We walked about two miles toward the observatory before we realized it was 7 miles away. Walked back and rented bikes. Most of the alligators, birds, turtles, etc we saw were within a mile, so if you don't have the time or money ($20 for tram) you can see everything pretty close to the parking lot. It's beautiful out here,... More

We did an airboat tour last year and I would rate this trip above that one. A great and less noisy way to see a stunning array of wildlife up close from alligators of all sizes to rare Snail Eagles (hawks?) and too many other exotic birds to list. Besides, airboats are getting a bad rep from conservation people for... More

This is a healthy drive from Miami or Naples, but well worth it. You can take a tram, walk or bike the trails. What you choose depends on the weather and your energy level. First, the open air tram! This is a peaceful (unless you hit a rain storm) and entertaining way to see birds and gators, as well as... More

We visited in April 2013 as a family of 5, children aged 5, 9 and 12. We took the tram tour first thing in the morning, and saw an amazing amount of aligators and the tour was very informative, even the kids were listening! Only down side was the toilet facilities were a little basic, (Ithink they might be building... More

awesome bike trail around the reserve about 11 miles. wildlife at your feet and great beauty all around. there is also a tram that takes you around if biking is not possible

We got to Shark Valley almost just before closing time (sloppy planning plus route 41 was under construction so took forever even when traffic wasn't that heavy). Too late to take the tram ride or rent bikes (although saw one of the trams along the way - didn't look like the best way to appreciate nature). Took a walk on... More

On our last day in Florida, we had some time to kill before our flight from FLL/Hollywood International so we decided to go to Shark Valley Trail. It was quite a ways away from the airport and there was a 30 minute wait to get in due the parking lot being full. They should seriously think about increasing the parking... More

We visited Shark Valley the same day as Anhinga trail. It made for a great day in the Everglades. We opted to take the bikes instead of the tram. Tram was packed every time it passed us on the trail and pretty sure they probably missed on out on some of the sights that we saw. The only down side... More

Now I understand why a search of "Everglades" is so vague. The area known as the Everglades is the entire southern tip of Florida and encompasses more than the national park. So, make things easy and along your tour, go to Shark Valley. We did, just based on the reviews on this site. We were not disappointed. Brought the zoom... More