everglades airboat

[davidl]

can anyone tell me how long it takes to drive to the top part of the everglades from kissimmee. we want to do the airboats in the everglades and not those around orlando such as boggy creek. any ideas ::jump:

[Suzie&Stuart]

David,its a fair trek and I would assume it would take around 4 to 5 hours.
Others here on the Dibb have driven down to the Everglades but then tend to stay there in a hotel/motel and drive back the following day.

[Lambchops]

davidl - We set off at 7 from Kissimmee and arrived at the Billie Swamp Safari around 11.15. Had one 20 minute break and a petrol stop. Went on both the Airboat and the Billie Swamp Safari. Both excellent and we spent just over 2 hours there. I would try and get there as early as you can because it was much busier around 1 pm. If you look at similar threads (Driving to the Everglades) you can see that we went down to Naples and it was too long a day but it is certainly possible to do it.

[davidl]

thanks for the reply where is Billie swamp safari. is it nearer than
Naples. also what is the safari? is it much different to the air boat ride. how far past Busch Gardens.

[Lambchops]

davidl - Type "Billie Swamp Safari" into google and you will find a location map and about what they offer. It is nearer than Naples and you don`t go past Busch Gardens because you turn off I-4 on the road that goes past Cypress Gardens. The airboat ride takes about 25 minutes. They set off at speed so it is quite exhilarating and then when they get into typical everglades swamp they stop the boat and the driver answers a few questions about what you can see around you. The swamp safari is on a truck with massive wheels, so they can drive through the swamp, as the water levels are different according to the season. There are quite a few animals to see. The driver tells you about the everglades animals and about the trees/swamp etc. It lasts about an hour and was very enjoyable and very different from the airboat ride.