Alligator's Unlimited Airboat Nature Tours
Alligator's Unlimited Airboat Nature Tours
Alligator's Unlimited Airboat Nature Tours
5
Boat Tours • Night Tours • Nature & Wildlife Tours
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7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Full view
About
Located on the beautiful Kissimmee River in Lake Wales Fl. We take you on a airboat adventure thru the vast swamps and marshes of the Kissimmee River and Dead River. We go where only a 6 passanger airboat would dare go. Come visit and see for yourself the true Florida. Our USCG Licensed Master Captains are NATIVE FLORIDIANS, who were born and raised in the swamp! We know all the good spots to visit, to see all wildlife. The headwaters of the Everglades have to offer! Call for your reservation today.
Lake Wales, Florida
Features animals
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2022
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Alligator's Unlimited Airboat Nature Tours
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(150 reviews)
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
1,071 reviews
Excellent
1,014
Very good
47
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
9
ChocolateLover919
4 contributions
Oct 2021
My daughter and I booked on line for 9am Sunday. Unfortunately, it never stated that 3 people were needed to run the trip. We arrived around 8:30 and no one showed up in the office. The man who owns the beer/bait shack steps away called the person since the phone number on the airboat shack was not answered. The woman showed up to tell us her phone was no longer working, it takes 3 people for the trip to occur and the next trip was 10:45am. :( She was very apologetic but we were disappointed. It's in the middle of no where and took us 45 minutes to get there. She suggested we visit Kissimmee State Park and gave us the $5 car admission so that's where we spent 1.5 hours.
The airboat ride was amazing even knowing alligators may not be seen because of the heat and it was alligator hunting season which is done at night but pushes the gators back further in the swamp. We saw one about 12" long but we rounded a bend and there were the wild cows/steer in the middle of the lily pads. Felt like we entered a movie set. These animals roam across 50 miles and are rounded up by helicopter. We saw bald eagles and many other water birds. Since the airboat only needs 1" of water, you are skimming across lily pads and reeds and it's so smooth. Definitely worth going but call to confirm!
The airboat ride was amazing even knowing alligators may not be seen because of the heat and it was alligator hunting season which is done at night but pushes the gators back further in the swamp. We saw one about 12" long but we rounded a bend and there were the wild cows/steer in the middle of the lily pads. Felt like we entered a movie set. These animals roam across 50 miles and are rounded up by helicopter. We saw bald eagles and many other water birds. Since the airboat only needs 1" of water, you are skimming across lily pads and reeds and it's so smooth. Definitely worth going but call to confirm!
Written October 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Thank you for your review and your honesty. Glad you enjoyed your trip.
Written November 29, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Suzanne S
Nashville, TN61 contributions
Jan 2023 • Friends
Capt Carl and Sissy made this a wonderful experience. What a beautiful day in the wilderness! It was a slightly cooler day so not many alligators were seen but we saw lots of birds and a bald eagle, cattle and the vegetation and plants were a sight to see.
I would recommend someone update the webpages to show a current address. We arrived early and found the address is incorrect and told it was the previous owners of 14 years ago address. The current owners indicated they tell people when booking via the phone but we booked online and went by that address and the confirmation page.
Second issue was their online booking is not notifying them of the bookings made online. So they had folks double booked and were asking them to wait an hour longer than their appointment time. I would suggest they contact the online booking agent to correct the issue or change vendors.
Otherwise the experience and owners were great.
I would recommend someone update the webpages to show a current address. We arrived early and found the address is incorrect and told it was the previous owners of 14 years ago address. The current owners indicated they tell people when booking via the phone but we booked online and went by that address and the confirmation page.
Second issue was their online booking is not notifying them of the bookings made online. So they had folks double booked and were asking them to wait an hour longer than their appointment time. I would suggest they contact the online booking agent to correct the issue or change vendors.
Otherwise the experience and owners were great.
Written January 28, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Apryl L
1 contribution
Jan 2020 • Family
Booking this trip was easy, and I appreciated the online booking coupon. We purchased 4 tickets for the nature tour (2 adults and 2 children, ages 7 and 9). For some reason, our reservation time was pushed forward by an hour, but Sissy made sure to contact us ahead of time and it still worked for us :). Capt. Jim lead our tour and it was perfect! It was a comfortable ride with just the right amount of everything. We liked the fact that Capt. Jim gave us plenty of time to take in the sights and seemed to stop at just the right time to explain what we were seeing. During our tour, we learned about the uniqueness of the lake and the wildlife around us. We were lucky enough to see 8 alligators ranging from 4 to 12 feet, hawks, bald eagles, cranes, herons, moorhens,and free-roaming cattle. This was our first airboat ride and we were very pleased with our experience!
Written January 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Tim R
Four Corners, FL4 contributions
Mar 2021 • Family
Don't waste your time giving your business to this company. I got my family of 5 up at 6am for a 9am reservation and traveled hour and a half to get there. When we arrived we had no cell signal or internet signal to contact anyone. Nobody was there!!! I finally left to get within Cell signal range and they told me they wrote my reservation down for the wrong day and it would take them over an hour to get somebody there to help us. I had made the reservation less than 24 hours earlier and it was crystal clear when we spoke that I would be there at 9 a.m. the following morning. We left to find somebody else who actually cares about their customers! They don't accept credit cards and offer no confirmations for your reservation. This company ruined that vacation day for our family!!!
Written April 3, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Brian
New Orleans, LA3 contributions
Mar 2020
I made a reservation for 2pm the following day. I received an email that night saying that time was no longer available. Since that was the only time we could do it, we had to cancel. I called and talked to the lady, she said she would refund my money. A week went by, still no refund. I called them, and spoke to the owner. He said I had to contact their credit card processing company, which I did.
The processing company told me they required Alligators Unlimited to pay them first, before passing that money back to me. Seems like a lot of extra work involved in simply cancelling a payment. The processing company said they tried over and over to get in contact with Alligators Unlimited, and ended up sending them an invoice. By this time, it had been almost a MONTH of waiting.
I tried calling Alligators Unlimited a few times, and no one picked up. This seemed consistent with the processing company also trying several times unsuccessfully to call and email. Eventually, I used an app that let me disguise my outgoing phone number, and called them again. Miraculously, they answered. Maybe it was just a coincidence. They claimed they already gave their approval to the processing company to refund me.
Eventually, I contacted my bank to open a dispute charge. They reversed the charge in 2 days, no questions asked. There were so many problems with this situations. I made maybe a dozen emails and calls to the processing company. They shouldn't let people choose a time and pay for it, if it's not really available. They shouldn't need their customers to call someone else about a refund, THEY should deal with this. And worst case scenario, they could have mailed me a check. Cancellations happen. But this was not handled well.
This place has great reviews, so I'm sure their tours are good. But there are other bad reviews about not getting refunds.
The processing company told me they required Alligators Unlimited to pay them first, before passing that money back to me. Seems like a lot of extra work involved in simply cancelling a payment. The processing company said they tried over and over to get in contact with Alligators Unlimited, and ended up sending them an invoice. By this time, it had been almost a MONTH of waiting.
I tried calling Alligators Unlimited a few times, and no one picked up. This seemed consistent with the processing company also trying several times unsuccessfully to call and email. Eventually, I used an app that let me disguise my outgoing phone number, and called them again. Miraculously, they answered. Maybe it was just a coincidence. They claimed they already gave their approval to the processing company to refund me.
Eventually, I contacted my bank to open a dispute charge. They reversed the charge in 2 days, no questions asked. There were so many problems with this situations. I made maybe a dozen emails and calls to the processing company. They shouldn't let people choose a time and pay for it, if it's not really available. They shouldn't need their customers to call someone else about a refund, THEY should deal with this. And worst case scenario, they could have mailed me a check. Cancellations happen. But this was not handled well.
This place has great reviews, so I'm sure their tours are good. But there are other bad reviews about not getting refunds.
Written April 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
We have a booking agency that you paid when you booked online next time book direct with r he company wher no credit card is needed we have no control over refunds only to give the permission to refund so with that being said next time book direct.
Written April 20, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Robert F
21 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
We are Snowbirds living at Reflections on Silver Lake in Avon Park and chose Alligators Unlimited to take my Daughter, Son In Law and two Grandsons age 9 and 11.
Captain Worm was our guide and we could not have asked for anyone better. He related to both young and old, he was very knowledgeable and informative. We saw many many Alligators both large and small, young adults.
We also saw many birds and water fowl as well as many types of plant life.
We highly recommend Alligators Unlimited it was the best trip possible.
Captain Worm was our guide and we could not have asked for anyone better. He related to both young and old, he was very knowledgeable and informative. We saw many many Alligators both large and small, young adults.
We also saw many birds and water fowl as well as many types of plant life.
We highly recommend Alligators Unlimited it was the best trip possible.
Written March 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Stephen D
1 contribution
Jan 2020
Got there a little earlier than planned so we wouldn't be late. They took us right out. It was the 6 seat version, not the big huge airbus type like other outfits use that handle big crowds. The guide was very knowledgeable and took the time to explain allot about the surrounding area. The tour was a mixture of cruising down the canal, out to the lake, through some cyprus and around through the vegetation. Lots of large birds such as herons/egrets, owls, turkeys, ducks,also turtles and gators to be seen, a couple of what I would consider large gators. Of course, we don't have gators up north, so anything over 8 feet looks big to me. The guide stopped quite often to let us get good pics and explain local history and even have a few laughs about a cow. My teens were talking about the airboat ride the rest of trip. We really liked the atmosphere of the place, It was our first airboat ride, and a great experience. Thank you!
Written February 5, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Kimberly S
1 contribution
Aug 2021 • Family
We went in mid August and booked the 8am Nature Tour. It was awesome. We didn't expect to see alligators because of the heat but we ended up seeing 3! If you go in August, be sure to go early. Captain Worm was funny and obviously knew the area well. We also seen 3 bald eagles, cranes and wild cows! The cypress trees were beautiful and the ride was smooth.The GPS will get you close but once you're on the road it will have you turn onto a side road next to the lake. Ignore that and keep going straight into "Camp Lester". Turn right towards the boat dock and you will see the little fishing hut.
Written August 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Gareth Sellors
6 contributions
May 2022
What a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours! Good skills and local knowledge meant that we saw plenty of gators despite the extra boat traffic of the holiday weekend. Would go again in a heartbeat. Poor cell reception - so don't count on that!
Written May 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Heather B
1 contribution
Jan 2020
Four of us set off to enjoy our first airboat tour with Alligators Unlimited Airboat Nature Tours, and what a truly wonderful experience it was. Everyone was so welcoming. Captain Worm was an exceptional driver, and also very knowledgeable and entertaining:) We saw an abundance of birds including an American Bald Eagle, a Mexican Bald Eagle (named Jasper), wild cows, and alligators. We had an awesome time, and we'll all be back for another adventure with Captain Worm!
Written January 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
How long is a tour?
gwild1964
Boston, MA37 contributions
Our tour was well over an hour. It was awesome!
susanjstz
Avon Park, FL
I have grandchildren, ages 5 and 8 visiting in June, would this be appropriate for them?
flpnmann1
Lake Wales fl2 contributions
This trip is safe for all ages and sizes, Your grandchildren will love the ride, the interaction with nature, and is completely safe. By the way you will also have FUN.
HomeMaker2016
Waterloo, Canada5 contributions
Can we book a boat ride on line?
Geenie15
Schaumburg, IL37 contributions
No you will need to call.
what is the best time to see alligators what month?
BlueSpecV
St. John's, Canada66 contributions
Winter months are best. You will see them year round, but if it's too hot, they sit on the bottom. We've been on this tour twice in May and have seen gators both times. Good luck!
What is the cost of the tour and how long does it last.
Gary W
Sebring, FL61 contributions
About an hour. The cost was $40.00. We also tipped the boat captain as he did such a marvelous job.
JudyMike H
Valrico, FL3 contributions
Hi. Confirming you DO NOT offer airboat rides on Saturday. Thank you.
Judy
flpnmann1
Lake Wales fl2 contributions
Negative. We offer tours 365 days a year. The exception would be bad weather, then for safety, we would not run tours. Thanks for your question, Captain Carl