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Outstanding Outfitters and Unusual Tours
By Chelle Koster Walton
By Chelle Koster Walton
Sail alongside dolphins and manatees, paddle into the Calusa Indian past, hike by the full moon and pedal among big pink birds. The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel offers some pretty extraordinary ways to experience things that grow, splash, swim, crawl and fly.
 The Great Calusa Blueway |
The most intimate mode by which to experience the area’s good-natured water personality is sea level in a kayak or canoe. Local outfitters cover the map and lead you to the quiet spots wildlife loves: Captiva Kayak Co. in Captiva Island waters, Tarpon Bay Explorers in Sanibel’s J.N. “Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Gulf Coast Kayak in Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve, and GAEA Guides along the Great Calusa Blueway trail. Ask about sunset and moonlight excursions.
 Calusa Ghost Tours |
Artist John Paeno authentically reproduces Calusa crafts and feels the spirit of the long lost native tribe in his work and in the mounds and waters around Pineland. His Calusa Ghost Tours walk the Calusa Heritage Trail and depart aboard a 14-passenger canoe like those used by ancient tribe leaders.
 Sealife Encounter Excursion |
To get to know our critters hands-on, check out Adventures in Paradise’s Sealife Encounter Excursion into Pine Island Sound, where naturalists take you out in a pontoon boat. Using a seine net and on-board aquarium, they introduce you to some of the locals, such as seahorses, puffer fish and blue crabs. Along the way, you’re likely to see a pod of dolphins following in the boat’s wake.
 Wild dolphin |
Captiva Cruises teams up with Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation for a narrated quest into Pine Island Sound specifically focused on spotting dolphin – and other wildlife.
 Manatee World |
It’s manatee time! Every winter, the mammoth, doughy, loveable creatures swim into the warm waters of the Orange River in Fort Myers. Manatee World takes you on a special tour boat to see them swimming with their babies.
 Babcock Wilderness Adventures |
Babcock Wilderness Adventures plunges into the swamp – and the region’s ranching heritage – aboard a school bus converted into a big swamp buggy.
 J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge's Wildlife Drive |
On the Refuge Bike Tour , follow a naturalist along J.N. “Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge’s Wildlife Drive and hard-packed, shell-paved Indigo Trail to get a pedal-paced look at the refuge’s world-famous bird populations, from white pelicans and roseate spoonbills to warblers and mangrove cuckoos.
 Newborn sea turtles |
Take beaching to a new level of understanding on Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation’s Turtle Tracks: Shoreline Discovery walking tour of Sanibel Island’s Gulfside Park. Learn about sea turtles, shorebirds and a world of minutia most beachcombers overlook.
 Edison & Ford Winter Estates |
Botanical Tours at Edison & Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers take you back to the 1880s, when Thomas Edison and his wife planted gardens of exotic plants for experiments and sheer aesthetics.
 Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve |
Nighttime brings a new host of wildlife into the open. Explore on the CREW Marsh Trail Full Moon Hike near Estero, where you climb an observation tower for night visions, and Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve Full Moon Walk in Fort Myers, which takes you along a boardwalk into wetlands.
For information on local tour operators committed to preserving the environment, visit the Web site for the Society of Ethical Ecotourism Certified Providers at www.seeswfla.org.
If You Go…
Adventures in Paradise, 239-472-8443, www.adventureinparadiseinc.com
Babcock Wilderness Adventures, 800-500-5583, www.babcockwilderness.com
Calusa Ghost Tours, 239-938-5342, www.calusaghosttours.com
Captiva Cruises, 239-472-5300; www.captivacruises.com
Captiva Kayak Co. & Wildside Adventure, 877-395-2925; www.captivakayaks.com
CREW Marsh Trail, 239-657-2253
Edison & Ford Winter Estates, 239-334-7419, www.efwefla.org
GAEA Guides, 866-256-6388; www.gaeaguides.com
Gulf Coast Kayak, 239-283-1125, www.gulfcoastkayak.com
J.N. “Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, 239-472-1100, www.fws.gov/dingdarling
Manatee World, 239-693-1434, www.manateeworld.com
Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, 239-472-2329, www.sccf.org
Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve, 239-432-2004, www.leeparks.org
Tarpon Bay Explorers, 239-472-8900, www.tarponbayexplorers.com
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