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Clear Kayak Manatee Ecotour of Crystal River
Badge of ExcellenceCrystal River, USA
- 2 hours
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Meet at Crystal River and get into your clear kayak to go on a guided eco-tour looking at the manatees that live in these beautiful waters. You also get to look for turtles, dolphins, all sorts of birds, and fish as you explore an area with over 70 freshwater springs. This is a small group experience, so you won’t be too intrusive.
- See manatees and other local wildlife in their natural habitat
- Observe all the marine life through your all clear kayak
- All necessary kayaking equipment is provided
- A small group means more attention from your guide
What's Included
- Clear Kayak
- Paddle
- Life Vest
- Optional Picture Package $34.99
- Gratuity For Tour Guides
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 469 NE 1st St, Crystal River, FL 34429, USA
We are located a few hundred feet off of US 19 in Crystal River on NE 1st Street. We have free parking available and we shuttle you to our launch area which is 1/2 mile away. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO ARRIVE 30 MINUTES BEFORE THE DESIGNATED START TIME OF YOUR TOUR. NO REFUNDS IF YOU ARRIVE LATE FOR TOUR
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Maximum weight of 250 pounds for a single rider and maximum weight of 420 pounds for 2 riders
- You may be paired with another rider in your party to accommodate maximum participants
- You must arrive 30 minutes before the scheduled start time or the tour will leave without you with no refund given.
Cancellation Policy
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
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Featured review
GLORIA_B
Loved our tour guide RJ!
Got to see a rehabbing manatee hanging out with a mom and her baby… he was very respectful and protective of these mantees.
I came alone but left with friends.
Great experience- next time I will wear bug spray!! Got eaten up by no-see-ems.
Reviews
4.5
527 reviews
MARY_H, Mar 2024
Drove 3 hrs to get there with 4 teens. Checked in signed waivers watched requested instruction video. Then they told us it was canceled.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
We are sorry you are disappointed due to being closed but it was closed due to safety reasons. We can not predict what Mother Nature has in store for us each day but giving a one star due to safety reasons?!?!? Are you kidding me??!?! You received a full refund as well. If you're not familiar with Florida weather, it can change by the minute, not the day.
Anita_V, Mar 2024
We kayaked for 2 hours but saw only the nose of 1 manatee. They should have warned us that the sightings had been very few for that week. The water was mucky and viewing would have been impossible even if there were any manatees in the area.We spent $159 for 2 of us. It was very disappointing. The brochures were misleading. I think they may have
Opened the season too soon.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Sorry for your disappointment Anita, but there is nothing we can do about the water being murky at different times of the day. It is only murky in spots though as we ALWAYS paddle to clear water... And it is DEFINITELY not misleading as you came at the END of manatee season which we clearly state in our tour descriptions. It is not a zoo where they are located, it is a 640 acre natural wildlife area and the manatees can be anywhere on any given day.
Dellany_F, Mar 2024
We had such a fun trip with our tour guide RJ , he was very patient with my whole heard and was just as excited as we were about finding manatees
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thanks so much for taking your tour with R.J. He's a great guide and are so happy you found some manatees on your tour with him. Please come back to visit us again in the future :)
Kelli_K, Mar 2024
Knowledgeable and friendly guide, professional business that cares for the ecosystem. Incredible experience with unclose viewing of manatees .
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thank you so much for your kind words. We greatly appreciate your business and look forward to seeing you again soon :)
Cathy_H, Mar 2024
Our tour guide was Eli and I can’t say enough about his enthusiasm of helping us find Manatees to observe. He was just as excited about this adventure as my husband and I were! The sightings were terrific, with a few very close encounters that we could see their faces. It was all we hoped it would be and more. The clear boats were a bonus when the Manatees swam below us. The trip to see the Manatees was my husband’s Christmas present from me, and I am so pleased with the results of the day! I would certainly recommend this tour to any person interested in having a fantastic experience.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Merry Christmas!!! We are so happy you had such a great time, especially this being a Christmas present item. Thanks so much for choosing us as your present and we cant say home much we really appreciate that. Please come back to visit us again soon :)
Angela_G, Mar 2024
The most memorable part was the Bus driver leaving me in the parking lot. We had just finished with the waiver and they told us to put our purses/bags in the car. So my best friend walked to the car to do just that. That is when the other people started complaining about waiting so they left us! They made the decision to leave us even though I was standing at the door of the bus and we could see my friend putting her bags in the car! I will never ever book here again and I will make it clear to all my business and personal contacts not to ever use this establishment either. You can see what time we signed the waivers; they were late giving them out so OF COURSE we were going to be late. This was stacked against us from the word go. Did they offer a different time for us to participate NO. Did they offer anything? NO! So now I am out of almost $200 for what? wasting my time.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Angela, where do I start besides this not being accurate... Part of your review is accurate, we did tell your friend to put her things in the car. You waited at the van. Your friend took forever, and we told you we had to get going because we have schedules. You went to check on them and then YOU never came back. The tour had to get going. If you would have went in the shop like our driver had mentioned to you we could have placed you on the next tour. That did not happen though, and instead you are leaving a one star review because you and your friend took too long and the tour had to leave. What sort of entitlement is that in your opinion that you can take your sweet time and hold everyone up, then you complain when the tour leaves without you...
Please tell all your friends to not be late for the tour, or we will leave them behind as well. It is about common courtesy to be on time when you are scheduled for something. We ask everyone to be THIRTY minutes early for the tour. If you would have been THIRTY minutes early, there would have been ZERO percent chance that you missed the tour. It's a good life lesson. Be on time or miss out on the good things :)
GLORIA_B, Mar 2024
Loved our tour guide RJ!
Got to see a rehabbing manatee hanging out with a mom and her baby… he was very respectful and protective of these mantees.
I came alone but left with friends.
Great experience- next time I will wear bug spray!! Got eaten up by no-see-ems.
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Making new friends is always awesome right?!?!?!? Besides the No-See-Ums it sounds like you had an amazing day with us. Thanks so much and we look forward to seeing you again in the future :)
William_K, Mar 2024
Really Great time Kayaking the clear kayaks were a plus pretty cool to be able to see under you the whole time and the Guide Olivia was very friendly and informative
Response from Host, Apr 2024
Thanks so much for taking your clear kayak tour with Olivia. We are so happy you had a great time and we look forward to seeing you again in the future :)
Amy_A, Mar 2024
This was a fun experience, but really geared towards finding manatee. I had the impression it would be more of a river guide and more nature like generally. The area is highly developed (as in houses all along the river and houses in construction everywhere) and naturally lots of other tours, boats, swimmers, kayakers, along the river. It was enjoyable, the guide and the staff were great. Just wasn’t exactly what I was looking for and being that it was a tour I should have known this. We did see a few manatee which was really exciting, but I had hoped it would include some more secluded wilderness element which it lacked. The guide definitely helped with finding the wildlife and he was a super fun and knowledgable fella. The tour group was small (only 10) which was nice, the others were also funny and fun to be with. Without trying to focus on manatee viewing, there’s a lot of other less expensive, more secluded options for kayaking and canoeing. Glad I got the chance but if I were to choose something similar again, I would select something more off the beaten path and just kayak/canoe myself without a tour. We had a great time overall though! Thanks for the fun!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
So glad you had a great time even though it wasn't as secluded as you were hoping. The manatees in manatee season tends to bring out more people and can get crowded especially in March during spring breaks. Overall it sounded like you had a good time so that makes us happy.
Melissa_E, Mar 2024
We had an awesome time! Jess was an awesome tour guide. She was fun and informative. She really made the tour! Lots of wildlife and even saw a couple of manatees even though it was so warm!
Response from Host, Apr 2024
The title of your review says it all! Thanks so much for bringing out the family and we look forward to seeing you again in the future :)
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