Crystal River Manatee Viewing & Sightseeing Boat Tour

We took our family on this delightful excursion to see the manatees. We were delighted with the experience!

We had a great time and were fortunate to see manatees in very clear waters. Our guides, Gary and Garret were fantastic.

Even though we were a few weeks “early” for manatee season, our 1.5 hour boat tour did not disappoint. Within minutes, Captain Moe had us on a mother and her baby. He was very knowledgeable of the various springs through the Kings Bay Area and had an “eagle’s eye” for spotting manatees over and over again, although he wasn’t the only one. Our small group of 5 did pretty good for being first timers. Also, along the tour, we passed several snorkeling groups that were surrounding a manatee or two which made it pretty easy to spot them during a low point. All in all, it was a great trip. Thanks Captain Moe, you made our day. BTW, we did the Groupon. Got a great price plus an additional $10 each to spend at their gift shop, just down the street on you way out.

Emerson was our captain, made sure we were comfortable. We saw manatees and learned about their rehabilitation efforts for the river and manatees.

Amazing experience, from start to finish Highly recommend

Natalie, the guide, was informative, fun and very attentive. She was extra helpful with everyone and especially our 3 year old. The bus driver was fun and friendly. The captain, Emerson, was great at telling us all the sights. He had plenty of refreshments and was accommodating. I would definitely Italy recommend the tour. We were able to see many fish, an alligator, birds and a manatee up close. Was amazing!

Wonderful tour with excellent guide. He knew where to find the manatees. We saw 6 to 8 manatees and a large gator.Tour guide had excellent knowledge of the bay.

Very good service. Skipper Wade was first class down to safety talk at start to finding the manatee. Recommended this

We had a great time but we came at a bad time to see the manatees. The people were very friendly there. Maybe we can co.e back another time

Our experience was wonderful. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and made sure we saw some Manatees in October. Highly recommend this trip.

It was FANTASTIC!! Our guide Nat was the absolute best always laughing and telling us cool stuff she made it very fun. I would go again if she gives the tour!

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and the staff were extremely friendly. We got to see manatees and a dolphin.

Easy To Find @ Pete’s Pier , Relaxing boat ride & an informative guide ( Mike ) filled us in with interesting local history , wildlife / fishing info , Thanks Much , we will be back

Fantastic experience made even better by the tour guide and pontoon captain!

Our guide was very knowledgeable and engaging! Did get to see a manatee and a dolphin feeding on the mullet fish!!! Great time!!

Nat & Garrett were amazing. They made everything easy to understand and walked us through the entire process. Amazing experience.

Great experience! Garrett made sure we saw all kinds of wildlife!

Garrett was awesome, did a wonderful job and we very knowledgeable.

Really fun! We had manatee swimming right by us.

Had an amazing time! Our guide was so knowledgeable and answered all our questions about manatees and other wildlife in the area. We got to see a few manatees up close, see beautiful views, and enjoy the nice weather. Would go again!

Our guide Brian was very knowledgeable and answered all questions we had. We went on Sunday 6 Sep, Labor day weekend. Unfortunately it was very busy on the water. Lot of boats and people. We did see some manatees, not as many as we hoped for. However, we did had fun. The next time I will do the swimming tour.

The sightseeing trip was great. We were hoping to see some manatees and it was wonderful that they cooperated! We stopped at the gift shop after, it was a nice little gift shop. We highly recommend this tour if you are in the area.

Exciting and Brian was very knowledgeable. He alone made the trip more exciting. Don’t hesitate to go it’s well worth it

Beautiful and relaxing experience. Captain very knowledgeable about area and nature. Be sure and visit their gift shop!!

This was my 4th time with this company. Great pricing but better yet also educational and showing respect and love for the manatees. . Best guides and captains. . Will be back in the new year.

Gary and Bryan were great guides with a ton of knowledge

We booked last minute and enjoyed a cruise all to ourselves. We were able to see manatees and alligators, lots of birds and fish. Our captain was so knowledgable and shared so many interesting facts. We really enjoyed our time and will book again!

Captain Wade was wonderful! He was very knowledgeable about the area and his love for it was evident. We saw a manatee and her calf which was a highlight of the trip. We highly recommend this experience if you want to learn about Crystal River and have an enjoyable morning on the water.

Captain was great and was skilled enough to get us into tight spots to see a manatee and very knowledgeable about the local wildlife and history. Boat was clean and comfy. Awesome experience!

Fantastic trip We saw manatee. Learned alot abaut kings bay and the springs. Our guide Wade was really great!

We had a terrific time! The area is beautiful, we learned alot from our guide Lacy, and even saw an infant, brand new baby baby manatee!! Note/heed however siting are more rare in the summer months.

Absolutely love the tour. Kids loved driving the boat. We got to see about 4 manatees one of which was a baby. Kids absolutely loved it

The tour company makes every effort to accommodate guests when dealing with inclement weather. (My situation.) manatee viewing of course is better during winter months however Captain Wade was awesome. Not only in his diligence in locating the best viewing spots, but an overall knowledgeable, friendly informative guide. We did see manatees up close and the other tour boats work as a team to assist the other captains. Very professional. Would definitely recommend this company!!

Wade is fantastic in his knowledge of the history and area. He gives 110% of himself. He definitely makes you excited to see the Manatees.

Excellent tour. Our guide and captain were outstanding. Their knowledge and accommodation of our wants and needs were excellent. All expectations of viewing and experience were far exceeded

We went with Gary and Brian they are super accmdating I can say very satisfied with the their assistance … but we where s frustrated with our pictures Gary said he took like 250 pictures and he even did picture us many times that our face are on top of the water but very disappointing that we bout the pictures we only saw 1 I picture which is outside of you’re office before we went to the boat .. what we had are blurred shot wit the manatee.. that looks like very unclear .. if you can help us retrieve please check for us there are 1 kid and 3 adult .. last Tuesday 7:30 am was our schedule .. we wil appreciate it if you can help us we even ask Gary to take us picture when we where at spring area ..

My family and I made some unforgettable memories thanks to Nat and JJ and the entire Crystal River Crew.

It was wonderful! Wade was the best Captain ever. We will do this again . Informative and very relaxing.

What a great time. We definitely saw manatees and actually saw a mom and new baby. Would highly recommend Nat and Wade. Made our day extra special.

Fun boat ride!! Saw some manatees and alligators.

We had a great time learning about the manatees, the wildlife, the river and the area. If you book this tour, you will get more exposure to manatees if you come during winter.

While manatee are mostly visible during winter, the tour itself was relaxing and enjoyable. Wonderful time touring the bay.

Garrett was a wonderful trip operator! He was very knowledgeable and went above and beyond to teach us about the wildlife in and around the water. Additionally, he had a wonderful sense of humor and displayed warmth and helpfulness to others on the bay. My husband and I enjoyed our afternoon on Kings Bay.

Very knowledgeable captain. Made sure we got to see manatee. Loved it. Would do it again and bring the grandkids too

Captain Mike and Guide Crystal were amazing. The manatees were on the move today. But they were able to find em and get us in the water right next to them. We got to swim with 3 or 4 of them, they were super active and swimming all around us, it was super cool. Huge props to Mike and Crystal for not giving up when the manatees were playing hard to find. Their knowledge of the area and persistence definitely paid off and made it so we were able to find the manatees. I'd definitely recommend River Ventures. And ask for Mike and Crystal if you really want the best experience.

An interesting and educational 90 minute tour. The captain made multiple stops for photos. We saw manatees, turtles and even an alligator. We highly recommend this tour.

JJ was a wonderful guide, very knowledgeable and took us all around to see the wonders of the springs! I highly recommend him!! Great way to spend the day!!

A fun time for friends and family. There is a parking fee to park at the pier. Need to be there 15 minutes before you are scheduled to leave

Melissa was our tour guide and boat captain. She was very friendly and professional. She took us to several locations on the water and we were able to see a group of manatees. Also, we got lucky and saw a couple of alligators. She talked about some of Florida’s native birds. And she shared some movie trivia about Elvis Presley and some time he spent in the area. I recommend this tour and a bonus if you’re able to get Melissa as your tour captain/guide.