On this 10 night / 10 day adventure we visit one of North America’s most diverse and avian-rich ecosystems during it’s “dry” and warm (not as hot) season. The tour itinerary focuses on South Florida’s iconic birding hotpots and specialty birds as we visit both the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, the central “highlands”, Lake Okeechobee, the Florida Keys and especially the incomparable Everglades National Park.

Tour Highlights:

• Visit famous birding locations along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts & beaches, salt and freshwater marshes, Long-leaf Pine forests, Bald Cypress swamps and the fascinating Everglades National Park.
• Easily explore these South Florida’s sub-tropical habitats, wonderful parks & refuges as a small group in a spacious and comfortable van with two guides who have been birding South Florida for over 25 years.
• Target bird species include: Florida Scrub-jay, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Limpkin, Wood Stork, Anhinga, Purple Gallinule, Snail Kite, Short-tailed Hawk, White-crowned Pigeon, Brown-headed Nuthatch and wintering eastern warblers.
• Wintering shorebirds and waders galore!
• Other local wildlife specialties include American Alligator, Manatee, Armadillos and much more.

Tour Details:

Click here for the tour brochure (pdf)

 Itinerary:

• Day 0: Travel, arrive in Fort Lauderdale, lodging near airport (included)
• Day 1: Fort Lauderdale & Boca Raton: Loxahatchee NWR, Green Cay
• Day 2: Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Atlantic coastal beaches and forest
• Day 3: Lake Okeechobee area reserves to Port Charlotte
• Days 4 – 5: Babcock-Webb WMA, Ft. Meyer’s Beaches, J.N. Ding Darling
• Day 6: Corkscrew Sanctuary, Fakahatchee Strand, Everglades
• Day 7-8: Everglades National Park
• Days 9-10: Florida Keys, return to Fort Lauderdale

Transportation: 15 passenger van with back seat removed for luggage, etc.

Group size: Maximum of 8, minimum of 5 participants to run the trip

Estimated Expedition fees for this 10 night / 10 day trip:  $3,650.00 per person USD based on double occupancy, Single Supplement of $850.00

What’s included?
Expedition fee includes all transportation, guide service, park fees, lodging (including Ft. Lauderdale hotel Feb. 23) and meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) from breakfast on Day 1 to drop off in Ft. Lauderdale on March 4 about noon. For those who book through Golden Gate Audubon Society’s Big Trips Committee an administrative fee will be sent to GGAS.

What is not included?
Participants will be responsible for their own air or ground transportation to and from Fort Lauderdale, FL to a pre-arranged Hotel on February 23. Departure from the hotel to the airport on Day 10 will be provided by Nature Trip (airport drop-off by noon). All meals and beverages are included with the exception of alcoholic beverages. Participants will also be responsible for travel insurance (if desired), personal laundry and any other personal items not included on the “What’s included” list above.

Trip Packet: a complete packet of information for this tour including conditions for participation will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. The information contained herein will give a sense of what to expect if you join this trip.

Lodging: Whenever practical we select lodging that is immediately adjacent to natural features. Otherwise we stay at highly rated standard hotels. All rooms will have en-suite bathrooms with hot water; most have laundry facilities and internet access.

Meals: Breakfasts will be provided throughout the tour by hotels and lodges and vary from basic continental style to more elaborate multi-course meals. Lunches and dinners will be taken at local restaurants with an emphasis on regional cuisines: Gulf and Atlantic Seafood, Caribbean style and Steakhouses. Some lunches may be picnic style.

Guide Service: Your guides for this trip, Eddie Bartley & Noreen Weeden, have been leading Nature Trip tours since 2004 and birding South Florida for over 25 years