Key West Schooner Eco-Tour: Snorkel, Kayak, Sail

Embark on a thrilling eco-tour in Key West aboard a classic schooner. Snorkel, kayak, and sail through the Gulf of Mexico, exploring diverse marine life and pristine ecosystems.

Duration: 5 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

Key West National Wildlife Refuge - The Key West National Wildlife Refuge, located at the southernmost tip of the United States in the Florida Keys, is a sanctuary of natural beauty and biodiversity. Spanning over 200,000 acres, this refuge comprises a mosaic of habitats including mangrove islands, seagrass beds, and coral reefs, making it a vital haven for a diverse array of wildlife.

What's Included
  • Gourmet lunch and afternoon snacks made by our own in-house catering team
  • Professional guide
  • All equipment
  • Unlimited beer, wine and soft drinks
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

Departing from Key West’s Historic Seaport, the Appledore Star’s sails are raised for an authentic sail experience on the way to Key West’s backcountry.

Your day is spent exploring Key West’s uninhabited mangrove islands in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge. Keep an eye out for dolphins, sea turtles, manta rays and many other wildlife that call the Refuge home. Your captain knows where dolphins are frequently seen and will let you know if he spots any.

Upon reaching the mangrove islands, the schooner anchors and your exploration begins. Your day is divided between guided kayaking tours and guided snorkeling tours. The warm, shallow water is calm, sheltered by the uninhabited mangroves, making kayaking a breeze.

After your tours, come back aboard and wash off with our fresh water rinse, and relax on deck. Choose from plenty of complimentary cold drinks – frosty cold beer, wine, homemade sangria, chilled sodas and filtered water. This is the best of laid-back island living.

  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Vegetarian option is available. Must notify operator 72 hours prior ro departure.
  • Please advise of any specific dietary requirements 72 hours prior to departure.
  • In order to expedite the check-in process, please provide lead traveler’s e-mail address in the ‘special requirement’ section during check-out.
  • To re-board the schooner after snorkeling and kayaking, you are required to climb aboard a platform secured to the boat just below the waterline, from there you climb a ladder back aboard the schooner.
Location
205 Elizabeth St
Elizabeth Street
Located along the Harbor Walk at the end of Elizabeth Street, between Schooner Wharf Bar and the Conch Republic Seafood Company on the byway colloquially known as Lazy Way Lane.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.7
(229 Ratings)
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Jody_b
May 17, 2024
Fantastic day - A great experience with a friendly and capable cree. The mangrove swamps were like something out of jurassic park and the live coral reefs were covered in fish.
Review provided by Viator
Sarahliane
Apr 12, 2024
Appledore Schooner Trip - Great experience! My husband and I went on the Appledore schooner trip. It was a 5 hour trip that included snorkeling and kayaking through the mangroves. It was a small group on this trip just us and 3 other ladies. It was a fun time. We got out to the area for snorkeling and although I didn’t do the snorkeling because the waves were to rough my husband enjoyed it. The kayaking was really neat. Once you paddle over to the mangroves it’s super calm. You can see the bottom and even though you are out there in the ocean it’s only like 4-5 ft deep. You see a lot of birds and fish and it’s really neat. I would definitely recommend it. On the trip back they serve you lunch and use the sails to actually sail back to the harbor. Oh and it’s open bar. I recommend the homemade sangria! Worth the price and the captain and first mate are awesome! They answered any questions I had and really took the time to tell you about the boat and the area we were visiting. Bradley guided us on the kayak tour it was very interesting. Definitely recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sightseer546076
Apr 3, 2024
Kayak through peaceful mangrove tunnels - Our trip with Appledore on the schooner to go snorkeling and kayaking and return to harbor under sail was fantastic. The captain Jared and crew Mario and Renee were very knowledgeable, attentive, and patient. Their instructions were clear, the gear provided was clean and in good shape. The lunch and beverages that were served were delicious. The kayaking through some mangrove tunnels was particularly special. We would highly recommend the Appledore experience as a highlight of a Key West Florida trip. The only thing that might need some improvement is the in person check in process for the schooner, as we went to three different places to check in, with each location instructing us to go somewhere else to do the check in.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gaby_d
Apr 1, 2024
Relaxing, beautiful nature trip - Sailing was great. The crew, Brad and Joe, were excellent at taking care of passengers. The drinks kept coming and the views were fantastic.
Review provided by Viator
Gina_t
Mar 27, 2024
Excellent trip! Best Crew! Sign up! - The best excursion ever. The crew -captain Jared, Mario, Renee are top notch, super friendly and safety focused. The small 20 passenger size was perfect, relaxing. My 15 yo son loved it, had a chance to learn how to steer the ship, learned so much about mariner credentials, and life. It was the first time seeing him genuinely excited smiling this entire trip. Thank you all so much. Sign up for this. You will be grateful you did! Thanks for the tunes Mario! I want that sangria recipe :)
Review provided by Viator
Rosemary_o
Mar 16, 2024
Great Fun - The captain and first mate were very accommodating. We enjoyed snorkeling, kayaking and a lovely sail. Altogether a really great day!
Review provided by Viator
Jill_a
Mar 15, 2024
Must do !!! - Bradley and Joe were great! Great day on the water and highly recommend this crew and boat! Kayaking was my favorite, the mangroves were amazing and Bradley was great explaining the ecosystem. Amazing day! Good food and plenty of drinks.
Review provided by Viator
Margaret
Mar 8, 2024
Schooner trip well worth the cost. - Boat ride was great. Crew very friendly. Kayaking shorter than expected, but great to see all the pelicans. Snorkeling fun but didn’t see many fish. Food very good, but not as described. No snacks offered. Just describe it correctly. Sangria was fabulous.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michaelmd8368ve
May 24, 2024
Lunch was not as advertised!!! - We had a lot of fun today on our trip, however, lunch was advertised as fried chicken, deli sandwiches and assorted breads. This was not the case! We had pork slider sandwiches, macaroni salad and Cole slaw. Also, this was not a buffet, as advertised. It was a small portion of food, most of which I did not like. You really should provide what you say you are going to provide for lunch.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tyler_d
May 31, 2024
Waste of time - Tour was canceled, no notice given until we arrived at the dock then we had to get a refund and rebook through another company.
Review provided by Viator
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up to 15 guests
1 Adult
September 2024
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