Everglades Alligator Tours by Private Airboat

When Are You Most Likely to See Alligators?

Alligators are active year-round in South Florida, but their habits change with the seasons and the time of day. Knowing that pattern is what lets a good captain find them.

Dry season, roughly November through April. The water drops and the marsh shrinks back into canals, ponds and deeper holes. Gators gather where the water is, and on cool mornings they haul out to bask in the sun. This is the easiest season for alligator tours, and the one most first-timers should pick.

Wet season, roughly May through October. Summer rains spread water across the sawgrass, so gators spread out too. They are still there and still seen on most trips, but they are more active early and late, and they spend the hot middle of the day in the water. Spring is also courtship season, when big males bellow, and late summer brings hatchlings.

Time of day. In cooler months, mid-morning through afternoon is prime basking time. In summer, our sunrise airboat tours catch gators on the move in cool, glassy water, and evening rides catch them heading out to feed. For bright, easy viewing with kids, our day airboat tours are hard to beat.

Check the forecast on our Everglades weather page, then text Captain Billy for the best slot for your dates.

Where Gators Live in the Northern Everglades

Aces runs on the northern side of the River of Grass, in the Water Conservation Areas and the marsh around the Loxahatchee refuge, managed by the South Florida Water Management District and federal partners. It is the same Everglades ecosystem that flows south toward the national park, and it is full of alligator habitat.

Here is where your captain looks:

• Canal edges and levee banks. Long, sunny banks beside deeper water are classic basking spots, especially on cool mornings.
• Gator holes. Alligators clear out pockets of deep water in the marsh. In the dry season these holes hold fish, turtles and birds, and they become wildlife magnets.
• Lily pad pools. Smaller gators love the cover of lily pads and spatterdock, where they can hide from bigger alligators and birds.
• Tree island edges. The raised hammocks of willow, cocoplum and bay trees are where females often nest, and where you may spot a mother guarding young.

Those gator holes matter to the whole system. According to the National Park Service, alligators are a keystone species because the holes they dig keep water and life going through the dry months.

For more spots across the region, see our guide to where to see alligators in South Florida.

How to Book Private Alligator Tours With Aces

Booking is personal. Text or call Captain Billy, the owner, at 561-660-2419 and tell him your date, group size and whether you want day, sunrise, sunset or night. He will match you with the right private boat and confirm the launch that is easiest for you.

1. Text or call with your date and group size.
2. Pick your tour: day, sunrise, sunset or Red Eye Gator at night.
3. Meet your captain at the launch and head out to find gators.

Our fleet runs small on purpose: two 8-passenger airboats, four 2-passenger airboats and one 15-passenger boat for larger groups. Every tour is a private boat, so the rate depends on the boat and the length of the ride. Ask Captain Billy for yours.

Guests come from all over the region. The drive is short from Parkland and Coral Springs, and an easy run west from Fort Lauderdale. Want to see what you are in for? Browse our photo gallery, read our Everglades wildlife guide, or meet the team on our captains page. Planning a party? Gators make a great centerpiece for kids' birthday airboat tours.

Families who try other alligator tours first often tell us the private boat is what made the difference.