This all-inclusive trip to the iconic Ten Thousand Islands and Everglades of Florida is designed to immerse you in the beauty of nature while also sharpening your skills for expedition kayaking.  Your expedition will be led by ACA-certified coastal kayak instructors with years of experience operating in this unique ecosystem who are excited to share their knowledge with you.

Learning Opportunities:

• Boat Control Skills

• Paddling Strokes & Maneuvers

• Self & Assisted Rescues

• Expedition Packing Best Practices

• Seamanship skills, including weather, tides, chart reading and navigation.

• Leave No Trace principles and outdoor ethics

• The Everglades ecosystem, flora and fauna, and their importance

• The human history of the Everglades

Located on the Gulf Coast of Florida, the Ten Thousand Islands is the second largest mangrove forest on Earth.  They represent the coastal exterior of the vast Everglades collection of complex ecosystems.  The 4,000 square mile Everglades, the “River of Grass” as Marjory Stoneman Douglas dubbed it in 1947, is defined by water that dominates and shapes the land and all life in the region.  Over the course of your six days of expedition, you will travel among the many islets, camp on beautiful shell-covered beaches, and learn the natural and human history of this place.

The Ten Thousand Islands and Everglades also represents the ideal place to hone your skills as a kayaker.  Your instructors will help you master skills like packing your kayak for expedition travel, creating a route plan and navigating only by chart and compass, practicing leave no trace principles, learning camp craft, and developing paddling skills like efficient strokes and techniques for self and assisted rescues – all aimed at making you a better and more confident kayaker.

Of course, there is plenty of opportunity for relaxation as well.  With moderate to warm temperatures you can dip in the Gulf waters or relax on a sandy beach.  The Ten Thousand Islands are also an exceptional place for wildlife viewing.  You’ll see marine mammals at play, birds in great numbers, and many other species, jumping fish and rays, and the occasional sea turtle.  You can roam the sandy beaches and see hundreds of different shellfish.  If fishing is of interest to you, then opportunities abound, like learning to throw a cast net or cast a line.  At night sit by a campfire or stare skyward for the incredible sky found in this Dark Skies designated location, one of the best in the Southeastern U.S.

This trip is ideal for those who are ready to leave behind the comforts of a hotel for an adventure which brings you closer to nature.  The trip is suitable for all levels of kayakers, from beginner to advanced.  Previous experience in a sea kayak is not essential but recommended.

Participants should be in relatively good physical condition - those who regularly practice any sport or outdoor activity should find the experience comfortable.  Paddling time is typically around 6 hours per day.  We will not move camp every day, but instead will plan at least one “layover day” in the same location, with opportunities for skills sessions or day trips in unloaded kayaks.

Group size can vary from as few as 4 to a maximum of 10 people, plus 2 instructors/guides.

Our trips are participatory, so you can contribute to things like meal preparation, etc, where you feel comfortable.

Each day is filled with opportunity.  We’ll use a flexible route plan to account for weather and campsite availability, but that route will take us through a variety of spaces of this unique ecosystem.  On a typical day when we move from camp to camp, we may be traveling around 10 miles at a moderate pace.  With breaks and lunch mixed in that generally means 4-6 hours travelling, leaving plenty of time each day for camp activities, playing with skills in unloaded kayaks, or relaxing.   

High-energy breakfasts are served before we start in the morning.  After breakfast we’ll typically do a short on-shore skills learning before finalizing our route and preparing to launch.  Along our route for the day, we typically see a variety of wildlife.  We’ll make regular stops, whether for lunch, a snack, or just to check out an interesting site or islands.

On most nights we will camp on the beaches of mangrove islands facing the Gulf.  Depending on our final route there is some potential to camp at a land site, often places that were historically used by the native Calusa people, or in more recent times by homesteaders who lived and worked in this area.  

On each day, once our camp is set up, there is time for everyone to pursue personal interests – reading, contemplation, photography, swimming, fishing, going for a “low tide walk” to look for shells, or learning kayak skills like rolling or rescue.  In the evening we share a generous hot meal prepared by your guides with the optional assistance of the group.  An evening hangout around a campfire is a regular occurrence and a nice way to wrap up our day.

As an option for all participants, we’ll gather at a local seafood restaurant for an informal meetup before the “official start” of the trip.  Guides will meet you there, get to know you, and share a few trip insights.  Planned meetup time is 6 p.m.  Food and beverages are individual responsibility.  If you can’t make the meetup due to your travel plans or other commitments, it’s totally fine.

Lodging the day before the trip starts (or after it ends) is not included and is the individual's responsibility to confirm.  Your welcome packet will include some recommendations in the area.  Options can include camping in Collier-Seminole State Park, or choosing a local hotel or vacation rental.

Kayakers arriving by air (or anything other than driving a personal vehicle), you have options and we can help.  We will offer an expedition start shuttle service from the Fort Myers Airport (RSW) on the evening of Day 0 or morning of Day 1.  Details including recommended flight times, shuttle pick-up coordination, and other information will be provided in your expedition welcome packet when you sign up.

This is one possible route and itinerary.  We say, “Mother Nature gets a vote” on our final route, as does the park service with regard to camping permits.  Flexibility is our mantra.

Here is a “typical kayaking day” on expedition:

• Morning: wake-up and greet the day, hot breakfast, learning opportunities, break camp and load kayaks.

• Daytime: paddle, navigate and explore, enjoying snacks and lunch along the way.

• Afternoon to Early Evening: arrive in camp, kayak skills in unloaded boats if time permits, set up camp, explore nature on our new island, relaxation time.

• Evening: dinner, hangout, plan for tomorrow.
  

Day 1:

We’ll meet at 9:30 a.m. at Collier-Seminole State Park. There we will go through the equipment and personal gear needed for the trip, pack our kayaks, and get ready for our first day on the water.  By the late afternoon we’ll be at our first campsite on one of the gulf exterior islands.  

In the days that follow our start, we’ll move from island to island, with each day being a little different.  That’s because each day we’ll make decisions about our route, taking into account factors such as weather and sea state, interesting locations to visit or see, skill development goals of the group, and campsite availability.  

Incorporating a layover day (or days) along the journey is planned to help us meet some skills goals. They also create great opportunities to take unloaded kayaks on side "day-trips" to see an interesting site or area and have a picnic lunch. We'll also make time to learn about navigation or tidal patterns, practice rescues, and refine our kayak skills each day. 

We’ll camp on beautiful shell-covered beaches on the exterior of the mangrove forest on most nights.  Depending on our route, we may have the opportunity to camp at least one night on the mangrove interior, either at an old homestead location, a Calusa shell mound island, or a chickee hut. 

Completing at least one night paddle is a common goal on trips, presenting an opportunity to observe amazing star-lit skies, paddle through areas of bioluminescent algae or schools of mullet, or challenge ourselves to navigate in the dark with only chart, compass and our night vision.  

Wherever we go and whatever we do, each day will also feature opportunities for activities on land or water, like learning about the native flora and fauna and marine life, learning about the unique human history of the Ten Thousand Islands and Everglades, or simply relaxing in the water or on the beach.  

On our last day of paddling, we may opt to go to bed early the night before so we can begin our paddle home during the magic of an Everglades sunrise.  Or, if we are close enough to our take-out, it may be a relaxed final morning and short paddle. 

We often leave some of this up to the group earlier on expedition, allowing guests to have a hand in our route design and some ownership of the trip, or to help you understand the choices we are making.  We have an attitude of all being on a team together and making route and camp decisions as a group.  Not only does this create a fun group atmosphere, but it is also part of skill development, learning to make good decisions about routes and planning our day.

On our last paddling day, we aim to arrive at our take-out by 1 p.m.  At the take-out we’ll take care of group and personal equipment before bidding farewell to our new friends as we part ways around 2 p.m.

Return shuttle to the airport is available on this day.  Coordination and logistics, as well as recommended flight times, will be included in your expedition welcome packet when you sign up.