Top Villas Blog

The Everglades covers a massive 1.5 million acres in the southern half of Florida which attracts more than 1 million tourists every year.

Its mix of landscapes from wetlands and swamps to forests and prairies give it a changing landscape of interest and each area is home to different species of fauna and flora.

The Everglades is a preserve set up to protect the fragile natural area which stretches from central Florida, near Orlando right down to Florida Bay. Its importance as a preserve means that it is listed in 3 very significant records, The Wetland of International Importance, the International Biosphere Reserve and the World Heritage Site list.

Visiting is Easy
It’s really easy to visit The Everglades from many of the popular Florida destinations such as Miami, Naples and Key Largo. Even Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers are only a short distance further away.

Airboat tours of The Everglades

Many companies offer a variety of tours to see the many differing landscapes in the Everglades from waterways and wetlands to forests and mangroves. You can have fun skimming the surface on an airboat, taking a swamp buggy or exploring by canoe or kayak.

The walkers amongst you can find a number of self-guided hiking trails to explore. If wildlife is what you want to see, try two of the shorter trails, the Gumbo Limbo and the Anhinga. You can get information about the trails and much more at one of the 4 visitor centres at The Everglades.

There are plenty of opportunities to fish here too. But probably no more than you’d expect with all that water. Kayak and boat fishing tours will take you to try your luck at catching snook and tarpon.

Wild life lovers’ paradise

Loggerhead turtle

There’s more wild life living here than you can imagine in your wildest dreams. It is home to 350 species of birds which include tropical wading birds though they have to share the waters with 300 species of saltwater and freshwater fish. Endangered American crocodiles and Florida panthers are sometimes spotted even thought there are only about 50 of the latter still in existence. West Indian manatees and various endangered turtles including the Atlantic loggerhead and Atlantic green call it home too.

Making it possible
If you’ve chosen to enjoy a vacation in a luxury Florida villa in the south of the sunshine state, then a visit to The Everglades is a must. If you can’t come to Florida without a visit to the Mouse and all else that Orlando offers, then choose a two centre option with the first part of your vacation in a villa near Disney and a second destination closer to The Everglades. You won’t regret it!

If you are planning to visit the theme parks in Orlando, don’t forget to check out our attraction ticket deals.