Guided Boat Tours in Miami

Miami boat tours tours are a great way to get to know a great town.With 84 miles of Atlantic coastline, 22 miles of beaches and 67 square miles of inland waterways, why would anyone want to tour Miami other than by boat? Because the weather in Miami can often turn sultry, having the wind in your face is a pleasant way to see the city. The beautiful waterways are lined with some of the most stunning architecture in the country. This article is about Miami, its waterways and the Miami tours and companies that are there to serve your touring desires.

Miami Beach, separated from mainland Miami by Biscayne Bay, is accessible by causeways and of course by boat. Key Biscayne, on an island separate from Miami Beach, is also a popular destination.

Choosing Miami tours requires that you first decide the kind of tour you want, from quiet and serene to nerve jangling speed. On the ocean or in open bay boaters can speed to their hearts' content, and this includes some tour companies. Because prices change and updates are readily available from the websites that are linked here, I don't mention anything about tour costs. The following are some of the types of tours available and the companies that offer them.

If you want the joys of a boat tour without the sound of an engine, you should consider a catamaran tour. A catamaran is a twin hull sailboat. It has ample space for relaxing, given its large deck strung between the two hulls. It's a very stable sailboat, but, giving the shape of the hulls, a catamaran can also go quite fast. The vessel isn't slowed down by the usual displacement hull of a sailboat, which pushes the water out of its way. The twin hulls of a catamaran cut through the water. The video to the right shows how much fun a catamaran boat tour can be. A company called South Florida Catamaran Charters has a fleet of three boats to choose from and a variety of packages, including a moonlight cruise. Their boats are also available for private charter.. The tours leave from Miami and Fort Lauderdale.

Alligators, crocodiles and pythons, oh my! Everglades National Park is about 30 miles west of Miami. It's a national treasure. The best way to tour the Everglades is by airboat, a very shallow draft vessel propelled by a huge fan mounted on the stern. The design enables the airboat to skim along the surface of the water as well as through dense swamp weeds. If you're worried about mosquitoes, don't. There are enough bug eating critters in the Everglades to take away this concern. There are a number of companies offering Everglades tours, including Gator Park Airboat Tours and Everglades Airboat and Wildlife Adventure. Don't miss an airboat tour of the Everglades. It combines beauty, adventure and excitement.

A rigid inflatable boat is a high performance but light weight vessel that has a solid hull with an inflatable tub running all around it. These boats are popular for military operations, as a working boat around a port and has recently caught on as a pleasure craft and tour boat. (Wiki picture here) It's very stable but capable of high speeds. A company called Rib Adventures Now offers a variety of boat tours in the Miami area. As you can see from the video to the right, a RIB cruise can be an exciting one. Dinner attire is not recommended. Prepare to get wet.

A company called, appropriately enough, Miami Tours, has a boat tour to match any taste. Here are of few of its offerings:

• Day Tour to Key West from Miami

• Everglades Airboat Ride and Wildlife Show

• Biscayne Bay Tour

• Jungle Queen (It looks like an old paddle wheeler) Dinner Cruise from Fort Lauderdale.

• Jungle Queen Sightseeing Cruise (Fort Lauderdale)

If you love a boat tour, especially a guided boat tour, Miami boat tours offer a dizzying amount of choices.