Everglades National Park, it's a place to check out if you are interested in seeing wildlife. This national park is really huge and most of the area is covered with water so it's kind of a breeding area for mosquito so go equip with lots of insect repellent.
the drive down south from Orlando was nice until we were near Miami, omg the traffic was horrific and it was raining. We took longer to reached Homestead(where we spend 3 nights) than we've planned. But nonetheless we reached safely to our hotel (Super 8 Florida City/Homestead $61/ night, breakfast included) ,just in time for dinner
found a dodgy place not very far from out hotel, a Jamaican take out(I think the name of the place is Top Taste Jamaican restaurant) and i orders their Oxtail stew with rice and plantain. I ordered large and it was too much but it was top taste. Boon ordered their jerk pork which was good too but slightly dry
the next morning we headed out early to Everglades.
There is 2 main entrances to the national park one is nearer to Miami and another is slightly south near to Homestead/Florida City
this is the south entrance
Entrance fee to the Everglades National Park is $25/vehicle which is good for 7 days which includes also the north entrance
1st stop Royal Palm,
i got excited when saw my 1st Alligator of the day, it was swimming across this pond
Anhinga trail,
there is another trail here which is the Gumbo Limbo trail, but it was unbearable with all the mosquito, even the repellent doesn't help
beautiful short trail
water plant
this is the Anhinga bird, special adaptation enable it to swim underwater in search of fish. Because its feather become too wet to fly , it spreads its wings(like in the picture) to dry.
the females Anhinga have a light brown neck, and black for the males. Jan - Mar is mating season
this was the only place we saw the Anhinga spread their wings, a must visit in Royal Palm
very beautiful place
we than drive all the way to the other end of the national park which is the Flamingo Visitor center,
i'm not sure if we were too early or what...there was not a ranger in any of the Visitor Center, it was rather strange. it look a little deserted. However there is a Marina store where we booked our boat tour to the backcountry cost $35/pax for a 1.5 hour. It a little on the pricey side
more infromation here
and prices
looked around before our boat tour starts
there was a big crocodile sun tanning, somewhere near the trail
and the backcountry tour begins, Buttonwood canal a man made canal
the mangrove tree
to be honest, it was abit boring, not whole lot to see though we saw a alligator( somehow everyone saw it except me), a dolphin( but it was too fast i only manage to see it's fin (according to our captain the dolphin was busy hunting because normally it's will be playful around tour boats) but overall was quite pleasant i would say, though i would make a different choice if i were to go back again...perhaps canoeing, where you can take your own sweet time to see the wildlife quietly unlike the boat making too much waves
all this hunting to see a alligator and crocodile, after we were back from our boat tour.....there it was a medium size alligator swimming near the marina
we even saw manatees near the Flamingo Visitor center....apparently there are a few of them living in the area
busy eating the algae
you do not need to take a boat tour to see manatees(as usual they will only tell you after you take the boat tour as a courtesy) of course
West Lake
we then drive back, along the way there was many trails and stops that we missed earlier
it's awesome to see the birds or ducks(not sure what they are) in their formation
you are stronger when you are united
there is also a short trail into the mangroves forest
Mahogany Hammock trail
This is a type of algae, called Periphyton. Blankets aquatic surfaces throughout the freshwater Everglades. During summer rainy season, it floats along the surface where it is grazed on by fish and tadpoles. While during dry winter months, a multitude of animals like snails, crayfish and insect larvae borrow into its moist interior for survival
love nature, where all living organism has it's role
Pa-hay-okee Overlook
last but not least Pinelands trail
these were few of the stops/trails that we did at the south entrance of the everglades of cause there are many more trails one can make both foot and canoe, depends how adventurous you want to be
Day 2 adventure - North entrance
the next day we headed up north near Miami to check out Shark Valley Visitor Center which is located at the northern entrance of Everglades. The drive to Shark Valley itself from the starting point of the park area was far and straight(takes about an hour). It was nice one can see many airboat tours(provided by private companies) along the way
Anyway the entrance fees we paid at the south entrance is valid here too for 7 days, so no extra fee
suddenly i feel like i'm a national geography photographer...hehe
if you want to see alligator, Shark Valley is the place to visit.
5 minutes walk into the trail we already found 1 lying by the path side enjoying the sun. During dry season ( Nov- Apr) they like to suntan
many was scared to walk pass it because it was facing the path......they turn back and rent a bicycle..... we were brave enough to walk passed this one
according to the captain from our boat tour yesterday....He said that alligator don't eat things that are bigger than it;s head. Also they dont usually attack human unless they feels threaten
here's another one lying also by the path side
another one in the water....silently watching the passerby
there were so many along the path...... just 30 minutes walk in we already managed to see about 5-6 alligators all quite big but they were not interested in attacking anyone just enjoy the sun
the path which leads to the Observation tower is about 12 miles round trip. But with so many alligators along the path.... we decided there was no need to go until the Observation tower.... unless u have whole day to kill one can always walk to the observation tower or with a bicycle
next from the Shark Valley we drive to Oasis Visitor Center, where we see quite a few alligator too, at least we felt safer here...hehe
there were so many fishes
we drove further west is the H.P Williams Roadside Park,
a small stop with picnic tables to enjoy the beautiful scenery
then last stop is the Gulf Coast Visitor Center. There is not much to see here itself unless you are taking a boat tour here to the Thousand Islands or canoeing but as it's already late. Make sure to go early if one wish to do the water activities
price for the boat tours
We then drove back along the Big Cypress National Preserve which took us about 1.5 hours
very long straight drive. After a long drive we decided to stop by Miami downtown for dinner before headed back to our hotel in Homestead
had a nice seafood dinner while enjoy the Miami river view
A nice way to end the day is with a full tummy, it was worth the trip although on our way home the traffic was bad and the endless traffic lights along the road. I guess we got used to living in the village.
Next to Keywest!!! woo hoo!!!
~ good night ~
