Everglades National Park is a vast swamp in Florida, home to a large population of American alligators. This post takes place back in January of this year, before I left on a cruise to the Panama Canal. Although you could consider it a continuation of the story about Key West.
I traveled to the park from Fort Lauderdale, a major port for Holland America Line cruise ships. I haven't written anything about the cruise itself yet, but I'll definitely get around to it.
Many companies offer airboat safaris in the national park. I wanted to book a private trip on a small boat, but I arrived too late and there were no seats left. For a larger boat trip, no reservations are required; tickets can be purchased on the spot. Boats depart every 30 minutes.
The trip takes about 40 minutes.
As with any safari, you need to understand that there's a risk of not seeing anything. Especially on a trip like this, which only lasts 40 minutes. Apparently, tourists usually get really upset when they don't see any crocodiles. So the captain was incredibly happy when we saw our first baby crocodile! 🙂
Caught a green monster:
The crocodile was very surprised by the attention, but was not frightened and posed for tourists for a long time.
An almost complete road has been laid across the swamp:
The water lilies are blown away by the wind from the engine:
Besides crocodiles, there are other creatures in the swamp:
Why are water lilies green?
To make it easier for the crocodile to hide!
This crocodile was already lying practically at the entrance to the park. Probably fed.
The boats have incredibly powerful propellers, so you definitely don't need to stick your hands in there:
It would be interesting to steer such a flat-bottomed boat.
And this is a smaller option, perfect for private trips:
Achtung! The crocodile is angry. Fingers click-clack.
After the boat ride, everyone went to watch the crocodile show.
The impression is mixed. On the one hand, the entire show consisted of a lazy, fat crocodile emerging from the water and pacing back and forth. Thailand has more variety.
On the other hand, the crocodiles in Thailand are battered and, in my opinion, drugged, which makes a very depressing impression. Here, however, there's a contented, well-fed American crocodile.
There is also a small zoo on the territory.
Crocodiles often lie on dry land with their mouths open. They do this for thermoregulation and also so that birds can peck at any remaining food.
The crocodile disguises itself as a log:
The toothy one is sleeping...
And this is clearly a crocodile family:
We rented the most popular car in Miami. We could return it near the cruise ship terminal, which is what we took advantage of.
Source: travel.ru
