Orlando Airboat Tours

An airboat ride is Orlando’s quickest escape into wild Florida. The lakes and marshes south of Kissimmee are the headwaters of the Everglades, and a flat-bottomed boat pushed by a giant fan can cross grass and shallows that normal boats can’t. The rides differ more than the listings suggest: some last 30 minutes, some two hours; some come with a whole wildlife park, some are just the boat.

How the rides compare

Wild Florida: best for families

The Wild Florida airboat ride and wildlife park ticket is the easy family choice. Pick a 30-minute or 1-hour ride on the Wild Florida property near Lake Cypress, then spend as long as you like in the Alligator Park, with a live gator demonstration, a bird aviary and exotic animals. On a day when the wild gators stay hidden, the park’s resident alligators make up for it. There is no minimum age, children 2 and under ride free, and ear protection is provided.

The trade-offs: it’s the farthest drive, about 34 miles from Disney, and the park is closed on Sundays. Wild Florida also has a drive-thru safari; our Wild Florida safari guide covers it, and our airboat ticket breakdown has the details.

Marsh Landing: best for a longer ride

Marsh Landing Adventures runs from 2830 Neptune Rd in Kissimmee, on Lake Tohopekaliga, and has operated since 2008. Its boats are smaller, which lets them reach marsh the big barge-style boats can’t. The Kissimmee Everglades airboat adventure runs 1 or 1.5 hours, the Florida Everglades wildlife airboat tour is 1.5 hours with a wheelchair-accessible boarding ramp, and the 2-hour Everglades airboat tour is for keen birders and photographers. Captains talk about the area’s Native Americans and early settlers. See our Marsh Landing breakdown.

Choose it for more time on the water. Skip it if you want an animal park afterwards, as the tours are just the boat. Also from Neptune Rd, the 1 Hour Airboat Everglade Tour by Northern Everglades Adventures runs on Lake Toho.

Kissimmee gator rides closer to Disney

Two operators sit closer to the Disney and Kissimmee hotels. The Orlando airboat tour with alligator and wildlife viewing leaves from the park at 2001 E Southport Rd, the Boggy Creek airboat park, about 30–35 minutes from Disney. It includes park admission with a gator pond and butterfly garden. Put the street address in your GPS, since searching the name can send you to the wrong spot. The same park’s sunset airboat tour lasts an hour and is timed for golden hour.

Gator Airboat Rides’ Everglades tour from Big Bass Rd is a 30-minute ride with live commentary, and afterwards you can hold a baby alligator. It’s short and simple, which makes it good with younger kids.

Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures also sells its own rides, including night tours, and its 30-minute rides can be taken without a reservation.

Which one should you choose?

• Families with young kids: Wild Florida for the park, or a 30-minute Kissimmee ride for a short outing.
• Wildlife and photography: Marsh Landing’s 1.5- or 2-hour tours.
• Staying near Disney with a morning to spare: the Southport park or Gator Airboat Rides.
• A couple’s evening: the sunset ride.
• No car: a ride with hotel pickup, or Kennedy Space Center with an airboat ride on our Kennedy from Orlando page.

Practical tips

• Gators are never guaranteed on a wild ride. Operators say so plainly. A park ticket is the insurance.
• Timing: in summer go early, since wildlife hides in the midday heat and afternoon storms roll in; in winter, midday is warmer and livelier. Wild Florida suggests 9 AM in summer and 12:45 PM in winter.
• Arrive early. Wild Florida asks for check-in 45 minutes before departure; the Southport park listings ask for 30.
• Bring sunscreen, sunglasses and a light layer, since it feels cooler on the water. Ear protection is provided.
• Life jackets are required for young children, usually under 6.
• Weather: rides pause for storms, and rides cancelled for weather are refunded or rescheduled.
• Private boats: Wild Florida offers private 1-hour tours (4-person minimum) and Marsh Landing private charters, booked with the operators.

Alternatives

Want more gators? Compare Gatorland tickets or read Gatorland vs Wild Florida. All our animal days are on the wildlife hub, and day trips from Orlando covers manatees and dolphins further afield.