Cinco de Mayo Sunset Trip 5/5/23

Authentic SW Florida Experience

Very knowledgeable and personable narration by John and Kathy who both have naturalist backgrounds. The customer service, in arranging a last minute tour of our small family group, was outstanding. Kathy's unfettered excitement at discovering two juvenile manatees, was infectious and we all left the cruise feeling more committed to doing what we personally could to reduce human-caused negative impacts on the environment. We were a group of 12 adults--I'm not sure the tour would be appropriate for young children.

Sunset Tour

Captain John and Kathy were amazing host. They both shared interesting facts about the history of the Calossahatchee River; and Kathy is very knowledgeable about the wildlife. Shout out to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, where Kathy actually cared for the manatees. We had 3 teenagers with us and Captain John and Kathy made the excursion memorable for them. Thank you Captain John and Kathy for the wonderful evening watching the sunset. OH-IO!

Manatee & Eco River Tours is an excellent way to see manatees up close in their natural habitat. John and Kathy are a wealth of information about manatees and the river area that we traveled in. They make the tour a lot of fun. Comfortable boat. Saw lots of manatees up close (right next to the boat). 2 hours was the right amount of time to take it all in. Well worth the money.

The owners were very accommodating in allowing us to retake the cruise on a day when manatee sightings would be optimal, a 40-degree morning. The previous week was so hot that the manatees were staying out of the river, in the Gulf. The boat was fully prepared with fleece throws to keep us warm while on the trip. The owners are pet lovers and allow non-aggressive, well behaved dogs to accompany owners on the boat. Carly our Beagle loved the cruise (once she warmed up in her own fleece throw). She made friends with all of the other guests and the other dog on the cruise. Overall a wonderful experience. Be prepared for cool/cold weather and you will have an incredible manatee experience.