Prices checked on Sep 11, 2026Things to do in Orlando
Blue Springs is the closest spot for manatee kayaking near Orlando, just about an hour from the airport! Each year, record numbers of manatees (over 600) migrate to the warmer 72-degree waters during the colder months. Join me for a paddle on Florida’s longest river, the St. Johns, as we search for these incredible creatures alongside other wildlife like alligators, turtles, and a variety of birds. From November to March, during manatee season, the Blue Springs run transforms into a manatee sanctuary and is closed to swimmers and paddlers. My sit-on-top kayaks offer the best view of these gentle giants as they glide by. (there is a max weight limit of 250lbs for the single kayaks and 450lbs for the tandem)****Please note if you need a two person tandem****My kayak tours are capped at 6 kayaks per tour, perfect for families and smaller groups!
Guided Kayaking Manatee Tour near Orlando lasts about 1h 30min.
Prices start at $65 per person for this Orlando experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 2 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is When you put in Blue Springs State park into your maps app, go past the entrance of the park, do NOT enter the park, go to the end of the dirt road where there is a boat ramp. That is our launch location for the tour. PLEASE DO NOT GO INTO THE PARK! . Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 9 participants.
not wheelchair accessible
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Aaron was an amazing guide and took my friend and I exactly where manatees were hanging out. Aaron was very knowledgeable of the land, biology, and just a cool guy to hang out with. Highly recommended for anyone wanting an immersive tour and I can't wait to bring my family from out of state to do this again!
Fun informative trip with a knowledgeable guide. Saw manatees and gators! Recommend!
Thank you! It definitely pays to have a local guide to help you spot the wildlife. Let me know when you are ready to go again! -Aaron
If you want to experience something fun in the Orlando area that's not a theme park, you've gotta try this! I was in Orlando helping my son settle into his apartment for the Disney College Program, and since program participants receive free tickets to visit the parks, he and his friends decided last minute to visit Epcot. That left me with time to myself to have a solo excursion for the day. I found AWA tours on TripAdvisor and booked a manatee kayak tour near Blue Springs State Park for the next morning at 10 am. I received a confirmation text from the tour operator, Aaron, pretty quickly regarding details is what to bring, how to get there and where the closest restrooms were before arriving to the meeting spot. I gave myself 1.5 hours to get to the meeting point but due to morning work traffic, my ETA kept getting pushed back, but I luckily arrived just a few minutes after 10 am. Turns out I was the only one on the tour so I got a personal guide! I appreciated that it wasn't cancelled on me since no one else booked a tour that time. I figured that we probably would not see any manatees because it wasn't high manatee season, but Aaron assured me that we would see some that day. We paddled out around the water and saw a bald eagle as well as many other kinds of birds. I heard crocs croaking at each other. And finally when we reached the other side of the water, we saw manatees! I told Aaron multiple times that he is a manatee whisperer as they would come to his paddle board and play with him. It was so cute to watch their interaction. As we made our way close to the springs, you could see the change in the color of water to a clear green shade. That's where we were able to see a mama manatee and her baby and a few other male manatees. This was definitely a highlight of my FL trip. I loved the serenity of being in the water and surrounded by nature, and especially watching the manatees in their natural habitat. I highly recommend AWA kayak tours if you want to do someone unique in central FL!
Thank you Angela! We sure did get lucky with all the wildlife we saw today. Let me know next time you are in town and want to go on AWA Adventure, maybe go see the monkeys next time or if it's during manatee season there be hundreds a the Blue Springs location. -Aaron
We had a great tour. Aaron is a fantastic guide and took care of everything. We saw manatees, alligators, and a wide variety of birds. We never felt unsafe at any point. Highly recommended.
Thank you guys! Let me know next time you are in town and maybe we can go see the dolphins. -Aaron
Look no further! We chose this tour because the reviews for the guide, aaron, were amazing. They were so true! Aaron is so knowledgeable about the area and wildlife and he’s just an overall nice dude. Kept us laughing and made us feel so welcome. We just hung out while the manatees were playing right beside us. Saw a few gators as well. Overall the best experience I’ve had on a tour. So much fun.
Thank you guys for booking with me! Let me know next time you are ready for another Adventure. - Aaron
Our kayaking tour with Aaron was an amazing experience. He is super friendly knowledgeable making the whole trip feel safe and fun. We saw alligators,birds, fish and manatee
Thank you again for booking with me! If you ever get back to Florida look us up again and I'll try to find you a different Adventure! - Aaron
What a fantastic experience. Aaron was an amazing guide. One thing I didn't realize until I arrived, is he only does very small tours, just a few people. On the day of my tour no one else showed up, so I got a private tour. Some tour operators would have canceled the tour due to lack of participants, but not Aaron, he honored his word and gave me a great tour and even extended it because he didn't have another tour that day. HIs knowledge of the area, wildlife (and of course, the manatees) was expansive and because of him I got to see quite a few manatees close up. He also took photos which he shared. His photos were much better than mine... I was traveling alone for business, so I wish my family could have experienced this great tour. If I return to Orlando I will definitely repeat.
Thank you! Look us up next time you are in town and maybe we can go see the dolphins. - Aaron
AMAZING tour with an AWESOME guide! Aaron was patient, explained everything throughly (I hadn’t kayaked in yeaaars so I was basically new). He was kind, very knowledgeable, and had an arsenal of puns ready at hand. The manatees loooooved him and we were able to see 3-5 at a time as well as a few alligators! Aaron made sure we were safe and together the entire time as well as took amazing pictures and sent them to us afterwards so we could focus on the in-person memories! Will absolutely do this again if I’m ever in Orlando!
Thank you Barbara! You guys did really well out there. Please look me up next time you are in town and maybe we can do the Dolphin tour! - Aaron
Great kayak tour with Aaron - saw so many animals!
Thank you! Let me know when you are ready for your next Adventure! Maybe the Dolphin tour. - Aaron
I had an amazing time ! I saw manatees, a big alligator, small ones, various birds and a huge turtle. Thanks, Aaron !
Thank you Natalie! - Aaron
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Kayaking Manatee Tour near Orlando | 1h 30min | 5.0 (38) | $65 | |
 Silver Springs Clear Kayak Manatee, Monkey & Wildlife Adventures | 2 hours | 4.9 (655) | $80 | View |
 Kennedy Space Center with Transport from Orlando and Kissimmee | 11 hours | 4.9 (1,479) | $80 | View |
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