Our Top 5 animal experiences in Florida

Swim with manatees

An encounter with a manatee is a once-in-a-lifetime experience! These large, marine mammals, also known as the ‘sea cow’, love the warm waters around Florida. Swim with them at Florida’s Nature Coast, where you can enjoy a leisurely boat ride along the Crystal River and a memorable chance to join these majestic creatures in their natural environment.

Manatee experience includes:

• Chance to swim and snorkel with manatees
• Leisurely narrated pontoon cruise along the Crystal River
• Entrance to Homosassa State Wildlife Park - home to manatees, bears and more
• Exciting 30 minute airboat ride on the beautiful Homosassa River
• Breakfast and lunch

This manatee experience is available to book with us at Debbie’s Villas - Please call or e-mail us for more information.

Fun Fact: Manatees are related to elephants - they evolved from the same land animals over 50 million years ago!

Kayak with manatees

Manatees spend most of their time near the waters surface, which is why they’re also great to see whilst kayaking. If you’re not so keen on getting in the water with them, kayak with them instead on the Dolphin and Manatee Kayaking Tour with BK Adventure. Feel the essence of these mystical gentle giants in a relaxing experience along the warm waters of the Indian River.

Find out more at bkadventure.com.

Airboat rides

Travel deep into the protected swamps, marshes and rivers, in the ride of your life through the Florida Everglades. You may even catch a glimpse of wildlife in their natural environment, as you glide through the water at speeds of up to 45mph.

At Boggy Creek you can experience a selection of airboat tours, which can be booked through our website. Airboat rides start from £19.

Just a short drive from the main villa resorts in Orlando, Boggy Creek is a natural wonderland that is home to numerous animal species including the Florida alligator. Your 30 minute Orlando airboat ride starts with a leisurely cruise taking in sightings of exotic birds, turtles and alligators in their natural environment. Your pilot will then crank up the speed and you will fly like the wind into the swamps of the beautiful Central Everglades and between walls of tall grass.

We also offer a night tour, which will probably be your best chance to see reptiles in the wild and is a must for those who love speed, a hint of danger and the dark!

Top Tip: The best time to book your airboat ride is either early in the morning or at night when alligators are most active. Wildlife is harder to see during the hottest hours of the day.

Swim with dolphins at Discovery Cove

If you have always wanted to swim with dolphins this is an unforgettable experience you won’t want to miss! The dolphin swim is the main attraction at Discovery Cove, where you’ll get to swim and play with the bottlenose dolphins in their tropical lagoon away from the crowds and queues. Witness the power and grace of these special animals and learn all about their behaviours and antics in an hour-long interactive session that will last in your memory long after the day is over.

Discovery Cove ticket packages - Our Discovery Cove ticket packages can be bought with or without a Dolphin Swim. Each ticket package also includes 14 days unlimited access to SeaWorld and Aquatica, with the Ultimate package including Busch Gardens as well.

Children must be aged 6 or over to take part in the dolphin swim. Children between 6-12 years old must be accompanied by an adult also participating in the dolphin swim experience.

You must select a date for your trip to Discovery Cove. These tickets can be booked with us via e-mail or over the phone on 01892 836822.

Feed giraffes at Busch Gardens

Hand-feed giraffes on the Serengeti Safari Tour, which takes guests on a 30 minute off-road wildlife safari. This is a spectacular encounter as you get up close and personal with nature’s tallest animals! During the tour also witness the breathtaking beauty and scale of Busch Gardens’ Serengeti Plain, featuring free-roaming herds of giraffe, zebra, antelope and more.

Fun Fact: Giraffes always have a great appetite! They spend most of their time eating, and can guzzle up to 45kg of leaves and twigs a day!

The Serengeti Safari Tour is an additional cost to regular park admission, and can be booked on the Busch Gardens website.

Sloth encounter at Wild Florida

Take a break from the theme parks and enjoy a relaxing day with the sloths at Wild Florida. This wildlife park has a variety of animal encounters but this one is our favourite! You’ll get up close and personal with two-toed sloths, and you’ll even have the chance to take a #SLOTHIE with them!

Fun Fact: Sloths are the world’s slowest mammal, yet they’re not as lazy as you might think. Sloths sleep for around 15 hours a day while a tiger can nap up to 20 hours a day!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and is limited to a certain amount of guests per day, therefore it’s best to reserve early. The sloth encounter also includes admission to Wild Florida’s gator and wildlife park.

Find out more at wildfloridairboats.com.

“Wild Florida is a hidden gem! This park was very clean and simply lovely. We enjoyed our day and especially the sloth encounter! I had the opportunity to feed, pet and of course take a Slothie (selfie) with the sloth. I also got to interact with some of the cool birds in the enclosure who are related to the toucan family! I loved how much time I had with the sloth and how much information I received about the species and the actual animals that I was interacting with!”