Add Cypress Slogging to Your “Flucket” List!

Move over, airboat rides!
You can experience the Everglades in an extreme new way by signing up to go slogging!

I’m not gonna lie: This adventure requires some mental fortitude!

Immerse yourself in the Everglades by going on a Cypress Slog through the Everglades National Park Institute!

Are you envisioning alligators nibbling on your toes and pythons wrapping around your legs?

Hey, no shame. I did too! But, the experts will tell you this: it’s nothing more than a wet walk!

Here’s what you need to know before you start slogging:

• Ages 8 & up can go on the tour (as long as your child is 54 inches & up)

• You must book online ahead of time

• You are required to wear long pants and closed toe lace up shoes that can (and will) get wet

• The National Park Fee is not included in the price of the slogging tour (which is $40/person)

We met our guide, Max, Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center before driving further in the park (and closer to where we were staying in Flamingo).

Max gave us walking sticks and mosquito jackets to borrow (I have since ordered the same one from Amazon for myself).

The walking stick, more than anything, was essential! I used it to feel where I was walking because the water, in some spots, was so dark and stirred up that I couldn’t see the bottom.

Max explained the ecology of the area and made note of the different changes in vegetation.

He also kept his eye out for wildlife. He pointed out a night heron and identified a barred owl call in the distance. No signs of alligators or pythons!

Sometimes, we just stopped to appreciate the stillness of the area. It was so quiet, so peaceful, and unlike anything I’ve done in Florida!

As I write, I’m already mentally planning another trip to Flamingo! another Cypress Slog will most definitely be on the agenda.

There’s no harm in checking it off my “Flucket” list twice, Right?