=B & D

NOTE: Alternative venues to the Tampa Aquarium are the Clearwater Marine Aquarium and the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota both are very educational and are involved in ongoing research into Florida's marine environment. They are also very active in rehabilitation projects. Although we prefer to subject the guests to as little packing/unpacking and hotel check-in-out procedures as possible, this could be an exception, given the high quality of these 3 venues. We can easily manage 2 and possibly all 3 and do Day 4 itinerary without the beach picnic and visit to Mound Key. i.e. the Wild Dolphin Watch would take place after lunch which would be provided en route from Sarasota.O/N Sarasota Meals covered=B L D

Day 4: 10:00am Wild Dolphin encounter in Estero Bay. Once underway we will explain how local researchers document and identify individual dolphins. Also we will be demonstrating the use of Hydrophones to locate and detect the whistles; squeaks; and purrs of the individuals in the Bay and also listen for the unique clicks and whirls of their sonar. We shall learn all about the Marine Mammal Protection Act and how it relates to our local group of about 100 Dolphins. (Please note that it is ILLEGAL to swim with wild dolphins in Florida and one can be fined up to $20,000 for doing so). Lunch will be picnic style at a sandy beach location followed by a landing at the nationally listed archaeological site of Mound Key. Huge earthen and shell mounds created by the Pre-Columbian Calusa Indian was the site of the Calusa's capital city, Calos. Walking across this island the sheer magnitude of their undertaking can be appreciated along with their intricate canal and watercourt network. Different tropical plants and animal species will also be seen and described by our guide. Dinner is at your leisure. O/N Trianon, Naples Meals covered=B L

Day 5: 9:00am This is where we see and learn more about the Everglades and how the water flows through 4 major ecological zones on its way from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico. Our guide will narrate about the interaction of these 4 zones of the Everglades Ecosystem and the vast bio-diversity of the region. Explanations will be given as to why it is so unique and is designated as a United Nations Heritage Site. We will take you on a boardwalk tour of the most significant location in North America for Wild Orchids. Here you will learn about Orchid poaching, a practice that is continuing to this day and is highly lucrative for the miscreants. Also along the boardwalk we will look for our Bald Eagle, Otter and Alligator families as well as being educated on the unique way the towering old growth Cypress trees have adapted to Florida's sometimes violent climate. After completing our walk you will see why they call the Fakahatchee Strand "one of the most valuable biological assets remaining in Florida". Lunch will be at a true friendly, Florida style restaurant and will be followed by a visit to the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Center. Here we will meet with some of the researchers and learn about their work and then at the groups option they can either shop at a nearby outlet Mall or take an elevated walk across the wet marshes looking for diverse species of ducks and waders. O/N Trianon, Naples. Meals covered=B L D

Day 6: 8:00am Depart for our transit to Key Largo via the Tamiami Trail. Sometimes called Alligator Alley due the huge numbers of these relics of the dinosaur age that line the canals from early February to late May. You will hear why this occurs and be treated to many different species of Egrets and Herons sharing the canals, often in flocks of a hundred birds or more. Lunch on Key Largo will be picnic style at a scenic spot overlooking either the Atlantic Ocean or Florida Bay. After lunch we will either kayak across the Bay and through the mangroves to look for Manatees or go snorkeling over coral reefs in the Atlantic. This will be followed by a visit to the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center just a few miles down US Highway No.1 in Tavernier. Here we may be treated to the heartwarming sight of a wild bird being released back into its natural habitat and we will certainly see the extraordinary work this non-profit organization does for the benefit of injured and orphaned birds. An early return to the hotel will allow you to relax, swim in the pool. Later we will have dinner overlooking Blackwater Sound and enjoy the romance of a Keys sunset. O/N Key Largo. Meals covered=B L D

Day 7: 9:00 am After final check out We take you to a very rare and special sanctuary where you can see authentic Florida Panthers. There only 4 places in the world that you can see these highly Endangered Cats. The first is in the wild (see below) two other locations are at Tampa and Jacksonville Zoos. The 4th is with Florida Wildlife Encounters. It is very safe and under frequent Inspection by State and Federal Wildlife authorities. The facility also has over 30 other large cats, including Cougars, Tigers, Lions, Servals, a South American Puma and a Leopard. At the Big Cats Sanctuary you will also have an opportunity to have your photo taken with a Florida Panther Cougar for a small additional donation. Please note that as with all the other non-profit places we visit we make a donation on behalf of each guest but you are free to make any additional donation as you see fit. After lunch in Homestead, the town that was completely devastated during Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, we transfer you to Miami International Airport for your flight home or to pick up your Rental Car to continue your holiday in the Sunshine State, Florida .... Naturally. Meals covered=B L