Everglades National Park Tours from Miami: A Planning Guide

First, an honest note: we’re not in the park

Airboat Adventures Everglades is a private tour company. We operate outside Everglades National Park, along the Tamiami Trail, and we aren’t affiliated with the National Park Service. Our tours don’t include park admission, so plan a park visit as its own stop.

The park’s three entrances don’t connect

According to the National Park Service, the park has three entrances, in Homestead, Miami and Everglades City, and they don’t interconnect. Choose one per day:

• Main entrance (Homestead): leads to the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, Royal Palm and Flamingo. NPS lists it as open 24 hours a day.
• Shark Valley (Miami entrance): on the Tamiami Trail. NPS lists it as open daily from 8:30 AM to 6 PM for vehicles.
• Everglades City (Gulf Coast): on the west side of the park, a long drive from Miami.

Visitor center hours vary by season, so check the NPS hours page before you go.

Shark Valley: tram, bikes and the observation tower

Shark Valley is the park entrance on the Tamiami Trail. Here is what NPS lists:

• A 15-mile paved loop trail that you can walk, bike or ride by tram. Private vehicles can’t go past the entrance road and parking lot.
• Guided two-hour narrated tram tours along the loop, run by a park-authorized concessioner, plus bike rentals.
• An observation tower halfway around the loop, with panoramic views.
• Two short walks: the accessible Bobcat Boardwalk (0.2 miles) and the unpaved Otter Cave Trail (0.3 miles).

NPS tips worth knowing: parking is very limited in the busy season (typically December into April) and usually fills by 10 AM, so arrive early, come after 3 PM or visit on a weekday. Only snacks are sold, so bring lunch and plenty of water. Ride-share and taxi riders often can’t get a return trip, so arrange your ride back in advance. Stay 15 feet (5 meters) from wildlife inside the park, and don’t feed or touch animals.

NPS also says there are no airboats at Shark Valley.

The Anhinga Trail and the main entrance

The Anhinga Trail starts at the Royal Palm Visitor Center, about four miles from the main park entrance and the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. NPS describes it as a 0.8-mile round-trip, wheelchair-accessible trail through sawgrass marsh, where you may see alligators, turtles, anhingas, herons, egrets and many other birds, especially in winter. It’s one of the park’s most popular trails because of its wildlife.

Park entrance fees

When we checked nps.gov in October 2026:

• Private vehicle: $35, good for 7 consecutive days at all park entrances.
• Per person, arriving on foot or by bike (age 16 and older): $20, good for 7 days.
• Non-US residents 16 and older pay an additional $100 per person, unless admitted with an Annual or America the Beautiful pass.
• The park doesn’t accept cash. Use a card or buy a digital pass in advance.

Fees can change, so confirm on the NPS fees page before your trip.

Can you take an airboat tour inside Everglades National Park?

Only in a limited area. The park’s rules (the Superintendent’s Compendium) restrict airboats to one designated area shown on a park map and prohibit private and commercial airboats in all other areas of the park. NPS lists three authorized airboat concessioners, all along the Tamiami Trail about 15–20 minutes east of Shark Valley.

We aren’t one of them. We run our private tours outside the park.

Why we run outside the park

Owner Captain Greg Mislow chose to operate outside Everglades National Park because it’s better for guests: outside the park, our captains can legally bring you closer to alligators, wading birds and other wildlife than park rules allow. Every tour is private, so the boat and captain are reserved for your group alone, and your captain comes from our team of USCG-licensed, CPR and first-aid certified local captains.

Closer views still come with respect. We never feed, touch or chase animals (feeding wild alligators is illegal in Florida), and we give them space if they look disturbed. Wildlife moves freely, so sightings can’t be guaranteed.

Pairing a park visit with a private airboat tour

Our dock at 5334 FL-90, Miami, is about 30 minutes east of Shark Valley by car on the Tamiami Trail. A simple plan:

1. Morning at Shark Valley: arrive early in the busy season, then ride the tram or bike the loop.
2. Afternoon or evening with us: drive east for a private airboat tour. We’re open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so a sunset or night tour still works after Shark Valley closes to cars at 6 PM.

Private daytime tours start at $250 for 1 hour or $350 for 1.5 hours for the first 2 guests. Sunset, sunrise and night tours have a 1.5-hour minimum and start at $450 for the first 2 guests. Each additional guest is $60, and children 5 and under ride free. Cancel at least 24 hours before your tour for a full refund. See all tours and prices.

Flying in? Our Miami airport to Everglades guide covers the drive from MIA, and private round-trip van transportation is $400 for up to 13 guests, with a minimum of 4 guests and a tour of at least 1.5 hours. See pickup details.

Everyone is welcome on our boats, including guests who are pregnant or have limited mobility. Tell us ahead so we can plan the boat and the pace.

Sources

Park facts on this page come from the National Park Service, checked October 2026: park hours and entrances, Shark Valley, Anhinga Trail, entrance fees, guided tours and the Superintendent’s Compendium. Conditions and fees change, so check nps.gov before your visit.

Everglades National Park planning questions

Do airboat tours go into Everglades National Park?

Only in a limited area. The park's rules restrict airboats to one designated area and prohibit private and commercial airboats everywhere else in the park. The National Park Service lists three authorized airboat concessioners, all along the Tamiami Trail. Our private tours run just outside the park.

Is Airboat Adventures Everglades inside the national park?

No. We operate outside Everglades National Park, along the Tamiami Trail, and we aren't affiliated with the National Park Service. Owner Captain Greg Mislow chose that because it's better for guests: outside the park, our captains can legally bring you closer to wildlife than park rules allow.

Are there airboat tours at Shark Valley?

No. The National Park Service says there are no airboats at Shark Valley. Shark Valley is for the tram, biking and walking. Our dock is about 30 minutes east of Shark Valley by car on the Tamiami Trail.

How much does it cost to enter Everglades National Park?

When we checked nps.gov in October 2026, a private vehicle pass was $35 and good for 7 consecutive days, a per-person pass on foot or bike was $20, and the park doesn't accept cash. Non-US residents 16 and older pay an extra $100 per person unless they have an Annual or America the Beautiful pass. Check nps.gov before you go.

Which park entrance should we use from Miami?

The park has three entrances that don't connect: Shark Valley on the Tamiami Trail, which NPS calls the Miami entrance; the main entrance in Homestead, for Royal Palm, the Anhinga Trail and Flamingo; and Everglades City on the Gulf Coast. Pick one per day.

Can we visit the park and take a private airboat tour on the same day?

Yes. A common plan is Shark Valley in the morning, then a private airboat tour with us about 30 minutes east. We're open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so a sunset or night tour works after Shark Valley closes to cars at 6 PM. Our tours don't include park admission.

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

Last updated October 4, 2026.