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Clear Kayak Tour: Manatee and Wildlife Viewing
5.0
20 Ratings
Crystal River
Explore Crystal River’s clear waters in a kayak, witness manatees, and enjoy optional snorkeling. Perfect for families and wildlife lovers.
Explore Crystal River’s clear waters in a kayak, witness manatees, and enjoy optional snorkeling. Perfect for families and wildlife lovers.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Three Sisters Springs - Three Sisters Springs is the gem of Crystal River and one of Florida’s most renowned natural attractions. This protected spring system boasts crystal-clear turquoise waters surrounded by lush greenery and is well-known as a winter haven for the gentle West Indian manatee. Visitors can paddle or float through the winding…
- Three Sisters Springs - Three Sisters Springs is the gem of Crystal River and one of Florida’s most renowned natural attractions. This protected spring system boasts crystal-clear turquoise waters surrounded by lush greenery and is well-known as a winter haven for the gentle West Indian manatee. Visitors can paddle or float through the winding spring channels where the water remains a refreshing 72°F throughout the year. During the cooler months (November–March), the springs become a sanctuary for numerous manatees seeking warmth, providing unforgettable wildlife experiences. In the warmer months, guests can enjoy the stunning clarity of the springs, ideal for spotting fish, turtles, and vibrant aquatic plants. Whether visiting for manatee viewing, snorkeling, or simply to admire its beauty, Three Sisters Springs is an essential highlight of Crystal River.
What's Included
- Paddle
- Life Jacket
- Professional Tour Guide
- Paddle
- Life Jacket
- Professional Tour Guide
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Government fees
- Towel, Dry Bag
- Gratuities
- Government fees
- Towel, Dry Bag
Additional Information
Highlights
- Booking includes a single clear-bottom kayak (200 lbs limit)
- Sleek, lightweight design — easy to paddle (not bulky tandems)
- Guided by Captain Scotty, the owner and lifelong waterman
- Flexible pace with no strict time limits
- Spot manatees, turtles, fish, and birds in their natural habitat
- Launch from Waterfront Social, best…
Highlights
- Booking includes a single clear-bottom kayak (200 lbs limit)
- Sleek, lightweight design — easy to paddle (not bulky tandems)
- Guided by Captain Scotty, the owner and lifelong waterman
- Flexible pace with no strict time limits
- Spot manatees, turtles, fish, and birds in their natural habitat
- Launch from Waterfront Social, best year-round manatee viewing
- Interested in a tandem, sit-on-top, or paddleboard instead?
Vessel Choices - by request
-
Tandem sit-on-top kayak – not see-through
-
Single sit-on-top kayak - not see-through
-
Hard carbon fiber paddleboard
-
Duration: 2–3 hours (flexible, no strict cutoff)
-
Manatee sightings not guaranteed outside peak manatee season (Jan–Feb)
-
Snorkeling available, not required. We provide masks and snorkels.
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Please note, this tour does not offer tandem clear bottom kayaks. If you are looking for clear kayaks that fit two people, please choose our tour titled: Crystal River: Three Sisters Springs Clear Kayak Tour
Location
268 NW 3rd St
Northwest 3rd Street
Parking at King’s Bay Park is $5 per vehicle. If parking is unavailable, please drop off your party at the park first. We will then take the driver to our shop where you can park at no charge, and shuttle the driver back to the park. This option takes approximately 15 minutes round trip.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(20 Ratings)
5 stars
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1 star
Janelle_d
Mar 27, 2026
Manatees up close and friendly! - Great guides, very personable and knowledgeable made the kayaking enjoyable! Even though end of manatee season, we saw several up close to our kayaks and also dolphins, turtles, various birds, etc.
The springs are beautiful and crystal clear.
Review provided by Viator
780mollyw
Mar 26, 2026
Super thumbs up kayak experience! - Our family had an excellent time with Alex and Becca on this Kayak/snorkel trip. The choice of kayaks we were given was unexpected and nice. Every single one of the staff members was friendly and asked many questions before starting out to make sure it was THEE PERFECT experience for our group. We kayaked from the dock to Three Sisters Springs. It was beautiful. We snorkeled the springs and were lucky enough to witness an extremely large manatee moving slowly through the springs…amazing! We also saw 4 or 5 other manatees, loads of turtles, and some native birds while kayaking. This was definitely one of the highlights to our vacation! It was just so beautiful and everyone was so nice. Do not hesitate to book with this group! It was an A+ for us!!!!!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Emilybh2152yj
Mar 22, 2026
The Highlight of our Vacation! - This was the highlight of our Florida trip! We had the BEST time kayaking and swimming with the manatees! The wind was bad the day of our scheduled tour and they were mindful of that, called us to let us know, and helped us reschedule the next day, which was gorgeous! We did the self guided tour, they gave us great directions, and it was so fun to do it at our pace. They threw some snorkels in so we could see the manatees under water and it was phenomenal. Great people to work with and they made sure we had an awesome experience! I’d recommend this a million times over and hope to do it again sometime! Book it and go! You will never regret it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kevin
Mar 21, 2026
Amazing tour end to end! - Becca was fun, informed and safe. She helped us have an amazing trip into Kings Bay and Three Sisters Spring. In mid-March we saw an unexpected number of Manatees., We couldn’t count how many and they were everywhere. Swim or don’t, choose your water craft, very personal experience. The restaurant and bar by the boat ramp had amazing food and atmosphere too, do a tour then soak in the Kings Bay atmosphere with great food and drink after your tour! One of our best family adventures.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dori
Mar 17, 2026
Kayaking was good we went at our own pace. - Kayaking was good we had to change times because of forecasted storms and they were very accommodating.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joe_j
Mar 2, 2026
Kayak & Swim with Gentle Giants - Wow! Amazing!! Becca guided our afternoon group to the best spots to view manatees both out of and in the water. We lucked out and were able to swim into the Three Sisters Spring, where we encountered 4 mother/calf pairs and several other manatees. Free parking/no boat ramp fees. Stay afterwards and enjoy happy hour at Waterfront Social!
Review provided by Viator
Janet_p
Feb 20, 2026
Fabulous paddle day with an amazing guide - Absolutely fabulous day. The experience was unforgettable. Scott was our guide who was full of knowledge. Extremely friendly and made the whole experience even more fabulous.
Review provided by Viator
Leopard730
Feb 19, 2026
Great experience! - We had a great time on the kayak/snorkel trip! I went with my 14 year old twins and none of us are strong kayakers, but we never felt like we were holding anyone back. The guides were really nice, knowledgeable and encouraged us to ask questions. It was obvious that they love manatees and are still excited to see them. The snorkeling was really nice because it was unguided and at our own pace. We don’t feel rushed and we didn’t have to stick with our small group. On the way back they took us an alternate route so that we didn’t have to kayak into the wind. I would highly recommend this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Heather_h
Feb 14, 2026
Best Kayaking Guides in Crystal River!!! - These are the finest guides we've had the pleasure of kayaking with. They are safety conscious and we saw way more Manatees than expected. There was a mix of leisure time sitting with Manatees and also great paddling ttime.They have a mix of kayaks and SUP. The pace is great. We never felt rushed or that there was time limit. While we didn't have kids with us, the families that did had a blast.
Thank you!
Heather Hamilton
Review provided by Viator
Elaine_s
Feb 11, 2026
Thank you Becca! - Beautiful day saw lots of manatee at Three Sisters Spring. Knowledgeable guide nice workout some waves
Review provided by Viator
