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Mangrove Estuary Tour: Wildlife and Beach Adventure
4.9
28 Ratings
Marco Island
Experience the beauty and wildlife of Marco Island’s mangrove estuaries on our eco boat tour. Spot dolphins, birds, manatees, and more on this fully guided adventure!
Experience the beauty and wildlife of Marco Island’s mangrove estuaries on our eco boat tour. Spot dolphins, birds, manatees, and more on this fully guided adventure!
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Goodland - Discover the charming fishing village of Goodland. This census-designated place is located in Collier County, Florida, USA. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 267. Goodland is part of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area.
- Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve - Explore the mangrove…
- Goodland - Discover the charming fishing village of Goodland. This census-designated place is located in Collier County, Florida, USA. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 267. Goodland is part of the Naples–Marco Island Metropolitan Statistical Area.
- Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve - Explore the mangrove estuary at Rookery Bay Preserve. Situated in Naples, Florida, Rookery Bay is a National Estuarine Research Reserve, supported by the Friends of Rookery Bay.
- Ten Thousand Islands NWR - Embark on boat tours to explore the barrier islands of the Ten Thousand Islands.
- Marco Island - Discover the barrier islands surrounding Marco Island, Florida. This barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, off Southwest Florida, is connected to the mainland by bridges south of Naples. Marco Island boasts resort hotels, beaches, marinas, golf courses, and a network of inland waterways. A long sandy beach stretches along most of the west coast, with resort hotels in the south. Tigertail Beach Park features a tidal lagoon, ideal for kayaking and paddleboarding.
- Southwest Gulf Coast - The tour includes Gulf waters, weather permitting. Florida’s Southwest Gulf Coast is home to a collection of captivating coastal treasures. Beautiful beaches, such as Ft. Myers Beach, Tigertail Beach, and Pensacola Beach, line the Gulf, stretching along I-75 from Tampa to Naples.
- Cape Romano - The boat tour might pass by Cape Romano, where the renowned dome house once stood.
What's Included
- Parking fees
- Cooler with Ice
- Complementary shelling bags
- Parking fees
- Cooler with Ice
- Complementary shelling bags
What's Not Included
- On-board restrooms
- Food (Yes, you can bring your own food!)
- Drinks (BYOB - please, no red wine!)
- On-board restrooms
- Food (Yes, you can bring your own food!)
- Drinks (BYOB - please, no red wine!)
Additional Information
The Island Paradise: Dolphin, Shelling, Birding Eco Boat Tour offers the ultimate wildlife and nature adventure for families, nature enthusiasts, and shell collectors. This guided boat tour takes participants deep into the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, where they will encounter playful dolphins, a variety of bird species, and pristine,…
The Island Paradise: Dolphin, Shelling, Birding Eco Boat Tour offers the ultimate wildlife and nature adventure for families, nature enthusiasts, and shell collectors. This guided boat tour takes participants deep into the Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge, where they will encounter playful dolphins, a variety of bird species, and pristine, untouched beaches while learning about this unique coastal ecosystem from an experienced captain.
This relaxing yet adventure-filled tour provides a perfect blend of exploration, education, and enjoyment, making it an unforgettable experience for all ages. Whether seeking the best shelling locations, incredible wildlife encounters, or simply a peaceful retreat, this eco-tour is a must-do during a visit to Marco Island!
The tour lasts 2.5 hours and departs from our private commercial docks at 220 Goodland Dr (across the street from Stan’s Idle Hour) daily at 8:00 am, 10:45 am, 1:30 pm, and 4:00 pm.
- Children 6 and under are required to wear life vests (provided).
Location
220 Goodland Dr
Goodland Drive
Free parking across the street from Stan's Idle Hour Restaurant in the gravel lot behind the white fence.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(28 Ratings)
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Darj2022
Apr 21, 2025
SUPER GREAT SHELLING COMPANY ! VERY KNOWLEDGEABLE CAPTAIN/GUIDE! - The captain /guide on our tour was FANTASTIC! There were only 5 of us where the max is 6. Perfect size! Took us to 2 islands. At both stops he helped us out, gave us tips on where to go and kept asking us all if there was anything we needed! I took my 17 year old granddaughter and her boyfriend and we all had a fabulous time! And honest????? We were going to book a 6 hour tour and the owner explained yes, we could if we really wanted too, but due to the tides we actually would be wasting 2 hours with really finding no shells! Who does that? Who is SOOOOOO honest and in reality " loosing money" by suggesting 4 hours over 6 ! Highly recommend this outfit! PLUS WE SAW DOLPHINS THAT GOT REALLY CLOSE TO US! Found many beautiful shells, along with all kinds of birds & flowers & just stunning scenery!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nena_c
Apr 5, 2025
Beautiful and relaxing - Very relaxing and beautiful. The captain was very knowledgeable about wildlife and answered all of our questions. He was not overly talkative but friendly, which was refreshing. We were able to see LOTS of dolphins and saw some jumping behind the boat. The shelling was on a pretty beach area, which we all really enjoyed. It was a great experience!
Review provided by Viator
950pollyd
Mar 16, 2025
Great informative, fun boat tour of Marco! - We had a great time with Thomas on our tour. We were a family of 6 with 2 little ones (20 months/3yrs). The boat was nice and felt very safe with the little ones. We saw many different birds/chicks, dolphins several times and a nice stop on an island to collect different shells we did not see on our condo beach. Thomas was a wealth of information on the island, birds/water/animals/shells etc… We enjoyed the trip very much and highly recommend. We go to Marco several times a year and will definitely book with this company again!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T9139qzamyj
Mar 14, 2025
Great wildlife trip - Great boat trip, so fun watching the dolphins play! Loved zipping through the beautiful islands. Don knows a ton about the wildlife and islands. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rojeannaw
Mar 9, 2025
Awesome! - Absolutely amazing! We had the best captain and learned new things about the animals and shells.. very informative! Best part of our trip by far! Highly recommend! ❤️
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nancy
Feb 25, 2025
Great memory - Captain Nate was great! We saw everything we hoped to see and more. Nate is very knowledgeable and has a contagious enthusiasm for experiencing the beauty of the area. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cherylsh239wz
Feb 13, 2025
Great Experience! - We had a great time on the Island Paradise: Dolphin, Shelling, Birding Eco Boat Tour. Captain Nate shared a lot of information about mangroves, bottlenose dolphins and various birds. We were fortunate that the dolphins wanted to play and swim along with us in the boat wake just 10 -15 feet from us. We had about an hour to walk along the beach looking for shells. It s a great experience and we would recommend to friends and family!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alijaxdav
Nov 8, 2024
Amazing Dolphin Tour - Had a wonderful tour with Captain Thomas on the 6th of November. The weather was perfect. Captain Thomas’ knowledge of the islands was amazing. We learned so much about the wildlife, vegetation and the islands themselves. Thomas even told us about the individual shells and what kind of animal had lived in it before. He was knowledgeable and kind which made for a wonderful 2 hours on the water. Thank you!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Y4230nnjenniferw
Aug 16, 2024
I can't wait to tour again with Florida Island Tours. - We had an awesome time! Our guide was very fun and knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. We saw dolphins playing as they followed our boat, a number of different species of birds and a manatee vegging out by the mangrove. We will definitely recommend Florida Island Tours to family and friends and book with them next time we visit Marco Island! Thanks for a great time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jeffwq5668om
Aug 7, 2024
Excellent trip. - Our morning trip was rained out and I had a work call commitment later in the day. The captain adjusted the schedule so we could do the tour and make my call. The captain was very knowledgeable about the area, the birds and even names of the sea shells. We saw and hung out with a pod of dolphins. We then went shelling. We found some great shells and the captain was so nice to our granddaughter. I highly recommend this trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
