➢ 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

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.

Day 1 Let the expedition begin!

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.

Days 2-5 Exploring, learning, relaxing

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.

Day 6 Parting ways after our final paddle

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.

➢ Meals (5 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners, snacks and beverages)

➢ Camping Permits (All accommodations)

➢ Group Equipment (Kitchen, bathroom, & group shelter)

➢ Safety Equipment (First Aid, communications and signals, navigation, and repairs)

➢ Photo Package (Digital File)

➢ Guided Instruction (ACA-certified kayak and camping skills development)

➢ ACA Course Credit (Skills training or assessment credit reported online for ACA members)

➢ Pre-trip Support (Support with packing and logistics leading up to the trip)

➢ Kayak Equipment (unless booking a TRAK Kayak Rental package)

➢ Camping Equipment (Full outfitting available as an add-on)

➢ Airfare/Transportation (Shuttle to/from the Fort Myers airport is available and included)

➢ Trip Insurance

➢ Gratituities for Guides

➢ Additional costs arising due to:
- Flight/train delays, rescheduling, or cancellations
- Weather conditions or force majeure events
- Political closures, technical faults, fires, floods, explosions, strikes, embargoes, or other uncontrollable events