Biscayne National Park Institute

"We loved our Biscayne National Park Jones Lagoon paddle-boarding adventure with Michael! I appreciated the small group on the boat ride out to the lagoon (just 3 couples total). Michael did a great job telling us about the history of the park, and we especially enjoyed seeing the upside down jellyfish. Highly recommend this tour."

"My husband and I did the Kayak the Mangroves tour from Homestead and a sunset cruise from Coconut Grove. Our guide Chris for the kayak tour was great and super knowledgeable about the park and wildlife. The kayaking was more in the bay near the visitor center than specifically in the mangroves, but it was fun nonetheless. It was nice to be able to explore on our own after the guided part of the tour. We did not see much wildlife but the area was beautiful and we had a great time. They use sit-on kayaks which have holes in the bottom to let water in and out, so just know you are going to be pretty wet. Our sunset cruise out of Dinner Key Marina was beautiful and relaxing. We had a smooth ride with Captain Jeff, and our guide Jana gave another great overview of the park’s history and some personal stories of growing up in the area. The boat sailed to the harbor in Bill Baggs State Park and then out to Stiltsville for sunset. We had a great time on our tours and if we ever came back would definitely try a snorkel excursion."

"Spectacular guides - friendly, informative, adapted the trip as needed to accommodate weather and other variables. We did the paddle in Jones Lagoon and half-day snorkel (location in mangroves) and both were beautiful, enjoyable, and comfortable. The captains and guides (Marty, Tony, and Hermes, I think were ours) are clearly prepared and have their whole routine down to make sure everyone knows safety info and logistics. The trips really do start on time so make sure to abide by the arrival time recommendations. A light windbreaker or other light jacket would be a good idea on the boat, at least in early February when we were there. Weather may influence your trip, so a degree of flexibility is needed but the crew made all efforts to give us the best possible trip. Highly recommend Biscayne National Park Institute, and I hope to return for more adventures with them."

"I happened to book this snorkeling excursion on a day when no one else did, so I ended up getting my own private tour of the park! They had water and sunscreen on board, which I appreciated. Nico was a fantastic guide and gave me lots of great information about everything I was seeing. We went to two different snorkeling spots - one in shallow water by the mangroves and one in deeper open water - and I got up close to so many different fish and coral reefs! I also loved getting to explore Boca Chita Key and learning the history of Stiltsville. Overall it was an incredible day and I feel like I really got to explore Biscayne as thoroughly as I'd hoped. Would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking for a day of adventure and fun."

"Biscayne is a very unique national park because majority is water. We chose to experience the park by joining the paddling/kayak tour. Michael was a great guide and led us through the lagoon mangrove and introduced the park and different sea life. We saw parrot fishes, small sharks and upside down jellyfish, etc. It was a fun tour and not difficult. This is the best way to explore such an interesting national park."