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 reviewOh my gosh - this was AMAZING! We caught the bioluminescence on a '5' night (rated 1-5), so we really got to see it well. The tour guide was very ...
Stephanie Harris
Oh my gosh - this was AMAZING! We caught the bioluminescence on a '5' night (rated 1-5), so we really got to see it well. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, and informative, as well as friendly. We had eight family members in our party, so we took the raft. My only complaint, which is something that is inherent in using a raft, is that you have to sit on the edge facing in, then row and try to look over your shoulder to see the bioluminescence. For me, that got tiring, and my neck hurt after awhile. I wish we could have just sat on the seats in the raft. BUT - it was still wonderful. I would like to do it again, but in a kayak. A++++ adventure! We live in Kansas, but I can't wait to go do some other nature tours with BK Adventures again. Jordan, in the orange shirt was the 'captain' of some of the tours 🙂 Our ages were 6, 8, 11, 13, 40, 41, 42, 69. We did this after a day touring the Kennedy Space Center on July 21st, 2023.
Just finished an absolutely fantastic tour with Jungle J! It wasn’t bioluminescent season just yet, but we saw and touched the glowing comb jellys…SO cool! We also had a manatee ...
Linz Shff
Just finished an absolutely fantastic tour with Jungle J! It wasn’t bioluminescent season just yet, but we saw and touched the glowing comb jellys…SO cool! We also had a manatee swim next to the kayak and a huge shrimp jump into it as well! It was quite an awesome adventure. Thanks Jungle J!!
Had a terrific kayak adventure with BK. We did the sunset trip followed by bioluminescence in mid October. We happened to be there on a very chilly day, which was ...
Lisa E. (Peachy in Georgia)
Had a terrific kayak adventure with BK. We did the sunset trip followed by bioluminescence in mid October. We happened to be there on a very chilly day, which was unexpected, but we all made the best of it! We saw a lot of gorgeous birds, manatees, and even dolphins. Magical!
There is still bioluminescence in mid-October, but it’s not as plentiful and bright as what you see mid-summer.
The BK team were well-prepared and all of our equipment and boats were in great condition. The kayaks are for two people, so if you come with an uneven number in your party, someone will get paired up with a stranger.
There are porta potties at the drop-in location. You can go before you get on the boat, and with the double tours there was a snack and bio-break in the middle.
Our family group included one adult (admittedly in not great shape, lol) one senior citizen, and three teenagers and all of us were able to manage the exertion of paddling around for three hours.
If you have little children with you, and they are afraid of the dark, the night time tour would not be a good choice. There were some parts of the tour that were in incredibly dark areas of the water.
I’d love to come back in the summer and see the bioluminescence when it’s at its peak. Thanks BK for an enjoyable evening!
Wonderful experience! Hands down would recommend this activity! Jay, our lead tour guide is not only an expert kayak guide but an even better wildlife and nature enthusiast! He made ...
Tomoko
Wonderful experience! Hands down would recommend this activity! Jay, our lead tour guide is not only an expert kayak guide but an even better wildlife and nature enthusiast! He made this trip for me. His deep respect and love for nature was evident in all his teachings, especially while looking out for the well being of each animal encounter 💕 Baby manatee (and mom), alligator, screech owl 🦉, wood peckers, comb jellies etc! Callum, his teammate was very good as well. He clearly loves what he does and made sure everyone was having fun, he will make a great lead guide! Antwan was quite and somewhat shy but made sure we were all safe!
If you want to expierence the Bioluminescent Tour, this is the place and the team to maximize your experience! 💕 5 star!
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.
