Alligator Spotting on a Myakka Park Airboat Tour, Florida

On the morning of our airboat tour of Myakka River State Park in Florida, the question on everyone’s mind was “are we going to see any alligators?”

No matter how many different kinds of wildlife there would be, what we really wanted to see was alligators. And you know what? We certainly weren’t disappointed.

We hadn’t even parked the car when we spotted these alligators chilling out in the sun:

Alligators at Myakka River State Park, Florida

It was an incredibly hot day, but when we boarded the Gator Gal for our airboat ride, I wanted the best view possible so I could set up my tripod and shoot some video. Instead of opting for the shaded seats under the canopy, I sat right up at the front of the boat.

Myakka River State Park, Florida

Suddenly I wondered if this was the right decision- not only did I have these strange bugs landing on me, but I was in the perfect position to become an alligator’s lunch!

However as the boat leisurely glided over the waters of the Upper Myakka Lake, the breeze was welcoming and the bugs disappeared. Instantly we saw alligators swimming in the shallow waters between the lily pads. Every so often a fish would jump out of the water.

Alligator in Myakka River State Park, Florida

All of a sudden there was a giant thud, and an alligator appeared right in front of my eyes at the front of the boat… what a perfect photo opportunity! Except I wasn’t quite fast enough.

We saw a wild pig, vultures, cranes and herons, plus an eagle in a tree in the distance. Again another large thump as an alligator banged against the side of the boat.

Bird spotting on an airboat tour of Myakka River State Park, Florida

If you want to see alligators, this was definitely the tour to be on. Whilst it’s not always guaranteed (in hot weather the alligators tend to submerge under the water), we saw lots of them!

The blog trip to Florida was with Virgin Holidays and Visit Florida. While this trip was sponsored, all opinions are my own.

5 thoughts on “Alligator Spotting on a Myakka Park Airboat Tour, Florida”

  1. Lol love this. I grew up in Florida and have seen my share of ‘gators, that’s for sure. Will never forget the morning in sixth grade when there was one chilling at my bus stop, and I had to stand up on the hill and jump up and wave down my bus to come get me!

  2. I did this in New Orleans and our guide was nuts and hand fed the gators marshmallows. Some of the smaller ones he picked them up with his bare hands right out of the swamp. Your gators were definitely bigger though.

  3. Glad you were able to see alligators! At Wild Florida, we guarantee you can see alligators because you can also take a picture holding one after your airboat tour! We are just a short drive from Orlando, and we offer Florida airboat tours privately or at night! We also have a brand new wildlife park and tropical bird aviary. Check us out at http://wildfloridairboats.com!

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