A short blog entry with some video for our Orlando Airboats ride experience. The ride actually runs from a dock closer to Kissimmee (or even St Cloud) but everyone seems to look at it as an Orlando experience, hence the title.
We have tried a few companies over the years but went back with Spirit of the Swamp again this time. They use a much smaller boat than the super large airboat ride you will find at the end of Boggy Creek road. We have also been on the super large boats a few times but we find the Spirit of the Swamp airboat rides much more personal and up close. Definitely a much better option in our eyes, with just 4-6 people in a boat.
We filmed some video from the airboat ride so you can see what to expect. It was thrilling at times with high-speed areas, then lower speed zones where we got to see wildlife up close. We were lucky enough to get to see a few alligators.
Here is the video…
There are also other birds and animals, and lots of plants. The captain of the boat doubles as an expert guide.
Fast forward to about 1:46 for a video of some of the wildlife.
Personal Orlando Airboats
We had a boat to ourselves, actually, we had two airboats so everyone got a great seat and the driver was happy to do what we wanted rather than stick to a pre-determined circuit. We could even specify if we wanted the sun canopy up or down.
While it cannot be guaranteed, we definitely saw more wildlife on this tour and I would be happy to recommend Spirit of the Swamp. Oh, and I have not been paid to say that, we paid for our tour! No product placement here.
If you have never been on an airboat before then given time and money I would probably do both this one and the other large one at the down of Boggy Creek road. You decide which one you like more as the big boat is good fun when racing across the open lake. This is more of a personal airboat ride and got us closer to wildlife.
Getting onboard
The only slightly odd thing was the initial instructions which were to meet in what seemed to be a car park near Kissimmee (or St Cloud), which turned out to be a boat launch.
The driver and boat were there, unloaded when we arrived and we then went from there. There was no solid tour base as such, no gift shop at the end!
There were toilets which were perfectly clean and I have to say the captain and his staff were super friendly. It was all part of the experience but I might have been worried if I had turned up early and nothing had been there!
How long to go on the Orlando airboats for?
We went for the 90-minute option, simply because it was the middle option and seemed the best value for money. 60 minutes would still have been more than we got on other airboats while I am not sure we would have seen any more in 2 hours. So 90 minutes was a good option.
We were all given headsets which are invaluable as the airboat is VERY loud! The headsets worked well as the captain could still talk to us despite the noise. We could also talk back.
Were we bitten to death?
No, oddly. I think because we were moving most of the time we did not get eaten by the bugs in the swamp! Potential sunburn was more of an issue as you are quite exposed when out on the lake. Sunscreen is a must.
Orlando Airboats Links…
Visit the Spirit of the Swamp website to see the tour times and prices for the tour we took.
Thanks for reading!
Thank you for reading (and watching!).
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