Eco-Tours
Come Explore the Natural Beauty of Crystal River and King’s Bay
Join us for a boat ride around King’s Bay and The Crystal River.
King’s Bay is part of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge and is home to many different species of wildlife including everyones favorite, the Florida Manatee. Along with our beloved manatees, the bay is home to many different species of birds and turtles, and you may even see the occasional pod of dolphins or even a local alligator. Our semi-private eco-tours provide guests a more intimate experience to observe wildlife in their natural habitat, while minimizing any disruption. Our vessel is the same as for our scallop charters so you’ll be cruising around the bay in the comfort of a fully covered, 26ft tritoon, which ends up being quite spacious with a limit of up to 6 guests.
Will we see any manatees?
No matter what time of year it is, one of the most popular questions we have gotten throughout the years is will we see any manatees. And the best answer to give anyone truthfully, is that you definitely won’t see any if you don’t go. We run completely wildlife tours, and therefore wildlife can be unpredictable. That being said, King’s Bay is one of the few places in the world you can find manatees year-round. You just have to know where to look!
Manatees are a highly migratory animal that love food and warm water. In the summer-time, most of the manatees have left King’s Bay and gone back out to the gulf to migrate. But we are lucky enough to have a resident population that lives here all year-round. So we still see manatees on almost all of our tours!
Now winter time is what we are famous for here in Crystal River. When temperatures start dropping, manatees start to migrate back towards warm water sources. King’s Bay is an entirely spring fed water system and therefore over 1,000 manatees will migrate here every winter for our warm (72°F, 22°C) spring waters.
No matter what time of year you come it’s always a great time to take a step back, relax, and enjoy nature.
Any Questions?
Please feel free to reach out and we’d love to answer any questions we can!