Crocodiles, Manatees, and Alligators: Everglades Stories
8 December 2025
Last year, during the Thanksgiving holidays (November 2024), I decided to visit Everglades National Park. The choice wasn’t accidental, as the timing coincided with the dry season, the best time to visit places in the southern United States. Although it’s a paradise for birdwatching, the Everglades have always fascinated me because of the presence of two species of reptiles: the American crocodile and the alligator. If you don’t live in Florida, the close proximity of the Everglades to Miami makes it easy to take advantage of the various airports serving the Miami metropolitan area to access the park. After landing at Fort Lauderdale International Airport, I rented a car and headed toward the eastern entrance of the Everglades, called Homestead Entrance. Just before entering the park, the “Ernest Coe” Visitor Center gave me my first encounter with local wildlife: a cormorant was preening its feathers next to the small lake behind it. As soon as I passed through Homestead Entrance, I immediately found myself immersed in one of the most characteristic landscapes of the park: the sawgrass marsh (also known as sawgrass prairie).
On the way to the Flamingo campground, nearly an hour's drive from Homestead Entrance, I turned off onto a secondary road leading to a pond. Suddenly, I noticed a small group of people standing by the side of the road, facing a spot not far from the edge. I got out of the car and approached to see what was so interesting. A little further ahead, half-submerged in the water and camouflaged among the reeds, was a stealthy alligator, right by the edge of the road. As I was enjoying taking a few photos, the group decided to leave, leaving me alone with the alligator. After finishing my photo session, I headed back to the car, walking down the center of the road to keep a safe distance from the edge. Just as I passed the spot where the alligator had been lying in wait, I heard a sudden noise and turned around: in an instant, I saw the alligator airborne -- it must have reached about 6.5 feet (2 meters) in height -- with its jaws wide open and a fish floating beside it. In less than a second, while I was jumping in the air as well, my thoughts went from "I'm dead" to "That fish is dead" (thankfully).
The Flamingo area, located at the end of the park’s main road, offers numerous services, especially for those who wish to spend the night. You can choose among houseboats, lodges, glamping tents, and a campground for those who prefer to camp with their own tent or RV. I stayed in a glamping tent and was thoroughly impressed: it was a real luxury tent, equipped with electricity, a fan, a lamp, a comfortable bed, and a couple of chairs perfect for enjoying the view. However, a word of caution: during the wet season, the experience becomes more basic; in addition to the scorching heat and the increased number of mosquitoes, the bed and chairs are not provided.
In addition to the various accommodation options and being even an ideal place for birdwatching, the Flamingo area offers a range of facilities and activities, including a restaurant, a souvenir shop, the Guy Bradley Visitor Center, guided tours, and boat rentals. Right there, while waiting for my tour to depart along a canal, I had my first encounter with manatees, peaceful aquatic creatures. It was a group of several individuals, though difficult to photograph due to the murkiness of the water and also because it wasn’t exactly advisable to immerse myself in waters where, just a few dozen meters away, I would encounter a pair of imposing American crocodiles at the start of my tour.
In the northern part of the park, a couple of hours' drive from the Flamingo area, Shark Valley is the ideal place for those who want to have a unique experience observing alligators. These reptiles are practically everywhere, even in the middle of the road leading to the observation tower, which can be accessed on foot, by bike, or with a shuttle on a guided tour. After the first day’s experience, I didn’t feel entirely comfortable having to pass so close to the alligators, knowing their incredible speed. Moreover, you don’t expect to encounter them directly on the road: while observing the canal adjacent in search of alligators, you risk stumbling upon one right under your feet, as was about to happen to me.
Everglades National Park is truly an extraordinary place, not only for birdwatching enthusiasts: it also offers the opportunity to observe various types of wildlife and, for the more adventurous, even to explore its stunning landscapes by kayak or canoe. It is truly a unique place, and the vultures circling above the tents on the morning of my departure seemed to be bidding me farewell and inviting me to return to visit this beautiful corner of nature.
If you want to see more photos including the American crocodiles,visit the photographic section of Everglades National Park