Florida Keys, Everglades & Gulf Coast Bike Tour

Due to hurricane damage on the gulf coast areas of Sanibel and Fort Myers, we have decided to alter our routes for the 2024 Everglades | Key West Bike Tour. This will allow everyone a year or two to rebuild, recover and come back better than ever.

Our new itinerary will still include white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and warm ocean tailwinds, making The Florida Keys and Everglades National Park the ideal place to kick back and enjoy a laid-back winter bike tour getaway. Join us this winter for a luxury-style tour filled with multi-sport activities. Jumpstart your spring training, or simply enjoy a warm week from the grasps of winter.

This tour starts with a short 15-mile shuttle from Miami to Shark Valley in the Everglades. Cycling through the Everglades allows for a slower paced tour than your typical airboat excursion because we opt for a car-free paved trail. We ride through freshwater ecosystems within Everglades National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We have plenty of time and opportunity to take in the views of the ever-changing sawgrass prairie, abundant wading birds and an occasional alligator.

South Florida and The Keys weather is always the best at this time of year. The water temperatures are in the low 70s and the air temperature in the upper 70s. This makes for ideal cycling temperatures. When you want a break from cycling (or perhaps you are a non-cyclist), enjoy some time poolside or on the beach at one of our lodging destinations. Grab a cocktail at the tiki bar, schedule a spa treatment or take a visit to the Turtle Hospital or the Dolphin Research Center. If you need a break from the bike saddle, get your feet wet in the water at some of America’s top beaches or snorkel effortlessly on the water’s surface near the 3rd largest reef in the world.

The majority of our tour follows a federally recognized National Scenic Highway. The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail is a multi-use path which closely parallels US Highway 1 for 106 miles. The town of Key West boasts of bike paths, bike routes and quirky hotels and eateries. There is not a shortage of additional entertaining activities. Watch the sunset over Mallory Square, live entertainment and shows on Duval Street or visit the many museums and galleries.

• At the conclusion of the tour, we can drop you at the Key West Airport for departure, offer you a 3.5 hour shuttle back to your car in Miami or arrange for the fast ferry to take you from Key West to Fort Meyers, where you can grab an Uber or shuttle to an airport hotel for a flight out the next morning. If you are not ready to go back to the cold winter, stay a few extra days on Key West.

Tour Highlights

• Cycle through Everglades National Park on a 15-mile paved biking path (no cars allowed), enjoying the quiet beauty of the sawgrass prairies of this UNESCO World Heritage Area.
• Stay at three gorgeous waterfront resorts featuring heated outdoor pools & jacuzzis, spa treatments, tiki bars, hammocks, beach cafés and water-sports.
• Great wildlife, including manatees, alligators, large wading birds, giant tarpon fish, bottlenose dolphins, sea lions, iguanas, loggerhead sea turtles, manta rays.
• Kayak eco-tour through John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, the first undersea park in the U.S.
• Guided tour of the non-profit Turtle Hospital, the only veterinary hospital in the world for rehabilitating injured sea turtles and returning them to the wild.
• Two fun days and nights in Key West, the eclectic town that Ernest Hemmingway described as “the best place I’ve ever been anytime, anywhere.”
• Enjoy perfect cycling weather (January has temps in the high 70s).

Travel

• Assembly: Airline service to Miami International FL.
• Depart from Key West Airport, or van service back to Miami is available. You will arrive back to your car by 3 PM on the final day.
• We recommend arriving the night before the tour starts. We will have an orientation breakfast and shuttle to the Everglades on the first morning of the tour.
• Uber if you are on your own or van shuttle services with group from here to the layover hotel.
• Some guests decide to stay over additional days in Key West. Call the office, we can help with that.
• Airport hotel after the tour for later departures from Miami can be arranged.

Travel Insurance: Available through Allianz

Accommodations

All lodging is included

Highlighted Hotels: Hotels and dining experiences are upscale resorts and restaurants for the entire tour.

• Hampton Inn Key Largo
• Faro Blanco Resort and Marina– Marathon
• Parrot Key Hotel and Villas – Key West

Special Note

Book arriving and departing flight to Miami. Call the office for details. Additional travel option can be arranged for anyone staying over in Key West

Included

• 6 nights lodging when riding
• Transfers from the Miami airport
• Transport to the Key West Airport
• 3.5 hr van shuttle back to Miami starting hotel if you left a car there
• Park entry fees to Everglades NP, John Pennekamp Coral Reef Park, Turtle Hospital
• All breakfasts, 5 dinners and picnic lunches on riding days
• Cocktail social hours on the 1st evening of each tour
• Van support
• Maps
• GPS mapping
• Mechanic
• 2 or more experienced guides

Not Included

• Airfare
• Meals on off days
• Souvenirs
• 12% gratuity for guides, mechanics, volunteers and tour staff is not included, but greatly appreciated