Ten Thousand Islands National Wildlife Refuge Active and Adventure Travel Guide

This estuarine habitat is of North America's largest concentrations of mangrove forest, the best way to explore it is by boat. Residents include alligators, various species of shorebirds, bald eagles, ospreys, loggerhead sea turtles, manatees, and dolphins.
Charter a skiff to fish the channels, backwaters, and open ocean for tarpon, sea trout, and mangrove snapper.
With literally thousands of barrier islands, you'll have no shortage of places to spend a night camping in the refuge. Fish for your supper, or just watch the sun go down as you wait for a glimpse of a river otter, bald eagle, or rare diamondback terrapin.
Visit during January's Southwest Florida Birding and Wildlife Festival at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. This event provides an excellent opportunity to learn from the experts about birds and the region's rich. You may even catch a glimpse of the rare mangrove cuckoo and black-whiskered vireo. Can't make in it January? Come in May for the refuge's Migratory Bird Day, marking the season when birds flock through the barrier islands en route to their northern nesting grounds.

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