Airboat rides through mangrove tunnels with guides who actually know their stuff.
Jungle Erv's runs airboat tours out of Everglades City, right on the Gulf Coast side of the park where the Ten Thousand Islands begin and the mangroves take over everything. This is the wilder, quieter entrance to the Everglades, and the waterways here feel genuinely remote in a way that surprises people.
The tours wind through narrow mangrove tunnels where the canopy closes in overhead, then open up into broader water where alligators, dolphins, and wading birds show up if you're patient. Guides like Kalen, Tristan, and Ryan come up regularly in reviews for knowing their routes cold and making the trip feel like more than just a boat ride. They'll stop, cut the engine, and actually tell you what you're looking at.
Headsets are provided, which matters more than you'd think. Airboat engines are loud, and being able to hear your guide without straining makes a real difference. The tours run multiple lengths, so if you want to get deeper into the backcountry, the longer option is worth considering.
Everglades City is about 35 miles southeast of Naples and sits at the western entrance to Everglades National Park. If you're coming from the Miami or Homestead side, it's a longer haul, but the Gulf Coast perspective on the Everglades is genuinely different from what you'll see near the main visitor center. Jungle Erv's is a solid reason to make the detour.
1,144 reviews
5 months ago
Very nice caption. Timely. Headsets helped to hear. We went on the multiple tour and thought it was worth it. We would have seen more of the grasslands had it not been a drought! The Cedar sawmp buggy ride was dry from the drought as well or ot would have been cool to drove in 3 feet of water! Worth the tickets folks!
4 months ago
What an absolutely brilliant find just through Google really. We stopped on the way through to our next destination and what a stop. From the arrivals procedure to the actually trip it was well organised and professionally ran. Tristan our guide was excellent, it wasn't just going around the everglades fast on an airboat he stopped and took us through local history and alot of environmental information which as visitors we found interesting. And as an added bonus as we arrived in the car park we saw an osprey and 2 chick's in a nest above the office, just magical. Would highly recommend this trip into your trip time if you are in the area.
5 months ago
Loved every second of our airboat tour with Kalen. We couldn’t help but laugh at his corny jokes because he is just so much fun! It would be easy to get lost in the maze of mangroves but he knew exactly where he was going - when to stop and tell us about the history of the place or information about the flora and fauna and when to let the boat loose for a crazy ride. I’d point out a bird and he’d name it. He even explained what the little white squiggly things were on the mangrove roots. I won’t spoil it for you - you need to ask. Book a tour with Jungle Erv’s and hopefully you’ll get Kalen.
8 months ago
This was close to our RV park so we decided to check it out. Was oirn2nd time on an airboat.. this was just the 2 of us as we went at end of day 4pm Our captain was very nice, knowledgeable and fun doing "donuts" in the open water. Headphones were great at block out excessive noise. We only saw 1 baby alligator 🐊 that day. Nice gift shop and friendly staff.
6 months ago
This was our first air boat ride and it was AMAZING. Our boat captain was Ryan and he was very knowledgeable and answered everyone's questions when asked. Cruising through the mangroves was so neat, especially when you realize that with the horsepower of the boats they actually ride completely above the water so they can go practically anywhere. Ryan even did a few 360's and got us a little wet, but that was fine with me.
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