What Kind of Wildlife Will I See?
This area of Florida is blessed with an abundance of wildlife, for most of our trip we will be traveling past property that is state park land or conservation land set aside by Florida Power and Light or the Wekiva water shed which is more than 42,000 acres of protected lands. Alligators are generally abundant (but please remember, these are wild animals, I can never guarantee that we will spot all the animals I mention) as are the wading birds that migrate to this area in the winter time.
Goat Island Run and Snake Creek Cutoff are popular feeding spots for manatees during the winter. This section of the St. Johns River is part of the Great Florida Birding Trail. There are several species of birds that make Central Florida their year round or winter home. They include great blue herons, white ibis, anginas, tri-colored herons, turkey and black vultures, cattle egrets, green herons, snowy egrets, great egrets, moorhens, purple gallinules, coots, wood ducks, sandhill cranes, american and least bitterns, black crowned night herons, yellow crowned night herons, ospreys, bald eagles, red shouldered hawks, limpkins, cormorants, barred owls and the endangered wood stork.
This is by no means a complete list of birds we spot, I haven’t included the smaller birds or the occasional accidental bird that takes refuge here during a storm. Download your own birding list and bring it with you on the tour to see how many birds you see.
Can I Just Show Up For A Tour Or Do I Have To Make A Reservation?
Reservations are highly recommended. Walk ups are welcome on the 1:00pm daily nature tours. However, we do suggest you call ahead of time to make sure the tour is not fully booked. Always call for reservations on the 10:00 AM nature tours and our other special excursions.
Reservations are honored up to 10 minutes before the start of a trip they will then be given away to the next customer. To ensure your seat you may pay at the time you make your reservation or book online.
Can I Bring My Pet On The Tour?
Service animals are welcome as well as leashed, well behaved dog (under 40 pounds).What Should I Bring Along For A Tour?
[A camera is probably the one thing you will want to bring along. Also make sure that you have fresh batteries. Binoculars are also a good idea. It is always cooler on the water so, if you are a native floridian a jacket is a good idea except of course, in the summertime. The boat is covered so sun screen may not be necessary. Insects are not an issue. The river is a black water river which keeps down mosquitoes. We serve complimentary cold bottled water. If you wish to bring along a cooler with adult beverages, sandwiches and snacks, please feel free to do so. Snacks, soft drinks, juice, beer and wine coolers are available at our Country Store.
What Are The Ways That I Can Get In Contact With You?
You can call us, email us, message us via any of our social media accounts, or if you're in the neighborhood just stop on by.
You can visit our "Contact Us" page for a list of our contact methods.
What are your Terms and Conditions?
Individuals
We require payment when you book your tour. If you need to reschedule your reservation you can call to schedule a new date 72 hours in advance. You can call and cancel a reservation 7 days in advance and receive a full refund. If you don’t call and don’t show you will be charged the full price of your ticket when the boat leaves the dock.
Groups
Groups of 10 or more that book a date will be charged a 30% non-refundable deposit at the time of booking. Full payment is required 7 days in advance. If you don’t call and don’t show you will be charged the full price of your ticket when the boat leaves the dock.
Cancelations
We reserve the right to cancel a tour for any reason. Our customer's safety is very important to us and if the weather or there are any mechanical problems we will cancel or postpone our tours. If we must cancel a tour we will offer either a rain check, rebooking or refund at your election.
Passenger Safety
Passenger safety is very important to us we reserve the right to postpone or cancel a tour for weather or mechanical reasons. We do not go out if there is lightning in the area or winds of greater than 25 miles per hour. We reserve the right to deny boarding to anyone at any time.