My photography buddy and I took the late afternoon trip on the Orange Jeep Tours. We are local photographers and are always looking for new and interesting photo opportunities. It was really fun from the start, just being in the jeep with the breeze and seeing the wilderness. We went in August so we weren't expecting to see too much wildlife. But we did! We saw alligators, wild turkeys, many different types of birds and some gorgeous dragonflies! Our guide, Mike Sullivan, was absolutely amazing! He had the "eye". He noticed the red dragonfly, he pointed out the alligator trails that led to us seeing many alligators. He saw the hawk in the tree that we never would have seen on our own! Mike stopped the jeep anytime we asked so we could capture photographs. He was such a great tour guide!There were tracks of bears, panthers, deer and raccoons but we didn't see any on this trip. But we are going back for sure!Bring water, bug spray, a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. We also wore our rubber boots just in case. And bring your camera! I wrote up a blog with pictures about our Orange Jeep adventure: http://understandphotography.com/lessons-in-nature-photography/
My sister, brother-in-law and myself really enjoyed our 10AM Orange Jeep Tour on Feb. 27, 2015. Mike was friendly, knowledgeable and extremely patient in allowing us numerous opportunities for great conversation, viewing & photos. I will definitely include this experience on future trips to Florida!
Thank you Mike. We love our jeep tour this morning about 2 hours in an open jeep though the wet lands. We started out through the Orange fields where we spotted 3 lovely deer and then headed in to alligator land. No bears or bob cats for us today but lots of tracks. Mike our guide was very knowledgable on the wildlife birds and fauna which made time fly by. Kids ( age 10 and 12) Loved the tour. Highly recommended. We drove about an hour to get here and very worth it. Thank you.
My husband and I have lived in southwest FL for about 6 years now and had yet to book an Orange Jeep Tour. We have a few friends that have gone on it and liked it! So we booked a tour and we had a lot of fun! Our tour guide Mike was great! Very knowledgeable! Mike made the tour extra fun and he was great in always stopping and providing enough time when we spotted birds and animals! We were able to see many birds on the tour including Sandhill Cranes, Wood Storks, Hawks and Swallow-Tailed Kites (these were amazing to see soar around)! We also saw Florida Deer and of course Alligators!!! Mike also pointed out all the tracks along the trails from Alligators, Bobcats / Panthers, and Deer! Also, he showed us a rubbing / clawed area on a tree which is a sign of a Bear! We would definitely recommend this Orange Jeep Tour to friends and family!
What a great idea! My cousin came to town and we decided to try an Orange Jeep Tour. We had a blast. Mike, the driver, was great at explaining about the local wildlife and spotting gators, deer, hawks, and other animals. It was like going on Disney Safari but much better. You are so close to everything and it is more individualized. You can stop and take a better look at something if you want. All you have to do is ask. Be sure to wear sunscreen and/or a hat. It was very hot and sunny out there and it is only April now. It will get worse. Wear sunglasses, wrap arounds are best to keep dust out of your eyes. Bring a bottle of water and a camera and make sure your phone and wallet are not going to fall out of your pocket. We tipped the driver $10 per person at the end. Not required but Mike was appreciative.
My parents and I decided to take a Jeep tour! It was an awesome experience! Mike was very knowledgeable, and we saw a ton of wildlife! He also knows the trails like the back of his hand, and each tour is different from the last because he never takes the same route more than once a week or so! Mike is also a photographer, and will make sure you have time to get whatever shots you want before he drives on, and he will take some of his own now and then! Overall great trip and would come back again!
This is one of the best ways to see Florida's natural beauty and discover what's right in your back yard. Along our tour we saw a huge variety of birds, alligators, and wildlife. Mike, our tour guide, was fantastic and extremely knowledgeable and made every part of it interesting and exciting! I will absolutely be making this tour again next time I am in Southwest Florida!
We had a great time on our jeep tour! Mike was a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. It was clear that he enjoyed viewing and photographing the wildlife himself, which made him the perfect tour guide. He also thoroughly knows the area and where the animals are most likely to be found. We saw a good amount of wildlife and very much enjoyed our trip. We'll probably be back again!
This wonderful tour is a must-do for anyone who wants to see alligators, deer, many varieties of birds, panther tracks, and much more. The road is not bumpy, except for going over the occasional bumpy mudhole. Our guide was wonderful--pointing out the various wildlife, positioning the jeep so we could get the best pictures, and amusing us with his wry sense of humor. You MUST take this trip!
We saw a groupon for this and as we regularly stay in Naples I thought it was worth the $35 for both of us. We are glad we did it. It was quiet after Easter so we were the only 2 on the trip at 9am. Our guide was Mike. We got on our way and headed straight into the preserve area. Pretty quickly we saw an alligator. Mike pointed out the tracks showing their movements across land. We also saw a number of bear prints in the sand. Pretty soon we saw some deer. You have to be quick to spot most wildlife as they hide as soon as they hear you. Mike asked if we were in a hurry that day and as we were not he actually gave us an extra hour on our tour which was great. My husband had a go pro camera so really enjoyed filming the trip. Mike seemed to really love his job and we spotted loads of alligators and birds - the tour was really enjoyable.