Garl’s Coastal Kayaking

Even on a day where weather dictates where we can go… Garl led us on an entertaining and informative trip. Seeing Florida from a kayak and our trek in the swamp was so nice.
Will definitely return!

As an activity to do with our guests while getting married in the Keys, we rented 8 kayaks from Garl’s for a half-​day for us all to get out on the water. On the phone and in emails before our visit Suzette was very friendly and easy to get in touch with, and was very accommodating. When we arrived for our excursion, the staff was all very helpful. One of them recommended a few spots for us to check out to get out in a swim amongst the mangroves, and told us where we to look for Manatees. Another let one of our guests borrow a pair of sunglasses for the trip since she forgot to bring some along. They helped everyone in and out of the water, and the advice of where to kayak to was perfect, as we found two Manatees in a channel and were able to pet them! All of our guests raved about the experience, and Suzette even sent us a follow up email to congratulate us and thank us.
I’ve rented kayaks in the Keys in the past from other places, and Garl’s definitely is a step above the rest with their guest service. Highly recommended!

We took the full day kayak adventure with Don and Jennifer. There were two other couples in our tour, and they said that was the most they would take on one, which is very nice because you get a more personalized trip. If the guide sees that you’re having fun in a particular spot, they don’t move on until everyone is ready. We went on a hike through a cypress dome in the Everglades, and came within 10 feet of two alligators, where Don explained why we could do that and answered everyone questions about the gators and many species of plants, birds, fish, and insects we saw.
We then went on a kayak tour of a pond in the Everglades where we saw several more gators and fish. Next, we went to the southern tip of the Everglades national park and kayaked into florida bay, where we saw some crocodiles and manatees! Don and Jennifer were very accommodating and made sure to answer any of our questions they could while we were out. This was a great trip, and I would definitely do it again if I come back!

If you want a guided tour of the Everglades or the Florida Coast, Garl is the best there is. We took two tours from Garl last week, including the full-​day Everglades tour, and the Kayak & Snorkel trip to a mangrove island. We also took a snorkel trip with another company out by Key West. With Garl we saw 20x as much wildlife, received excellent personal service, and had access to the knowledge of an immensely well traveled and educated staff.
Garl is quick to adapt the tour to the needs and level of the customers, and was always pushing our limits without making anyone uncomfortable. We were able to walk right up to Alligators in their native habitat, saw dozens of bird species I have never even heard of, and swam with huge schools of young barracuda, needlefish, and dozens of gorgeous fish and jellyfish species. He was always quick to jump in, grab something particularly neat, and make sure everyone was able to see, touch, and photograph it. When he saw how much fun we were having snorkeling, he even took us to another location and extended the trip!
These tours were by far the best part of my trip to Florida, and if I was only doing one thing there, this would be it. Give him a call, tell them what you want to see, and you will have a great time. Be prepared to be outside of your comfort zone, but you will be rewarded with sunset dinners on the water with wine, cheese, & crackers, nighttime walks with alligators, and some of the most amazing photographs and memories you can imagine.