We booked a tour when we visited Biscayne National Park to make the most of having just one day to visit.
We chose the Sail, Paddle, and Snorkel Tour, which gave us the chance to do a variety of activities, have a picnic lunch on one of the keys, and see as much of the national park as possible, all in just 6 hours.
If you’re trying to decide which Biscayne National Park tour is worth it, I’m sharing everything from our experience in this post.
You’ll find out what the day was actually like, what we recommend bringing, and a few helpful tips so your visit goes more smoothly than ours did (hint: you can never have enough sunscreen).
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The Best Biscayne National Park Tour
The first thing you’ll want to do when planning your trip to Biscayne National Park is to book the excursion you want to do, because that’s really the only way to see the park.
The Biscayne National Park Institute hosts a variety of guided eco-adventures to choose from for all budgets, activity levels, and tour lengths.
If you’re looking for a leisurely half day visit, then the Heritage of Biscayne Cruise Tour is for you.
If you want to experience a full day adventure, we recommend the Sail, Paddle, and Snorkel Tour (which is the one we did).
When visiting Biscayne, you’ll want to plan to start your day bright and early.
There’s no food available on the excursion or inside the park, so you’ll need to bring your own for the picnic lunch.
I highly recommend getting a “pub sub” from Publix, some bottled waters or drinks with electrolytes, and something to snack on like chips.
For our trip, we were up at 6 am to make sure we had everything packed that we needed for the day and so that we had time to stop at Publix.
Our hotel in downtown Miami was a 1 hour drive to the Biscayne National Park Visitor Center where the tour started, so we had to factor in that driving time as well.
The YouTube video below shows the highlights from our excursion and our drive down to Key West after!
Click Here To Book Your Sail, Paddle, and Snorkel Tour Of Biscayne National Park Today!
Biscayne National Park One Day Itinerary
For our trip, we wanted to see and do it all, so we booked the Sail, Paddle, and Snorkel Tour, which is a 6 hour excursion that begins at 10 am each day.
Plan to arrive at least 30 minutes early to check in on time, which would have been a 9:30 am arrival for our tour.
Use this time to apply sunscreen and bug spray before you head out on the boat.
We re-applied our SPF 30 sunscreen numerous times throughout the excursion and still experienced 2nd degree sunburns on more sensitive areas like our hands, feet, and shoulders.
So I recommend at least SPF 50, a hat, sunglasses, and a cover-up for your shoulders, as well as staying in the shade as much as possible.
You can also use this time to shop around the Visitor Center for any souvenirs you’ll want to take home.
We always get a Christmas ornament any time we travel somewhere new, so we used our extra time for finding our favorite one.
Click Here To Book Your Sail, Paddle, and Snorkel Tour Of Biscayne National Park Today!
Sail, Paddle, and Snorkel Tour
There actually was no wind on the day of our sailing trip, so we opted to switch to the power boat instead so we could still go to all of the islands and see as much of the park as possible.
This may happen on your trip as well and it’s not a big deal at all.
If anything, it allows you to actually see and do more.
Snorkeling
Our first stop on our excursion was for snorkeling.
The water was perfectly clear and perfect for snorkeling or swimming.
On this tour, you’re required to have fins if you’re going snorkeling, but if you don’t own any, some are available to rent when you go on your tour.
If you’re not interested in snorkeling or some of your group wants to do it while others don’t, that’s totally fine.
We were able to sit on the back of the boat and dip our feet in while others on the tour went snorkeling.
This part of the excursion is a great time to reapply sunscreen.
There’s a cooler on board with ice water, so you’ll be able to stay hydrated too.
Lunch At Boca Chita Key
After snorkeling we stopped at one of the islands for lunch.
There were probably a dozen other boats docked, but everyone was spaced out at picnic tables or just walking around, so it was still peaceful and quiet.
Our pub subs were so good after spending time out in the sun and in the water.
This is another great opportunity to re-apply sunscreen again!
There are bathrooms here on the island, so be sure to take a bathroom break before heading back onto the boat.
It’s your last opportunity until the end of the trip.
SUP (Stand Up Paddle-Boarding)
After our lunch break it was time for SUP, also known as stand up paddle boarding.
When we booked the trip it said we would choose that or kayaking, but once we were there they just said we were paddle boarding, which was fine with us.
We had never done it before, but I always wanted to try it and now I can say I’ve done it.
The only downside of this is that we left our phones on the boat, so we didn’t get any pictures of that portion.
We didn’t want to risk falling in the water and ruining our phones or losing them.
But it was the highlight of our boating trip because I successfully stood up on the paddle board without falling over and we saw several baby sharks about 2 feet long or so.
The photo below shows the groves where we did most of our paddle boarding.
Return To Visitors Center
After SUP, we returned back to the Visitors Center.
We made it back to the Visitor’s Center right at 4 pm, so our tour was exactly 6 hours.
We had virtually no phone service the entire time we were on this excursion.
Even the Visitors Center area didn’t have service and we weren’t able to use our GPS to continue our drive down to Key West until we were about 20 minutes down the road.
Click Here To Book Your Sail, Paddle, and Snorkel Tour Of Biscayne National Park Today!
Where To Stay Near Biscayne National Park
There’s not a lot of hotel options directly outside of Biscayne National Park, but you don’t have to travel too far to find pretty much every type of accommodation possible.
We personally had stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Miami Downtown/Brickell, but it’s still an hour away from Biscayne, so if I went again I’d stay closer.
Best Budget and Location: Hampton Inn & Suites Homestead Miami South
This particular Hampton Inn property is the closest hotel to Biscayne National Park that has a guest rating of at least 8 out of 10.
It’s across the street from a Publix, and it’s only a 15 minute drive (7.5 miles) to the Visitor Center.
We love staying at Hampton Inn & Suites when we road trip because breakfast is always included and the rates are always reasonable, while still being a great quality hotel.
Click Here To Book Your Stay At Hampton Inn & Suites Homestead Miami South Today!
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about visiting Biscayne National Park.
What Is The Best Way To Visit Biscayne National Park?
They have shorter cruises that just take you around the park for a couple hours or day long excursions with a variety of activities like snorkeling, sailing, stand up paddle boarding, and kayaking.
Can You Visit Biscayne National Park Without A Boat?
You can visit the park’s visitor centers without needing a boat or any other watercraft.
To see pretty much any other area of the park you do need to be on the water.
When booking excursions, they provide the boats, kayaks, paddle boards, or whatever it is you booked.
So you don’t need to have your own boat or watercraft to visit the park, but one is needed to see the park.
How Much Time Do You Need At Biscayne National Park?
With a full day excursion of 6 hours or so, you’ll be able to see the park and do activities like snorkeling and paddle boarding.
If you visit on 2 separate days you can get in a little bit of everything.
More Fun Places In Florida To Visit
I grew up vacationing in Florida every Summer and during other school breaks, then went to Florida for college.
Now, I have family that lives all over Florida, so JP and I visit several times a year, especially Disney World.
Below I’ve compiled a list of all of my favorite places that I recommend everyone should visit in Florida at least once!
St. Augustine One Day Itinerary For Couples
St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the US.
This historic town is the perfect place for couples to spend a day or weekend getaway.
We loved their carriage tour, walkable downtown, and historic architecture.
Kennedy Space Center One Day Itinerary
The Kennedy Space Center is an experience everyone should have at least once.
It’s on Florida’s Space Coast near Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach.
There are outdoor and indoor exhibits, interactive exhibits, and you can even meet real astronauts.
Florida Treasure Coast Two Day Itinerary For Couples
Florida’s Treasure Coast is made up of towns like Vero Beach, Port St Lucie, Fort Pierce, and Jensen Beach.
It’s a little bit further south than the Space Coast, but not quite as far the Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale area.
Key West One Day Itinerary For Couples
Key West is one of my favorite places in the world I’ve ever visited.
There is so much history here and it’s so easy to visit the highlights in just a day or two.
Everglades National Park One Day Itinerary
Everglades National Park is a great park to visit when you just have one day.
You can take airboat tours around the park and walk a variety of boardwalk and paved trails to see the local wildlife.
The Ultimate One Week Florida Road Trip
When JP and I visited Biscayne National Park, it was part of a larger one week road trip all over Florida.
We started and ended our trip in Orlando, but along the way visited all of the destinations listed above in this post.
Check out our one week Florida road trip itinerary for more ideas for your next Florida vacation!
