Deleon Springs River Boat Tour

We decided to take the riverboat tour at De Leon Springs State Park and had a very enjoyable experience. The tour is located inside the park, so you will need to pay the park entrance fee before getting to the boat dock. There is parking near the springs and the Old Sugar Mill Pancake House, although spaces can be limited during busy times. We made reservations ahead of time, which I would recommend. The tour cost about $20 per person, which I thought was reasonable for the experience. The boat leaves from a dock near the springs and takes you along the river through some beautiful natural Florida scenery. It is covered, with bench seating along both sides. Each bench holds about three people, and there are approximately 20 benches. Our captain, Captain Kim, was excellent and provided a running description of the sights along the way, including the history of the river, local wildlife, and the various camps and settlements along its banks. Much of the river is lined with dense Florida vegetation, making for some very nice scenery. One thing I particularly appreciated was that she encouraged everyone to get up and move around if they wanted a better view or an opportunity to take pictures. We had a little light rain during part of the trip, but the covered boat kept us comfortable and the cooler temperatures actually made the ride quite pleasant. Overall, this was an excellent tour with beautiful scenery, interesting history, and a knowledgeable captain who made the trip both enjoyable and informative. If you are visiting De Leon Springs State Park, especially if you are planning to eat at the Old Sugar Mill Pancake House, I would definitely recommend adding this riverboat tour to your visit. Enjoy!

Great little River Cruise with a good value for the price. We go the Johns River often but have never seen the amount of alligators and birds that we saw here. Highly recommended.

We enjoyed the boat ride. We saw a few manatees, alligators and different kinds of birds. Our guides were very knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Interesting tour, saw a lot of birds, some gators, manatees.

It is a brief history of native, plants, alligators, and manatees. The pontoon boat was very comfortable.

Expect to pay $6 to get into the park, but it is worth it. There’s a wonderful playground for children and a unique swimming area with clean facilities. There is a popular pancake restaurant on the water; we didn’t eat there, but it was crowded! The river boat tour is worth every penny. We saw lots of wildlife and the guide was very informative. A great way to spend the day! Copy

Great experience! The captain was very knowledgeable and showed up many birds and other wildlife we would never have seen on our own. There were only 3 people on the boat besides the captain but he shared a wealth of information about the spring, the St. John's River and the surrounding area. Very much worht the price of admission.

A friend suggested the Rive Boat Tour at DeLeon Springs. It was everything my friend said and more. Our Captain Kim was extremely knowledgeable about the animals and was quick to point out sightings. We saw manatees, alligators, and birds of all types. Our time went very quickly and we came away with considerable knowledge. The entire staff at this tour adventure were helpful and friendly. It will certainly be kept on our list of place to go when entertaining out of state guests.

Such a beautiful trip. Cpt Liz was very knowledgeable and shared a lot of information along the way.

Lovely ride, our captain/nature guide gave great information about the alligators, birds and flora and fauna! Kids enjoyed and all comfortable!

I had 4 out of town quests and had booked the boat tour and lunch at the park. When we arrived at the park we were not allowed in because they closed the park. I was very embarrassed to say the least. When I booked the tour I was never told that there was a possibility that the park could close. I am not familiar with State Parks as I had never visited one. I am trying to get a refund as my guests are gone now. It never occurred to me that with a reservation I would be turned away.

DeLeon Springs River Boat Tour is a great way to see different birds and gators while at the park. We purchased our tickets on line the day before and arrived at the park early to walk the trails. It was nice to be in a covered boat because we were protected from the sun. We saw great blue herons, little blue herons, and other birds living in the area. We only saw one manatee that was sleeping below the water and did not come up for air while we were waiting. That was disappointing; however, the rest of the ride was nice.

Fantastic trip with knowledgeable crew. This is a great place to go and get close to nature. It is a nice leisurely trip for all ages to enjoy.

The people at DeLeon Springs were great and we all truly enjoyed the boat ride. We saw manatees, alligators, turtles and several different kinds of birds including a bald eagle. I would definitely do this again! My only complaint is with Viator. I originally booked and purchased 10 tickets. When I went to purchase more they said that I could only buy tickets for 5 more people because the boat was full. I had to turn away the rest of our group. When we arrived and went to check in I found out from DeLeon Springs that the boat was not full and they could have taken 10+ additional people. As it turned out when we departed there were 8 or so empty seats. Very disappointed! Why would Viator tell me that? The park wasn't happy about it either!

The tour was most informative, interesting and also relaxing. I had to change my booking twice and it was handled quickly and easily.

The DeLeon state park was beautiful. The tour guide for the boat ride was knowledgeable and friendly. One thing that may be beneficial in the future is to have a laser pointer to help point out the wildlife.

We had a nice and relaxing time. We saw alligators, manatees and a variety of birds. The captain was very sweet. The weather was perfect, so we were extremely fortunate.

it was good value - nice education/good tour guide. We really enjoyed it . The tour guide spotted birds, turtles and alligators quickly. Was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and plants.

Beautiful park, amazing scenery. Our family ranging in age from 10 to 84 all had a wonderful time. We began at the Pancake house where we cooked our own pancakes customized with different add ins, favorite with the kiddos was chocolate chips. Each had their own spatula and loved the experience. You also cook your own eggs & French toast. Our family then took a scheduled boat tour. The lake is beautiful! The guide was very informative, pointing out species of birds, fish, alligators, trees, plants & we even saw a manatee! The guide also gave us the Native American history of the park which was very interesting. After the boat tour we dipped our feet in the chilly 72 degree Spring fed pond which was so refreshing. There were a few family enjoying the water. There were many picnic areas, a playground, fishing, and places to rent kayaks ( if you don’t mind paddling with the many alligators we saw!) Everyone in our group had a wonderful time, highly recommend & will return!

Just terrible and disappointing. To take river boat tour it’s necessary to sit in the car a couple of hours in the line before the park, because the park is full of people (our tour should start at 1pm) and it doesn’t matter you came to river bout tour or just to bbq in the park. Security guard didn’t allow us to enter to the park. My kids 7 and 8 years old were upset and crying.

I bought 4 tickets for me and my family. I drove one hour to the spring and it was close because was full. They didn’t let me go in even showing them my reservation. My reservation was for 1pm and I was there an hour prior to the tour. I called and no one could help, they also didn’t want it to give me a refund. I really want my family live this experience with me because it was their first time here in Florida and they were coming all the way from Puerto Rico but I was very disappointed. I waste my money, never again.

Educational, entertaining and relaxing. We really enjoyed the expertise of the tour guide and the relaxing ride on the river.

Lovely short ride with a genial, knowledgeable guide. Saw a variety of birds and a couple of alligators. We all loved it!