Swampland

The brackish water and abundance of plant life clearly mark this as swampland. We haven’t seen any alligators yet but we’re hoping some will approach us soon.
Lily Pads

These lily pads look so beautiful floating on the water. I would have liked to hold the camera a bit lower, to get a different perspective, but I’m not sure what might be lurking just beneath theLäs mer
A Sighting!

We’ve only been out for a few minutes and we’re already spotting alligators! I wish that I had brought my Sony or Canon cameras with the zoom lenses so I could get a better shot of him but this isLäs mer
A Closer Look

I think that he’s curious about the boat because he’s starting to swim closer to us. I’m still zooming in as much as I can but I’m hoping that he comes right up to the boat.
Alligator

He’s really close now! I never expected to get this close to a wild alligator but I’m very excited and happy about it. He, or she, looks a bit smaller than I had expected. I wonder if this is aLäs mer
Even Closer!

This alligator is so close now that I could actually reach out and touch him if I wanted to. Do I dare to try it? I’d better not. I’m sure that these animals are quite dangerous. I don’t want toLäs mer
Up Close and Personal

We really got the best seats on this boat because we’re so close to this alligator. It’s almost as if he’s coming up to me personally. I’m so happy that we decided to take this tour!
Moving On

The alligator seemed to lose interest and swam away so now it’s time for us to start moving on. This tour has had an exciting start and we’re eagerly waiting to see what comes next!
And We’re Off!

We’re ready to move on and our tour guide really stepped on the gas. Moving this quickly through the swamp feels great! The breeze we’re getting is cooling us down so much!
Lush Greenery

The flora is nearly as big of an attraction as the fauna! All of this greenery is almost mesmerizing. It’s so relaxing to see it as we drift by.
In the Swamp

It’s like a whole other world being out in the swamplands. I’ve never been in an environment like this before and I’m fascinated by it!
Cruising Along

We’re riding along the river and looking for more wildlife. Our guide seems to know the area very well and is great at spotting things. I’m guessing that he’s been doing this for a long time andLäs mer
A Raccoon!

Our guide has just spotted more wildlife, this time a raccoon. I don’t know how he’s finding these animals. Some of them are so small and they are kind of far away. I don’t think that I’d findLäs mer
Double Sighting

It’s not just one, but two raccoons! I’m kind of surprised because I had thought that raccoons were usually more solitary. We’ve seen the occasional raccoon here in New York and they are alwaysLäs mer
The Swamp

This swamp looks like it would be great for photos. I would love to get off the boat for a bit and do some toy photography. My Swamp Thing figure would look perfect here!
More People

This is the first time on our tour that we’ve seen another boat. They look as surprised to see us as we are to see them. We didn’t stop though. We just gave them a quick wave and kept moving.
More Alligators

We’ve spotted more alligators but this time they’re on the other side of the boat so I can’t see them as closely as I could before. That first one we saw gave us the best view. I don’t thinkLäs mer
The Standoff

This shot has both a raccoon and an alligator. The alligator is drifting back and forth, waiting for the raccoon to enter the water. The raccoon, of course, isn’t having it. It’s a standoff.
Drifting Downriver

This video was shot in super fast motion using Timelapse but it still looks like we’re moving very slowly. You can imagine just how slow this part of our ride actually was!
The River Goes On

This swamp seems to go on and on and everything is starting to look the same. I’d really like to see more animals but they are starting to get fewer and further between.
Swamp Town

The next sight we were shown wasn’t animals but an area where people actually lived in the swamp. I found this to be both interesting and sad. I never knew anyone in the United States lived likeLäs mer
An Alternative Village

I think it’s kind of wrong to intrude into the area where these people live and stare at them as if they are some kind of tourist attraction. I’m sure that they would prefer to be left alone. ThisLäs mer
Baby Gator

Shortly after passing through the swamp town we saw our last alligator of the day. He was just a baby one and so small that I nearly missed him. Luckily, I got the camera up on time to get a shot ofLäs mer
Heading Back

I’m guessing that our tour is nearly finished because our guide suddenly sped up the boat to take us back to civilization. I really enjoy it when we’re going so fast!
Nearly Back

We’re slowing down now and getting close to where we first started. Once I see that big bridge, I know that we’re nearly home.