Experience nature at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. – Southwest Florida is full of opportunity’s to encounter nature and get up close and personal to some of Florida’s most pristine creatures. However you may not even know it but right in our backyard you can take a walk through a swamp and the worlds largest Ancient Bald Cypress Forest.

The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples offers just that, a chance to walk right through nature and experience some of Florida’s oldest plant and wildlife. The sanctuary is home to more than 300 species of birds and popular mammal life including, bears, panthers and deer.

American alligators can also be seen on occasion basking in their native habitat or peering up through the swampy water. The boardwalk takes visitors on a 2.25 mile walk through the forest and swamp, serving as one of the largest boardwalks in the world.

Even though the boardwalk tour only shows you a sliver of the vast 13,000 acre sanctuary, you feel minute as massive 200 to 600 year old cypress trees tower over you. Guided boardwalk tours are offered Monday’s, Tuesday’s and Friday’s in the off season at 9:30 a.m. and usually last around an hour and a half.

Tour dates and times increase during season months, as well as other sanctuary events. Admission for non-member adults starts at $12, to learn more about the sanctuary or to schedule a tour, click here.

The Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is located at 375 Sanctuary Road West, in Naples.