Ecotours

 
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Kayaking

 

Wayne Adventures tours are guided by a Florida Master Naturalist, interpretive guide and kayak instructor. Wayne has led over 400 trips and offers tours in:

  • Myakka River State Park
  • Emerson Point Preserve
  • Terra Ceia
  • Robinson Preserve
  • Braden River Rookery
  • Upper Gamble Creek & the Manatee River

   

Biotica Ecotours provides guided kayak tours for all skill levels. They specialize in small groups and all of their tours are led by biologists, naturalists and experts in the field. Tours offered in:

  • Myakka River State Park
  • Mangrove Tunnels
  • Turtle Beach/Jim Neville Wildlife Preserve
  • Robinson Preserve/Terra Ceia Bay
    

Happy Paddler guides are expert naturalists and certified paddling instructors who have dedicated their lives to exploring and educating others about our watery world. They offer:

  • Coastal Island Tour
  • River Safari Tour
  • Sunset Tour
  • Moonlight Tour
      

Flow Kayak and Paddle Tours designs customized kayak or stand-up paddleboard outings in Sarasota Bay, Florida suited to your abilities and interests. They also offer combined kayak/yoga or paddle/yoga classes.

 

Join Mote for an evening paddle as they explore Sarasota Bay at dusk. Discover the animals that bring the bay to life at night while taking a relaxing paddle on the moonlit water. Kayaking equipment and instruction are provided.

   

Manatee County Department of Parks and Natural Resources offers guided paddles during the day and on full moon nights in Manatee County’s parks and preserves.

 

Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources offers virtual and in person kayak tours through Sarasota County Nature Preserves. Lemon Bay Park has seasonal, free, guided paddle tours. 

 

Hiking and Walking

Around the Bend guides have the inside scoop on outside adventure. For families, schools and camps: Wildlife up close and personal! Or they can bring the fun to you. Check it out! Go Wild!

   

The Sarasota Audubon Society leads birding walks and bike rides at the Celery Fields and local parks, as well as Climate Walks series exploring the local impacts of climate change. The Nature Center is open daily 9 am-Noon October through May.

The Sarasota County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Department offers guided nature walks during the day and at night in various parks and preserves throughout Sarasota County.

Manatee County Department of Parks and Natural Resources offers guided walks and outdoor education programs for all ages. Learn about native plants, mushrooms, lizards, tortoises, and more!

The Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension Program offers EcoWalks through environmentally sensitive lands that have been preserved in Sarasota County. Learn what makes these ecosystems so unique and important.

Oscar Scherer State Park offers ranger guided hikes, eagle viewing, and more. They also partner with the Sarasota and Venice Audubon Societies to host bird walks throughout the park.

 

The Venice Area Audubon Society leads guided bird walks in state and county parks and beaches throughout Sarasota.   

 

Manatee County Audubon Society offers guided birding trips and tours to parks and preserves throughout Manatee County.

 

The Serenoa Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society offers field trips to botanical gardens, state parks, demonstration yards, and more!

Boating

 

Launched in 1978, the Carefree Learner has been operating for over 30 years on Sarasota Bay as a valuable educational resource for students and adults. Field trips aboard the Carefree Learner give participants the opportunity to observe organisms living in and around the bay through hands on activities.

  

Have an exciting, hands-on, educational and fun on-the-water experience. Sarasota Bay Explorers, working with the aquarium at Mote, offer interactive, hands-on eco-adventures on the sea life encounter cruise, guided kayak tours, nature safari and private charters aboard the Miss Explorer.

    

Set sail on a campus-to-campus boat tour with Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in tribute to the coastal heritage of the region and of Selby’s two campuses located downtown Sarasota and at Historic Spanish Point. Experience “old Florida” from the water with interpretive narration along the way & lunch at Historic Spanish Point.

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Many of our partner tour operators and organizations are Florida Society for Ethical Ecotourism (FL SEE) certified.  In fact, the Sarasota-Manatee area has more certified eco-destinations and guides than any other region of Florida AND we have the only two Platinum certified guides in the State!

 

FL SEE is a statewide certification program that encourages an awareness and stewardship of Florida's natural and cultural heritage by:

  • Endorsing compliance with federal, state, and local laws regarding the protection of natural resources and customer safety.
  • Providing environmental education and awareness which encourage behaviors that contribute to the sustainability of Florida's natural ecosystems and resources.
  • Promoting professionalism and integrity within the ecotourism industry by providing and maintaining a certification/recognition program for ecotour providers.

 

Thank you to our partners for attaining FL SEE certification and encouraging environmental stewardship in everything you do!