Answers to FAQs On The Everglades River of Grass Tours
Below are many of the questions we get from our guests before heading out on an Everglades airboat ride with The River of Grass Adventures. We hope this helps, but please don't hesitate to give us a call or email us with any other questions you might have. (305) 788-2418.
Current conditions in the Everglades ~ Updated 06/2022
We are currently in the wet season in the Florida Everglades. Temperatures are typically hot and very humid, with a heat index over 100*F. Afternoon thunderstorms are typical but often scattered and move quickly. As water levels begin to rise from all the rain, wildlife viewing can be a bit more challenging on the airboat ride. Animals will begin to disperse, and many of our wading birds will move north. The flora, however, can be especially beautiful this time of year, and the airboat trails that were once too low to travel open up for new adventures. Mosquitoes are bad in most areas of the Everglades during the wet season, but not on our airboat tour. Since we travel in open sawgrass and the water is a slow-moving river, mosquitoes are not a problem on our airboat ride.
Don't forget to bring bug spray if visiting the Everglades National Park hiking trails or swamp walks. The mosquitos can be really bad.
CONDITIONS IN THE DRY SEASON
November through April is the Dry Season in the Florida Everglades, temperatures are typically cooler, and water levels begin to drop. Typically rain is much less than during fall and winter, and water levels will start to drop. Mosquitos can be bad year-round in the Everglades, but not on The River Of Grass airboat tour since we travel in open grasslands and not densely wooded areas. Suppose you plan to visit the Everglades National Parks backcountry and walking trails before or after your Everglades Airboat ride with us. In that case, we do recommend bringing along repellant and proper clothing. As water levels decrease, wildlife becomes more abundant. Wading birds like egrets, herons, spoonbills, and wood storks will soon have great opportunities for fishing and feasting. Alligators will often be seen in congregations basking in the afternoon sun. Morning tours and late afternoons can be cold in the Everglades, be sure to bring along layers and a jacket (you'll likely be shedding them mid-afternoon). The flora can be spectacular during the dry season, and dragonflies of many colors are everywhere ~ *Dragonflies are some of the best predators at keeping mosquito populations low. We love the dragonflies!
CONDITIONS IN THE WET SEASON
The wet season in the Florida Everglades is May through October. Temperatures are typically hot and very humid, with a heat index over 100*F. Afternoon thunderstorms are typical but often scattered and move quickly. As water levels begin to rise from all the rain, wildlife viewing can be a bit more challenging on the airboat ride. Animals will begin to disperse, and many of our wading birds will move north. The flora, however, can be especially beautiful this time of year, and the airboat trails that were once too low to travel open up for a new adventure. Mosquitoes are bad in most areas of the Everglades during the wet season, but NOT on our airboat tour with The River of Grass. Since we travel in open sawgrass, mosquitoes are not a problem on our airboat ride. But be sure to bring bug spray along if you venture off into other areas of the Everglades. Lightweight sun-protected clothing is best during the wet season.
Absolutely! Just give us a call or email. It's really easy. Since we are a private tour company, our calendar can fill up quickly. It is always best to book your private airboat tours of the Everglades River of Grass adventure ahead of time. You can, however, still try to reserve your tour on the day you would like to go. We may have some openings. Please note ~ To provide you with the best quality of service, all River Of Grass Adventure tours are booked directly through us. We do not sell our tours to other booking agents, Groupon, or reservation companies.
We provide a great full refund if the tour does not depart due to bad weather conditions, changes made within 12 hours from the meeting time, or if the tour is canceled due to mechanical problems. We will not make you ride in the rain! If the tour is rained out and you can reschedule for another day, we will do our best to fit you in on another River Of Grass adventure. Otherwise, we will issue you a full refund.
Sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat are all very important! The Florida Everglades is warm to hot about 75% of the year. Lightweight non-breezy clothes are great. Bug spray is not typically needed on our Airboat Rides, even in the summer! Sandals or sneakers are fine. It will be colder on the water or in the swamps if it is cool out, so wear warm clothes! The layers are great! It's always better to have more than less. You can put what you might not want to wear under the seats; we will have plenty of room.
The drive from Miami Beach to our Miami meeting location is approximately 25 miles and a 40 to 55-minute drive (depending on traffic).
The drive from MIA is close to our Miami meeting location, about 16 miles and approximately 20 to 30 minutes (depending on traffic).
Having your car (rental car) is the best way to get to our airboat tour locations. However, a Taxi Cab and Uber are good ways to arrive at our meeting location. Depending on your group size, we can typically get you to our tour launch area and then back to the Pilot Travel Center for pickup. Otherwise, you will need your Uber or taxi to follow us to the boat launch area. Suppose you allow locations on your Uber app. In that case, they can typically pick you up from the tour site without using an address (our boat launch sites do not have a physical address, unlike our meeting location at Dade Corners/Pilot Travel Center) Please call us with any questions or concerns regarding transportation to and from our Meeting Location area!
The Pilot Travel Center (aka Dade Corners) is a great meeting location for everyone visiting the Everglades. It is a well-run Shell Gas Service Station with a friendly staff, a Subway sandwich shop inside, and clean restrooms. They have really interesting novelty gifts, souvenirs, and lots of cool items you might need on any Everglades adventure, from fishing to camping to heading out on a great airboat adventure. A few tour companies meet here, so ask for The River Of Grass. Depending on the River of Grass adventure, most of our tours are within 3 to 10 minutes away. You will follow us to Dade Corners, Pilot Travel Center, 17696 SW 8th Street, Miami, FL 33194. If we are not there when you arrive, give us a call. We are only a few minutes away, (305) 788-2418.
Everyone comes to the Everglades armed with mosquito repellent at hand. Well, depending on when you will be visiting, you typically won't need it, especially if you're taking an airboat ride with The River of Grass. Right before daylight or dusk, you may find them buzzin' at our departure location during the summer. They will be bad in the Everglades National Park walking trails or any backcountry wooded areas, so wear proper clothing and bring repellent. But during the winter, you might not see any mosquitos in the Everglades. The River of Grass airboat adventures are in the open sawgrass areas and don't have problems any time of the year with mosquitos, honestly.
NOPE! We have had babies to 90-year-old folks on our airboat adventures! Children under 5 are not recommended on the "semi-private" airboat adventures (just in case they are not happy). We recommend taking children under 5 on a Private tour. All children under 5 always ride for free!
It would be very unusual not to see an alligator on one of our sightseeing airboat adventures. However, since this is wildlife and tours take place in nature, not a roadside attraction. We can not guarantee alligators will be seen. We can guarantee beautiful scenery and thrilling ride through the Everglades. We can also offer you tickets to some of the roadside attractions and wildlife shows if that's something you think you might enjoy. We want your experience in the Everglades to be terrific, guaranteed!
Summertime is HOT in the Florida Everglades, and rain is typically always in the forecast. It will be raining "somewhere" in south Florida, typically anytime throughout the day. Afternoon showers seem to be the most popular in the Everglades. However, "Mother Nature" is difficult to predict. We recommend morning or late afternoon trips for temperature comfort and better wildlife viewing opportunities. Mid-day tours can still be booked and are great for riding throughout the area (most interested in a fun airboat ride). Stops for wildlife viewing, however, will be shortened due to the heat.
The Everglades has only 2 seasons, not Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall! Just the Wet Season and the Dry Season. During the Dry Season in the Everglades, our typical daily rainfall begins to slow, and water levels begin to drop each day. This can be a great time to see wildlife on private airboat tours of the Everglades! Since water will dry up in many of the areas throughout the Everglades, most of the animals will be near the remaining bodies of water. Wading birds will enjoy easy picking for their nesting babies, and alligators won't be able to swim freely throughout the "river of grass" since most of it will be prairies of yellowing grass. It is not uncommon to see many alligators in canals and the remaining ponds of water during this time! Of course, when the rainy season begins (typically around mid-May through November), this is a great time of year for the parched Everglades! Water levels begin to rise, filling up the cypress domes and swamps, the freshwater marshlands and sloughs, and the wildlife can begin to spread out. The grass begins to turn green again, and all is happy and cooler!!
We have several meeting locations for our private airboat tours Everglades River Of Grass. When water levels are not good for air boating, we can sometimes move to a different location. You will be notified if the meeting location needs to be changed. A full refund will be issued if you cannot meet us at any alternate locations.
We run our private Everglades airboat tours and Everglades day tours 7 days a week from sunrise to sunset, subject to weather and water conditions. Just let us know your desired time and day, and we will try to accommodate your request. We do not offer tours on Christmas or Thanksgiving Day. All phone calls, voice messages, and emails are accepted daily. We'll get back to you within 24 hours, likely sooner. Hope to see you later, alligator!
November through April is the Dry Season in the Florida Everglades, temperatures are typically cooler, and water levels begin to drop. Typically rain is much less than during fall and winter, and water levels will start to drop. Mosquitos can be bad year-round in the Everglades, but not on The River Of Grass airboat tour since we travel in open grasslands and not densely wooded areas. Suppose you plan to visit the Everglades National Parks backcountry and walking trails before or after your Everglades Airboat ride with us. In that case, we do recommend bringing along repellant and proper clothing. As water levels decrease, wildlife becomes more abundant. Wading birds like egrets, herons, spoonbills, and wood storks will soon have great opportunities for fishing and feasting. Alligators will often be seen in congregations basking in the afternoon sun. Morning tours and late afternoons can be cold in the Everglades, be sure to bring along layers and a jacket (you'll likely be shedding them mid-afternoon). The flora can be spectacular during the dry season, and dragonflies of many colors are everywhere ~ *Dragonflies are some of the best predators at keeping mosquito populations low. We love the dragonflies!