If you are in South Florida, a place you cannot miss is this spectacular national park.
Yes, yes… it’s huge! It is even one of the largest wetlands in the world and used to be even larger.
The Everglades is often see it as a swamp, when in fact it is a slow-moving river that flows from the southern shore of Lake Okeechobee to the mangrove estuaries of Florida Bay. I told you the area is very large.
I enjoying driving from Miami to Flamingo, which has a marina and it’s easy to get to several hiking trails or the camping area. It also has a visitor center with lots of information about the area.
Another fun fact about this park? It is the only place in the world where American alligators and American crocodiles coexist in the wild.
The place is wonderful. You can enjoy hiking on many of the trails around, go biking, kayaking or even on a boat, either rented at the park or your own.
Obviously there are also spots where you can enjoy a tour on an air boat, which is always fun, especially if you want to see alligators. If you drive along Highway 41 (US41) in Miami, also known as “Tamiami Trail” or ‘Calle 8’ to the west, you can reach several points that offer such boat rides. You will not only enjoy the tour, but also learn a lot about the park and all the animals from the area. By the way, if you continue west on 41 you get to Naples which is another beautiful place.