Best Orlando Airboat & Gator Tours

Visitors chasing a swamp thrill and locals who have never been out can use this guide to airboat tours within an hour of downtown Orlando. Operators launch from Kissimmee and St. Cloud on Lake Toho, Kenansville at the Everglades headwaters, Christmas on the St. Johns River and Oviedo on Lake Jesup.

Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures adds a gator pond, a BBQ restaurant and a gem mine to its rides, making it easy to fill a day. Spirit of the Swamp runs six-seat boats with shaded seats and two-way headsets so you can talk with your guide. Marsh Landing Adventures offers a four-hour eco-safari that reaches marsh shorter rides cannot. Black Hammock pairs Lake Jesup rides with free gator and bird exhibits, including a 12-foot gator named Hammy. Wild Florida and the St. Johns River outfitters round it out. Wild Willy's lets you take photos with resident alligators after the ride.