Shark Valley Tram Tour boarding area, Everglades National Park

If you don’t want to bike or walk Shark Valley’s 15-mile loop road, then the Tram Tour is your only other option because the area is not open to vehicles. The two-hour tour leaves from the Shark Valley Visitor Center and is run by Shark Valley Tram Tours, an approved park concessionaire. Reservations are accepted and highly suggested during the busy winter season. For the latest prices and schedule, visit the Shark Valley Tram Tours web page.

Shark Valley is going to be packed during the winter. My advice—and advice that applies to any park at any time of the year—is to arrive as soon as it opens. You can never go wrong getting there first thing in the morning. My 9 AM-Saturday tram tour in early February was not full, which worked out well because you want to get on the very end of the bench seats so you can at least have a good view out of one side, and when the tram is not full you have room to maneuver around. I actually had my own row, so I could slide to either side of the bench to get photos. You won’t have this luxury later in the day. In fact, I ended up on the 9 AM tour because the rest of the day was already booked solid.

Shark Valley is hands down the best place in the Everglades to see wildlife (Royal Palm is close, but not quite as good). It’s like being in an outdoor zoo with no cages. So many people visit the area that the animals couldn’t care less about human presence. Alligators sit on the side of the road like dogs. Anhingas and cormorants dry their wings while people take their photos as if they are super models. The rule is to stay at least ten feet away from any animal, but sometimes they are so close to the road that you can’t get ten feet away. At Shark Valley you can see just about every animal species you’re going to see in the Everglades.

Anhinga drying its wings along the Shark Valley Loop Road in Everglades National Park

Alligators on the side of the Shark Valley Loop Road in Everglades National Park

The tram travels along the loop road in a clockwise direction, heading first to the eastern side of the park. The eastern side is not as exciting as the western side because the terrain is vast and open. Animals can be far away, and to get a good photo you often need at least a 400mm lens. For those interested in bird watching, be sure to bring your binoculars.

Open grasslands on the eastern side of the Shark Valley Loop Road in Everglades National Park

Ibises on the east side of the Shark Valley Loop Road in Everglades National Park

Roseate Spoonbills on the east side of the Shark Valley Loop Road in Everglades National Park

Alligator on the east side of the Shark Valley Loop Road in Everglades National Park

Heron flying off with a snake in its mouth

The western side of the road runs along a canal, and not only are the animals content to stay near the water, there is thick forest on the far side so they can’t go much farther than the canal anyway. The main difference is that on the open, eastern side you will find more flocks of birds. There is no room for a flock on the western side.

Little Blue Heron on the west side of the Shark Valley Loop Road in Everglades National Park

Baby alligator on the west side of the Shark Valley Loop Road in Everglades National Park

When picking a seat on the tram, assuming it is full and you have to finagle a good seat, you want to get the outside seat on the driver’s side. That’s going to give you a canal-side seat when you come around to the western side of the road. On the eastern side, the terrain is open in both directions, so either side of the tram is as good as the other, but on the western side most of the animals are going to be in the canal.

At the far end of the loop, the halfway point, is an observation tower. The tram stops there for fifteen minutes so everyone can walk to the top and see the entire Shark Valley area.

Observation tower at the far end of the Shark Valley Loop Road in Everglades National Park

Panoramic view from the Shark Valley observation tower in Everglades National Park (click to enlarge)

View of the tour road from the Shark Valley Observation Tower in Everglades National Park

Everglades National Park’s Shark Valley during the dry season

Alligator below the Shark Valley Observation Tower in Everglades National Park

The tram tour is more than just a wildlife-spotting tour; it is an educational experience. The tour has a live guide who tells you about the animals and the Everglades in general. If all you want to do is see some animals and take a few photos, you’re better off walking, plus you’ll have a little more money in your pocket. Also, unless you have a bike, for most people the tram tour is the only feasible way to get to the observation tower because most people aren’t about to walk 15 miles just for a view.

Back to the Top