Spend a day with central Florida’s manatees on this guided cruise and wildlife park adventure. Begin with a boat ride on the Crystal River, home of the manatee. Snorkel near these gentle giants, then enjoy the afternoon at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. This is one of the best places in the state to watch manatees, as well as other animals, like bears, panthers, and alligators in their natural environment. An airboat tour on the Withlacoochee River and lunch is also included.

See Florida wildlife in their natural environment
Take a cruise along the Crystal River, home of the manatee
Visit Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
Pickup from select Orlando locations

What's Included

Driver/guide
Pickup and drop-off from designated meeting points
Use of snorkel equipment, mask, snorkel and fins.
River cruise to look for the manatees
Admission into Homosassa State Park
Airboat Ride (if option selected)
Picnic Lunch (if option selected)

Gratuities
Wetsuits must be hired - Mandatory $15 fee
Breakfast

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting points

Select a meeting point

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Start time

07:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Meet the guide and the rest of the tour group on a pickup from select locations. Then, head to Crystal River, the gem of Florida's beautiful coast and home to one of the world's largest populations of endangered West Indian manatees. Board a boat for the cruise through the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge where you can keep an eye out for manatees in their natural habitat during a narrated boat tour. You can also swim or snorkel in the water if you choose to do so.

Your next stop is at the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park, and your admission ticket is included for you to make things easy. Take time to walk around the park in search of wildlife and, of course, manatees. See the manatees in the park's underwater viewing chamber. You can either bring lunch along with you and picnic at this stop or purchase lunch (own expense) from the park’s cafe.

The adventure continues in the afternoon (if option selected) with an airboat tour along the Withlacoochee River. Keep an eye out for manatees, dolphins, and a variety of other wildlife. Lunch is included in this option.

Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Homosassa River

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Crystal River

4 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Withlacoochee River

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Infants must sit on laps
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible

Most travelers can participate
A small amount of walking is involved at your leisure through the State Park
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 13 travelers

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.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Charlotte_R

What an unforgettable day! We got picked up by the amazing Kevin early in the morning, we drove for a little over 2 hours with a nice stop in the middle. When we got to the boats we all head in and got our wetsuits, about $30USD to rent. We went out on the boat and our guides were very knowledgeable about finding the manatees, they used a drone and their local knowledge to find hot spots. The visibility isn’t great, you won’t get clear photos because the natural filtration from the grass hasn’t fully recovered yet, but the guides worked so hard to make sure we knew exactly where they were so we could catch a glimpse as they came up! They were so close to us it was great! We then headed to the state park to see manatees in the recovery spring. They were so easy to see and you could go down into the viewing tank to see them underwater. We had heaps of time here and listened to a presentation by Kate at the park talk about the manatees, this was so interesting! We got lunch boxes to enjoy at the park with a super delicious sandwich, snacks and a drink.

Reviews

4.5

103 reviews

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

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 103 reviews

Too long of a day

Dawn_J, Apr 2024

The manatee swim and airboat ride were worth it. The wildlife park was boring, unnecessary and made the day too long.

Perfect day with multiple opportunities to see manatees!

Charlotte_R, Apr 2024

Was told on the tour there hasn’t been manatees for a couple yrs since hurricane destroyed their food.

Eric_S, Apr 2024

Bad pick up experience. Was told on the tour that the manatees haven’t been in the area since hurricane wiped out food 2 yrs ago. Wasted of time and money

Great experience for the whole family

Jennifer_S, Apr 2024

Service was great and super friendly and knowledgeable! We had Captain Yaves and he was great, Zach was our guide in the water and he did a great job at putting us where manatees were.

Great, fun

sara_r, Apr 2024

The staff at birds underwater dive shop were so nice and knowlegable. Kayla and the captain were so nice and did their best to find us a non crowded spot. The driver of the van was so kind and accomidating. Mauricio had a very positive outlook and pleasant conversation. You could tell he loves people. He was willing to go out of his way to make our experience comfortable and amazing.

Amazing experience.

James_P, Mar 2024

Seeing the manatees was an amazing experience. The tour guides and boat captains were so knowledgeable and helpful. The bus driver was so friendly.

Not what I expected

Angelina_L, Mar 2024

Do not waste your money or time on this excursion. Here's our experience. 6:45am We were picked up at our hotel - a little late but nothing terrible. 8:30am We arrived to birds underwater dive shop. We got our gear, changed, watched a 10 min video and were ready to get on the boat. 9:30 got on boat and started out to our destination. 10:00 arrived and due to terrible conditions (apparently a major storm in Oct/Nov 2023 devastated the area and now it's murky and the manatees are starving and are hard to find according to the tour guides) we searched for manatee sightings 10:15 we were in the water and swam over to see a single manatee for maybe 20 secs 10:25 we were told we had to get back in the boat as we had to head back for the next tour group. Do you see the problem here? We were only able to experience the water and even have the opportunity to see what we came for (manatees) for 10 mins. 10 ridiculously short minutes. 11:00 dropped off at dive shop / changed etc 11:30 - head for homosassa springs wildlife state park and are marooned there until 2:45pm. There is no sea world or the San Diego zoo this is a small dinky little zoo that you can look at in 30 mins. We start the return to the hotel which drops us off at about 5pm. An entire day wasted for 10 mins in the water. Is that what you want to spend your money and time on?

Swam with one gentle Momma-

Donna_C, Mar 2024

The most memorable experience was swimming with the manatee (1) She let me scratch her back and belly!

It’s a must!

Natalia_M, Feb 2024

The swimming with Manaties was amazing. The park afterwards is a small zoo. It’s nice to see native animals, but not I am not really a fan of the zoo concept, so would have preferred something else instead.

Great experience

Tina_C, Feb 2024

Guides Shawna and Steve were extremely friendly and eager to help. Seeing the manatees was great. The wildlife sanctuary was also really good. The drive is long but relaxing. And our driver was really great

Amazing experience

Leona_J, Jan 2024

An amazing day from beginning to end. Oscar our driver was so nice and helping. The two men at the manatee swim took good care of us and we got to see them close without forcing us upon them. Recommend this to everyone. It ended up being over 11 hours wich for me is a plus.

Great time!

Dione_B, Jan 2024

My sister and I lived swimming with the Manatees and our stroll around Hermosassa (sp) State Park! I would definitely recommend this!

Incredible experience

Jami_B, Jan 2024

Shawna & Captain Steve were incredible! Swimming with those magnificent, adorable, sweet animals was life changing.

Swim with the manatees!

Brittany_R, Dec 2023

Great tour to try out! Keep in mind that they are driving you from Orlando to Crystal Springs so there is about 4 hours of traveling. Registration and pick up was a breeze. Swimming with the manatees is a must. Once in a lifetime experience. We went to Birds Underwater Center and they were fantastic. Highly recommend bringing towels and snacks for the dive. Homosassa State Park was a cool site to see. The park itself can be seen within an hour and there is a small gift shop and restaurant to grab food. We missed checking out the tram, so maybe check that out first before walking the park. If you’re looking for a laid back day away from the parks but still making some magical moments this is worth it!

Absolutely Incredible Experience

Cathi_E, Dec 2023

This was a magical experience! I was able to watch 7 adults and 2 babies swim under and next to me. Two stayed with me, made contact and one even nuzzled my face mask so I could stare right into those sweet eyes! Such gentle, friendly animals. It was truly breathtaking.

So amazing!

Lisa_P, Dec 2023

This was such a great day for the price. Pick up was early in the morning but the driver was right on time and very professional. My friend and I are full figured and were concerned that the wet suits wouldn't fit us, but the dive shop did have larger wetsuits for us- they don't make you get the wetsuit but absolutely do it. The water is chilly. Watched a quick 6 minute video about the manatees and we were off on the boat! The guide was very nice and knowledgeable. We saw many manatees even though the water was a bit murky. The manatees are very cute and curious. It was an experience of a lifetime to swim with them. Back on the boat we got some hot cocoa on the way back. We changed and it was off to Homosassa state park. We had a quick lunch (not included in the price) and saw more manatees and lots of other animals. The weather was very rainy on the day we went but it was still an excellent day. Highly recommend this experience!

Baby manatee was the highlight!

Terri_B, Dec 2023

We were worried about the weather but we were able to go. The driver did stop before leaving Orlando so we could grab snacks and use the restroom. The drive itself was about 1.5hrs or more. We napped on the way. Upon arrival we put on the mandatory wetsuits and watched a safety video. Onto the covered boat we went in search of the manatees. Once we located some into the water we went. I was surprised when I came up on my first resting one. They are very big. I did many of the things we were told not to. The guide made me feel very at ease though. The baby manatee was the highlight. It swam by us for quite awhile. I did purchase the pictures she took on her gopro for $35. All in all a wonderful experience. Lunch at the park was ok. It was raining while we did walk around the park. We couldn't wait to get back and into a warm shower. I did pick the vendor because transportation was included. Highly recommend it!

The manatees were...

Selina_C, Dec 2023

The manatees were majestic and not fearful of us. The boat crew and the dive shop crew were very helpful and friendly

AMAZING! Beautiful! Outstanding Experience!!

Diana_G, Dec 2023

Unfortunately I forgot to bring my phone water case so didn’t get pictures but we paid for the pics the photographer took and were completely blown away!! It was rainy out the day we went (Dec 16th), but that didn’t stop the beautiful sea creatures coming out to say hello. We saw quite a few babies too and the only recommendations I would give would be to NOT touch them, be very still, and they swim around you, sometimes accidentally bumping into you! It’s truly an amazing experience!!

Best.Day.Ever!!

Jess_C, Nov 2023

Once-in-a-lifetime, bucket list stuff here! I was in town for the weekend and knew this was absolutely something I had to do!! I could not stop smiling! I would recommend to anyone!

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