Stuart Forster spots wild alligators in the Everglades at Sawgrass Recreation Park, while experiencing an airboat ride near Fort Lauderdale in Florida.
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An airboat ride in the Everglades is both an adrenaline-fuelling adventure and an opportunity to learn about local wildlife. American alligators are the creatures that almost all visitors hope to see. Yet the area is also rich in birdlife. I spotted herons, egrets and ibis while roaring through their wetland habitat.
Adventure in the Everglades
Thrillingly, we bounced across open stretches of water on a vessel resembling a raft mounted with rows of seats and a caged propeller. Our pilot and guide, Captain Kaii, steered us from the vantage point of a raised seat positioned above the powerful engine at the back of the airboat.
Eventually, we reached a levee, a raised ridge of land that helps control the movement of water, and Captain Kaii cut the engine. Drifting on a stretch of water with tufts and clumps of green and straw-coloured sawgrass on either side, we turned slowly in the breeze.
An airboat ride near Fort Lauderdale
“I don’t know if you guys can see; there’s one swimming across the canal. If you look over in the short grass, there’s a head poking up – on our right,” announced our captain, Kaii.
Placidly, the alligator watched us warily from its semi-hidden position by the levee. Most of its body was below the waterline. Remaining perfectly still, the semiaquatic reptile was tricky to spot, judging by the comments of several of my fellow passengers, who still hadn’t located the gator.
Kaii explained that alligators are difficult to follow on airboats when they are in the middle of a canal. That’s due to the noise of an airboat’s powerful engine and feeling vulnerable.
American alligators in Florida
He explained that alligators have bony plates on their backs. Known as scutes, they allow a gator to regulate its body temperature. Blood flows through the scutes and is warmed.
While we drifted, Kaii handed out a scute for passengers to look at. Eventually, it reached me, near the front of the boat. Turning it over, on the palm of my hand, I observed the channels through which blood once flowed.
Wildlife near Fort Lauderdale
Eager to know more, I asked if Floridian alligators are a subspecies. They are not, explained Kaii, they are all American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). He added that parts of Florida are also inhabited by American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus).
In recent years, invasive species such as the Burmese python have become commonly seen. One theory is that the snakes were pets that escaped following damage inflicted by hurricanes.
The caiman, which is native to Central and South America, has also become established in the Everglades. They were either released by pet owners or escaped. Like the pythons, the caiman are thriving in the Everglades.
Riding an airboat in Florida
After the insightful tour of the Everglades, I was keen to know how Kaii had become an airboat captain.
“I grew up down here…I came here as a kid on field trips. Being into the outdoors, I got into airboating. Then about a year ago, I found out that you could actually be an airboat captain for a job. So I applied here…it’s been an amazing job ever since,” he explained.
I saw three alligators during my airboat ride in Sawgrass Recreation Park.
Alligators in the Everglades
About his most memorable encounters with alligators, Kaii said: “It was mating season and we were looking at two gators. They were kind of checking each other out. I guess it ended up being two males. They actually ended up fighting each other, right in the middle of the canal. We got to watch the whole thing.”
A week later, he had another remarkable encounter: “Gators, they do a very deep bellowing sound, almost sounds like a roar. We were just looking at a gator, it was all by itself, and then as we were sitting there looking at it, it started bellowing. You can go on the Sawgrass Instagram or TikTok page, and see the video of that gator bellowing.”
Getting to Sawgrass Recreation Park
Take local traffic conditions into account when planning a trip to Sawgrass Recreation Park. Road traffic in Florida can be heavy.
Typically, the drive from Fort Lauderdale takes about 30-35 minutes. The journey from Miami usually takes between 40 and 50 minutes, and sometimes an hour when the roads are at their busiest.
Map of Sawgrass Recreation Park
The map below shows Sawgrass Recreation Park. You can zoom in or out of the map:
How to book an Everglades tour
To book guided Everglades tours with airboat rides, visit the Sawgrass Recreation Park website.
Held on Wednesdays and Saturdays, night tours are ideal for viewing the Everglades when its wildlife is most active.
Shark Valley Trails
Florida’s Shark Valley Trails offer opportunities to view alligators and birdlife. Within the Everglades National Park, the Shark Valley Visitor Center is an ideal place to begin a visit. The observation tower offers panoramic views over the surrounding wetlands.
There’s a 15-mile circular trail that can be walked or cycled along. Guided tram tours are also offered.
Travel to Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) had direct flights from airports across North America.
From the UK, Miami International Airport (MIA) has direct flights from London Heathrow with American Airlines, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
Things to do in Fort Lauderdale
Fort Lauderdale is a coastal city with sandy beaches. It is nicknamed the ‘Venice of America’ because of its waterways. The Riverwalk Fort Lauderdale connects 10 parks along the New River.
For shows and live entertainment, head to the Broward Center.
Green, leatherback and loggerhead turtles nest along the coastline of Broward County. The nesting season begins in March and continues until the end of October. Guided turtle walks begin at the Museum of Discovery and Science.
Hotels in Fort Lauderdale
Looking for accommodation in Fort Lauderdale? You can search for hotels in southern Florida using the map below:
Books about Florida and the Everglades
Planning a trip to southern Florida? You can buy the following books from Amazon.co.uk:
Fodor’s South Florida guidebook.
The Great Book of Florida: The Crazy History of Florida with Amazing Random Facts and Trivia by Bill O’Neill.
Lonely Planet’s Florida guidebook.
Further information
Discover more about the Sunshine State on the Visit Florida website.
Thank you for visiting Go Eat Do and reading this post about seeing alligators on an airboat ride near Fort Lauderdale. If you are looking for inspiration for a trip to the USA, you may find 10 best things to do in Chicago in summer worth reading.
Stuart Forster, the author of this post, was a winner of the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW 2026 Travel Writer Awards. That was for a feature titled Born in the USA, published in Selling Travel magazine.
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