Manatee Swim and Wildlife Park with Upgrade Options from Orlando

Likely To Sell Out

From $159.00 per person Lowest Price Guarantee

Select Date and Travelers

You can select up to 10 travelers in total.

Adult (12-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 10

Child (3-11) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 10

Infant (0-2) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 10

Book online or call: +1 437 970 2890

Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Manatee Swim, Park & Airboat

2 Adults x $189.00

$378.00

Approx Total

$378.00

Includes Airboat Ride
Includes Lunch

Inclusions / Exclusions

Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Airboat Ride on Tuesday and Thursday tours
Admission into Homosassa State Park
Pickup and drop-off from designated meeting points
Driver/guide
Picnic Lunch
River cruise to look for the manatees
Use of snorkel equipment, mask, snorkel and fins.

Gratuities
Wetsuits must be hired - Mandatory $15 fee
Bring your breakfast with you to enjoy on the transport vehicle if you wish.
Airboat Ride on Saturdays - tour is priced lower
Half Day does not include Homosassa State Park or Airboat Ride

Overview

Come and enjoy the real Florida! Get up-close with the gentle manatee and see the beauty of Crystal River as you explore the Homosassa State Wildlife Park. The tour heads up to Crystal River where you can snorkel or swim in the rivers where wild manatees live. It's an early morning departure, so bring breakfast snacks to eat during the journey. Following a safety briefing and collecting your mask, snorkel & fins (wetsuit hire is $15 and required for swimmers) you board the boat. When manatees are spotted you can get into the river for great photos. If you prefer, you can opt to simply enjoy the boat ride while enjoying nature. In the afternoon explore Homosassa State Park. The park is home to many species of rescued native wildlife. If you purchase the Florida Adventure Tour fully inclusive option, you will also ride a Wild Airboat Ride on a river to spot the alligators and nature and enjoy a picnic lunch.

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge

The boat will drive into the wildlife refuge where you will hope to see wild manatees on the river. You will be on the boat at least 90 mins.

1 hour 30 minutes
Homosassa River

We will visit the State Park at Homosassa. You will walk around the State Park and see the animals and view the manatees in the underwater viewing chamber at this hospital facility for injured manatees. There is also a cafe at the park so you could purchase lunch here if you wish, or if you prefer to pack yourself a picnic they do have picnic tables you can use inside the park.

2 hours
Crystal River

Upon arrival at the picturesque Crystal River, you will enjoy a fabulous narrated boat tour. You will be provided masks, snorkels & fins, and encouraged to swim alongside these friendly creatures under the guidance of certified dive masters. The manatees are endangered and have come to the Florida springs year-round to find shelter and food. In the winter months the manatee population can reach several hundred and during summer, the average count is 80. They are "gentle giants" and have no teeth. After your cruise, you head to Homosassa State Wildlife Park, famous throughout Florida for the rehabilitation of injured animals. It is here you’ll have the chance to see the current manatee residents at the park during an informative and entertaining feeding session with one of the park rangers. You’ll also see bears, panthers, alligators and even a hippo as you explore the rest of the park. Roundtrip transport from the Orlando area and a knowledgeable driver-guide is also included.

4 hours
N/A

If the 'Manatee Swim, Park & Airboat' package is reserved then a 30 minute airboat ride on the Withlacoochee River will be included.

30 minutes

Additional Info

Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
A small amount of walking is involved at your leisure through the State Park

Free Cancellation

February 05100% refund

February 06No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.6

152 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

5 stars

122
4 stars

14
3 stars

7
2 stars

3
1 star

6

We perform checks on reviews

We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her We had a great experience touring New York City with Jonathan. He's a great tour guide and he made it very memorable and enjoyable. The tour was also super informative and I'm glad to have had a great tour guide during my visit in NYC. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a tour her

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 122 reviews with 5 stars

Don’t miss the manatees

Published on Jan, 2025

We had an awesome day. We started with our snorkel with the manatees. The gentle giants were friendly and awesome to see in the water. Homosassa State Park was a great picnic spot and a quite a surprise with its beautiful setting and assortment of Florida wildlife including even more manatees. The airboat ride took us through a cypress forest with turtles, gators and an abundance of birds. All in all a wonderful day. A special thanks to our “aim to please” guide and driver Mauricio who picked us up on time, managed to keep us on time all day and got us safely to multiple destinations while coping with the Florida traffic.

Fun day trip from Orlando

Published on Jan, 2025

Everything was very organized. The manatee swim was fun. We enjoyed walking through the wildlife refuge. The airboat ride was exciting and my son loved seeing alligators along the bank of the river.

Breaking out of the bubble

Published on Jan, 2025

I spent two weeks in Orlando between Universal Resort and Disney. I knew I would need to break out of the theme park bubble and I was right. I booked both the manatee swim and the St. Augustine holiday lights trips - both very small groups which suits me great. Both trips were absolutely fantastic. Kevin was my driver both days and he was above and beyond wonderful. He was full of fun and interesting facts as we traveled and made sure we had rest stops (the group may or may not have had little naps too). The swim was so much fun. The guides made sure we were informed and comfortable. We saw, swam and were among a wide mix of manatees from babies to grandparents. We had a nice stop at a wildlife park and a fun and exhilarating trip on an air boat at the end of the day. Our air boat driver made sure we saw alligators of all sizes and the birds were plentiful. The St. Augustine trip was also fun! We had a fun rest stop at Buckee's (IYKYK), which we all loved, and had a nice break for dinner before meeting back up with Kevin to get our trolley. The trolley driver was a blast (she made us sing Christmas carols) and the tour was fun. St. Augustine was very crowded so not having to worry about driving or parking was a big bonus. Overall I would definitely recommend booking a trip with Gray Line. I was very pleased with everything from booking to execution. I found them by accident online and I am so glad I did.

Manatees are bloody adorable!

Published on Jan, 2025

The bus was really comfy and the driver (Mauricio) incredibly helpful. The manatees were spectacular and worth every cent! The additional food was tasty (when they get your allergies correct that is) and the airboat ride was great. 10/10 highly recommend.

Wonderful day making memories

Published on Jan, 2025

We went on the grayline buses day trip to "swim with manatees" got our tickets from AttractionTickets.com it was a great day. The manatees are on crystal river and the guide explains the rules so the manatees are happy. It was wonderful then off to Homassasa state park for a picnic lunch saw rescued animals and manatees there too. Then onto wild bills air boat ride where we saw alligators, turtles, vultures etc. The bus guide Kevin was lovely too. Better to see animals in the wild when you can.

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