Day 7: Captiva Island - Everglades National Park

You should depart relatively early this morning; it promises to be a busy day. From Captiva you proceed via Sanibel and the causeway back to the mainland. The quickest way is to take Interstate 75 South, bypassing Naples, and continue to join the Tamiami Trail (Route 41) East. Shortly after crossing into the Big Cypress National Preserve, arrive in the minute community of Ochopee. Here you may stop to mail a card home from the smallest and most photographed post office in North America, or experience a new exciting activity, an Airboat Ride (not available in the Everglades National Park for environmental reasons). Wooten's (1/800-282-2781) offers these trips all day long - from the highway into the deeper regions of the preserve.

About midday you'll arrive at the designed-for-tourists Miccosukee Indian Village. You can take a guided or self-guided tour through the village, including a museum, native houses, craft areas….Another good reason for stopping is the Miccosukee Restaurant, the only decent eating facility along the Tamiami Trail. Here you can have the regular fare, but you might wish to try some of the Native American dishes: catfish, fried frog legs, Indian tacos, and pumpkin bread.

As your next stop, you should consider Shark Valley, one of the best wildlife viewing areas of Everglades National Park. Private vehicles are not allowed on the 15-mile road. A two-hour guided tour by open-air tram is regularly operated. You should call for a reservation (305/221-8455) for the 13:00 departure. If you don't want the guided tour, may we suggest renting a bicycle!

Continue on Route 41 East and Route 997 South beyond Homestead. Proceed another 11 miles along Route 9336 to arrive at the Main Visitor Center to the Everglades National Park. This is where the real adventure starts! Once inside the park, your final destination for the day, Flamingo, is still 38 miles away. The drive will take you approximately 1 hour and you might want to be in Flamingo before 17:00 to purchase your tickets for tomorrow's sunrise canoe trip. Imagine, in this immense park of 2,343 square miles, there is only one place to stay the night; the Flamingo Lodge. It is plain, but clean - with window air-conditioners and private bathrooms. Likewise, the Flamingo Restaurant is the only one in the park. It offers wonderful views of the bay and its bird life, along with an eclectic menu of Floridian and exotic dishes. After dinner, if you're still game, you could take a sunset sail - this is the best time for wildlife viewing!