You can't get any closer to Everglades wildlife than this airboat tour unless you join the Seminole Tribe and learn alligator wrestling! Lyle Thomas knows the trails, the flora and the fauna better than almost anyone because he lives with a deep understanding and appreciation for the critical need to save this natural wilderness from general encroachment by man. Ask him a question and he will launch into the historical changes that have occurred over the last 5 decades and how that has had an impact on the native populations out there. He knows his subject! But the ride itself is the best part! It's like you're not even touching the earth as you power over water and grasses and change direction effortlessly. (All right, it's not like flying like a bird with the airplane engine screaming behind you...) We saw alligators sunning on the banks, turtles, and wading birds in the wild while we talked about the food chain that supports them. The trip was a blast, even without the information bonus. This is something you HAVE TO DO when you're in Florida, and Lyle knows his stuff! It's absolutely worth every penny!

Being bored with the hoaxy ,touristy things to do here in Soth Florida, we decided to try an Eco-Tour at Loxahatchee Everglades Tours right here in SW Boca Raton. Who knew? We had been on other tours before, but further south . This was the best! It was literally an Eco-Tour. The boats were cool with their raised seating. The tour guide seemed to be quite knowledgeable on the eco system and the wildlife. We took some pretty good shots of the wildlife too. Including endagered speciesand of course a gator or 2. And the ride itself was a lot of fun. It was real, in the real everglades. Nothing made up,no authentic replicas, nothing tied up, nothing baited., it's the real thing! The museum was interesting too. The 40 minutes was a lot of fun. We want an hour tour!

After several air boat trips into the Everglades, it's true that my wife and I expected an informative afternoon ride. Research done on-line yielded terms like "crusty old bugger" and "curmudgeon" for our "Wild" Lyle (Thomas) tourmaster. (believe me when I tell you, I've had the misfortune of dealing with NYC IRS Agents that are "nicer" that this guy!) "Tour leaves promptly at 1PM", so at 1:20PM "Wild" Lyle arrives in the hot South Florida sun, no-apologies, no-excuses....no problem (?) Hey, we've all gotten used to paying more, expecting less! $40/40 min. Fair price. Precious little "eco" information was given by "Wild" Lyle. Not even an "honorable-mention" of the "eagle" not seen on this "Eagle" tour either, hmmmmmm(?) "35 years of Everglades experience" (I will admit he does know his gators) perhaps just a bad day in the hot sun for our "crusty old bugger", but I think not. "Any questions can be e-mailed for a reply..." usually by his fifteen y/o twins who "know everything". Admittedly Mr. Thomas "can't possibly answer all 300 daily messages/questions". Well "Wild" Lyle, perhaps "the twins" should do the tour then! The eighteen paying customers deserved more on this 35min. (including loading/unloading) tour, but like I said previously, we've all learned to accept less and be grateful. Please allow me to include terms like "ornery" "rude" and "angry" to the middle-aged tourmaster's seasoned reputation. Better rides, from courteous guides, with more information to share can be found in the area for the same $$. Go there.