Kayak Through Mangrove Forests In The Florida Keys

Best kayaking experience ever! Loved every bit of it. Jade was an amazing guide — knowledgeable, helpful, and genuinely caring. The tour was also a great moderate workout for my upper body and core, which I definitely needed after all the amazing food I’ve been enjoying in Miami! My favorite part was maneuvering through the mangrove forest. It was such a uniquely fun experience, and I’m so glad we chose this tour. Highly recommend!

Loved the relaxed style of this experience. Jade made the excursion fun and pointed out local wildlife and taught about the mangroves as we kayaked! He was especially thoughtful of the individuals in the group and was more that patient with us all!

Even though I was the only kayaker booked for my time slot, my guide definitely didn’t act like I was a waste of his time. He was friendly and knowledgeable and made my trip extra special. The scenery was beautiful. We saw a huge sting ray, a nurse shark, a Cassiopeia jelly fish and lots of other fish. The mangrove tunnels were amazing and a beautiful example of evolutionary ecology. Be prepared to paddle several miles. It was a great workout and a wonderful experience.

Awesome experience Our guide Jade was very attentive and informative

We had a wonderful kayaking experience through the mangroves with Jade! He was extremely knowledgeable about the area, the wildlife, and the mangrove ecosystem, and made the entire experience both interesting and enjoyable. We always felt safe and well taken care of, and Jade’s friendly personality made the trip even more special. It was a beautiful way to experience the mangroves, and we would highly recommend Jade to anyone looking for a fun, informative, and memorable adventure!

Great time with Jade, he was extra patient with my wife who is let’s say “less adventurous” if not a little scared. Made her feel comfortable and even linked up to her kayak when she had trouble steering / paddling… I am a man of few words normally… so just book your trip with Jade and I guarantee you will enjoy yourself….

It was a lot of fun and great experience. Was not expecting to have such an intense upper body workout. The first half was very tiring, not realizing it was only half way through. There were some spots with more mosquitoes, so bring the bug spray. And there was a good stretch that you can't really use the paddles, so you have to swing using the branches.

Jade was our guide and we ended up with a private tour because it was only my granddaughter and I. Neither of us had ever kayaked before. He was kind, helpful, patient and very knowledgeable about the wildlife. My granddaughter began feeling sick from being overheated but he was unbothered and tried to make her feel better. She did after a dip in the water. We thoroughly enjoyed our time.

Great experience. I highly recommend. Fun and guide is also owner. Made sure everyone had water, gave wet bags to keep valuables in. Guide took pictures and sent to us at no charge. Again, I highly recommend. Cost in my opinion is below the industry standards.

The most wonderful experience it felt like I was one with nature. Our guide was absolutely fantastic. He was so personable and incredibly knowledgeable. When you take this tour, be sure to ask for Jade.

My husband and I did the kayak tour this week with Jade. We booked the 7 am slot and had an amazing time. Kayaking through the mangroves was such a fun, unique experience and I highly recommend carving some time to do this on your trip. Book with Tavernier creek kayak tours! Jade was a great tour guide and we enjoyed our tour with him.

A magical paddle into the mysterious mangrove forest, lead by a chill sage. You’ll get up close to the inhabitants of the tunnels, above and below the surface.

Great guided tour, very knowledgeable about the habitat.

Our family of four went on a guided tour with Lily and could not have had a better time. She allowed us to go at our own pace and stop for breaks as needed. She pointed out sponges, fish, jellyfish, and the different types of mangroves. We had a great time and this was one of the most memorable experiences of our trip to the Keys.

The kayak trip was a really great experience, well worth the money! Our guide was great, super knowledgeable and fun to talk to! We got to see lots of wildlife! Definitely bring lots of sun block and big spray, though the guide had us covered for anything we forgot.

My wife and I did the Kayak through Mangrove Forests tour in early May. At 72 and 70, the guesstimated 3½-miles of paddling made for an ibuprofen-afterwards outing – but we had a great time! Our guide (failed to write down a name, but he’s in a photo) was friendly and knowledgeable, pointing out and describing vegetation, birds, and sea life as we paddled. The Mangrove tunnels got so dense we had to stow our paddles and pull ourselves along using roots and branches. A lot of fun. Highly recommend!

We both really enjoyed this trip. It was just Jade and one other couple so a totally tranquil experience. We didn’t see a huge amount of wildlife (the manatees and dolphins were off doing other stuff) but it didn’t matter. Floating along through the mangrove tunnels, using the branches to propel us, was unique and sublime and Jade provided just the right amount of commentary to make it interesting. You would never be able to do this without a guide so I highly recommend this tour. Very well priced too.

We went through mangrooves for kayak and it feels really amazing. He helped us every detail and we had a lot of fun. Must visit with friends and family

Guides are very nice and helpful. Tour accommodated all skill levels. Fun excursion and great way to see the Key diverse ecosystem.

Lily was a fantastic guide with tons of energy and fun personality. We saw things that can only be viewed from the water.

Excellent adventure that we booked last minute. Lily was great at explaining the wildlife and area. Was also fun as two of the guides are from our home state of Idaho. Best part personally for me was the encounter of a dolphin in the wild while paddling out of the marina!

It was a wonderful, personal, exciting adventure! Our guide gave knowledgeable information, and offered to pull anyone who got tired. We’d definitely do it again.

We had an amazing time navigating through the mangrove forest. Our guide. Lily , was very knowledgeable.

The mangroves were fantastic. We booked this at the last minute after our snorkeling was canceled. My teenage kids loved the experience.

We had an incredible experience with Tavernier Creek Kayak Tours and would absolutely do it again! Our guide, Jade, was outstanding from start to finish. Within minutes of getting on the water, we saw a manatee swimming right beneath us, which was such a memorable way to begin the tour. Throughout the trip, Jade shared so many interesting and informative details about the mangroves, marine life, and the unique ecosystem of the Keys, which made the experience both fun and educational. One of the highlights for us was how thoughtful and accommodating he was, especially with our 10-year-old son. When he started to get tired, Jade helped by connecting his kayak and kept him engaged by answering all of his questions about the wildlife and habitats. That level of care really stood out. The tour lasted about three hours and took us through beautiful mangrove tunnels into a stunning lagoon and back. The scenery was breathtaking the entire time, and we even had the chance to stop and swim. We also loved that this tour went further into the mangroves than others we considered, which made it feel like a more complete experience. If you are planning a kayaking trip in the Keys, this is the one to book. Highly recommend!

Great time and the kayaking was perfect. Leader was knowledge and friendly. Truly a wonderful experience. Highly recommend for the smaller atmosphere making it much more personable.

Trip was so much fun. Jade was an excellent, knowledgeable tour guide who know the area very well. Amazing how beautiful and peaceful the route that Jade took us

Excellent sunrise tour through the mangrove tunnels! Truly a highlight of our trip! Jade was very informational and pointed out so many types of egrets, colorful sponges, mangrove crabs, manatee, and jellyfish. He was kind, fun, and so helpful. Our whole family loved the trip - young and old. There are bathrooms where you board and they have a great deck with a kayak stabilizer which is great for us older folks who are less steady. Jade was fantastic to help and gave us waters for our tour. Truly one of my favorite things on our trip! Would absolutely recommend and do again! Thanks, Jade!

Jade was a wonderful guide and attentive to our family of all ages. He was knowledgeable about the ecosystems and environment and we all had a wonderful experience.

Our family had a fantastic trip with Jade as our guide. We took the 7 am trip and got to watch the sunrise as we paddled out. The mangrove tunnels were so beautiful and fun. We saw all kinds of egrets, colorful sponges, jellyfish, crabs, and a manatee with its baby! Jade described each in detail, and we learned alot. It was a peaceful, gentle pace. So much fun! Highly recommend! Ask for Jade - so courteous, knowledgeable, and kind. There are single and double kayaks, and they have a platform that makes loading and unloading easier (for us older folks). There are restrooms and a restaurant at the location. Parking was plentiful and close.

It was awesome and super cool. Thank you Jade! We liked the mangrove tunnel and swimming. Highly recommend. We liked it better than snorkeling. We were two parents and two kids age 12&9.

Quiet and peaceful paddle into the mangroves. Excellent and knowledgeable guides. We had so much fun and would gladly do it again!

Highly recommend for anyonre. Mangroves were beautiful and we saw lots of wildlife. Our guide Lily was friendly and knowledgeable and fun.

Tour was amazing! We had a fun guide that lead us on a fairly invigorating journey through the mangroves. We did have some high winds the day we kayaked, so he prepared for some teamwork! Would highly recommend!!

We had alot of fun. Great tour guide

Solid dock entry for getting on and off kayak. Great knowledgeable guide. We saw manatees, jellyfish and fish stunned from the cold. Kayaking through the mangroves was fun!

Great experience, very unique the mangrove tunnels! Easy to kayak. Worth it ! Our guide was super nice and explained & showed us the marine life

Our guide, Jade, talked & showed us much about the environment during our journey. He showed us sponges, birds, fish & educated us about the mangroves & their importance. He said he would be able to take us further into the mangroves than other tours so we could see a large open area that had jelly fish. He even brought it to the surface to see it up close. So cool!

10/10 experience! Lily, our tour guide provided a fun & relaxing kayak adventure through the Mangrove tunnels. The tour lasts 2.5-3 hours. We had excellent equipment; clean kayaks and two piece paddles. These came in clutch to be able to take apart when the Mangrove trees encroached too tightly to be able to use the full length paddle. We witnessed another tour group from another company struggling to use their one piece paddles and some of the guests commented that our paddles would have made it easier to navigate the Mangroves. Lily’s knowledge of the wildlife, plant species, fish, history of the Mangroves and general knowledge of the Islamorada area was superb. She was kind, personable and a pleasure to converse with. Highly recommend this tour company!

Excellent tour with Jade on Christmas Day! Paddling through the Keys gave us a unique perspective of the area. The wildlife sightings were incredible, especially getting to paddle side-by-side with dolphins. Highly recommend this tour and Jade as a guide!

Amazing! Would recommend it to everyone! Jade was the best guide. Special experience for everyone in the family.

Our guide, Lilly, was great! Very personable and fun and the tour was beautiful! We saw a manatee, dolphin, crabs, lots of different birds, many fish and jelly fish. The mangrove tunnels were so peaceful. Highly recommend this tour!

It was just my wife and me kayaking through the mangrove swamp, so there were only 3 of us and Jade was a great guide. It was a memorable afternoon and neither of us had ever experienced anything quite like it. I suggest you be in pretty good shape to take this tour as 3 full hours of paddling would be a little much for some people, and Jade had mentioned some of his customers struggle. That said, I enthusiastically recommend this tour.

This was a wonderful experience and we learned a lot from Jade! We would highly recommend taking this kayak trip with him. It was so much more having a guide than going on our own!

Jade was amazing! The directions and meeting point were clear and easy to follow. He was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and marine life we encountered during our kayaking adventure. Such a down to earth guy! I’d recommend this experience to everyone!

We had the best time kayaking with Jade. He has this down to a fine art. So relaxing and enjoyable with the occasional current to row against but nothing we 58 year olds couldn’t handle. lol His sister, Lily, was along as a trainee and she is going to make an awesome guide as well. She is so fun and adventurous! Thank you, Jade and Lily, for an amazing few hours!🌴❤️🌴

Good time with Jade and Lilly. We saw other groups that didn’t go as far in as we did to see larger lagoons. Good conversation and value. Would be great for kids or any age

We had the best time kayaking with Jade! He was very friendly, knowledgeable, and made everyone feel comfortable. Even those of us who were new to kayaking. The scenery was beautiful! Jade shared great stories about the area and wildlife along the way. He has such a great energy which really made the tour special. It was the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation. Highly recommend booking with Jade. You won’t regret it!

Our group of 6 did a kayaking mangrove adventure and absolutely loved it. Jade was extremely personable and friendly. The 3 hrs went by quickly Jade made sure to give us safety tips throughout the trip. He was very knowledgeable of the area, fauna and flora. He was attentive to our younger ones and helped them navigate through the more challenging areas. This was my favorite experience as a family during our Florida Keys vacation. Would highly recommend and would definitely go back again.