Cypress Forest: Guided Nature Kayak Eco-Tour
5.0
300 Ratings
Kissimmee

Immerse yourself in the outdoors on this expert-led eco-journey. This beginner-friendly kayak trip, demanding no prior experience, allows you to traverse the breathtaking cypress forest. Spot indigenous creatures like alligators, roseate spoonbills, hawks, frogs, egrets and others on your adventure!

Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights

This 2-hour guided tour starts and ends at The Paddling Center at Shingle Creek, located directly off of Hwy 192. Here, you will start on Shingle Creek, which are the headwaters of the Everglades.

After a safety briefing and instruction on kayaking, you will quickly enter an ecological gem that is rated one of the top paddling trails in Florida by Johnny Molloy, author of “Canoeing and Kayaking Florida.”

Within 20 minutes you enter an old-growth cypress forest that is both serene and stunningly beautiful. Your guide will tell you all about the rich ecology and history of Shingle Creek.

All guides have ACA Instructor certification, as well as First Aid, CPR & AED certification.

Young children, as young as 4 years old, can participate in the tandem kayak which has a jump seat in the back for them to sit and enjoy the experience.

Points of Interest

  • The Paddling Center at Shingle Creek

  • Shingle Creek Regional Park

What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Water
  • Kayak rental
  • Dry Box
  • All fees and/or taxes
  • Life Jacket
What's Not Included
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off
  • Gratuities
Additional Information
  • We recommend you wear shorts, light shirt / top, sandals, hat and bring sunblock
Location
4266 W Vine St
West Vine Street
The Paddling Center is located at 2nd entrance to Shingle Creek Park, immediately past Marker 15 sign.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(300 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Enat3
Jun 29, 2024
You Need to Do This - We wanted my teens to have a "Florida experience" on our family vacation and I'm so glad we chose this kayak tour. Our guide, Ryan, was fun, knowledgeable, helpful if you aren't familiar with kayaking, and a great conversationalist. We saw fish, many turtles, osprey, and a mama alligator in the distance (we were told she was guarding her nest, so we needed to keep our distance). My teens thought it was the highlight of our vacation, even more than our experience on our cruise. I highly recommend booking a tour in the morning time slot and not the afternoon due to heat and weather. I'm glad the staff recommended that change for us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sonyasky
Jun 17, 2024
Awesome Kayaking and Excellent Guide - A friend and I went on this kayak trip and had a fantastic time. Not only was Shingles Creek a gorgeous ecosystem, but the information provided by our guide was quite amazing and so interesting! Josh, our guide, told us about the old settlements that were around the creek area, and also told us about the cypress trees and industry we knew nothing about! All so very interesting!!! THANKS, Josh!! Great trip and lots of fun! I recommend this trip for anyone who can get into the kayak. Not strenuous, but fitness helps.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Excursion09181318827
Jun 15, 2024
Kayak adventure in Orlando - My friend and I decided at the last minute to go on this adventure and we are so glad we did!! Josh, our guide was a very informative and entertaining! He told us all qbout the ecosystem of the cypress forest and history of Shingles Creek. It was a great time even though it rained on the way back. It's Florida. When in the Orlando area, this is a fun and exciting thing to do!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gerald_f
Jun 3, 2024
A wonderful experience even for us older generation - This was the first time we had experienced kayaking, but the staff had taken care of everything we needed down to water to drink. The scenery was lovely. It was a very enjoyable experience and we don’t plan waiting another 75 years to experience kayaking again.
Review provided by Viator
Churchladysbhotmailc
May 30, 2024
2 Hours of peaceful fun! - The beauty, the sound of the birds! And of course the highlight was seeing 2 alligators! Our guide (Josh) was amazing, very knowledgeable, friendly and funny!
Review provided by Viator
Z3973fmlizf
May 7, 2024
Fantastic - Fantastic experience. Would absolutely do this again. Josh was a wealth of knowledge. No questions stumped him. Very friendly.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cxl1961
Apr 27, 2024
A Truly Amazing Experience - This was a highlight of my trip to Orlando. Good equipment and a knowledgeable and friendly guide. Only a few miles out of downtown Orlando you are immediately totally immersed into a tranquil environment of clear water, towering trees, fish and wildlife (even saw a couple of alligators) . It is an easy paddle suitable for even the most novice paddler. Two hours of peace and being at one with nature in a most beautiful environment.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cindy_m
Apr 19, 2024
DO THIS EXPERIENCE TODAY!! - Joshua was our guide and It’s impossible, not to be impressed by the amount of knowledge that this guy has!! So nice and welcoming and kind and so personable within three minutes of getting to know the group he had everybody’s name down!! If you are looking for a cool experience than look no furthur you wont be disappointed! Not the best most experience kayakers and we had no problem so don’t be nervous. Get out of your comfort zone and give this a chance. It was awesome and my 11 year old son had an amazing time!!
Review provided by Viator
Thomas_g
Apr 15, 2024
Great day! - Ryan was an amazing tour guide. Awesome guided experience. Thought about not using a guide but we were all very glad we had Ryan to point things out and tell us about the area.
Review provided by Viator
Victoria_w
Apr 14, 2024
Great time! Wear sunscreen! - Had an awesome time on our guided kayaking tour. Initially booked a tandem kayak and the staff were super accommodating when we asked to change to two single kayaks instead. The staff were super friendly and were lots of fun! Our guide Ryan was very knowledgeable and patient with those of us who weren’t the strongest kayakers. Would definitely recommend and would go again!
Review provided by Viator
Select Date and Tickets
up to 15 guests
1
Adult
September 2024
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Today