Kayaking Silver Springs

Silver Springs Clear Kayak Tours & Kayak Rentals

Silver Springs kayaking is truly incredible! Get a chance to see wild monkeys, manatees, and so much more. Kayaking Florida operates kayak tours, kayak rentals, clear kayak rentals, and paddle board rentals in Silver Springs State Park.

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Join Us for a Manatee & Monkey Adventure

Experience the beautiful crystal-clear waters of the Silver River. Rent a kayak or paddle board, and explore on your own, or take a guided tour with one of our fabulous guides who knows where all the wildlife hang out. Join us and rest assured that our service, quality equipment, and attention to detail are second to none. If you’re visiting Orlando, you are a 90-minute road trip away from this Florida wildlife paradise. Make a day of it! Silver Springs offers several hiking trails, biking, great food, and even a very cool museum.

We offer kayak rentals with treasure maps for self-guided tours. Our equipment includes sit-in or sit-on-top solo kayaks, tandem kayaks, clear kayaks, or paddle boards which all come with a lesson for beginners, a dry bag to keep your belongings good, and dry, and a treasure map for the rentals.

 

So step outside, and join us for the best kayaking in the state!

KayakRentalsSilverSprings.com

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Silver Springs Clear Kayaking
Excellent
4.8
Based on 529 reviews
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Wish i could give 0 stars!! Worst customer service and experience ever!!! Booked for my son's 11th birthday, for them to cancel my reservation literally 2 hours before with no explanation!!! My family was ready and excited and the woman Rebecca crushed their happiness!! I tried calling, texting (this is how they contact you), even called the original ticket selling company with no response from Silver Springs. Thankfully mom always has a backup plan because the tears that flowed from my sons face was devastating!! I hope Rebecca felt amazing knowing she ruined a child's birthday present. Smh shame on her and the company for allowing this to occur! Again negative stars all the way!! Look elsewhere, these companies are all over and I'm sure you'll have a better experience.
Response from the owner: Arielle you have reviewed the wrong company. There is no Rebecca that works here. Please before you try toLeave a bad review to be sure you have the right company! Sounds like you booked with Viator. Please check with them who you used and correct this please.
Justin was such a fun tour guide. I would strongly recommend to anyone to go on a tour. The area was beautiful and we got to see quite a few manatees.
We did a private kayak rental instead of the group. We liked being able to explore at our pace in a small group. We had the best time!! Silver Springs is gorgeous. The water was so clear you could see all the way to the bottom. We say turtles, alligators, birds, and manatees. Justin was easy to communicate with and provided all the necessary information prior to arrival. The kayaks were well maintained and clean! Highly recommend!
We had a perfect day at Silver Springs with Justin. He shared his extensive knowledge about the animals and their habitat. You could tell he cares about respecting both nature and the wildlife while finding the best spots to see manatees, turtles, otters and more. We couldn’t have asked for a better guide or tour. Thanks for a fun first kayaking adventure!
Terrible Customer Service. Not able to take the trip as the three person kayak that they provided would not accomodate 1 adult and our 2 12-year old kids. Forced to seperate and have adult alone and 2 kids alone in the kayak. Unfortuantly the kids did not have the ability to manage the kayak on their own. We had to turn back after 5 minutes and received no refund and no response from the owner. I do not recommend this company! And then he responds that our children were of the size to be able to kayak. OMG. How many years has this guy really been owning this company. Size has nothing to do with knowing how to kayak. We purposely put the adult with the two kids so that the adult could steer and maneuver the kayak as the kid did not have much experience with that. We were promised a three person kayak and unfortunately our kids had to go alone. We received zero compensation, but more importantly, this guy just doesn't get it.
Response from the owner: Tina your so called 12 years olds were bigger than most full grown adults and fully capable of paddling a kayak if they had listened to the guide/instructor.
Good people to deal with. Easy online transaction and on time at the Springs.
Incrivel a natureza da Florida! Nosso passeio no Kayaks transparente foi muito divertido e o nosso guia Josh foi super recepitivo! Agora no inicio de novembro nao conseguimos ver os Manatees e nem os macacos que vivem por la , porem vimos uma natureza exuberante com muitas tartarugas e alligators!
Beautiful place, but we but we saw nothing except small fish. Big disappointment.
Lots of gators, birds, fish and saw 3 manatees. Love this river and not too busy on the weekdays. All the staff members were great!!
Loved this place! We visited on a Thursday, and explored the spring in a clear kayak and had a great time. It wasn’t crowded and we saw lots of wildlife, including manatees and a few gators. Part of the route was shut down because they were repairing a bridge, but they gave us extra time to return the kayaks which we appreciated. The staff was very friendly and accommodating, especially Frank.
My girlfriend and I met Carter on a nice cool day with plenty of manatees. He couldn’t have been more helpful and responsive!
My friend booked the Silver Springs Clear Kayak Manatee, Monkey, & Wildlife Tour for 10/12/24 and we had a great time! Our guide was Walter and he did a wonderful job describing all the wild life and history of the area we were kayaking. The best part was seeing two manatees (a mom and her baby) about three feet away from our kayaks. The tour was so enjoyable.
I had a fantastic trip with Howie! We got to see some amazing wildlife, including alligators, fish, turtles, and various birds. The tour group was small, making the experience peaceful and enjoyable. Howie is incredibly friendly and passionate about what he does, which made the trip even better. If you have no experience with kayaking, don’t worry—Howie is a patient and excellent teacher. Highly recommend this tour for anyone looking for a serene and educational experience in nature!
This experience was AMAZING! We’d never been kayaking before but our tour guide Howie was super helpful and reassuring. The tour was so relaxing. We didn’t go during manatee season, but we did still see gators, fish, turtles, and birds! And again, shoutout to our tour guide Howie for being super friendly and very knowledgeable about the area and its history. Would definitely recommend!
We kayaked on Silver Springs and it was absolutely beautiful. We saw lots of wildlife and the water was crystal clear. Our tour guide, Carter, was amazing. We had lots of fun and would definitely do it again.
Carter was a great tour guide!!
Great experience! Howie did a great job explaining how to use the kayak and how to navigate the river. The river is beautiful,? we saw lots of wildlife. I definitely recommend the adventure!
We had a great tour of Silver Springs spotting Gators Fish and turtles.Manatees and monkeys were elusive but the beautiful surroundings and Howies informative commentary made up for this.
Howie was an awesome guide! We had a great time. The springs are just beautiful. Howie was very knowledgeable and patient. Highly recommend! We will be back!
We booked a tour with Kayaking Florida and had a wonderful experience. Our guide Howie was the best - even before we arrived he reached out with tips on where to park and how to find him which made getting there stress free. We have kayaked before, but this was our first time in a clear kayak, and it was pretty cool. Howie gave us kayaking tips, the weather was great and the water was calm which made kayaking a relaxing, leisurely activity, it was not a difficult or strenuous river to kayak. Howie taught us so much about the history of the river and the wildlife that lives there. Howie made the entire trip enjoyable and educational. His knowledge and love of the river and park allowed us to not only enjoy our excursion, but also appreciate the area, how it came about and all that it has to offer. We highly recommend this trip and ask for Howie, you will love it. Thank you for a relaxing, enjoyable, fun day.
Howie is a great host..Giving lots of info on parks history.and making it a very enjoyable day.
What a fun day kayaking. Howie our tour guide was amazing and made sure we all had a great time. We saw monkeys, alligators, turtles, tons of birds, and of course the springs.
We had a great time on the springs with our guide, Howie. The entire route stays pretty much on the springs, so you can see through to the bottom of the water for the entire tour. The scenery above and below the water was beautiful and I very much enjoyed having a knowledgeable guide to direct our attention (monkeys! limestone "snow globe" flecks in the spring!). Very happy to make this a part of our trip.
Howie Williams was the best tour guide we could ask for! He was passionate, knowledgeable, patient, and his love and respect for our state and the wildlife was evident. We got to see alligators, turtles, tons of fish, birds, and even got a great view of some monkeys! I was very pleased to support an organization that promotes ecologically responsible sightseeing. Highly recommend.
One of the most amazing experiences, stunning scenery, perfect surrounds, saw the monkeys foraging in the trees , alligators and so much wildlife, safe distance away but close enough to enjoy safely whilst seeing them in the natural and not in tanks or cages, Howie was our guide and what an amazing guy, so informative, relaxed and so lovely, went out of his way to make it special for what we wanted and couldn’t recommend him or this experience enough, I was bought on coming back to Florida after this experience and this will be the top of my list to revisit, maybe even more than once in the same trip! 💯 worth it.
Spent the day on the water. Our tour guide Howie & Walter were AWESOME! Knowledgeable, friendly, and did not rush it. 5 star review! Make sure you tip them! They deserve it.
We took our kids and did the glass bottom kayaking. We saw a monkey, gators including tiny baby ones, turtles, fish and tons ofBirds! Howie was a wonderful help. We will be back.
We took a tour with Howie and it was amazing! We saw alligators, monkeys, turtles and a manatee! The river was gorgeous and Howie had a ton of information on all the wildlife and the area itself 🙂
Howey was a great guide informative and knowledgeable took us to all the sights and showed all the wildlife
Had a great time kayaking with some friends! Our tour guide, Angel, was fantastic. He was very knowledgeable about the area and all around a good vibe. Would definitely come back again!
Had a great time, Howie was helpful during our arrival helped us find the parking spot as well as him and the kayaks. Best time to experience nature would be 9am and before. We got in the water smooth and peacefully and were able to enjoy the sounds and sites before too many people arrived. Saw bunch of turtles sunbathing, one alligator too. Once we hit the river we got the opportunity to paddle along side another alligator swinging amping the lily’s. Would definitely recommend
It was sooooo amazing 🤍🤍 thanks paul for guiding us with kayaking
Kayaking flordia team was amazing!
Great time with a great tour guide that even takes photos and videos for you
This is our first time ever kayaking , and it was Amazing! This staff was so friendly and helpful. We will definitely be doing this many more times in the future and recommending to friends and family. Our instructors made us feel comfortable and confident being our first time. Thank you Joe Arnold.
I had such a wonderful experience. It was my first time kayaking so i was nervous. But the gentleman that helped us from Kayaking Florida was great. Did a little instruction and set us up in the water. No problems. Felt at ease after that. The clear kayak was super cool you can see all the way to the bottom! Water was so blue.
Sassy and Jacob gave us the best tour on rainbow river! We had so much fun and it was just an amazing experience!!!
Brad and his team were absolutely amazing. This was my first time kayaking and we had a blast. We had a small group of four with two tandem kayaks and Brad’s communication before the trip, and his directions before takeoff were helpful. His team assisted us on the kayaks and off when we returned. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to experience kayaking at Silver Springs.
Brad, Justin, and Joe were wonderful!!!! They made our kayaking adventure easy, fun, and worry free!! Being that we are from Orlando and the closest spot by us is Wekiva, kayaking the Silver River was extraordinary. The nature, the people, the vibes! Thank you for this experience. We will absolutely be back again.PS. A huge fumble of ours was not packing extra water bottles because we wanted to stay and explore a little longer. We learned for next time!
We had an unforgettable experience on the clear bottom kayak tour with Silver Spring. Joe Arnold, on his first day, went above and beyond to ensure everything went smoothly. His friendly and attentive service truly made our trip special. We’re grateful for his effort and highly recommend this to anyone!
We had a fantastic time on the clear bottom kayak tour with Silver Spring. Joe Arnold, who was on his first day, provided excellent service and made sure we had an amazing experience. We’re really thankful for his kindness and professionalism. Highly recommend this tour!
Had a wonderful time. Saw lots of wildlife too. The area is beautiful and the water was so clear & refreshing.Brad is an awesome tour guide. He has lots of knowledge of the springs and takes fabulous photos of the tour which he shared with us.
Brad was awesome. Very nice and helpful explaining everything. Water was crystal clear…saw a momma manatee and her baby. Highly recommend
Wonderful experience and Brad was very helpful and informative!! Definitely recommend taking the kayak trip. Just beautiful and hope to come back and see the manatees sometime soon.
Our guide, Justin, was awesome! Definitely recommend!!
Our tour guide Brad was amazing. Would highly recommend.
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Magnificent Manatees & Monkeys!

Silver Springs kayak rentals

Kayaking Silver Springs Trip Advisor

Manatee Tours! In the winter months November through February, the manatees migrate to the springs to stay warm. The water temperature in the spring stays 72 degrees year-round, so on the cold winter days, there will be numerous manatees in the spring. Manatees can not survive very long in waters colder than 68 degrees. During the spring and summer, there are resident manatees that live here. Getting out in the water early is always better to see tons of wildlife.

Silver Springs Kayaking

Silver Springs Kayaking

Abundant Florida wildlife can all be seen here, including possible sightings of manatees, magnificent marsh birds, alligators, and wild rhesus macaque Monkeys. Silver Springs famous history includes Tarzan and several Hollywood movies that were filmed here. Silver Springs State Park is located at 5656 E Silver Springs Blvd. Silver Springs Fl. 34488

It’s a Wild Life!

Kayaking Silver Springs is like traveling back in time. There is so much history to be seen and learned here. Silver Springs became very popular after the Civil War. The Silver Springs attraction began in the late 1870s and was the first tourist attraction in Florida. The Florida state park system took over the attraction in 2013. In 1971 the river was designated a natural national landmark. The park is over 5000 acres with an improved and widen kayaking launch , several hiking trails and bicycling areas as well as equestrian trails and a museum. Camping is by reservation only.

The raw beauty of the Silver River is unlike any other in Florida, and what better way to experience it, than with a kayaking tour. Wildlife is at almost every turn, and old props from attractions dating back to the 1930s,s are still standing along the beautiful Kings Trail which harbors a replica of Fort King, named after Colonel William King, commander of Florida’s fourth infantry and the first governor of the provisional West Florida region. The original Fort King located just a few miles down the road, was eventually turned into the court house for Ocala. A town was born!

Silver Springs Clear Kayak Tours

Silver Springs Kayaking with Manatees!

The mammoth spring of Silver Springs is a first-magnitude spring, which means that it pumps out a minimum of one hundred cubic feet per second. The springs watershed is roughly 1,700.square miles, or about 1 million acres. Silver Springs is the largest spring formation in the world, capable of pumping 500 million gallons of water a day. Hollywood movies and series relics can be seen throughout our kayak tours and kayak rental routes.

These are just a few of the fun facts that our kayaking tour touches base on. So come on, sit back and enjoy the natural wonder of Silver Springs with an amazing kayak tour or rental.

Kayak Rentals Silver Springs

Paradise!

The Monkeys of Silver Springs

Silver Springs Kayaking
Monkey Business!

Silver Springs is one of the few places in Florida where Rhesus Macaque monkeys live wild along the shoreline. These monkeys were introduced by a concessionaire to highlight his very popular jungle cruise back in the mid 1930’s. They were put on an Island named Cypress Island, and the concessionaire was going to call it Monkey Island. What he did not know is the monkeys were excellent swimmers, and quickly swam away. They can now be seen throughout the park and the Ocklawaha river basin.

Silver Springs Kayaking Tours

Bring the Family

Our tours are beginner & family friendly. We offer full instruction for beginners and our guides are true professionals that will stay close until you get the hang of your new found adventure. Kids 4 years or older are welcome on our public tours and kids under 4 are welcome on our private tours. There is always so many critters to see, and we guarantee we will put big smiles on everyone’s face’s, especially the little ones.

Silver Springs Manatees

Silver Springs Class Bottom Kayaks

Silver Springs Manatees Fun facts!

Nickname – Sea Cow for obvious reasons.

◦ The manatees closest living relative is the elephant. Fossil records date the manatee back 45-50 million years.

◦ The word manatee came from a Caribbean word Manati meaning breast.

◦ Fossils show that they were amphibious creatures, with for legs about the size of a pig. Researchers say it looked like a cross between a hippo and an otter.

◦ The average length of the Fl manatee is 9-11.5 ft. The average weight is 450-1200 pounds.

◦ The average life span is 30 years according to the FWC

◦ Manatees are herbivores. They eat about 60 different plants. They can consume up to 10-15% of their body weight daily, and to accomplish this they graze about 7 hours a day.


 

We are proud supporters of Friends of Silver Springs State Park

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