Apparently there are over a million alligators in Florida alone. We have all heard the stories of gators in pools or basking in the sun by the roadside. Unfortunately when you are on the lookout for one, it’s very unlikely you will see any. However, one reliable place to see alligators is the Everglades and there the Anhinga trail. It is not the most popular trail for nothing!
To get to the Anhinga trail, you must go to the Royal Palm Visitor Center which is a six kilometer drive from the Everglades’ main entrance. Be prepared to pay an admission fee to drive into the park.
As you arrive at Royal Palm, you will see some cars covered with tarps. These are to protect cars from the vultures in the area. Tarps are supplied for visitors free of charge. Vultures are attracted to the rubber on vehicles and can cause severe damage to windshields, sun roofs and windshield wipers. Apparently another good tip to avoid the vultures pecking on your car is to park in the sun.
Look at those nasty birds.
No feeding or harrasing gators now. Do bring a bottle of water for yourself, you will need it if it’s sunny.
The trail is manmade and a bit over one kilometer. It’s even wheelchair accessible.
First gator!
The trail is also a birdlovers paradise. This one looks like a great blue heron – any bird specialist can correct me if I’m wrong.
I assume this is one of the famous Anhinga – from which the trail has recieved its name.
More alligators.
If you have kids in tow, it’s a fun idea to ask them to count how many gators they see. Our son counted around 30. Oh, and keep your children close, as there are no fences between you and the wildlife.
We also walked the Gumbo Limbo Trail. But I would recommend you skip it unless you have plenty of time. It’s a shady, paved trail in the forest. It’s very short, I’ll give it that, but it’s also quite boring if you’re not into trees.
See you later alligator!
Have you been to the Everglades? What did you do or see there?
xx
The Life and Travels of Mrs Suvi 
I don’t think I’m getting near such place … 😀
great photos though!!
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Well I guess you never know with alligators, what they are thinking and where they want to go. There’s no proper fences or anything to keep them at bay. Yikes!
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Went many years ago to the the Everglades but was not able to see anything like this! Great shots!
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Thank you Laura for your comment, I appreciate it 🙂 Maybe next time you will see all these gators I hope.
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I didn’t get the chance to go to the everglades while living in Florida, but the area I lived in was right on top of a swamp, so we got to see gators in some unusual places. But there is a trail, similar to the one you posted about, that you can see way over 30, depending on the season and time of the day. It’s so much fun being close to them 🙂
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Camila, you are brave to say it’s fun to be close to gators 🙂 How lovely that you had a trail like that, it seems that gators are part of “real Florida”.
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For sure they are! Even though I enjoyed being close to them, you have to be very careful. I noticed recently that I still look out for alligators when near lakes and rivers. LOL!
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Hilarious that they think it’s necessary to tell you not to harass alligators! Great pics 🙂
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Yes, I can’t imagine who would want to go near gators but I guess those kind of people are out there 😦 Thank you for your comment and visit!
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We’ve been to the Everglades and seen alligators there but not 30!! That was some great spotting. Never knew about the vultures being attracted to the rubber on cars – something to remember!
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I was sure you’d been there! If you go again, have your son do some counting 😉
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Amazing photos! I haven’t been to Everhlades (and I think I’m passing it in the future because I’m not friends with any big scary dangerous animals… :D)
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Yes, here the alligators might even be on the paths – I don’t think you’d want to encounter that 😛
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Lovely wildlife photography Suvi. We haven’t been to the Everhlades but looks interesting!
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Thank you Marion! It is a very interesting area. Scary driving through it at night though (we did that to get to the other coast). 🙂
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