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Flamingo is a long way from the entrance to Everglades National Park, but we love it for the wildlife — manatees, crocodiles and an osprey nest right in the marina. In 2024, with the addition of an excellent visitor center and a new lodge, there are more reasons to go to Flamingo.

Read More about Visiting fabulous Flamingo, Everglades National Park’s last outpost, and worth the drive

Since Hurricane Wilma destroyed lodging in Flamingo in 2005, the only way to stay overnight in Everglades National Park has been to camp. At last, new lodging has opened at Flamingo — 20 eco-tents, a cross beween a tent and a cabin, with beds and linens but using a central bath facility.

Read More about Eco-tents in Flamingo: Glamping in Everglades National Park

Whoever named this kayak trail Hell’s Bay was giving you a hint: It won’t be easy. During National Parks Week at the end of April, I paddled this forbiddingly named trail. It’s mile after mile of mangroves with tight twists and turns that make going slow. If you’re heading for a backcountry camping site — a chickee on a platform in the middle of the Everglades wilderness — then this trail is worth the trouble. If not, well, I have some suggestions for you.

Read More about Everglades National Park Hell’s Bay Kayak Trail: The name is a hint

2018 is an exceptional one for nesting birds in Everglades National Park. Two super colonies– more than 25,000 birds clustered together– are nesting in the park for the first time since the 1940s. We couldn’t resist a visit. And while you can’t reach the super colonies, there is much to see on a spring visit.

Read More about ‘Super colony’ of birds nests in Everglades: You can’t see them, but visit anyway