Myakka River: Florida’s Unexpected Safari

During a nature road trip in Florida, we had planned a stop at Myakka River State Park. What was meant to be just a quick stop… became our absolute favourite place in Florida, for its incredible wildlife and wild landscapes!

The place in a few words

Myakka River State Park is one of the oldest and largest nature parks in Florida, covering 150 km² of preserved wilderness. The Myakka River, the first river designated as both Wild and Scenic by the State of Florida, winds through a remarkably diverse landscape: wild prairies, wetlands, palm and oak forests, and pine flatwoods. A true wildlife sanctuary, far from the touristy Florida most people know.

Practical information

The park is open daily from 8am until sunset. Entry is $6 per vehicle. It offers a wide range of activities: hiking, cycling, kayaking, canoeing and boat tours… Several campgrounds are available — check the park’s official website for more information.
📍 Good to know: Florida summers are very hot and humid — the ideal time to visit the park is from October to April.

Surprise Safari in Florida

Our safari began right at the first stop by the bridge over the Myakka River, a spot well known for its many alligators. And indeed, the place is literally crawling with crocs 😄! It’s impressive to see so many alligators in this vast river — I imagine some African landscapes must look similar, with even bigger crocs 😉.

Continuing along the park’s beautiful road, we made a second stop at Fisherman’s Circle, a spot where it’s easy to observe alligators up close. We spent a long time sitting by the water’s edge — at a safe height 😉 — just watching them.

We even got to see one up very close, as some tourists had been feeding it — which is strictly forbidden…

We then went on a rather unique hike combining two trails: the Canopy Walkway Nature Trail and the William S. Boylston Nature Trail.

A short 1.5 km loop that leads to a tower taking you up to the treetops — the walkway is suspended more than 7 metres above the ground and stretches 30 metres through the canopy.

Needless to say, we absolutely loved this hike — the vegetation in Florida is exceptional, so wonderfully exotic to us, and being able to rise above it all was just magical. And just like the rest of the park, we barely crossed paths with anyone.

We then continued along the road, taking in the diversity of the landscapes: river, lake, forest, prairie… After a stop at the marina and a stroll along the Birdwalk boardwalk to watch the birds, we decided to head back down the road.

And that’s when the real safari began 😉: deer, raccoons feeding in the prairie, squirrels, alligators, vultures, turkeys, cranes… and then the highlight of the show when a family of two-toned wild boars 😊 came charging in front of the car! Baby piglets in black and russet everywhere 😍.

To finish, we followed a short trail near the bridge down to the edge of the Myakka River. We had a picnic watching the sun set over the alligators and a heron that wasn’t quite cut out for fishing 😄.

For all these reasons, this park was our favourite of the trip — in just 6 hours we saw an incredible amount of wildlife, the landscapes are stunning and I rediscovered that wild feeling of the American West. If we were to do it again, we’d spend at least 2 days there, with time to camp, take a boat tour and explore more of the trails.