Adventure Tours
Posted at 06:33 on 2009-Aug-25
Full- and half-day sailing, fishing, and snorkeling tours are offered throughout the area. (See specialty chapters for listings.) Dive shops throughout the US offer group trips covering transportation, diving
and accommodations. Snorkelers oftenmay join for a lower rate. Every major resort in the FloridaKeys offers a dive-accommodation package, as domany of the Keys dive shops (see Scuba, Snorkeling andWhere to
Stay chapters, pages 134, 160 and 209, for listings).Money-saving vacation packages for air, hotel and car rental can be arranged through your travel agent. Accommodation-only packages are offered direct from many of the resorts.Everglades National Park rangers lead guided nature walks and ca-noe-camping trips.
When to Go
Posted at 05:14 on 2009-Jul-19
The Florida Keys’ high season has traditionally run from Decemberthrough May, though many divers and snorkelers prefer the calm and warmer waters of late spring and summer. In winter, skies are predict-ably sunny, and air temperatures range from 75° to 85° F. Fall brings the chance of a hurricane, but offers lower hotel rates and often beautiful weather.Salt-water fishing is big all year. Comfort-wise, angling the backcountry is best in winter, but good fly fishing in the bays and Gulf of Mexico is more dependent on a full or new moon than the season.This high-tide period occurs twice amonth and is published in the tables KeyWest’s attractions are best seen during winter and spring. During summer, though trade winds offer a bit of relief to the other islands,Key West's maze of city buildings blocks the breezes, causing uncom-fortably hot days during July and August.Visit Everglades National Park from December through March, the dry season. The rest of the year brings torrential downpours and mos-quitoes that cloud the air and cluster in gobs on your skin. We found bugs a problem as late as mid-November, particularly in Flamingo.
Planning Your Trip
Posted at 05:26 on 2009-May-8
Aunique range of recreational choices combinedwith a sub-tropical cli-
mate attract more than six million visitors to the Florida Keys and
Everglades each year. Whatever the outdoor adventurer has in mind,
there seems to be a perfect place for it in this part of the world. Activ-
ities exist for every age, fitness, and experience level.
Whether you choose to settle in the upper or lower Keys you will be
near enough to explore the mysteries and surprises of all the islands.
Everglades National Park’s main visitor area is a day-trip from Key
Largo. The Ten Thousand Islands region, favored for fresh-water fish-
ing and canoe camping, is a 95-mile drive from Miami.
