Wekiva River: Guided Kayak Tour with Wildlife & Lunch

4.87

(195 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The first sound I remember was the scrape of my paddle against the dock — not exactly graceful, but our guide just grinned and helped me settle in. We pushed off into the Wekiva River, barely outside Orlando but it felt like somewhere else entirely. The water was so clear I could see fish darting below, and there was this earthy smell — like wet leaves and sun-warmed wood. I kept expecting to hear city noise, but it was just birds and the soft splash of paddles. There was a moment where we drifted past a sand pine scrub, everything kind of hushed except for a distant heron. I tried to whisper “manatee” when I thought I saw one, but honestly, it might’ve been a log (our guide didn’t laugh too hard).

We stopped after what felt like forever (but maybe it was just an hour?) at this little bank under some trees for lunch. Picnic style — nothing fancy but somehow perfect after paddling. The bread had picked up a bit of river air by then, which sounds weird but actually made it taste better? Someone spotted an alligator sunning itself on the far side; everyone went quiet for a second except for one guy who just kept eating his sandwich like nothing could bother him. Our guide told us stories about black bears in the area — apparently you almost never see them, but I still found myself glancing at the woods more than once.

The last stretch back along the boundary of the wilderness area felt slower, probably because my arms were tired (I’m not as fit as I thought). There were patches of sunlight flickering through pine flatwoods and that swampy smell that’s sort of sweet if you breathe deep enough. We passed another group heading out — one kid waved at me with both hands and nearly lost his paddle. By then I’d stopped worrying about how fast we were going or if my hat looked ridiculous under my life jacket. It’s funny how quickly you forget about your phone out here.