Just beyond Miami’s wide streets and tall buildings lies a world in stark contrast with silence, nature and wildlife: Everglades National Park.

Everglades has a lot to offer, but most people associate the area with alligators. When we arrived in Everglades at Shark Valley Visitor Center these were some of the first that greeted us as well.

As with any wildlife experience there is no guarantee of seeing anything, but if you travel to Everglades without seeing a single alligator you’re probably the first.

Most critters relax in the sun and are used to humans, but every now and then they move around to get some food.

Having covered the alligators we wish to focus more on all the other experiences Everglades has to offer. Being impressive doesn’t mean you have to be big, something this little lizard showed us. A common lizard, right?

Nope! Under the head it had a large yellow… ehm… thing? It was used to size up another lizard. That worked rather poorly as the other lizard had an equally sized yellow thing under its head too, and they ended up in a fight where both fell off the edge and into the water. Weird!

One of the scariest small animals we ran into was this wasp that had caught a spider. We were very gratetful for a long lens that allowed us to take this photo from faaaar away.

It also seemed to be mating season for dragonflies. What felt like a million of them were flying around looking like this:

They often flew together doing… ehm… what dragonflies do, something that turned out to be surprisingly hard to photograph. After numerous attempts we finally got them in focus and could have a closer look at how weird this really looks.

Another interesting aspect of the Everglades is the abundance of birds.

Hiking through a quieter part of the park we were even lucky enough to spot an owl in the middle of the day.

Moving further into the park we also stumbled upon some storks and among them was a spoonbill. Like flamingos, the spoonbills turn pink due to their diet. The beak also makes it obvious how the bird got its name.

We also got to see some more ordinary storks in not so ordinary postures.

At the Royal Palm Visitor Center we also got to see this strange bird that jumped from lily pad to lily pad on the water surface.

Every now and then it made a wrong step and had to flap its wings to keep above water.

Everglades also has a plethora of vultures, but they mainly stay high up in the air.

A few ospreys also showed up, a sight we always enjoy when wearing our Osprey backpacks. This is after all the animal they were named after.

While we observed one osprey it saw a fish and dived into the lake to catch it.

Unfortunately it did not have a good day and had to fly away empty handed.

Practical

Everglades National Park is a huge area and like most other parts of the US it is easiest to get around by car. The entrance fee is $25 per car and is valid for 7 days. Make sure to keep your receipt as it is your entry ticket for the next 6 days.

In the park there are multiple visitor centres, such as Shark Valley, Ernest F. Coe, Royal Palm, Flamingo and Gulf Coast. The visitor centers have facilities such as toilets, water, kiosks and nearby trails. These trails have an abundance of wildlife and are very good places to start exploring the Everglades. There are also numerous smaller trails along the main road where one can stop and explore. There are usually no facilities here, but paths and overlooking towers are usually present to observe the wildlife.

The visitor centers can get crowded especially Shark Valley. Go early in the morning in the high season to ensure a parking spot. In the mornings and evenings the animals are usually more active as well, so you get to experience more.

Bring a camera, water, food and sunscreen. There is a lot to see and in the day it gets very hot. Although snacks can be bought at the kiosks the food service is far from great, so bringing your own lunch is recommended.

If you wonder what camera gear to bring, have a look at our recommendations for safari camera gear.

Although the main road is large and well maintained with a speed limit of 55 mph this is still a national park full of wildlife. Drive carefully and use the time to look around.

Anhinga Trail is a great place to start exploring Everglades. The trail is close to the entrance of the park at the Royal Palm Visitor Center.