This blog is to describe what kayaking is like on the Turner River. The Turner River is actually in The Big Cypress National Preserve, which is to the north of Everglades National Park. You can kayak for a couple of hours on a half day kayak trip or you can paddle the Turner River all the way down to southwest florida's ten thousand islands popping out with Chokoloskee Island in full view. On our tour we do both the three hour tour (not to Gilligans Island) and on certain days (depending on the tides) we paddle the full day trip. The Turner River is one of my favorites to show people who want a "real Florida vacation"in the beautiful Everglades. This trip feels as if you are with National Geographic as you see different bird species right by your boat and alligators basking in the Florida sun as you paddle quietly by. Some of the birds we see are Green Herons, Black Crowned-Night Herons, Wood Storks, Snowy and Great Egrets and many more. Last season we saw about 15 baby alligators on the momma gator's back for a week in a row. Of course, we were as far away as possible not to bother the mother or babies. The water on the Turner River is very clear most days and you often see turtles and fish swimming about. Watching the birds catch fish is a daily routine for Shurr Adventures. A lot of the mangrove tunnels are no more than six feet wide. As we wind through the mangrove tunnels we occasionally see a beautiful orchid hidden in the mangrove forest. This place is magical, and a full day trip is a great way to see it too, but it is a long paddle for a lot people (5-6 hours). Going down the river the whole way you get to see a few more ecosystems and we pass near a Calusa Indian mound. I don't want to type everything that we see because it would take too many blogs and ruin the surprise that awaits people that come paddling with Alli and I (Justin) at Shurradventures.net Join us for an Everglades mangrove tunnel kayak adventure tour anytime! And please stay in tune to our blog as we have many more adventures to type about soon.
