• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Daggerhart Destinations

We are passionate about nature, wildlife, and travel. Our goal is to promote wildlife conservation and responsible tourism.

  • Home
  • Destinations
    • Wildlife
    • Family
    • Remote
    • Nature
    • Luxury
  • Off the Beaten Path
  • Portfolio
  • Blog
  • About
Home » Florida Manatee Tours – Responsible Wildlife Encounter?

Florida Manatee Tours – Responsible Wildlife Encounter?

Updated April 5, 2019 Leave a Comment

In Florida, manatee tours are very popular during the winter months. Swimming and kayaking with these gentle giants is on many animal lovers’ bucket list. But is this wildlife experience really good for the manatees?

Most wild animal encounters are pretty black and white, as far as being considered ethical. Florida manatee tours, whether it be swimming or kayaking, tends to fall in a gray area of responsible wildlife tourism.  It all depends on how and where this activity takes place.

4 parks that offer responsible manatee tours in Florida

1.  Lee County Manatee Park, Fort Myers

Highlights:

  1. Offers a viewing bridge to see the manatees.
  2. Kayaks and canoes rentals are available.
  3. Manatee Park is a non-captive refuge for the Florida Manatee.
  4. Offer educational opportunities about the Florida Manatee and the importance of wildlife conservation.

*Note: During our visit, the waters at this location were brackish, not crystal clear. Check their website for water quality and manatee sightings before your visit.*

Kayakers can responsibly enjoy a wildlife encounter during Florida manatee tours offered at Lee County Park.

2.  Blue Spring State Park, Orange City

This state park does allow kayaking and swimming in the water. They have volunteers on site to make sure visitors don’t get too close to the manatees during their tour. Blue Springs also offers education about manatee conservation to the public.  This park is also a release site for manatees that have been in rehabilitation.

3. Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs State Park

This park participates in U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Manatee Rescue, Rehabilitation and Release Program. They care for injured or ill manatees until they can safely be released back into the wild. According to floridastateparks.org…

Resource protection is foremost at all state parks and swimming with manatees is not allowed. However, the endangered Florida manatee can be seen every day at Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Visitors can go below the water’s surface to view these gentle giants from the underwater observatory in Homosassa’s main spring.

4.  The Everglades National Park

This is my favorite USA National Park.  They offer excellent guided boat tours around the Ten Thousand Islands.  During these boat tours, visitors are apt to encounter wild manatees swimming in the shallow waters.

RELATED POSTS  What is Ethical Wildlife Travel?

*Florida offers many alternative places which offer excellent viewing opportunities of manatees. Visiting state and national parks are a way to feel confident that your choice of wildlife travel destinations are not harming wildlife.*

 

Embed from Getty Images

Follow these main guidelines to ensure a positive experience for you and the manatees.

  • Do not get too close to the animals during your Florida manatee tour.
    • Always give wild animals their space so they don’t feel threatened or trapped.
  • Look but don’t touch.
  • Keep noise and movements to a minimum to avoid startling manatees that may be resting.

For a list of complete guidelines for responsible Florida manatee tours, check out The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission website.

About the Florida Manatee

  • Manatees are native to Florida but they seek out warm waterways in the months of December – February.
  • These gentle giants are also known as the “sea cow”.
  • Manatees are mammals, so they breathe air and they must surface every 3-5 minutes.
    • Unfortunately manatee’s backs are often injured by boat propellers due to spending time at the water’s surface.
  • They are typically 9-10 feet long and weigh a ton.
  • Manatees are vegetarians and spend many hours grazing on sea grass.

**Kayaking with manatees can be an ethical wildlife travel destination**

(… if done right)

Abide by Florida’s laws and regulations

“Manatees are a protected species by the federal and state government. The law states that “it is illegal to feed, harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, kill, or annoy manatees.”

**Save the Manatee Club **

This organization is an amazing resource for up-to-date news and FAQs. Please read this article before making any arrangements for a manatee tour.

  • Share
  • Tweet

Related Posts

  • What is Ethical Wildlife Travel?

    When you travel, are you leaving a positive impact on wildlife and the environment? The growing business of eco-tourism allows travelers to respect and help preserve what animals are entitled to as fellow earthlings. Ethical wildlife travel is enjoying wild animals in their natural habitat without exploiting them. It is…

  • One Day in Everglades National Park

    Located in the South West region of Florida, Everglades National Park is a tropical ecosystem that covers 1.5 million acres! This is a popular destination among nature lovers because it is home to a large diverse range of wildlife and fauna. Wildlife that live here include, the Florida Panther (endangered),…

  • Things to do in Monteverde Costa Rica

    Monteverde, Costa Rica is located in the northwestern part of the country. It is home to vast amounts of biodiversity of flora and fauna.  If you are looking to take a break from the beach and head deep into the mountains, this destination is for you. Nature enthusiast flock to…

Filed Under: North America, Travel, United States, Wildlife Tagged With: Florida

About Laura

Laura is the creator of Daggerhart Destinations. She also operates a licensed non-profit wildlife rehabilitation center in Ohio where she rehabs orphaned or injured wild animals and releases them back into the wild. When Laura's not rescuing animals, she travels to experience unique destinations and wildlife wonders. She is a lover of nature, animals, good food, and yoga.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Join Our Mailing List

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

Categories

daggerhart_destinations

We haven’t seen any keas yet.🤞There are a few We haven’t seen any keas yet.🤞There are a few locations where they frequent due to humans feeding them. Remember, keep wildlife wild, do not feed any wild animals!
-
-
-
#keepwildlifewild #responsibletravel #travel #newzealand #kea #wildlife #conservation #donotfeedwildlife #cheekybird #bird #nz #daggerhartdestinations
The many views of New Zealand - - - #travel #views The many views of New Zealand
-
-
-
#travel #views #newzealand #landscapes #beautiful #nature #destinations #hukafalls #mtcook #lakepukaki #predatorfreeisland #roadtrip #daggerhartdestinations
Islamorada, FL - - We were blessed with many magic Islamorada, FL
-
-
We were blessed with many magical manatee moments during our stay In the Keys.
-
-
-
#family #holiday #islamorada #thefloridakeys  #florida #vacation #manatee #seacow #gentlegiant #peaceful #creatures #wildlife #nature #underwaterphotography #tropical #destination #familytravel #daggerhartdestinations
Islamorada, FL - - - #florida #sunset #islamorada Islamorada, FL
-
-
-
#florida #sunset #islamorada #floridakeys #holiday #tropical #family #vacation #travel #beautiful #destination #daggerhartdestinations
Greystoke Mahale, Tanzania - - - #travel #africa # Greystoke Mahale, Tanzania
-
-
-
#travel #africa #tanzania #remote beautiful #luxury #destination #nature #wildlife #greystokes #mahale #national #park #sunset #kayak #lake #beach #mountains #daggerhartdestinations
Greystoke Mahale, Tanzania - - - #travel #africa Greystoke Mahale, Tanzania
-
-
-

#travel #africa #tanzania #remote #destination #nature #wildlife #photography #greystokemahale #mahale #national #park #wild #chimpanzees #chimps #responsible #ethical #animal #tourism #daggerhartdestinations
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Footer

Search

Contact                               Privacy

Copyright © 2023