Everglades Airboat Tours for Islamorada Visitors

Why Islamorada visitors trade the flats for the sawgrass

Islamorada calls itself the Sportfishing Capital of the World, and plenty of guests come for offshore trips or backcountry flats fishing in Florida Bay. What many don't realize is that Florida Bay's water story starts in the Everglades. Fresh water moves slowly south through the sawgrass and eventually reaches the bay you've been fishing.

An airboat tour takes you to the source. Instead of turquoise flats and mangrove edges, you'll cross open freshwater marsh, pass tree islands and look for alligators, turtles and wading birds in water that can be ankle-deep. Wildlife sightings vary by season and water level. Because the tour is private, your group sets the plan with the captain. Anglers can ask the captain about the water, birds and fish along the way.

It's also a good change of pace when half your group is ready for a break from fishing.

We're outside Everglades National Park on the Tamiami Trail, so your captain can legally get you closer to gators, birds and other wildlife than park rules allow.

Staying elsewhere in the Keys? See our Key Largo and Key West trip guides.

The drive from Islamorada

Islamorada covers several islands, including Plantation Key, Windley Key and Upper and Lower Matecumbe Key, so your drive time depends on your mile marker. From around mile marker 82, allow about 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. From Lower Matecumbe, add roughly 10 to 15 minutes. Heavy traffic makes it longer. Weekends and holidays are the slowest, when traffic heading in and out of the Keys shares one road.

• Head north on US-1 through Tavernier and Key Largo.
• Cross the Eighteen-Mile Stretch to Florida City.
• Take Krome Avenue north to the Tamiami Trail (FL-90) and turn west to 5334 FL-90. You can also take Florida's Turnpike north to Exit 25 and go west on the Trail if live traffic favors it.

If the Stretch is jammed, drivers leaving from the north end of Key Largo can use Card Sound Road instead. It has an electronic-only toll, and it's usually no faster in normal traffic. Check your map app before you commit.

Best tour choices for an Islamorada day

With close to four hours of round-trip driving, a longer tour is usually worth it. Our daytime private tours cost $250 for 1 hour, $350 for 1.5 hours, $450 for 2 hours and $550 for 2.5 hours, which is the longest daytime option. Those prices cover the first two guests. Additional guests are $60 each, and children 5 and under ride free.

For example, a party of six on a 2-hour tour pays $450 plus four extra guests at $60 each, for $690 total. Most boats hold 6 to 7 guests. A bigger fishing crew or family reunion of more than 7 books multiple boats. Call (305) 766-1929 and we'll help you plan it.

Timing: sunrise, sunset and night

Daytime is the easy choice. A midday tour gets you back to Islamorada in time for sunset on the bayside, where the sun sets over Florida Bay. You get the Everglades and a Keys sunset in one day.

Sunrise is beautiful but hard to reach from Islamorada. We recommend starting 30 minutes before sunrise, and in Miami sunrise falls between about 6:30am and 7:25am depending on the season. You'd need to leave well before 5am. It works better if you spend a night on the mainland before a flight home.

Sunset and night tours show a different side of the marsh. The sunset airboat tour page and the night private airboat tour page explain what to expect. Both cost $450 for 1.5 hours, $550 for 2 hours or $750 for 3 hours, with custom start times. We're open 24 hours, 7 days a week, but from Islamorada that means about two hours of driving after dark. Book one on a night you're staying near Miami.

Split the drive on arrival or departure day

Many Islamorada trips start and end at Miami International Airport, and our dock is on the mainland side of that drive. Here are two ways to use it:

• Arrival day: Land, pick up your rental car and come straight to the dock. After a 1.5- or 2-hour tour, you'll drive down to Islamorada with the Everglades already done.
• Departure day: Check out early, stop in Key Largo if you have time, take a late-morning tour and continue to the airport. Leave plenty of time before your flight.

Along the way, the Homestead entrance to Everglades National Park and its Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center are a short detour west of Florida City on Palm Drive (SR 9336). The park is separate from our dock, with its own entrance fee and visitor center hours. Coral Castle on US-1 in Homestead is another quirky stop worth a look. Check its hours before you go.

Van transport for groups

If nobody wants to drive, van transport is $400 round trip per van for up to 13 guests. It requires at least 4 guests and a tour of 1.5 hours or longer. Keys pickups cost the same as our port pickups, but please call (305) 766-1929 to discuss the distance from Islamorada before you book. Your pickup and drop-off locations can be different, which helps on a departure day. Ask whether finishing at the airport or a Miami hotel works for your date. See our pickup locations for the full details.

What to bring (and what to leave in the room)

You've probably packed for the ocean, and most of it works here too. Leave the snorkel gear and reef shoes behind. Flip-flops are fine on the airboat. Bring:

• Polarized sunglasses, which help you spot gators and birds against the glare. Bring sunscreen too.
• A cap that won't blow away, or plan to stow it.
• A light layer from December to March, and insect repellent for evening trips.
• Cold drinks if you like. Alcohol is allowed, but not for whoever is driving back down US-1.

We provide ear protection in every size, from small kids to adults. Wheelchair users are welcome. Just tell us when you book so we can plan boarding. Get the full checklist in our what to wear and bring guide.

Reserve your Islamorada airboat day

Your captain will be a USCG-licensed, CPR and first-aid certified local Gladesman. You pay in full to book, and you get a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours in advance, which helps if the weather changes your Keys plans. Book online, call (305) 766-1929 or email info@airboatadventureseverglades.com. More answers are in our tour questions page.

Islamorada questions

How long is the drive from Islamorada to your airboat dock?

About 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Take US-1 north through Key Largo and over the Eighteen-Mile Stretch to Florida City, then north on Krome Avenue or Florida's Turnpike to the Tamiami Trail (FL-90). It can take longer in heavy traffic on US-1, especially on weekends and holidays, when traffic heading in and out of the Keys backs up.

What are good stops between Islamorada and the Everglades?

Key Largo is about halfway. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is a good leg-stretch if you left early, with glass-bottom boat tours and snorkeling. Farther north, Robert Is Here in Homestead is a classic stop for fresh-fruit milkshakes before the last stretch to our dock.

Can we take a tour and be back in Islamorada for dinner?

Yes, with a morning or midday daytime tour. For example, leave Islamorada around 7:45am for a 10am tour, spend 1.5 to 2 hours on the water, and you'll be back by mid-afternoon. A sunset or night tour means about two hours of driving after dark, so it's better on a day you're staying near Miami.

Is it easier to do the tour on our way to or from the Keys?

Usually, yes. If you're flying into or out of Miami, a tour on your travel day saves a long round trip. Coming in, go from the airport to our dock, take your tour, then drive down to Islamorada. Going home, leave the Keys early and make sure your tour ends with plenty of time before your flight.

Questions about prices, extra guests, kids, pickup, cancellation or weather? See our main Everglades airboat FAQ.