The Everglades: by bike or by airboat?

We went to visit the amazing Everglades National Park twice. The first time we went on our own – it was one of the stops on our adventurous first road trip to Florida. The second time, Fort Lauderdale was the starting point for our first cruise to the Caribbean and we decided to start off by taking our family to the Everglades. The first time we decided to take our time and discover the place by bike – with our families we tried one of the famous airboats.

 

By bike

 

We took a bit longer than half a day to discover the park on wheels. It’s a great road to bike on and it gives you the chance to really take the time to admire the reptiles at ease. Of course, we first needed to sign a waiver (it’s the US!), just in case something would happen. To us it seems quite obvious to keep distance and not hug the inhabitants or anything like that, but apparently not all of us stick to these basic rules…

We were really lucky to pass an alligator at the side of the road. Although we kept our distance, we were able to get some nice pictures. Exciting! When going up the bridge we saw a whole lot more of them…

Ok, the weather wasn’t great that day, but we certainly got to see our share of alligators!

By Airboat

 

The experience with the airboat is totally different. The scenery is more spectacular, as you’re on the water, of course. Spotting the alligators is more difficult, but we still got to see some. And the ride as such isn’t bad either.

After the boat trip we got some further explanations on alligators from the amazing crew and got introduced to Snappy, the cutest of them all.

Best option?

 

So – conclusion? Which way is the best to go for if you have limited time? It’s a tough one… to be honest, it’s difficult to choose. The experience with the bikes stuck with me more – then again, it was the first time, so that could have an influence too. If I look at the pictures again, the ones on the boat are more appealing … So, it’s up to you!

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