Crystal River Wildlife Tour: Manatee and More

Discover manatees and diverse wildlife on a cozy, covered boat tour in Crystal River. Stay dry and enjoy the refuge’s natural beauty. Book now!

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Crystal River - Explore the habitat of the manatee in Crystal River from the comfort of our outstanding tour boat. This vessel is covered, heated, and cozy, ensuring your comfort as you take in the sights of the wildlife sanctuary. You might spot our renowned manatees along with various other wildlife like river otters, turtles, ospreys, and more. Please note, this is not a swimming tour.
What's Included
  • Parking fees
Additional Information

Discover the essence of manatee territory in Crystal River while remaining cozy and dry on our outstanding tour boat. This sheltered vessel provides a serene way to appreciate the splendor of the Crystal River National Wildlife Refuge.
Delight in close-up views of Florida’s rich wildlife, with opportunities to see the renowned manatees, as well as river…

Location
525 NW 7th Ave
Northwest 7th Avenue
You will find us on the water at Paddletail Waterfront Lodge in a 2 story white building
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(52 Ratings)
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Irenewq7510zv
Jan 13, 2026
love the cruise with Manatees, captain Philip - My family and friends had a great time with captain Philip!! He is a very knowledgeable about manatees and the King's bay history. He also gave good tips on great restaurants and other things to do in the area. We were very fortune to see >200 manatees. we absolutely love the tour and can't wait to come back for swim tour with Manatees next time.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jenny_r
Jan 10, 2026
It was a very fun boat... - It was a very fun boat ride. Glenn our boat driver was very knowledgeable and friendly. We learned a lot about the manatees and the area.
Review provided by Viator
Have_a
Jan 8, 2026
What a pleasure! - First of all hats off to Captain Phillip! He was a polite,entertaining,professional. We so enjoyed our Manatee watching experience. He had some great stories and definitely knew where to find the manatee. I also want to give a thank you to the person who rescheduled our tour due to one person's illness. We were unable to do it the through viator, but when called the tour directly, they took care of it. Thank you for being so kind and so helpful.
Review provided by Viator
Ryan_z
Jan 7, 2026
Beautiful - Amazing caption, very knowledgeable about the bay and everything in and around it. Manatees are awesome
Review provided by Viator
Debi_h
Dec 19, 2025
Steve gave a great tour... - Steve gave a great tour of the area with a lot of interesting stories. We didn't see too many manatees, due to the weather had warming up. Nice staff & shop.
Review provided by Viator
Sandy_h
Nov 2, 2025
Great trip around Kings... - Great trip around Kings Bay. Captain Glen very knowledgeable about the wildlife and ecosystem in the area.
Review provided by Viator
Joyce_s
Oct 24, 2025
Fantastic tour. Captain... - Fantastic tour. Captain was very knowledgeable and provided an excellent tour. We will highly recommend this tour to friends. Planning on revising Crystal River over the winter months and will take this cruise again!
Review provided by Viator
Grace_t
Oct 22, 2025
Fun cruise - We had a good time. Our Captain was very knowledgeable about the Manatees, the Springs and the bay. We didn't see any manatees because of the high tide but we still felt like we got our money worth because he was entertaining and we could tell he was interested in their safety.
Review provided by Viator
Charlene_s
Oct 9, 2025
Even though we didn’t see... - Even though we didn’t see any manatees, Mark our captain, made the trip fun and informative! He did an amazing effort to find the manatees.
Review provided by Viator
Juliespriggins
Oct 15, 2025
Able to see a few manatees in mid-October - We had Captain Glenn, who was very knowledgeable about the local wildlife, especially the manatees and gators. We appreciated his diligence in finding a few manatee sightings for us during the off season. We got a nice tour of the bay and were highly entertained by Captain Glenn's stories of his adventurous life.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $35
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).