Want to do Kayaking near Orlando? Adventure through the Native Seminole Forest on the Econlockhatchee River!
Join us for one of Orlando’s best eco-friendly day tours – kayaking on the Little Econlockhatchee River. (Say that 10 times fast! Ha ha!) See we already have you laughing! Now, come on with our Florida Fun Guides on our nature filled tour.
Do you want to see alligators? They love to frequent the Econ River. As one local guest said, “the Econ river has the biggest gators I have ever seen up close!” But don’t worry, gators avoid canoes and kayaks. They just want to sunbathe on the banks and watch us paddle by. This makes great photo ops for you! You may also see manatees, turtles, hawks, bald eagles, and deer as we make our way through the protected lands of this state forest.
Your guide will point out the unique Florida vegetation, and wildlife and tell you about the Native American history of this area. Imagine you are paddling these waterways, much the way the Seminoles Indians of this region traveled 200 years ago.
More about Econlockhatchee Kayaking Tours near Orlando
Tours are relatively new to this area, but this river has been a main source of outdoor adventure for locals since the beginning of the settlement near Orlando in the early 1900s. This river is known as a Florida blackwater river because of the tanin (a tea of vegetation) that comes from the forests. This blackwater rivers is unique to the area, and make for amazing photos as the sun and clouds reflect off of iits surface.
The Econ river, as it is known to locals (who wants to try to say Econlockhatchee?) flows north from Osceola county at the southeast corner of Central Florida, all the way to the Saint John’s River. The Econ River is designated as one of Florida’s most beautiful and scenic waterways, and is a protected wetland area.
What is included
- Kayak This tour is in a single kayak.
- PFD
- Guides
What you should bring
- Insect repellent
- Water bottle
- Sunblock
- Sunglasses
Group booking
Private group, school, church or businesses tour is available upon request. Call for more information and rates.
Check tour condition
Check our Twitter updates to see how the wildlife has been lately on BK Adventure Tours.
Meeting point
This tour meets on Snow Hill Road near Geneva, Florida. Please click the Google Maps link below for directions. Parking is under the bridge on Snow Hill Road, just passed the trailhead for the Little Big Econ State Forest.
Reviews
Write a reviewWe went on the Manatee Kayak Tour and it was amazing! They swam under us and splashed us, we're active and we even saw a dolphin! This was great! We'll ...
Danielle Tijerina
We went on the Manatee Kayak Tour and it was amazing! They swam under us and splashed us, we're active and we even saw a dolphin! This was great! We'll do a new tour every time we come!
Our trip was two days after a new moon. The trip departed at about 9:15 PM this Sunday evening. The weather was gorgeous and the lack of ambient lighting in ...
Anonymous
Our trip was two days after a new moon. The trip departed at about 9:15 PM this Sunday evening. The weather was gorgeous and the lack of ambient lighting in the area surrounding Kennedy Space Center made for amazing star watching. No less exciting was the bioluminescence in the water. The dinoflagellates and the comb jellies were amazing.
The unique clear hulled kayaks we're fascinating as the bioluminescent life-forms sparkled and glowed as they glided against the hull in the water. it was like thousands of green shooting stars running along the entire underside of the kayak below the waterline. every pedal stroke made the water glow.
Skimming a net through the water made huge glowing swirls of green light. The guides were extremely knowledgeable about the biochemical phenomenon creating the lights and about the role of dinoflagellates and comb jellies in the ecosystem. I highly recommend this tour, especially in the days surrounding a new moon.
Beautiful tour, you have to experience this! Feels so surreal. My tour guides were Courtney and Patrick, both were lovely and made sure everyone stayed on course and safe during ...
Valentina Fortner
Beautiful tour, you have to experience this! Feels so surreal. My tour guides were Courtney and Patrick, both were lovely and made sure everyone stayed on course and safe during the kayaking tour. (Wow I just read through other reviews. I also commemorate the person from BK responding to all these reviews, never seen a company do that.)
Very memorable and a great experience. Nearly a 2 hour kayaking adventure on easy, flat water canal. Picturesque & Ram, the owner, very knowledgable. It took about 1.5 hour to ...
E. Peterson
Very memorable and a great experience. Nearly a 2 hour kayaking adventure on easy, flat water canal. Picturesque & Ram, the owner, very knowledgable. It took about 1.5 hour to drive from Orlando.
The manatees were plentiful and curious to be involved with humans. My husband was lucky enough to rub the head, back and belly of a couple manatees. I got to pet a few, as well. Very serene and enjoyable.
Ram, the owner, did a fantastic job on educating us about the manatee and "small talking" with each one of us.
FAQ
Our tours rarely cancel due to weather. If it is raining the day of the tour, chances are, with Florida weather, it will clear up by the time your tour starts. Sometimes we will hold the tour by 30 minutes for the weather to clear. In the case of lightning, high winds, or some other reason that we cannot paddle, we will re-schedule all guests to the very next tour available, or at a convenient time for you. Rainchecks are valid for 1 year.
We recommend you do the "Sunset Tour" if you have time. That way you get to see dolphins, and possibly manatees and all the amazing birds. Then, take a break, and go out for the Bioluminescent Kayak Tour later. It's just $20 more and it's an amazing tour! Click here to book that.
For our single kayaks, the weight limit is 275 lbs. For the tandem kayaks it is 550 lbs. The night kayaking tours are done on tandem kayaks.
Ram, the owner, likes to say, "You bring the spray, we'll bring the mosquitos!" We cannot guarantee there will be mosquitos, but there is a 99% change there will be. Some breezy nights have no mosquitoes. Some nights there are a lot. The other pest is No-See-Ums. The best way to keep them away is with Baby Oil. So, consider slathering on a layer of Baby Oil to any exposed skin. PLEASE BRING MOSQUITO SPRAY.
BK Adventure's office is about 50 miles from Orlando, and just 15 minutes away from Kennedy Space Center. Guest will meet at our Titusville office and then be driven to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge (about 10 miles away).
Please request a tandem kayak at time of booking if you would like one. This river is technical, and better in a smaller kayak.
This kayaking tour is not recommended for smaller children. 10+ is a good age for this tour.
Lots of people who love kayaking with their dog have asked about this tour. We do not recommend this one for dogs.
Though we do not guarantee wildlife on any of our tours (Mother Nature makes no guarantees!), we usually see alligators, ospreys, herons, river otters and deer on this tour.
We can manage groups up to 15 people for this tour. We recommend you book weekends at least 45 days in advance for large groups. Weekdays is best, as those are easier to find spaces for. Please phone us for details, and we will be happy to get you and ALL your wonderful friends out for the tour! See more about Group Tours here.
Some people are naturally athletic, and they pick up any kind of activity easily. If that's you, pick either launch location. If you are a beginner, or not sure about kayaking abilities, let your guide know when at the beginning of the tour.
