Rainbow Springs: Glass Bottom Kayak Eco Tour Small Group

4.88

(937 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You ever seen water this clear?” That’s what our guide, Jamie, asked as we slid our glass bottom kayaks into Rainbow Springs. I just stared down — you could actually see the pebbles shifting under the current and tiny fish darting around like they had somewhere to be. The morning was already warm but not sticky, and there was this weirdly sweet smell from the wildflowers along the banks. Jamie showed us how to hold the paddle (I still got it backwards at first), then off we went, floating over what looked like liquid glass.

I kept drifting off from the group because every time I looked down, something new appeared — a turtle with algae on its shell, schools of silvery fish scattering when our paddles dipped too deep. At one point Jamie pointed out an egret perched so still it looked fake. Someone behind me whispered about seeing an otter but I missed it (story of my life). We stopped a couple times to just sit in silence — well, except for some birds yelling at each other in the trees — and honestly that felt pretty rare these days. The sun kept flickering through the leaves and you could see your own shadow on the riverbed.

I did end up hopping out for a swim at one of the stops. The spring water is cold enough to make you gasp but after paddling for an hour or so it’s perfect. My friend tried to take a picture of me getting back into the kayak and nearly dropped her phone in (she swears she didn’t). There were only about eight of us total — small enough that Jamie remembered everyone’s name by halfway through. He told us little stories about how Rainbow Springs used to be a mining site and pointed out some old stonework hidden behind ferns. That part surprised me; I never thought about Florida having hills or waterfalls before.

By the time we looped back to where we started, my arms were tired but in that good way. I kept thinking about how quiet it was out there compared to everywhere else lately. If you’re even half curious about kayaking or just want to see Rainbow Springs without crowds, this is probably it. I still think about those shadows moving under my boat sometimes — feels like another world.