Visiting the Everglades
The southern tip of Florida, between Miami and the Gulf of Mexico. The Everglades are not a still swamp but a river of grass fifty miles wide, sliding a few inches a day from Lake Okeechobee towards Florida Bay. Further south and west, it dissolves into the mangroves and the Ten Thousand Islands.
There are three ways in: Homestead and Florida City in the east, for the park road to Flamingo; Shark Valley, on the Tamiami Trail; and Everglades City, a fishing village on the Gulf side. You come for the alligators, the birds and the canoeing, not for the peaks: the highest point in the park is barely eight feet.
You will love it if
- You want to see alligators, manatees and birds by the hundred
- You love canoeing and boardwalk trails
- You are after wild nature an hour from Miami
Give it a miss if
- You come in summer: heat, storms and mosquitoes
- You expect spectacular scenery: everything is flat, the beauty is in the detail
- You want to sleep inside the park in comfort: lodgings there are scarce
The must-sees
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1 The Anhinga Trail Trail
A half-mile boardwalk over a pond, near the Homestead entrance. From December to April, as the water recedes, alligators gather beneath your feet and anhingas dry their wings on the branches. Come early in the morning, before the tour buses.
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A fifteen-mile loop through the middle of the river of grass, closed to cars. You ride it by bike or on a small tram, out to an observation tower above the flat horizon. Alligators often doze by the path: keep your distance.
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3 The Ten Thousand Islands by canoe Canoeing
A maze of mangroves and islets off Everglades City. You paddle between the roots, pass dolphins and pelicans, and sometimes camp on a beach of shells. Go with a guide or a nautical chart: it is easy to get lost.
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4 Flamingo, at the end of the road Road
Nearly forty miles of road cross the park, from prairie to pines and then mangrove, down to Flamingo on Florida Bay. It is the only place where alligators and crocodiles live side by side, and manatees often drift into the marina.
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5 Stone crab season Food
From October to May, Everglades City lives to the rhythm of the stone crab, caught in the waters nearby. Only the claws are eaten, served cold with a mustard sauce, on terraces by the water. Order them by the pound, and share.
The classic trap
Coming in July and booking an airboat ride thinking you will discover the park. Airboats are banned from almost all of the national park: they run on private land by the road. And in summer, the mosquitoes will cut every trail short. Come between December and April.
Our itineraries in the Everglades
| Length | Itinerary | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | Miami › Shark Valley | The river of grass by bike, the alligators, a Miccosukee village |
| 3 days | Homestead › Flamingo › Shark Valley | The Anhinga Trail, the park road, Florida Bay |
| 5 days | Homestead › Shark Valley › Everglades City | The park's three gateways and the Ten Thousand Islands by canoe |
Start in the east: sleep in Homestead and set off at dawn on the park road, stopping at the Anhinga Trail, all the way to Flamingo. The next day, head up to the Tamiami Trail for the Shark Valley loop. Got five days? Carry on west to Everglades City for a day of canoeing in the mangroves.
When to visit the Everglades
| Interest | Season | Temperatures | The highlight | Crowds and prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WinterDec. to Feb. | 12 to 25°C | Wildlife around the water holes | High | |
| SpringMar. to May | 17 to 30°C | The end of the dry season | Medium | |
| SummerJune to Aug. | 23 to 33°C | Afternoon thunderstorms | Low | |
| AutumnSept. to Nov. | 21 to 31°C | Hurricane season | Low |
Our advice
Come in the dry season, from December to April: mosquitoes are scarce, and wildlife gathers around the last water holes, easy to watch. From May to November, heat and humidity crush the days, and hurricanes threaten from June to November.
Getting to the Everglades
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By plane to Miami The simplest
Direct flights link London to Miami in about ten hours. The Homestead entrance is then an hour's drive south, Shark Valley an hour west. UK travellers need an ESTA, applied for online before departure: 40 dollars.
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By car on Route 41 The swamp road
Route 41 crosses the Everglades from east to west, from Miami to Naples, level with the grass. It serves Shark Valley, the Miccosukee villages and Everglades City: allow two hours end to end, without stops.
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By car from Naples Gulf side
If you arrive via the west coast, Everglades City is only three quarters of an hour from Naples. It is the gateway to the Ten Thousand Islands and the canoe trips.
Pick up your hire car at Miami airport: there is no public transport to the park. Fill up before you go in, as the Flamingo road has no petrol station, and keep water and insect repellent in the boot.
Getting around the Everglades
A car is essential: the park's three gateways are more than an hour apart, and no road links them inside. Once there, you carry on by bike at Shark Valley, by canoe or kayak at Flamingo and Everglades City, and on the boardwalk trails.
Good to know
A UK or EU licence is enough to rent and drive in the United States, and an International Driving Permit avoids any discussion at a roadside check. The park entrance fee is valid for seven days at every gateway: keep your receipt, it will get you into Shark Valley after Homestead.
What to eat in the Everglades
- Stone crab claws: the speciality of Everglades City, from October to May, served cold with a mustard sauce.
- Gator tail: deep-fried in batter, served in the restaurants along the Tamiami Trail.
- Frog legs: a tradition of swamp cooking, fried and crisp.
- Miccosukee fry bread: a golden flatbread, sweet or filled, in the Native American villages on Route 41.
- Homestead tropical fruit: mangoes, lychees and mameys, in milkshakes at the fruit stands.
- Key lime pie: the lime tart of South Florida, to try before heading back to Miami.
To eat like the locals, stop at a fruit stand on the way out of Homestead, on the road to the park, or at a fishermen's restaurant in Everglades City, by the river. Pack a picnic for the Flamingo road: there is almost nothing to buy inside the park.
Where to stay in the Everglades
| Area | What for | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Homestead and Florida City | Main entrance, Flamingo road, Biscayne | The most practical |
| Everglades City and Chokoloskee | Canoeing, Ten Thousand Islands, stone crab | The most authentic |
| Flamingo | Sunrise over the bay, manatees, camping | In the heart of the park |
| Miami | Shark Valley an hour away, beaches and city | For day trips |
| Naples | Gulf coast, Everglades City 45 minutes away | The most comfortable |
How much does a trip in the Everglades cost?
| Trip | Length | Budget per person |
|---|---|---|
| Budget (motel, camping, picnics) | 5 days | €600 to €900 |
| Comfort (hotel, car, guided trips) | 5 days | €1,200 to €1,900 |
| Luxury (resort in Naples or Miami, private guides) | 5 days | €2,500 to €4,500 |
- The entrance fee: you pay it once per vehicle, and it is valid for seven days at every gateway to the park.
- Boat trips: a guided tour of the mangroves costs less from Everglades City than from Miami.
- The season: in December and March, Homestead's motels fill up; book early to keep prices low.
- Canoeing: a day's rental costs far less than a guided tour, if you can read a chart.
- Meals: Homestead's fruit stands and grocery stores let you picnic inside the park.
Traditions and way of life in the Everglades
Long before the Europeans, the Calusa ruled the Gulf coast: they built entire islands out of shells, still visible around Chokoloskee. In the 19th century, the Seminole and the Miccosukee took refuge in the swamp to escape the US Army, and they still live there, along the Tamiami Trail.
In the early 20th century, people tried to drain the Everglades for farming, and the swamp lost half its area. In 1947, the journalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas published her book on the "river of grass", the same year the national park was created. Passing through Everglades City? Push open the door of its little museum: it tells this story better than any sign.