The Florida Keys island chain doesn't end in Key West. Its true endpoint is Dry Tortugas National Park, one of the most remote and rarely visited national parks in the United States. Getting there is no easy task—first to Key West, then another 70 miles by boat or plane. Flights are few and far between, and they're expensive. The land-based portion of the park consists of just seven small islands, one of which is home to a large 19th-century brick fort. There are also beautiful beaches and excellent snorkeling.
There are a few options for getting to the island—boat (2.5 hours one-way) and plane (40 minutes one-way). Flying is significantly more expensive but faster, and you can choose the length of the tour—half-day or full-day. A full-day trip is recommended to allow time to swim at the beautiful beaches, snorkel, and explore the fort. Departure from Key West Airport on an amphibious aircraft, which can take off from both water and airstrip.
All seats on the plane are window seats. The windows are curved outward, making them quite convenient for photos. It's impossible to sit without headphones because of the noise, and the pilot provides all sorts of useful and interesting information through the headphones.
There's no running water on the island, and there are no stores either, so you have to bring your own water and food. We were given a large portable cooler with ice and filled it with water and soda.
On the outbound and return flights, the pilot asks passengers to occupy the same seats, so all passengers will have views to both the left and right of the plane. The only private home in the area is on Ballast Key Island:
We're approaching Fort Jefferson. Named after President Thomas Jefferson, the fort is located on Garden Key Island.
The island was discovered by the Spanish in 1513. "Tortugas" means "turtle," and "Dry" alludes to the lack of water. Sailors fed on turtles for the next three hundred years, and apparently exterminated them all. The Americans began construction of the fort in 1846. It was intended to have 420 cannons and a garrison of 1,500 men. During construction, the fort became obsolete and was never completed.
In 1907, it was abandoned completely, until Roosevelt declared it a national monument in 1935. For a time, the fort served as a prison for Civil War deserters and for those involved in the assassination attempt on President Lincoln.
Flying by plane in general, and for the whole day in particular, is also good because for some time the island will be entirely at the disposal of the plane passengers (an hour and a half before the boat arrives and after its departure).
The fort can be walked around the outside along the perimeter:
Ah, here comes the boat. A huge crowd of tourists spilled out, and the solitude was over.
The plane has two scheduled flights—one in the morning and one in the afternoon. A full-day flight costs almost twice as much—you need to reserve seats on both flights.
The island has stunningly beautiful beaches with excellent sand, much better than Key West and Miami, and excellent snorkeling. I swam along the fort wall and saw many interesting, colorful fish. And the depth is normal—it was simply amazing after Key West.
The reading room hut won't let go of the Secret City...
The ruined pier is another good spot for snorkeling:
I bought a full-day tour, but unfortunately, I had to end it early. The pilot announced that a storm was approaching the island and they were canceling all evening flights. This unpleasant news came unexpectedly; we didn't even have time to go inside the fort.
Well, things don't always go as planned. I had to pack my things and board the plane. The difference in the tour price was promptly refunded to my card two days later.
The plane flies very low over the water; the pilot even tried to point out underwater life. From above, several shipwrecks are clearly visible.
The park is truly one of the least visited. In 2013, only 60,000 people visited it (by comparison, the Great Smoky Mountains saw over 9 million visitors that same year). It's funny, but even though I've been to 25 national parks, I still haven't made it to the two most popular—the Great Smoky Mountains and Yosemite. And the least visited park is in Alaska, Gates of the Arctic. I can confirm, it's the end of the world, I haven't even made it there! 🙂
For 20 miles the depth is practically non-existent, very shallow, up to one and a half meters.
We're approaching the city. A view of Key West and Fort Zachary Taylor Park. We headed straight to this park from the plane for a swim. There's a fort here too, but we didn't have time to visit it, so we stuck to the beach within the park. In my opinion, it's the best beach in Key West.
Cruise ship near Sunset Pier:
The island is at your fingertips:
We are approaching the airport:
Source: travel.ru
