Tigertail Airboat Tours
Family-run Everglades airboat tours from the Miccosukee reservation on US-41, with stops on Tigertail tree islands.
Revisado octubre de 2026
Good for anyone who wants an airboat ride with real history and private-tour options, not a roadside show. The catch: it mostly runs by reservation, prices aren't posted, and they're hard to reach by phone once the boats are out.
Picking a tour length
The 30-minute ride is the shortest, and it's the only one you can walk in for. You get one stop on the family's private hammock, where they raise young gators and turtles and rehab injured or nuisance animals. The one-hour tour adds a second hammock, the old Tigertail living camp. It's still set up as it was, and a wild gator family lives there, including a twelve-foot male they call Papa Gator. The two-hour tour covers both islands and spends more time riding, which gives you better odds of seeing wildlife out in the open. For most people the hour is the sweet spot.
Whose water this is
The Tigertail family runs this outfit from the Miccosukee reservation, and the hammocks you stop on have been passed down through generations. The first one started as a family hunting camp. The company says it's one of only four allowed to run in Water Conservation Area 3a, and the only one there offering private tours. The ride covers wide open areas and sawgrass trails. At the stops you can handle baby alligators and turtles while the guides talk about the wildlife, the history of the area and the people who live there. It's the family's land, and they tell it that way.
Booking the boat
It's open 9:30 am to 5 pm every day, but they mainly work by reservation, so showing up unannounced isn't a sure thing. If you book, a guide will be waiting and you'll go straight from the dock onto the boat. Once tours start for the day, the phone is hard to get through on. Leave a message, text or use the contact form, and they'll call back. Group rates, longer and private trips, night tours, and bird-watching or filming tours are all arranged on request. Prices aren't listed, so ask when you book. It holds 4.8 from about 700 Google reviews.
Cómo llegar
- It's out on US-41, the Tamiami Trail, on the Miccosukee reservation, so plan for the drive west from the city.
Reservas
Only the 30-minute tour takes walk-ins. Reserve the hour or two-hour tour, or anything private.
Bueno saberlo
Once boats are out, text or leave a message instead of calling again and again. They'll get back to you.
Lo que pregunta la gente
Do I need a reservation for Tigertail Airboat Tours?
Only the 30-minute tour takes walk-ins, and even then they aren't always available because they mainly work by reservation. Book ahead for the one- or two-hour tours.
How long are the airboat tours?
There are 30-minute, one-hour and two-hour tours. Longer, private and night tours can be arranged on request.
Will I see alligators?
You can handle baby alligators and turtles on the private hammock. The one-hour tour also stops where a wild gator family lives, including a twelve-foot gator called Papa Gator.