Orlando Manatee Encounters

From $80.00 per person Lowest Price Guarantee

Select Date and Travelers

You can select up to 15 travelers in total.

Adult (2-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 15

Book online or call: +1 437 970 2890

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

private manatee tour (1-5pax)

2 Adults x $400.00

$800.00

Approx Total

$800.00

Duration: 3 hours

Manatee Encounter

2 Adults x $80.00

$160.00

Approx Total

$160.00

Inclusions / Exclusions

Mobile ticket
Offered in: English
Local guide
Bottled water
Professional guide
Landing and facility fees

Gratuities

Overview

Journey to Blue Spring State Park, winter home to one of Florida’s largest populations of Manatee. Witness hundreds of these "sea cows" relaxing in the spring alone. Observe these creatures from a safe distance in your kayak as your Florida Master Naturalist introduces you to the flora and fauna that make up this wild area. This is a great trip for the entire family!

Meeting points

Go to the very end of French Ave, 1 mile past the State Park. DO NOT ENTER THE STATE PARK!

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

We will paddle into the park and up to the manatee refuge. The manatee leave the refuge in search of food and swim all around us and under us. We also take time to paddle to snake creek to watch manatee graze, birds fishing, and search out wildlife.

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
There is no minimum age however all participants must know how to swim
It is recommended that you bring a swimsuit, towel, waterproof camera and wear clothes that can get wet and possibly dirty
To ensure a proper size kayak is available, please provide your individual heights and weights at the time of booking
There is no restroom at the meeting location. There is a public restroom at Valentine Park (1511 W French Ave, Orange City, FL 32763) about a mile before you arrive the meeting location that we recommend you use before your tour.

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

4.9

326 reviews

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

5 stars

301
4 stars

18
3 stars

3
2 stars

1
1 star

3

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 301 reviews with 5 stars

Great encounter with Manatees, and a fun kayak experience

Published on Jan, 2025

My son and I had a great experience, guided by Jeff. We had a private tour since a group of 5 cancelled. Jeff sent us a text the night before with some questions on our paddling experience and advice on driving directions. My GPS was able to take us to French Landing (past the state park entry) so we arrived early. There are no bathrooms at French Landing so use the trees there or go to a gas station in Orange before your drive down to the landing. The manatees encounter was better than expected. Some came right up to our boats! We went off to a quiet area of paddling and came back to see manatees again. We had a full 2 hours in the boats. I did not get wet except for some drops from the paddle blades. The park ranger was very helpful when we departed as the road was full of cars queuing up to enter the state park. Kudos to Jeff.

Excellent trip!!!

Published on Dec, 2024

What a great adventure!! The weather wasn't always on our side, but Jeff, our guide, was excellent and made the trip well worth it. We saw manatees, gators, and loads of different birds.

Best Manatee Enounter!!!

Published on Nov, 2024

We had a wonderful time on our kayaking tour!!! Me and my dad had a great time with our tour guide Jeff! Thanks Jeff so much for making our tour guide so personal. Our close encounter with the manatee’s and being able to see gators in the wild is something we will always remember! We highly recommend this tour!!!

Wonderful experience

Published on Jul, 2024

We saw so many manatees on our tour! It was super enjoyable and our guide was well informed, super pleasant and fun. Make sure to wear a hat and sunscreen. It’s super hot - and the sun is unrelenting. I wore lightweight hiking pants and large brimmed hat. Glad I did! Took my 16 year old son - and it was a nice break from city of Orlando.

Great trip

Published on Jul, 2024

Our guide Lucas was awesome! Had a great time. Really took care of my daughters and me. Highly recommend!

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