Family Manatee Tour: Private Small Group Experience

Experience the thrill of swimming with wild manatees on our small group, family-oriented tour. Enjoy a private and stress-free experience with our experienced guides. All gear included!

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Nature’s Discovery Manatee Tours - Hop aboard our small passenger vessel for an intimate snorkel with the Florida Manatee! We take you through scenic King’s Bay in Crystal River, Florida in search of the wild Florida Manatee.
    We specialize in family oriented small group and private manatee snorkeling tours. Upon arrival, you will be introduced to…
What's Included
  • In-Water Tour Guide
  • Bottled water
  • Use of snorkeling equipment
  • Wetsuits
What's Not Included
  • Gratuity for captain and guide
  • Towels and bathing suits
Additional Information

We’re captained by our owners and focus on intimate family-friendly trips!
We’re a local business that operates vessels carrying no more than 6 passengers, assuring an experience as private as possible for you and your loved ones! Our guides, who have years of experience working with guests of all ages across the globe, are experts in creating family…

Location
Nature's Discovery Manatee Tours
Southeast US Highway 19
Meet us at our shop location fifteen minutes ahead of your tour time to get checked in and suited up with wetsuits!
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(667 Ratings)
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Agerberich
Jan 5, 2025
1st time up close manatee experience! - Our in water guide and boat captain were obviously knowledgeable about quickly locating a manatee(s) to see. They were able to get us in position to see manatees in two different places and kept us away from huge crowds. They answered all of the questions that everyone had and excelled at making our most nervous observer comfortable. 5 stars all the way!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zacharyb2025
Jan 5, 2025
Top notch operator! - Great staff, found Manatee right away and we were able to swim with them with just my family. Some of the other tours had 12+ people and it would not have been the same experience . I Would book again with them.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amandamm568gy
Jan 4, 2025
Best part of our vacation - This was definitely the highlight of our vacation. The staff guides were incredibly welcoming and accommodating. We were able to see manatees on our very first try of getting into the water. Having the warm water and hot cocoa on the boat was amazing considering we went out when it was raining and our daughter has a cold allergy. They were extremely accommodating with it. We definitely recommend checking out nature’s discovery if you’re looking for a fun family activity.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Daniel_h
Jan 3, 2025
Magic with manatees - My kids and I had an unforgettable experience. John was the perfect guide. He taught us so much valuable information about manatees, and then led us on an expedition that was absolutely magical. Captain Dylan was also the perfect sidekick, and everything from helpful history of the river to providing us hot chocolate when we got out of the water made this unforgettable. Swimming right next to manatees is something we will never forget.
Review provided by Viator
Safari43218526850
Jan 2, 2025
Great time - We had a great time lots of manatees,very friendly hosts Evan and Hina hot chocolate on the boat .... nice changing rooms
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Alexf284
Jan 1, 2025
Guided Family Manatee Swim - Great guides. We really enjoyed our experience with the manatees! Evan and Christine were awesome and their lunch recommendation was 10/10!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Samh110
Jan 1, 2025
Great company and will definitely use them again. I can’t recommend them highly enough. - We have been waiting to take our 9yo grandson to swim with the manatees. We had a 7:00am booking and when we arrived Christina was waiting. She was friendly, polite and informative. She quickly outfitted us and took us to meet our boat Captain Evan, who was ready to go. Although the weather had not been very cold and the Manatees were spread out, he quickly found a couple and dropped us in the water where Christina took beautiful pictures of the manatees and us. Overall this was a great experience and we will use this company next time we want to go swimming with the manatees.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Threedisprincesses
Dec 30, 2024
Book tours with Nature's Discovery - Do not think twice, book with Nature's Discovery. We were a family of 5 (youngest 15). Check in was quick and easy. John got us into our wet suits and off we went to the boat. At the dock, we met up with Captain Evan. Both John and Evan were very professional and clearly wanted us to have the best experience while also protecting and respecting the manatees. Both were very informative about the area & manatees. John was in the water with us the whole time which made for a relaxing experience. We ended up watching a manatee eat for over 15 minutes. We saw other manatees as well but all agreed being able to watch this one being active for an extended time period felt special. We've been to some amazing water areas and will be adding Crystal River to this list. We will be back and we will be reaching out to Nature's Discovery and specifically requesting John & Evan for our future adventures.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chloewn5866ed
Dec 30, 2024
AMAZING - We had John as our guide and Evan as our boat captain and they were both fantastic! They were extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic and personable. They made sure if we had any questions to answer them! They tried really hard to find us a quiet space to hang with the manatees alone, and we got the chance to down one of the canals and it was amazing because there was no one around! We would definitely do this again!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
D1400bdcarolinec
Dec 30, 2024
Amazing Experience! - Great gift to our family for Christmas! Small tour for the 6 of us. Two young children 3 & 6. The guide John was amazing & boat captain. So patient with the children and adults! First morning tour at 7:00 was tough but water was clear so could see the manatees. We encountered them right away. Make sure children and adults comfortable with snorkeling as very key to good experience. You don't want to panic in shallow water and stand up because you stir up sediment and or stand on sleeping manatee. It took a few minutes to adjust to just floating flat and still . Small hand movements to follow the swimming manatee. John was amazing at explaining how to have the best experience for you & safe one for manatees. They were absolutely amazing with the kids. Cool in the morning and they had hot cocoa for them! They provide everything you need!! Awesome crew!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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