When you think of Fort Lauderdale, beautiful beaches, extravagant cruise ships and luxury hotels might come to mind. What if I told you that you can go kayaking in Fort Lauderdale, surrounded by nature?
Though a Fort Lauderdale kayaking tour may take place amidst an urban landscape, there's a vast array of flora and fauna on the Middle River. It makes for a unique kayaking tour and a way to quickly escape to nature from the city.
I had the opportunity to embark on a kayaking tour as an excursion through a popular travel blogging conference called TBEX. This allowed me to experience Fort Lauderdale in an entirely new light.
Of course, you don't need to be a travel blogger or attend a travel blogging conference to do this. I'm going to show you what it's like to go kayaking in Fort Lauderdale and how you can book this tour for yourself.
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Our Fort Lauderdale Kayaking Trip
So, how can you go kayaking in Fort Lauderdale as a tourist (or someone who doesn't own a kayak)? You can join this kayaking tour down the Middle River.
We started our trip at Richardson Historic Park in Wilton Manors, a 5.4 acre nature preserve. It features a scenic river boardwalk with a boat dock, observation pier, pavilion area, a historic manor house and carriage house, and peaceful nature trails.
Feel free to spend some time at Richardson Historic Park before or after your kayaking journey.
Kayaking on the Middle River
The Middle River is one of the main rivers that flows through Fort Lauderdale. While we began our trip in an urban environment, the Middle River meanders past lush mangroves and it's even home to manatees.
We rode in tandem kayaks, and my kayaking buddy for the day was my travel blogging friend, Jessi. We finally met in real life for the first time after being online friends, so it was really wonderful to spend time in nature together.
The river was very calm and peaceful. The lack of waves and boat traffic allowed for ideal kayaking conditions.
As the river is located farther away from the ocean, it's not affected by any strong currents. For some of the time, we drifted by houses and urban developments. I was in awe of how the water nearly flowed up to the homes.
In some cases, it appeared as though the water could easily flood these homes with one more big rainfall. I would be completely paranoid if I lived there, although I'm sure that the locals are used to the water levels.
Mangroves and Wildlife Sightings
The group kayaked under several railway and road bridges. For some of the bridges, we really had to crouch down in our boats, which added to the fun.
As we floated down the river, the buildings slowly dissipated and the lush greenery increased. We kayaked past mangroves, observing their sprawling, thick roots protruding from the waters.
Mangroves offer protection to wildlife, particularly for small fish and aquatic life that could hide between the underwater branches.
We spotted plenty of wildlife, including many iguanas and ducks. The area is also known for osprey and an assortment of birds, crabs, and fish.
Several manatees come and go from Middle River, and some stay all year around. There's a good chance of spotting manatees on a Fort Lauderdale kayaking tour, though it's not guaranteed.
A Memorable Conclusion to my Fort Lauderdale Kayaking Tour
After two hours of paddling, my arms were feeling tired and the trip had come to an end. We were all treated to fresh coconut water with lime juice, which was super refreshing after all of that exercise.
At the very end, we all raced down to the water's edge because there was a manatee sighting. Even though I viewed just the top of its back, I felt very fortunate to have witnessed one of these gentle giants in its natural habitat.
Despite being close to an urban centre, I'm glad that this section of the river was a "no wake" manatee zone. We need to take care of these creatures as much as we can.
Interested in this kayaking trip? Book this Fort Lauderdale kayaking tour on your next trip.
More Blog Posts About Fort Lauderdale
Here are more blog posts about Fort Lauderdale:
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Don't forget travel insurance!
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James says
Great kayaking tour!
Thanks for sharing your experience, I may try it soon!
All the best!!
Timothy says
Nice share. I really enjoy kayaking tour. Seeing the wildlife from the kayak is truly amazing. I will take a similar tour next month with my friends at Fort Lauderdale.
Dennis L. Ward says
At first I found this place on google and then decided to go there for kayaking. It's easily accessible and people around there are very helpful and friendly. Love this place and enjoyed my trip a lot.
Ravi Shankar says
Looks like you enjoyed a lot, Glad people are enjoying their lifes.
Rob says
Looks like a great kayaking tour! So neat that you got to see lots of wildlife. I would love to see a manatee.
Sky says
My Florida bucket list just keeps getting longer! I've never gone kayaking before but it's on my list of "things to push myself out of my comfort zone". I'm not sure if I'll be able to stop in Ft Lauderdale on my road trip but if I do, I'm allll over this tour!
James Dutreaux says
Manatees are one of my favorite animals. They're like mythical beasts. So cool. I can't wait to swim/kayak alongside them. Thanks for the great post!
Haley says
I lived in Fort Lauderdale for 10 years and never did anything like this. We always take things like this for granted in our own towns. The manatee really are cool animals. They love drinking fresh water from water hoses on private docks and boats. It's always a treat seeing them ambling along the water way. Glad you had a good outing!
Karyn Jane says
Aw, gorgeous! Those bridges in the video are WAY low, lol. And I'm glad steps are being taken to protect the manatees. They are so gorgeous.
Ruth - Tanama Tales says
Look like a lot of fun Lauren! I have been very surprised by all the nice things bloggers have posted about Ft. Lauderdale. I can use a bit of Florida right now.
Jessi says
I had a great time kayaking with you! Definitely not an instant friendship killer!
Arnie says
Ok! I'm officially jealous! That really looks like one hell of a good time! Can't wait to give this a go as we really enjoy kayaking. But, are all the kayaks tandem? We much prefer singles.
shere says
In The Netherlands there're a lot of houses next to the channels, but that's different than being so close to a river (the channels have a system to keep water level low). Living there is risky but also very charming