Are you looking for adventure'  Excitement'  A story that will last you a lifetime'  If so, then you need to look no further than the shores of the good old United States of America.  To be more specific, you need to look no further than the low lying marsh lands of southern Florida.  The Everglades make up one of the world’s most interesting and complex ecosystems, and cover over seven hundred and thirty square miles of wilderness and swamp.  Unlike so much of the rest of the eastern United States, the Everglades are still very much untamed and are home to a stunning array of wildlife and nature.



Originally, the Everglades were much larger.  It is estimated by some agricultural experts that over half the original marsh land has been converted to agricultural farm lands or used for similar purposes.  Today, fortunately, most of the Everglades are protected by the federal government as part of the United States national park system.  The Everglades remain a wonderful and wild place to explore for you and other Americans because of this conservation.

What better way to explore such a wild swampy area than with a high powered airboat'  The Everglades is a huge area, and part of it borders the great city of Miami, from which a number of Everglades tours can be booked or chartered.  Especially popular are the fast and adventurous airboat tours.  Airboats, or fan boats, are very shallow-drafted flat bottom boats specifically designed for swamp travel.  They are powered by a single very large fan attached to a car or aircraft engine mounted above the body of the boat.  Because of the air boat’s shallow draft and above water propulsion system, it can travel through water only a few inches deep, and it is even capable of skidding for brief distances across sand or bare ground.

If you’re visiting Miami or one of the many other cities bordering the Everglades national park, make sure to check into the multitude of tour options available to you.  An airboat tour is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so make sure you don’t miss it.  Prices vary from tour to tour, but you can expect to shell out forty to fifty dollars.  For an absolutely spectacular four or five hour experience, though, there are few better ways to spend your money.  If you plan to travel through Florida soon, check into airboating in the Everglades.