Silver Springs: Glass Bottom Kayak Tour with Wildlife Views

4.86

(576 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I stepped into the clear kayak at Silver Springs half-wondering if it’d really make a difference. But right away, the water was so see-through you could spot every ripple and darting fish below. Our guide, Marcus, handed out paddles and dry bags (he joked about how many phones he’s seen rescued), then we pushed off under these massive old cypress trees that looked like they’d been there forever. The air had that thick, green smell — not bad, just wild — and everything felt quiet except for birds overhead and the soft splash of our paddles.

I didn’t expect to see monkeys here (Marcus said they’re actually descendants from some 1930s tourist stunt — Florida’s always got a story). We drifted past a family of turtles stacked on a log, and then someone up front pointed — two manatees gliding right under us. You could see their scars and whiskers through the glass bottom, almost close enough to touch but not quite. I tried to take a photo but honestly, it didn’t capture how slow and gentle they moved. There were alligators too, just floating like logs off to the side. I kept my hands inside the boat after that.

The sun came out halfway through and everything turned gold on the water. I caught myself just drifting instead of paddling for a minute — you know when you forget you’re supposed to be doing something? Marcus told us about old movie shoots here (Tarzan apparently swung right over this river), but mostly I remember the feeling of gliding over those deep springs, watching tiny bubbles rise up from nowhere. I still think about that view sometimes when things get noisy back home.